Wednesday, January 3, 2024
We slept late today, had a late breakfast, and then headed to the Aula at 10 am for the daily briefing. Upon arrival, the view from the front window of the Aula was unobstructed and we witnessed the huge screen descend from the ceiling for the upcoming presentations. Our Expedition Leader, Marc, informed us that the weather looked too bad for the scheduled Zodiac landing at Cuverville Island. Indeed, it had been snowing all morning and Marc showed us the predicted wind conditions at our intended destination. So, the crew proposed going to Nansen Island, where the afternoon forecast conditions were more agreeable. After our arrival, a crew would make an exploratory landing. Marc then would announce the new schedule and the Viking app would be updated to reflect the changes. After Marc’s briefing, Tess, the Assistant Expedition Leader, made a presentation on humpback whales and shared various photos and videos (including some the captain had taken from the bridge) of the humpback feeding we had observed yesterday. We also heard presentations about the kayak and its history and an update on our released weather balloon.
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| You Are Here |
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| Ship passing in the Fog |
Later in the morning, Jane went back to the spa while I blogged awhile. After lunch, a disappointing announcement was made that the expedition team had not found a suitable landing point so that the Zodiacs could only motor around the surrounding waters. Our Zodiac cruise was scheduled for 4:30 pm. On our cruise, the first stop was a solitary humpback whale feeding. We watched as he dove with his tail upright, then resurfaced a distance away. But, soon he swam underwater and disappeared. So, our Zodiac guide, Bel, motored us to a small iceberg in the distance. On the berg were three very active Adelie penguins, a new species for us. It appeared to be a couple with a young child and we observed for quite awhile as they walked around flapping their wings and sliding down a small hill. On our return to the Polaris, the Zodiac engine stalled out when we were only about 100 yards away. We held our breath as Bel tweaked the controls on the motor’s arm. Eventually, however, we were safely back inside the warm bowels of the Polaris and out of the wind, sleet, and snow.
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| Another Zodiac Outing |
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| Thar She Blows! |
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| Humpback Tail (not side for id) |
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| Penguin Watch |
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| Enjoying a Private Iceberg |
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| Adelie Penguins |
During dinner, the five members of our pre-cruise party gathered as usual, Nina, Ray, Harriet, Jane and yours truly. Although we’ve met lots of new people on this cruise there’s a certain commaderie among us. We remained at our table chatting and drinking wine before reporting to the Aula for a presentation when Chief Engineer Jonny and Captain Mignon joined us. They chatted with us briefly then ate and hurried back to the bridge. We headed to the Aula and listened to a talk about differences between Antarctic fur seals and true seals before retiring to our stateroom for the evening.
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| Fur vs. True Seal Presentation |