So I awoke this morning to a rocking ship (at 4am or so) and thought to myself, I thought we weren't moving till breakfast. Not only were we moving, but we were speeding along. I couldn't fall back asleep. I knew we weren't heading to Port Lockeroy and on to the Lemaire Channel (known for its breathtaking vistas).
At 7am, the tour leader got on the PA for the morning wake up and told us that a passenger was very sick and needed to be evacuated so we were bolting north to the nearest (15 hours away) medical station where she could get a flight to Punta Arenas and onward to Santiago.
After breakfast we got a full briefing on our trip north and the crew announced that we wouldn't be heading back south for at least another day, day and a half. People were obviously dissapointed, but most people asked normal questions and wished the patient well (some were less kind).
I attended a morning lecture on Penguins with a superb naturalist, Karen. It was excellent. Learned about all the different kinds of penguins (7 genus, 13 species), their evolution, habitat, mating, etc. They are still so cute. After lunch, I went to a great photo session, where I learned about the impossible trinity of photography: ISO, appature, and shutter speed. I hope my pictures improve. I then spent some time shooting black and whites in the bridge and hanging out there with the captain and crew.
Lisa, our fearless leader, arranged for an expedition this afternoon, albeit a non-traditional one. Maxwell Bay is located on King George Island, the northern-most of the South Shetland group, and is home to a Chilean Naval Base, Chilean Scientific Research Station, and a Russian Station. We got to visit all three, along with a Russian Orthodox Church on top of this hill. It's bolted down so the wind doesn't blow it away. I got to try out some photo techniques using gray scale and other methods. It was good to get off the boat, it was interesting, but by no means a highlight of the trip. There were a few chinstrap and gentoo penguins on island too. We have to wait here until the patient/passenger is medevaced out of the area. No updates on that yet, but presumably we will set sail sometime tonight. Although I am a bit dissapointed that we didn't continue further south, I am really impressed with National Geographic and Lisa for their professionalism and adaptability. All in all, we may luck out and head through the Antarctic Channel to make a continental landing AND see the GIANT icebergs before heading back south along the peninsula to pick up where we left off.
No pictures yet as time is short before recap/dinner. Ok, maybe one of the bridge in black and white.
2 comments:
Great picture of the bridge!
Aperature.
Aperture.
Love the posts.
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