13 March South of The Antarctic Circle

We did it!!! This is only the second time this ship, Viking Octantis, has been this far south. We crossed the magic line where the sun does not set, December 21 or 22, or rise June 21 or 22. Hardly a bump in the road, but still a unique milestone. Today was what the ship’s expedition leaders call an Expedition Day. That means the weather and sea conditions are so variable they don’t have any idea exactly what we will do or when we will do it. There is an on-board app for our phones that keeps us up to date on where and when to be somewhere for a landing, Zodiac or Special Ops Boat cruise.

The day started at 0800 with Karla going up to the 7th Deck accessible only to crew members under normal circumstances for a weather balloon launch. Viking in cooperation with NOAA has agreed to launch a balloon on a pre-arranged schedule depending on the ship’s location. Unfortunately, a recent upgrade to the balloon had a bug in it so the launch was aborted.

Dr. Daniel Moore is a population geneticist focusing on the influence of oceanography on the genetic population structure of marine animals. If you want to know anything about fish, he’s your man. He’s also the instigator of the weather balloon proposal that didn’t happen. He promises that sometime before the end of the cruise (he leaves us in Bridgetown), we will see the weather balloon launch. But today I volunteered to help in the lab to make fish mush for the feeder that is dropped into the water with attached cameras to observe fish behavior accessing the food. The lab session turned into a fish anatomy class. Dr. Moore is so enthusiastic about fish, if a person leaves without learning anything, there is a problem. Floating bladders, icky gills that trap plankton, aging fish according to their ears, etc were all discussed. The final 10 ten minutes involved decimating a mackerel (a dead one that was our learning specimen) by rolling it into a very large Ziploc bag and squeezing it until the blood released. Highly scientific.

I also got fitted with a survival suit for the next day’s kayak exploration. Not an easy task getting in and out of. I will say we are getting quite proficient at getting into the regular Arctic gear. Getting the rubber boots off is another matter. Karla and I have increased our upper body strength yanking on each other’s boots.

We suited up in our Arctic gear for a Zodiac exploration around Detaille Island, position: Lat. 66° 52′ S, long. 66° 48′. The plan was to land here and see a hastily abandoned British research station. Ice blocked the landing zone, so we did a Zodiac tour. The Zodiac trips are an opportunity to see penguins and seals, maybe whales (We haven’t yet) and to take in the landscape. The Antarctic landscape has mountains, glaciers, icebergs of infinite shape and size, even the sea changes from smooth as glass and crystal clear to slushy snow-covered ripples to swells and white caps. Often in a matter of minutes or be only moving several hundred yards in the Zodiac.

If it looks like a rock, it's probably a seal

Adelie Penguins

Fur Seals are the only Arctic seals that can stay up on their flippers like sea lions

Before dinner we had a cocktail party for previous Viking customers. Actually, it’s for anybody, no one checks who comes and goes. We went mainly to see the entertainers on board. Unlike ocean cruises there are no shows, just four very talented musicians, pianist, vocalist, guitarist and violinist, who provide music in the Explorer Lounge at the front of decks 4 and 5. These cruise line musicians are very talented, always willing to take requests and rarely stumped when asked to play your favorite song. For Karla, that “Crazy” by Willie Nelson.

Our Cruise Director fronting the musicians

Tonight, we ate in Manfredi’s the Italian restaurant on board. We shared a table with new found friends from Elgin, Illinois, and a gentleman from Washington State who had a long career as an engineering consultant. A good meal and interesting conversation.

Dover Sole

Asparagus Salad on polenta with a soft-boiled egg

Beet Endive Salad