08 Feb 2016

Shimmering Seas and Sunshine

As expected we woke to a dying 20knt north westerly wind this morning that always brings low cloud and rain, so visibility was down to a few hundred metres at times. Perseverance Harbour, now some six hours behind us, would be socked in for sure with Mt Honey obscured from view and unclimbable. By midday the seas were down with blue sky starting to appear as we raced ahead of the building weather astern. The afternoon opened up to the sparkling sunshine and brilliant shimmering blue seas we had not seen since we were last in these latitudes. Albatross buzzed the ship and it was great to be outside gazing over the transom at our disappearing wake and enjoying a more benign Southern Ocean. We were finally able to get the lecture programme underway again as we settled into a more normal ship life. Pre-dinner drinks in the bar/library brought a lively discussion on why people chose to visit Antarctica and whether commercial whaling fits in our current or future world. Our luck was running out for one last chance to see an Aurora when clouds moved in as night fell. Not long to go now until we are off Stewart Island.