Antarctica - Part 3

November 29-30

November 29th was a big day. In the morning while reviewing our agenda for the day, the expedition leader, Jonathan, explained to us that the captain and he were discussing how to tell us that we would be unable to cross the Antarctic Circle as they had hoped. But they decided that the ice had broken up enough that they could try. So the ship headed south to attempt to reach the Antarctic Circle. It was a bit of slow-going as we headed into the ice. For maybe a half hour the ship stood still in the ice, presumably as the captain and his crew discussed the possibilities. But then we started pushing forward and after a bit, the ship stopped and announced that we had reached the Antarctic Circle. 66°33′50.3″ . What a celebration! The expedition team was probably more excited about it than the passengers. And you could tell that the captain was quite proud of his accomplishment. Looking at a map of the current position of ships at the Antarctic Penninsula, we were by far the furthest south at that time. I believe we were the first ship that season to cross the Circle.

In the afternoon, we explored Barcroft Island just north of Crystal Sound. Then in the early evening, it was time for the "thermofantastic event," the polar plunge! We came down to the mud room in our swim suits at our appointed time to get ready for our plunge. We took a nice picture with Susy in her penguin outfit, then proceeded to the platform. The crew attached a rope to our waists in case they had to haul us back in (and maybe to prevent me from swimming too far out). Sure, the water was cold. But it wasn't too bad - at first. It really didn't hit me until I started to climb up the ladder back to the platform. The polar plunge marked the fifth of the world's five oceans in which we both have swam, having swam in the Arctic Ocean when we drove the Dempster Highway to Tuktoyaktuk in Northwest Territories, Canada.

After another delicious dinner, it was time to relax and reflect upon a wonderful day. To top it all off, we were treated to a beautiful sunset that evening. At that latitude it wasn't until after midnight that the sun dipped below the horizon. It seemed that every evening, it was getting to be a little later before we made it to bed.😁

The next day was a day to visit some historical sites. In the morning we visited Port Charcot.

Port Charcot is the location where the French Antarctic Expedition overwintered in 1904. Jean-Baptiste Charcot, the expedition leader, was an early, well-regarded polar explorer. The expedition built a rock cairn with a wooden pillar at the top of a nearby hill, which may still be found there today. There were many penguins at the site, and the scenery was quite spectacular. Interestingly, a private sailboat was moored in the nearby bay.

The second historical site which we explored in the afternoon was Damoy Point. There were two huts there, one built by Argentina and the other by the United Kingdom. The Argentine hut was built in the 1950s and is closed to the public but still used as an emergency shelter. The British hut was built in 1973 and served as a base for the nearby summer air facility that flew supplies to another British station when that base could not be accessed by ship. It was closed in 1995 and is now a museum. It looks as if the occupants just stepped outside for a walk or something. There was also a large colony of gentoo penguins at the site. (Note the rare four-winged penguin😁.)

After touring the historical site, we took a tour in the Zodiac to a nearby British base. More penguins, seals, and an imperial shag colony. The ice formations in the bay were beautiful, as were the mountains in the background.

In the evening we enjoyed visiting with friends and our favorite bartender.