14th January 2024
Gerlache Strait
MS Seaventure now headed South, down the west side of the Peninsula. On waking, we learned that our original plan, landing at Palaver Point on Two Hummock Island, was cancelled. It was a glorious, sparkling morning, but a Force 7 gale made boarding zodiacs impossible.
So, we sailed steadily on, right down the middle of Gerlache Strait. We were treated to amazing ice capped mountains, glaciers and icebergs, glinting in the sharp, clear sun. The waves looked lively and fresh.
The Captain stopped the ship in the middle of a large number of Orcas. Everybody was on deck, huge telephoto cameras and little flat mobiles on the ready to snap fleeting glimpses of orcas, starboard, ahead and port of the ship.
Fournier Bay
We arrived at Plan B, Fournier Bay, when we had decided to avail ourselves of the ‘short zodiac cruise’ offering. This was for only one hour, and with only six passengers. We headed out with Lori at the helm. It didn’t take long before our ‘buddy’ zodiac radioed us to say that they had heard the blow of whales, ahead.
We gently approached, and were rewarded with over twenty minutes of closeup whales, so close their feeding sounded like elephants snorting! About eight humpback whales were feeding on shallow krill.
They were diving, snorting, blowing, diving showing their huge baleen jaws. The numbers, the raw power, the immediacy was nearly overpowering. They swam in a circle round our small Zodiacs.
Humpback lunchtime Two Humpbacks
Our helmsman Lori, a professional with many seasons behind her, had never seen anything like this. She said that now she would die happily ….!
Gym
Our plan in taking the short, one hour (and, what an hour!) zodiac cruise, was to get back to the ship early, with the hope for an uncrowded gym session. That, we achieved! Blissfully we had a great session, without accidentally elbowing others or grumpily waiting for the only treadmill to be free. A thoroughly enjoyable gym session!
Plunge
Recovering with a nice cuppa tea, we observed a large excited cohort of passengers in bathrobes, in the bar…. They were gearing up to do the famed ‘Polar Plunge’ – the name says it all. A chance to hop, dive or fall into the sea! The deck was lined with sensibly dressed passengers observing, photographing and cheering the insane bathers.
Peter’s excuse for not doing it was that he did the same in a frozen Swedish lake when at university. Family will be delighted (if surprised) that Lynne chose not to indulge in a polar dunking…
BBQ Party
As the last plunger emerged, the big BBQ party started! The restaurant staff had set up tables, servers and bar outdoors, on deck seven, by the emptied swimming pool.
The weather was unprecedented – warm in the brilliant sunshine, still needing warm clothes though… The last time they had an outdoors BBQ, they said it snowed and sleeted…!
Randy was on top form, playing all the favourites. The dining passengers sang and danced along – the hot mulled wine flowed – it was quite a party!
All in all, a magnificent day. Humpbacks to orcas to gym to plunge to party under a clear warming sun, among fantastical icebergs and mountains. Could it get better?
