This morning we were awoken by the announcement that we had crossed the Antarctic Circle, which runs 66°33′south of the equator. Below the Antarctic Circle there is at least one whole day every year where the sun does not set, and at least one whole day where the sun does not rise.
After breakfast we explored Lallemand Fjord in search of an appropriate section of fast ice for the ship to penetrate, and for guests to safely disembark. The ship silently carved through the fast ice before coming to a halt, and the gangway was lowered. The ice was tested, and before long everyone began to pour out of the ship to enjoy the spectacular view.
The endless, blinding-white ice was interrupted only by the odd Adélie penguin or crabeater seal. However, soon the ice was overrun by figures in orange, as the guests in their expedition parkas explored, getting close-up shots of the seals, or posing with a rope at the bow of the ship, as if dragging it through the ice by hand.
After lunch we continued the hunt for wildlife, and the trip’s first emperor penguins were spotted, along with a leopard seal and even some humpback whales. Later we had a talk from Global Perspective Guest Speaker, Tim Jarvis, on another of his chilling and incredible Antarctic adventures. This time he spoke about his harrowing journey following Shackleton’s path sailing 720 nautical miles from Elephant Island to South Georgia, across the roughest ocean in the world, in only a 20-foot sailboat.
