MS National Geographic Endeavour
Hydrurga Rocks
Monday, January 26, 2009

    Up and going again at 05:00. It was cold and snowing this morning making it quite brisk to be standing out on the bow of the ship. Just before breakfast, we arrived at Hydrurga Rocks (the Latin genus name for the leopard seal). Scanning the island with binoculars, I could see a group of fur seals playing on some of the ice fields as well as a number of chinstrap breeding colonies. The sea was a little rough and so was the surf against the rocky coast. It was still snowing. The ship launched an exploratory Zodiac to see if a safe landing site could be found.

    A site was found and despite the warnings and cautions, quite a few of us decided to make the landing. A number of others selected to go on Zodiac tours around this small rocky island. It was a rough and bumpy Zodiac ride: good thing for waterproof pants, boots and parka. My camera was fitted with a raincoat, placed inside a sealed Dry Sack and that inside a water-resistant backpack. My gear has performed very well in some challenging condition of spraying fresh and salt water, cold temperatures, and snow and ice.

    The usual Zodiac landing involves nosing the boat up to the edge of the island and trying to hold it there with the power of the engine while we disembark. This was accomplished by a person at the front of the Zodiac on each side swinging their legs up and over the side of the boat and standing in the water, then wading to shore. The beach, and in fact the whole island, is covered in very slick rock, made even more slick by the falling snow and the ubiquitous mixture of penguin guano and mud. Climbing the rocks to get to the penguin colonies had to be performed very slowly and with great care. I was careful to test each foot placement before placing my full weigh on it. My balance was further challenged since my left arm and hand were unavailable for climbing since I was carrying ten pounds of camera and telephoto lens at the ready for action. There were five minor slips today, none resulting in injury, just bruised prides. The Chinstrap penguins exhibit a lot more fighting challenges between each other than do the Gentoo and Adalie penguins. The chinstrap markings are very prominent and distinctive. As with the other penguins, there were lots of chicks very close to being left on their own. The chicks here appeared even more scruffy and miserable in the snow. But, in fact, they were probably the happiest penguins as this weather is a lot more to their liking.

    There was a big group of fur seals on the island, playing and fighting on the snowfields. We were careful to keep a long distance from the fur seals. They can be very nasty and are faster than we are on the snow.

    We sighted whales just off the coast of the island, so we returned to the ship via another rough Zodiac ride around to the other side of the island. The captain retrieved all the boats, raised anchor, and while we had lunch, he got the ship underway in search of whales.

    We spent the afternoon basically sailing north toward Ushuaia, but when humpbacks were sighted, the captain would slow and using minimal power try to position the ship for optimal viewing. We sailed quite a few circles in the sea this afternoon.

    Late in the afternoon, we rendezvoused at sea with MS National Geographic Explorer, the new Lindblad Antarctic ship. We raced to a island that was to be a Zodiac viewing site for the Explorer. Apparently, the Explorer was in desperate need of a sewing machine, so they sent over a Zodiac and we let them have ours. It was also a special time for the behind-the-scenes crew, since the captains allowed a short Zodiac visit for them to visit their friends on the other ship. Many hadn’t seen each other for several months.

    We entered the Drake Passage northbound on our way home. The Drake is still reasonably calm, but the headwind is such that we have a lot more pitching. I find the motion pleasing, but not everyone agrees with me! We technically remain in Antarctica until crossing the 60th parallel northbound and will arrive Ushuaia the morning of January 29. My series of flights begin later that day and I will arrive in Los Angeles midday on January 30. It is rather sad to be leaving such a magnificent place and I truly would like to return sometime. But in the meantime, other adventures await.

    Unless something really spectacular occurs in the Drake Passage, this will be my last report. I am anxious to organize and process my pictures from the trip so that I can share them.