Maandag 6 januari

9 January 2014

Update by Arno: “Just another Monday for many people, but not for us here in Antarctica. A day in this fantastic, ever-changing and breathtaking area is always surprising. Let me give you an example.
This morning we were anchored at Trinity Island, in a place known for its iceberg graveyard. A dinghy tour was scheduled. After the first group was back after a two-hour trip the last group had to wait because there was a small problem with the engine of the dinghy. After inspection we decided to do the last tour after lunch, but… !
As said, a day in Antarctica is always surprising. The wind started blowing and the anchor started to drag. The dinghies were put back on board and we lifted the anchor while a few icebergs where coming closer. Once the anchor was in we motor sailed to Mikkelsen Harbour, also at Trinity Island, to see if conditions where better there. This was the case so the people who missed the first tour could go for the tour. There where no icebergs here but we did have Weddell seals and penguins that looked surprised while we came on shore but then carried on with whatever they were doing. We also saw bones of a whale next to the pieces of a wooden boat. After (again lovely) dinner there was another chance for the ones that wanted to go on shore.
After watching all the photos and discussing all the beautiful things we saw today a lot of us went back to their cabin to get some rest for the next day, but… !
As said, a day in Antarctica is always surprising. While I was still busy with organising my photos and videos one of the crewmembers told us that it was beautiful outside. The sun started to set and the sky slowly turned from yellow orange to purple red. The reflection of this in the water and on the icebergs was stunning! Around midnight I was almost finished with my photos and ready for bed, but… !
As said a day in Antarctica is always surprising. The day apparently was not over yet because a whale was spotted. I was still awake so I went on deck and there was not one, there were a lot of whales! I counted at least 40! They were so close that I could almost touch two of them. In the background I heard captain Gerben a bit worried that he hoped they would not come up under the ship. In the end it was two o’clock and we were still excited about what we experienced and how lucky we where. At 2:30 Ben brought us a bowl of noodles and at 3 it was time to go to bed.
… just another day…
Goodnight.”