14 Feb 2016

2 Feb Voyage: Shokalskiy Celebrations

Calm sailing conditions enabled an informative day at sea as we made for the Bay of Whales. Lecturer Samuel Blanc gave a detailed account of Sir James Clark Ross’ Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.  Agnes Breniere then took the floor to discuss ‘Sea Ice – the Eighth Continent,’ explaining how sea ice is formed and the overall effect it has on the oceans of the planet. Grigory Tsidulko talked about ‘Saving Marine Protected Areas,’ and touched on the role of the CCAMLR (Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) in the Ross Sea region and the progress made during the last five meetings. Later James Ross ordered champagne in the bar so everyone could raise a glass in honour of his ancestor, Sir James Clark Ross, and to thank the team for an amazing voyage so far. A second toast was then made to a flourishing future for Antarctica.