We began our first day in Antarctica with a zodiac landing on D’Hainaut Island in Mikkelsen Harbor. The harbour is a small bay on the south side of Trinity Island, in the Palmer Archipelago. The island was used as anchorage for sealing vessels in the early 1800’s . It was also used by whaling vessels in the early 1900s. The island is a small outcrop of rock which is covered in snow until the end of the summer season. The small red shack is an Argentine emergency refuge in case shelter is needed in a hurry. Now, it’s inhabited by Antarctic terns, Dominican gulls, and Gentoo penguins. There are also Weddell seals and a few fur seals in residence.
On Wednesday afternoon, we had a zodiac cruise. The ship had repositioned to Cierva Cove. The cove is a protected area, in which lies Primavera (Argentinian) Research Base. Because it is protected, no landing is permitted. The weather was excellent. Although it was 32F/0C, the sea was calm. The calmer seas meant we were able to occasionally (with permission) stand in the zodiac to get shots like the ones below:
The people on our ship are from all over the world. The Australians seem to have a majority portion of the 178 passengers onboard. Quite a few are single travelers, who meet up in the evenings for cocktails and then share dinner. They are a boisterous group who seem to be having a great time among new friends.
As you might imagine, a lot of the ship’s activities are dependent on the weather. On Wednesday, we had a landing and a zodiac cruise. Today, there was a morning and afternoon zodiac cruise. It was snowing and the seas were not calm… we returned to the ship soaking wet, freezing – but very happy. We encountered 8 humpback whales!
Pictures to follow later!
Michele Travels 
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