This final morning in Antarctica began with sunrise just after 4:00 a.m., and a few hours later, slow movement forward as we left Culverville Island behind and sailed southwest toward the Neumyaer Channel.
Today’s destinations include the Neumyaer, Channel, the Lemaire Channel (#6 on the map), and Palmer Station (#7), a U.S. Research Station.
There was a chance that Neumyaer would be blocked by icebergs that break from the icy slopes and crash or splash or simply slip into the sea, which would cause us to have to turn back, as has apparently happened with each of this year’s previous cruises.
The Captain carefully eased the ship into the passage, with Anvers Island on our right, and Wiencke Island on our left. He maneuvered through the channel, around enormous icebergs and gently through the bergy bits. It is cold, and still. The ever-changing scenes, layered upon the accumulated experiences of the past few days invoke wonder that is beyond my capability to express. So I share these tidbits, quietly, humbly, gratefully.
And then, woohoo!!!! We made it all the way through the channel!! Later in the afternoon we stopped briefly at a British station where the replica of the Europa, now a three masted ship used for training and trips to Antarctica was sitting (how exciting it must be to sail the Drake Passage in THAT!!).
The ship dipped down into the Lemaire Channel and back out, then headed north to Palmer Station. We paused there for awhile to deliver supplies and share food goods from the ship. It had begun to snow and we waved goodbye to the penguins on shore (yes, the black dots) and finished our “Antarctic Experience” in grand fashion, as individual snowflakes lasted long enough in the cold to have their picture taken.
And now we head north, across the Drake Passage to Cape Horn, and north through Chilean Fjords. We’ll leave you with a few bergy bits in the snow, and some pictures of pictures taken by others.
