Summer Solstice

We survived the crossing of the Drake!

By late morning the waves finally settled down 

as we entered the protected waters of the South Shetland Islands.

Our zodiac driver, Lisa, said she never gets seasick and even she was feeling bad.

It wasn't just because of the big waves, but because we were getting wind from 

two different directions "creating confused seas."

We have a whole new appreciation for the phrase "smooth sailing."

A benefit of the winds is we made it to our first destination much quicker than they anticipated,

so the announcement was made (we can hear all announcements from the comfort of our rooms)

that our first excursion would be this afternoon.

Meanwhile, Dan spotted icebergs in the distance from our cabin window.

We love our new binoculars that can zoom in ultra close!

At one point, Dan was napping and I was blogging saw an iceberg nearby.

I moved to the window for a better view and suddenly a huge one appeared so close.

I shouted and Dan jumped from bed and staggered to the window.

In the end he was grateful for the rude awakening for such an amazing sight.

Our first adventure was a zodiac cruise.

The 200 people onboard are divided into six groups (we're group four).

Two or three groups are sent on excursions within an hour and a half timeframe 

and the next group sent out after them.

(Antarctic cruise ships with less than 200 people are allowed to walk on land.

But, only 100 can be out at a time.)
The day before at "Recap & Briefing" they let us know what segment our group will be in.

Groups 4, 5, and 6 had the 6:00 session and then announcements are made every 15 minutes so you know when to put your coats, gloves, hats, waterproof pants, and lifejackets on.

We also have our room keys in our special arm pouches, sunglasses hanging by chums as well as binoculars around our necks and phones in silicon straps for easy photo access.

Whew!

Then you make your way to the mudroom to change from your slip-on shoes 

to your waterproof Bogs (we rented ours from the cruise line).

About nine people are on each zodiac boat which are constantly heading out, so you don't have to wait long at all.

We also appreciate that they reiterate when you hear your group called, that's when you start gettting ready. No need to get geared up early and wait around for your group's turn.

Just as we boarded our zodiac and Lisa was giving her safety briefing,

we heard a loud scraping and saw a piece of glacier collapse!

We sailed by the glaciers and a small blue iceberg--

the bluer the ice, the more compressed it's been.

So beautiful.

The temperature is about 34* so we're pretty comfortable in 

long underwear, warm track pants and tops, wool socks 

(we added a felt insert to our boots and they're very toasty)

warm parkas, waterproof gloves, neck gaiters and beanies.

Dan and Chris have thin exercise shirts, so they were more comfortable 

when they added their Arcteryx jackets underneath. 

If the temps dropped lower (especially with wind),

I'd probably wear my balaclava.

But all in all, we're pretty comfortable.

Then we visited a penguin rookery.

We're learning the difference between Gentoo penguins

(orange beaks, white marks on their heads)

and Chinstrap penguins (black beaks and a black line under their chin).

We sailed around the corner to the other side of the hill where the penguins were more active,

swimming and diving.

We have an ornithologist on board as well but we haven't dedicated much time

to learning about the different varieties of birds since we're more enthralled with the penguins.

We had a dinner reservation for The Grill, an outdoor restaurant.

Chilly, but amazing views and blankets to keep you warm.

Today is Summer Solstice and we're far enough south so the sun won't set.

We watched the rest of Harry Potter six and then seven, ordering pizza at midnight,

and stayed up until after 1:00 to see if it ever got dark. It didn't!

11:45 p.m.

A hint of pink in the sky for "sunset."

1:01 a.m.

After Chris went home to his room and Dan went to bed, I decided to stay up so I could witness a day without any dark. It was as thrilling as I imagined it would be.

2:00 a.m.

3:00 a.m.