We began our day with a leisurely start navigating our way further and further south through countless icebergs and pack ice. Captain Oliver and his crew skillfully dodged the larger ‘bergy bits’ and ‘growlers’ amongst the pack ice, and many of us crowded on the bow to watch the National Geographic Explorer slice through the thinner pack ice. A solitary leopard seal was spotted in the early hours on the ice followed by many crabeater seals. Large scars and fresh wounds were seen on many of the seals, and the naturalists explained that they were likely inflicted by leopard seals or even possibly killer whales. Adélie and gentoo penguins were viewed numerous times and our cameras clicked continuously capturing these wonderful birds.
At 1030 hours we celebrated the crossing the Antarctic Circle crossing 66 degrees 33 minutes! Many of us gathered in the bridge alongside Captain Oliver and took photos of the satellite navigation equipment as proof for our friends and family of our achievement.
After lunch we boarded our trusty Zodiacs and headed ashore to the historical site of Detaille Island, which is a small island set in the Lallemand fjord off the Loubet coast. Here, there is a decommissioned British scientific base built in 1956 that operated for several years. The hut provided an evocative insight into the way of life for the British scientists who lived and worked in the Antarctic in the 1950s and 1960s. During its short history as an occupied base, the data collected substantially contributed towards the geophysical programme of the International Geophysical year (IGY). In addition to the main base building there are also dog kennels for the numerous huskies that lived at the base, an emergency store, fuel drum and cargo depots, an anemometer tower and wireless masts.
As we marveled at the restored hut and all the artifacts that were still inside, the weather steadily became a little harsher in comparison to the unusually sunny weather that we had experienced over the past few days. A stiff sea breeze blew 20 – 25kn and small amounts of snow covered our jackets. South polar skuas flew overhead as we travelled back across the bay to the Explorer in anticipation of a delicious dinner aboard.
