Antarctic Waters

Gerlache Strait

Day 13: Wednesday, January 16, 2002

Wednesday, January 16, 2002
8:00 am Neumayer Channel
1:30 pm Lemaire Channel
6:30 pm Paradise Harbor

At 7:00 am we lay in Gerlache Strait, off the northern entrance to Neumayer Channel, a narrow, winding sea passage between Anvers Island and Wienke Island. By 8:30 am we were heading down the 2000 yard wide channel between ice cliffs and steep, towering mountains. Emerging into Bismarck Strait, we paused by Damoy Point to see a large colony of Gentoo penguins. Later in the morning, we crossed the strait to Wednesday Island where we were buzzed by a helicopter from the Royal Naval hydrographic ship HMS Endurance, which we had seen near the Antarctic Peninsula. Continuing southward, the ms Ryndam entered the narrower entrance of Lemaire Channel. Preceded by one of the tenders, we sailed most of the way along the channel until we were stopped by brash ice. This was the southern most point of our journey. We then moved slowly back, watching the Weddell seals and Adelie penguins. In the late afternoon, we headed north along Gerlache Strait. At 6:30 pm we entered Paradise Harbor, where we saw the Argentine station Almirante Brown and the Chilean station Presidente Gonzalez Videla. In a snowstorm and fading light, we returned to spend the night in Gerlache Strait.

6:45 AM and so far, it's a gloomy day.

We rise early, because it never really got dark during the night. This is day 13 of the cruise, and lots of people need to do laundry, so I got up at 5:45 hoping one of the four washing machines would be available. They all were. But by the time I finished, people were in line.

Owen watches the scenery go by.

We're in the Lido Buffet by 7 am. And the rain soon has the window covered.

7:40 AM The rain has quit.

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