Let it Snow! (Written on Jan 12, 2014)
“Location, location, location” – nice real estate for one! An Adelie penguin calls this iceberg home!
Photo credit M. Jenner
Fog enveloped Whale Song this morning, as it has most of the previous “nights” and mornings. Doubling personnel on our night watches, the white glow just ahead and just abeam which hides icebergs, kept Simon and I glued to the windows, looking for bergs visible on the RADAR. With the light wind conditions, the water is glassy and even growlers, usually not seen on the RADAR are clearly recognisable on the screen. “There is that one at 2, and that one over there at 11, all good”. Comfortingly, one can account for all the red dots on our two RADAR instruments.
A light smattering of snow throughout the night, between 12 and three and also at around 8am remained, rather than melting immediately. This soft, delicate white layer scattered everywhere provided just enough for Tas and Inday to make some sneaky snowballs for a snow-ball fight with Resty on the fly-bridge and even a snowman or two! It is crazy to be hearing news from Micah about the 44 degree heatwave in Perth, while we have snowflakes decorating Whale Song cruising near the ice edge.
The 0830 sonobuoy was noisy with some of the usual suspects, seals shrieking and a sperm whale clicking as well as a possible blue whale booming in the low frequencies. If the fog cleared, even just a little, we might just be able to see the animals. Here’s to hoping.
Passing the coastlines of Wilkes and Banzare, it is immensely interesting to read of the early explorers in this region. The ancient Greeks believed in the presence of a southern continent, based on the principle of balance. They figured that the earth would have toppled over if it were not balanced in the north by a southern polar area. And thus men pushed back the boundaries of their known worlds to search for this southern continent. Two early, by and large unknown expeditions included a voyage in 700 BC of Phoenecians sailing from the Red Sea, along the African coast and around Cape Agulhus to the Strait of Gibraltar. In AD 650, according to Rarotongan legend, a Polynesian navigator sailed so far south he reached a place where the sea was frozen. It was not until the 15th Century that more progress was made on the discovery of this southern continent.
Wilkes, whom Wilkes Coast was named for, an area which we passed yesterday, was an American captain who led a 6 ship expedition quite a bit later, in 1838 known as ‘the most ill-prepared, the most controversial, and probably the unhappiest expedition which ever sailed the Antarctic seas’. His heavy-handed, ship-board disciplinary style landed him Court Marshall treatment back in New York, but his disputed charts, mapping the coast of Antarctica were eventually verified.
As the fog rolled in, we acoustically tracked this Sperm whale that was initially sighted in clear visibility. Fluke-up! Lifting the flukes, the whale dives deeply.
Photo credit M. Jenner
Douglas Mawson, (1882-1958) an Australian geologist and now an Australian hero, put his stamp on Antarctic exploration just over 100 years ago, when the Australasian Antarctic Expedition aboard Aurora sailed from Hobart on December 2nd, 1911. Reaching the ice edge in January they headed west, following the coast named by Mawson as King George V Land, claiming it for the British crown. At Cape Denison in Commonwealth Bay, he set up a base not realising the katabatic winds would later cause him to refer to it as “the Home of the Blizzard”. Battling winds of up to 320 kph, the team explored and charted King George V Land, as well as nearby Terre Adelie. On one foray, the first Antarctic meteorite was found, on another the first radio communication was made between Antarctica and another continent, using a relay station at Macquarie Island. One casual exploratory 500 km trek by Mawson with British soldier, Belgrave Ninnis and Swiss mountaineer and ski champion, Xavier Mertz ended as many Antarctic expeditions often did, in tragedy. Ninnis and his team of dogs disappeared in a crevasse with most of the party’s food, all of the dog’s food and their tent. Mawson and Mertz were forced to eat their dogs contracting Vitamin A poisoning from their livers, with Mertz dying when more than 160 km from base. Mawson returned to Cape Denison, his body in shatters – his hair falling out, toenails loosened and even the thick soles of his feet sloughing off. Unfortunately, Aurora had sailed two hours before his arrival. Six others had remained at the hut for the return of the three men. Even though they radioed the ship, poor weather prevented Aurora from turning around and they were forced to spend another winter, arriving home in late February, 1914.
In 1929-31 Mawson returned to Antarctica, leading the two summer voyages of the British, Australian & New Zealand Research Expedition (BANZARE) to the west of Common wealth Bay, where they discovered Mac.Robertson Land, named for Sir Macpherson Robertson, an expedition benefactor. These men and many others involved in Antarctic exploration were made of metal, extremely strong physically, possessing great drive for country and self-preservation. The coast we have paralleled all day, Banzare Land, is the very same region of this remarkable story. It is incredible to be sailing through history one hundred years on, in comparative luxury with our vessel, equipment and clothing. Because they did, we could today. Thank you.
Noon Observations Jan 12, 2014
Lat/Long: 640 41.3 S 1270 44.9 E
Dry Bulb Temp: -0.70C
Wet Bulb Temp: -0.50C
SST (Sea Surface Temp): -1.60C
COG (Course Over the Ground): 0000
SOG (Speed Over the Ground): 5.4 knots
Barometer: 993 Hp
Beaufort SS (Sea State): 0
WS (Wind Speed): 3-5 knots, fog, snow
WD (Wind Direction): NW
Swell: SW NW 1 m
Wildlife: Southern Fulmar, Black-bellied storm petrel, Snow petrel, Sooty albatross, Adelie penguin on an iceberg and one male sperm whale.
WT: ETCS – 7.5
Antarctic Fact: More than 45,000 meteorite specimens have been recovered from the Antarctic. They include samples from asteroids as well as from the Moon and Mars.
Antarctic Slang: pemmican – ground diced meat mixed with equal parts lard; this concentrated food was a primary ration on early expeditions.
The characteristic, left-angled blow of a large 18m male Sperm whale in the cool waters of the Antarctic.
Photo credit M. Jenner
While we were on the fore-deck with the sperm whale we noticed some lovely icebergs all around. Simon encouraged me to take some photos of one on our portside which he thought was ‘pretty’, as opposed to another a little further away to starboard, which he described as ’ugly’. I dutifully took some photos of the ‘pretty’ berg then decided to get a few of the other one, perhaps for comparison. As I looked in the 400 mm lens, I thought I could see a shape on the very right of the berg that was upright and appeared to be a penguin with a white belly and a black cape. I petitioned to the Captain for a cruise-by and won! Yes! We changed course to circle the ‘ugly’ berg and sure enough, the light and dark shape I had seen was an Adelie penguin, as cute as a button! It was perched on the edge of the berg in a broken, but also sloping section near the waters’ edge. This little bird, all on its’ lonesome, shuffled a few steps here and a couple there, variously flapping its’ wings and gently rocking its’ head from side to side – looking cuter with each different pose. The Whale Song paparazzi gathered on the fore-deck with cameras clicking and video whirring! Restys’ pink tablet captured the moment, as it always does! Guess what the ‘storal of the mory is for this situation!
The moist air demanded a third pair of pants today, it was just that little bit cooler with the moist fog and snow. When dinner was called we came inside and enjoyed all the lovely smells! Resty’s pork/vegetable pies with melted cheese atop, grilled steak and garlic, green beans and the aroma of Tas’s flourless chocolate cake. Needing to cool in the fridge overnight, we put it on the counter on the back deck for an hour to chill in the beautiful Antarctic fridge! At the correct cooled temperature we enjoyed her cake with berries and vanilla ice cream! What a treat! Top spotter and top dessert chef too!
Entering fog again (!) – it feels as though we are sailing through cottonwool!
Mich
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