22 Jan 2020

Adventures in Terra Nova Bay

Changing course overnight to avoid the ice, Akademik Shokalskiy sailed into Terra Nova Bay several hours later than expected this evening. However, given Antarctica's perpetual daylight we simply postpone dinner to take advantage of yet another blue-bird evening to explore Inexpressible Island.

Made famous by Robert Falcon Scott's ‘Northern Party', which was forced to see out winter in a snow cave after being stranded on the island and walking more than 200 miles to Cape Evans, we arrive to watch Adelie Penguins leaping out of the water onto the ice above with one even jumping into a Zodiac, briefly thrilling expeditioners before hastily returning to more familiar surrounds.

Walking over the ice towards the memorial plaque, we stop to observe a group of Weddell Seals in repose - the vocal seals delighting with their near 180-degree yawns ending in a brief chattering and lazily scratching their mottled undersides with dexterous flippers.

Walking over the ridge of Harrowfield Hill (named after Heritage Expeditions' lecturer Dr David Harrowfield and Antarctica's first archaeologist) it feels like we're on another planet as we navigate large rocky outcrops while far below, the white expanse of Priestley and Reeve's Glaciers impress as they make their slow descent into the Ross Sea.

Back on board we enjoy dinner at 2200 hours, steaming towards a midnight rendezvous with Akademik Shokalskiy's sister ship Spirit of Enderby (Professor Khromov) as we pass at Gerlache Inlet, Spirit of Enderby off on her next adventure. We spend the following hours exploring the rugged landscape surrounding German summer research station Gondwana, and from the ridgeline observe the larger South Korean station Jang Bogo, its blue buildings sprawling under Mount Melbourne. The last Zodiac returns ecstatic expeditioners to Akademik Shokalskiy at 0330 hours under a rapidly climbing Antarctic sun.

Image © I. Wilson, Heritage Expeditions