Port Lockroy
I’m thinking today of the immortal words of Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) when he said, “Snow! Snow! Let it blow! Wherever we go! To and fro! High and low! Hideeho! Snow! Snow! Snow!” On a day like today, however, I suppose it would be fair to add on a bonus verse, “Sleet! Sleet! Happily we’ll greet! From our head to our feet! On our Zodiac seat! What an Antarctic treat! With this wetness so neat! Sleet! Sleet! Sleet!” If any of us here on National Geographic Endeavour felt like we hadn’t experienced the “harshness” of this continent yet on this voyage, today was a terrific opportunity. And we embraced every minute of it as we ventured out to our visit at the British outpost of Port Lockroy.
Leaving our anchorage at Palmer Station this morning, we hopped over into the Neumayer Channel to visit a little island called Goudier Island. Here sits the seasonal station Port Lockroy, comprised of a few huts from the old British Base A built here in the 1940’s. Since its discovery in 1904 by the French ship the Francais, when it took refuge there for some major repairs, the site has been historically known as a sheltered place where yachts and ships can drop their anchors if the going gets rough. The site was restored in the 1990’s by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust, and is now a significant destination for guest ships with its spectacular backdrop scenery, its thriving Gentoo colonies, and most importantly, its terrific store to buy Antarctic souvenirs. .
Despite the reputation for its being a refuge, the Antarctic decided to let us know that it always has some tricks up its sleeve, and we emerged from the side gate into our Zodiacs to find the weather quite… refreshing! Gentoo penguins porpoised and swam all around us as we rode the Zodiacs ashore to the island. We explored the neat restorations of the buildings, and put our credit cards to good exercise in the station store. We also enjoyed our second activity of walking on the sea ice beneath the glacier walls nearby to check out some penguins, Weddell seals, and soak in the wild Antarctic for bit – of course while enjoying warm hot chocolate, too! After our explorations, we returned to the ship for some well-deserved warm soup and a tasty lunch, and then took advantage of the quiet afternoon on the ship for rest and respite while the blustery storm blew outside. Thanks to sleet, our Antarctic experience was complete!
I’m thinking today of the immortal words of Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) when he said, “Snow! Snow! Let it blow! Wherever we go! To and fro! High and low! Hideeho! Snow! Snow! Snow!” On a day like today, however, I suppose it would be fair to add on a bonus verse, “Sleet! Sleet! Happily we’ll greet! From our head to our feet! On our Zodiac seat! What an Antarctic treat! With this wetness so neat! Sleet! Sleet! Sleet!” If any of us here on National Geographic Endeavour felt like we hadn’t experienced the “harshness” of this continent yet on this voyage, today was a terrific opportunity. And we embraced every minute of it as we ventured out to our visit at the British outpost of Port Lockroy.
Leaving our anchorage at Palmer Station this morning, we hopped over into the Neumayer Channel to visit a little island called Goudier Island. Here sits the seasonal station Port Lockroy, comprised of a few huts from the old British Base A built here in the 1940’s. Since its discovery in 1904 by the French ship the Francais, when it took refuge there for some major repairs, the site has been historically known as a sheltered place where yachts and ships can drop their anchors if the going gets rough. The site was restored in the 1990’s by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust, and is now a significant destination for guest ships with its spectacular backdrop scenery, its thriving Gentoo colonies, and most importantly, its terrific store to buy Antarctic souvenirs. .
Despite the reputation for its being a refuge, the Antarctic decided to let us know that it always has some tricks up its sleeve, and we emerged from the side gate into our Zodiacs to find the weather quite… refreshing! Gentoo penguins porpoised and swam all around us as we rode the Zodiacs ashore to the island. We explored the neat restorations of the buildings, and put our credit cards to good exercise in the station store. We also enjoyed our second activity of walking on the sea ice beneath the glacier walls nearby to check out some penguins, Weddell seals, and soak in the wild Antarctic for bit – of course while enjoying warm hot chocolate, too! After our explorations, we returned to the ship for some well-deserved warm soup and a tasty lunch, and then took advantage of the quiet afternoon on the ship for rest and respite while the blustery storm blew outside. Thanks to sleet, our Antarctic experience was complete!
