12 March We Land on Wiencke Island

A very early 0745 start today for a Zodiac trip to our first “island-fall” in Antarctica. The day started with the usual 2Dcl of spit in a tube for daily COVID testing. I’d guess 2Dcl is a little less than a teaspoon. It’s more pleasant than a swab up the nose, but it is more time consuming.

Room service was right on time with my croissant and yogurt and Karla’s bacon. Our cabin staff provided us with an electric tea kettle so we can have tea any time we want. We ate as we suited up and found practice makes the process go much faster.

The day started foggy and overcast, switching to partly cloudy with blowing snow (Nothing like you in Virginia have had) and is now bright and sunny. We were on the island for a little over an hour. Enough to climb to its highest point and look down on the summer manned UK research station and to walk over to a Gentoo penguin rookery. Rick’s being generous. I didn’t do the march and only saw the penguins from a distance. Weather nasty and it was fun people watching. So rocky and uneven I just plodded along to make tracks. Not my cup of tea. I had to use poles. Rick did not. He has excellent balance and strong legs.

A real porthole

Karla (Yes that's really her) coming ashore

180 Degree Panoramic View From The Top Of Wiencke Island

At The Top

The Current British Station. Manned in the summer. They have a post office box will pick up a post card the Viking Staff delivered on our behalf.

Talked to one of the instructors, a marine scientist and naval officer, about the cabins that were erected for transient staffs – one for the Brits and one for the Argentines. We were only permitted in the British one. Imagine roughing it in built in bunk beds with wooden slats, a nothing kitchen and no toilet inside. No explanation why the paint was turquoise for the British one. The instructor said red was the usual color for this type of hut.

The return ride to the ship was rough, with stinging snow. The driver had to make a second cut to get next to the ship because the water got rougher as we neared it. The experience overall will never be repeated. This is a beautiful continent with so much unchartered territory, it seems like it should be studied without disturbing anything. Hard to do. Winter is approaching and I understand from some of the crew, the water will be frozen within a couple of months.

Tomorrow SOUTH of the Antarctic Circle.