16 Feb 2015

Macca Cruising

We enjoyed a great run from the Auckland Islands to Macquarie Island, taking just a little over 31 hours. Coincidentally I recently read an account of a sailing ship which took 4 weeks for the same journey in 1852. The Rangers joined us on board early yesterday and we spent the morning at Sandy Bay amongst the King and Royal Penguins. The Royals have almost completed the breeding cycle for the season, while the Kings with their prolonged cycle have young chicks. The first mature Elephant Seals were hauling out in preparation for their annual moult. We spent the afternoon enjoying the hospitality of the staff at ANARE station including a tour of the base.

The weather has deteriorated (as forecast) and we are now on our way to Lusitania Bay to view the huge King Penguin colony. There is no room to land there and with the weather conditions as they are it is unlikely we will even be able to put the Zodiacs in the water but we will be able to view the multitudes through our binoculars. The good news though is that the weather is from the North-North East so we will have a tail wind and a following sea as we set a course for the Ross Sea.