We know of at least one passenger that did not realize we would have days "At Sea." In fact we would have four days before we reached South Georgia Island!
The birders were up early, and they might later partake of "Early morning coffee, tea and pastries" at 6:30 in The Club.
Breakfast was served from 8:00-9:30 in the Dining Room, buffet style.
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The omelet station had this small bar where you
filled a bowl with the fixings you desired in your own omelet |
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The two omelet chefs would also cook the eggs
scrambled or over easy or hard |
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You could also ask the waitstaff for Eggs Benedict
or Eggs Florentine |
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A selection of stewed or dried fruits, granola,
yogurts, and sliced fresh fruit |
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| Smoothies, cheeses, dried meats, marinated fish, and lox |
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| Breads and pastries |
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| Juices and cereals |
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| Gruel, usually oatmeal |
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| Baked beans, grilled tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, bacon |
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Sausages, hash browns, boiled eggs, and pancakes
(or waffles, or French toast) |
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| We always were provided plenty of eating utensils! |
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Quark also gave us collapsible water bottles
that we could fill up at a water stations in
the Observation Lounge, the Main Lounge,
and The Club |
There was also a machine in The Club that served a variety of coffees and hot chocolate.
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Isla de los Estados/Staten Island was the last land
we would see for three days |
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However, we would see plenty of seabirds every day;
contrary to common belief, seeing a bird at sea does not
mean you are nearing land, unless you see a land bird |
Seabirds spend most of their time at sea, and go to land only to breed. The albatross can remain at sea for two years. Some seabirds can fly on semi-automatic pilot, but most sit on the water to "sleep."
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| The seas began to become rough, with swells 4-5 m/13-16 feet |
Our day continued with two presentations in the morning:
An Introduction to the Seabirds of the Scotia Sea (by Fabrice Genevois, a French ornithologist) and
Photography Basics (by Yves Adams, a Belgian photographer).
After a buffet lunch, we had a presentation on Shackleton's Imperial Transantarctic Expedition (by Federico Gargiulo, an Argentine historian).
After Afternoon Tea was a showing of a documentary film on South Georgia Island: The Island on the Edge of the World.
The Recap and Briefing talked about the wildlife seen during the day and a summary of what to expect the next day. Apparently Magellanic penguins were spotted on Staten Island.
Dinner was table service from 19:00-20:30, with an extensive and varied menu.
At 21:00 was the Bar Talk: How to Become a Guide/Avoid a Normal Job (by Pat Lurcock, an English expert on South Georgia Island because he worked there, and Expedition Guide).
Thursday, December 8, 2022
Temperature 12oC/53oF.
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| This is the view from our cabin window while "At Sea" |
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Even though the ship's economy was based
on the US dollar, everything else was metric;
fortunately this conversion chart was provided
so that we Americans did not constantly
have to do math to figure the temperature |
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Okay, when "At Sea," the idea is to stay out on the decks
to watch for and photograph wildlife (KSS) |
We left the photographing of seabirds to the "professionals"!
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I believe these are Macronectes giganteus/
Southern Giant Petrels |
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Macronectes giganteus/Southern Giant Petrel
(by Charlie Wu) |
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Macronectes halli/Northern Giant Petrel (by unknown);
the difference between the Northern and Southern Giant
Petrels is the color of the very tip of the beak |
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I want this to be the Thalassarche melanophris/
Black-browed Albatross! |
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Thalassarche melanophris/Black-browed Albatross
(by Charlie Wu) |
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Black-browed Albatross (by Simon Gillespie); this photo
confirms my Black-browed Albatross!
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The high resolution photos show the difference between the albatross and petrel, both from the order of seabirds called Procellariiformes or tubenoses. Through evolution, their nostrils developed into a tube in or on the beak. The tubenose of the petrel ends in a single opening midway on top of the beak, and that of the albatross has two openings on eithher side of the beak.
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Diomedea epomophora/Southern Royal Albatross
(by Christopher Kirby-Lambert) |
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Phoebetria palpebrata/Light-mantled Sooty Albatross
(by Roger) |
This morning we had a Mandatory Briefing about Zodiac Safety (!) and Wilderness Etiquette, followed by a Biosecurity inspection. We had to bring all our outdoor gear to have creases and velcro inspected for foreign matter, seeds, etc., which we were not allowed to introduce to the sub-Antarctic and Antarctic regions. Vacuum cleaners and tools were provided to clean our items if needed (actually most of our things were brand new!). Once we passed biosecurity, we had to sign an IAATO Biosecurity declaration (IAATO being the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators). During this expedition, we were expected to "biosecure" our boots, waterproof pants, parka, and hat and gloves if necessary, between each zodiac excursion. This would be greatly assisted by having our pants and boots pressure-washed every time we returned to the ship.
Also in order not to spread avian flu, we were not to sit or kneel on land.
After lunch were two presentations: Albatrosses: Ocean Wanderers (by French ornithologist Fabrice Genevois), and Marine Mammals of the Southern Ocean (by Grigory Tsidulko, a Russian marine biologist).
Meanwhile, those who planned to participate in sea kayaking and the paddle excursion program had mandatory briefings.
At the Recap and Briefing, we were told that the whale back and blow we saw in the distance was a Globicephala melas/Long-finned Pilot Whale.
After dinner we had Icebreaker Games, which indeed helped us to get to know some of the passengers!
Friday, December 9, 2022
Temperature 9oC/48oF.
The first presentation this morning was Tales of a War in the South Atlantic: a personal story (by Argentinian Daniel Martin with interpretation by Argentinian historian Federico Gargiulo). It turns out that Quark Expeditions had agreed to pay for the trips of the three children of an Argentinian submariner, Felix Artuso, who was killed and buried in South Georgia Island during the 1982 Falkland/Malvinas War. The siblings, Cristian, Karina, and Carolina, would be visiting their father's grave for the first time. They were accompanied by Admiral Daniel Martin, who was a young lieutenant on the submarine in 1982, and Corporal Alberto Macías, who lost a leg when the submarine Santa Fe was hit by a missile from a helicopter. Also in the group were Marcelo de Bernardis and Daniel Cobos Porta, war veterans with the Malvinas War Veterans Association, whose mission was to be sure every fallen man's grave was visited by family members. The son of Admiral Martin was three-months old at the time, and he, Lucas Martin, was with the group as well.
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| While At Sea, the Gift Shop was open |
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| Gift Shop goodies |
The second morning presentation was Rocks! (by Rebecca Stirling, the Canadian geologist and glaciologist).The presentation after lunch was Whaling in the Southern Ocean (by Argentinian historian Federico Gargiulo). After nearly wiping out the Northern Right Whales, the whalers came to the Antarctic region to nearly wipe out the Southern Right Whales!
We already had to turn the clocks forward two hours when in Argentina, but now we had to advance them one more hour for South Georgia Island time.
Next: Shag Rocks.
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