27 Feb 2017

SHOKALSKIY: Celebrating Furthest Point South

What a few days we’ve had! In two separate landing parties, after enjoying our breakfast, we headed by zodiac from the Akademik Shokalskiy to Cape Evans and Scott’s Hut. In small groups we joined our onboard Antarctic historian, David Harrowfield, inside for a tour.

The area surrounding the hut was home to many moulting Adelie Penguins. Weddell Seals were bountiful on the beach and we enjoyed the opportunity to stretch our legs further by walking up Wind Vane Hill to the memorial in honour of three members of Shackleton’s Trans-Antarctic expedition who lost their lives in the vicinity. Here a large wooden cross overlooks the hut & stables.

After lunch, we made our way towards the channel that had recently been carved by an icebreaker to reach McMurdo Station. When we arrived, the channel had re-frozen and the ship was unable to push the newly formed ice as it was surrounded by last winter’s pack ice. The ice was early this season and it prevented us getting any further. Samuel, our Expedition Leader, and the other staff took this opportunity for us to land on the ice flow to celebrate our furthest point south. An evening landing was made at Cape Bird where the temperature reached -12.

The following morning we awoke to news that we were alongside the Ross Ice Shelf. We spent many hours following the ice shelf, viewing Adelie Penguins huddled together to keep warm, a solitary Emperor Penguin and pods of Orca hunting. We poked the nose of the ship into Cape Crozier, which was where the first breeding site of the Emperor penguins were found during Scott’s Northern party’s expedition. En-route to Franklin Island this afternoon we enjoyed a lecture on James Clark Ross and Ice and the importance it plays in the food chain to support the wildlife here. An evening landing was made on Franklin Island for those wanting to stretch their legs and walk through fresh snow before returning to the ship overnight as we head north to Cape Hallett.

Leanne Dunhill, Guest Blogger 

Image from ©AHern