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Antarctic Peninsula Basecamp, On board the M/V Plancius
March 3-14 2015 Trip Report

Escorted by: Cindi LaRaia

Page Five

Day 5 – Saturday 7th March 2015
Damoy Point and Peterman Island, Antarctica

GPS 08.00 Position: 064°49’S / 063°30’W
Weather: Wind: SSW 2. Sea State: Calm. Weather: Overcast. Temperature: 0°C

The first task of the morning was to collect the campers from the shore. Lori and Andre took the zodiacs ashore to collect everyone and it seems like they had all enjoyed a good night under canvas. Most people hadn’t had much sleep but it didn’t really seem to matter as the experience on the ice in front of the huge ice wall had been unforgettable.

Once back on board it was time for breakfast and during breakfast the ship was re‐positioned around the corner of the bay for our morning’s landing on Damoy Point. As usual there were groups heading out above sea level; the mountaineers and snow shoe hikers, a group heading on sea level; the kayakers and a group heading below sea level; the divers. The rest of us went ashore to join a photo workshop with Oliver or just to enjoy some shore time with the penguins. Ali was leading the snow shoe hike and took a route past the Gentoo penguins, on the higher rocky outcrops near the shore and then up onto the long ridge overlooking the bay. This ridge used to be used as a ‘ski‐way’ by the British Antarctic Survey from the 1950’s to the 1980’s. Staff would arrive by ship and then be flown by small twin otter planes, with skis attached, down to Rothera Base further south. The Damoy Hut, at the bottom of the hill used to be the accommodation hut for passengers waiting to fly, especially if there was bad weather. This hut is now maintained as a little museum by the British Antarctic Heritage Trust. From the top of the ski‐way there were stunning views all around and we could look down into Port Lockroy where the cruise ship the Ushuaia was anchored. The group walked to the point where the slope got steeper and then made their way back down the slope to the landing site. It was a lovely morning for a hike.

Once all the groups had completed their activities we returned to the ship and began our re‐positioning cruise around to Petermann Island which took us through the very scenic Lemaire Channel, often referred to as the ‘Kodak Gap’ due to the number of photos that have been taken by cruise ship passengers over the years. It was a beautiful sail through the channel with lots of Leopard seals and Crabeater seals hauled out on the ice floes and humpback whales lazing in the afternoon sunshine. It was difficult to know which way to point the camera.

*** This cruise thru Lemaire Channel was stunning beyond belief! Breathtaking steep mountain peaks hugged us on either side of this narrow channel, blue glaciers interspersed throughout. Humpback whales all over on either side of the boat, Humpy heaven here!!

Once we were through the channel we headed a little further south to our anchorage position just off Petermann Island. This small island is home to a large number of Gentoo penguins and, at the right time of the season, Adélie penguins. We were met at the beach by Gentoo chicks and a few Antarctic Fur seals and once ashore it was like a penguin circus all around the island with chicks chasing their parents and parents sliding down the slopes in an attempt to escape their hungry offspring. Ali led a walk along the island to see if she could find any Adélie penguins in their usual nesting area. It was a slow but very entertaining walk watching penguins all the way. There weren’t any Adélies by the shore but a small group of moulting adults were found up on the hillside, tucked in beside the rocks looking a little scruffy. At this time of the year all the Adélie penguins have finished their breeding season so all the chicks have fledged and headed out to sea and only a few adults are left finishing their annual moult. It was nice to see the species of penguin which is the world’s most southerly breeding penguin.

Some people made the short walk along the shore to the cross on the rocks. This was erected in memory of three members of the British Antarctic Survey team that were lost crossing the sea ice in the 1980’s. There were Gentoo penguins all along the route which provided plenty of entertainment and photo opportunities. **** What a super fun place, so many penguins and chicks like a big playground for Gentoo’s! Wonderful to see our first small group of Aidele’s, they are not as playful as Gentoos, but also they were in big moult which creates stress on their bodies. I forgave them for not wanting to play with us!

All too soon it was time to go back to the landing site and head back to Plancius where Kelvin gave a short briefing about our plans for tomorrow. It was then time for dinner before Group 2 of the campers to pack their bags ready for a night on shore at our new location, Hovegaard. The rest of us enjoyed dinner and a relaxing evening in the lounge.

Kayaking

AM Paul and Kayaking Team H (half of the Diving Team) disembarked the ship and headed off into Dorian Bay to access the kayaks from the zodiac. Once on the water they circumnavigated the bay, cruising past the hut & the Gentoo penguin colony before exiting the bay & heading towards Port Lockroy. The conditions were flat calm initially but as they made their way out, they experienced some flow and a small amount of swell. One of the narrow channels offered a degree of excitement for a couple of the kayakers. At their furthest point, they caught a glimpse of Port Lockroy for the last time before make their way back up the channel, initially to the island just out of the bay and finally amongst the icebergs to finish off. After which, they got back into the zodiac & headed back to the ship. A great morning was had by all & perhaps some of the divers have been converted!

Petermann Island

After transiting the Lemaire and a short briefing we made our way to shore, stepping into our harnesses and crampons before setting off to the start of our climb. Once we had made our way through the very charismatic fledging penguins we roped up into two teams and set off up the steep slope. After a sustained push we made the top and trekked across the ice to the top of the island at 133m, enjoying the ominous clouds and subdued light as it bathed the surrounding peaks with a gentle glow. We looped back towards our climb‐out point and followed our track back down to the rookery below, taking the time to sit with the penguins and enjoy their antics on our way back to the landing site.

Snowshoeing!!!

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