The nightly changing of the clocks takes a toll on a human metabolism. This morning awaking at 3 AM, and skipped changing out of my PJs before going on deck to check out our voyage, I was virtually alone, It was crispy cold and the sounds of the ice were amplified. I picked up screeching from nearby penguins. When I failed to spot them on the port side, I tried the starboard and there they were raging at this big blue thing passing by. A few crabeater seals were loitering on the ice flows until annoyed by the ships presense.
Highlighting the day was an outing on the ice shelf. We parked along the edge of the shelf and stepped on to Antarctic ice for the first time. Awaiting us were Adelie penguins, emperor penguins, and crabeater seals. As we walked in the snow and made a circle around the edge of the ice shelf, the Adelies followed us. We were entertainment for the birds and they also performed for us along the way. From the native point of view, there were…”One hundred orange aliens of different heights and widths flowing out of a huge blue vessel, tramping across the ice, stopping every few moments to lift dark cylinders to the top of their forms with a few clicking sounds, and then moving on to the next site. They didn’t look for food, or make any deposits. They did let out strange noises at different volumes and pitches – none of which sounded familiar to our well attuned souls. Finally after about an hour and 1/2, they left, not even leaving one behind for us to play with.”
In the evening, we were honored to attend to a cocktail party for the 50th Anniversary of one of the guests from Sausalito, small world. The evening flowed into dinner with our group continuing to enjoy the marital celebration and the company of other guests..
Rizbee On The Road 