The guests aboard the National Geographic Explorer arrived this morning at Port Lockroy on this windy sunny day. The Port Lockroy Base was built by Great Britain on Goudier Island during the World War II as scientific and political base. It was occupied by several men from then until 1962. Bransfield House is the main building and is now restored as a historic museum managed by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust. The interior was a perfectly preserved time capsule of the 1940s and 50s. While there, we walked around to see the nesting gentoo penguins, with a particular interest on the penguin chicks in their nests only a short distance away. There were one or two chicks in several nests, some of whom were feeding directly from their parents’ mouths. We also saw white sheathbills feeding amongst the penguins.
In addition to our visit to the base, we went for a short Zodiac ride to Jougla Point. We walked around giant whalebones from multiple baleen whales. There were two Weddell seals on the snow, one of whom occasionally vocalized with trill call. We had the opportunity to walk close to the gentoo nesting penguins. What really caught our eye were the nesting blue-eyed shags (cormorants), and their chicks covered in gray coats of down.
In the afternoon, we landed at Cuverville Island for our last up-close look at Antarctica. Some of the guests took Zodiac rides along the shore to see swimming penguins and the awesome icebergs, one of which split in two with a big bang. Most of us arrived on land for a last walk in Antarctica. There were several gentoo penguin colonies spread out along the shore. The penguins were coming in and out of the ocean, walking up and down on their “penguin highways,” and sitting on eggs in their rock nests. Meanwhile, there were menacing skuas flying around. There was even a wedding, as two guests were married on shore by the captain! The views in this bay were magnificent, with jagged black peaks of igneous rock soaring out of the glaciated white landscape.
After Recap and dinner, we watched the video chronicle preview together in the lounge. This was perfect way to end a perfect week in Antarctica. We reminisced about our incredible experiences, amazing sights, and great weather, as the ship turned north away from the continent toward the Drake Passage.
