Bransfield Strait
Bound for Deception Island
Some of the most feared winds on the Antarctic Peninsula are the ones from the east. South Shetlands are notorious from them. When a shallow low passes just north of the Islands it brings easterlies on its south side. The for cast might not look to bad but once it starts snowing it is time to find a good anchorage. there lies the problem, they are few and far apart. We left Penguin Island with a nice sunny sky. By the end of the afternoon it became cloudy and sure enough it began to snow. We mad it just in time to Yankee hr on the west side of Greenwich Island. Two anchors and plenty of chain. It was past eight so no mor landings, time for a beer.
By midnight the gale was in full swing but we had our anchors buried diep in the mud so we didnt move an inch. You know when you go down here the weather can change quickly and this was just another excample. We rose to half a foot of snow on the deck and couldnt see the pinguins a shore any more. They where all coverd in snow. The winds where still pumping so no landing until after dinner. We all got comfortable and watch two episodes of the Terror, the series about the missing Franklin expedition. It made us all feel a lot better, for those men where really frozen in. After dinner we set of for a little exploring a shore. Yankee hr was used by sealers and whalers in days gone by. A little try pot, a boiling kettle and some whale bones remembered us of those days. The foundation of an old hut was coverd with snow and pinguins. The chicks here are larger then on other colonies by a striking amount. Some Weddel seals where hauled up as where a couple of Fur seals. The Elephant seals had hurdled together and where sharing the burden of moulding. After the short hike to the glacier face we headed back to the security of the ship. Natalia had some mold wine ready for us so it wasnt long be for we where all of to a dream world of our own. At six we broke out the two anchors and are currently making good head way towards Deception Island. A reefed mizzen and main together with a stay sail and number two jib get you mostly any where!
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All is well Gijs
