This morning after getting back on board from camping we raised anchor and sailed north through the Lemaire Channel. The Lemaire Channel is an 11km straight that separates Booth Island from the mainland with it’s narrowest point being only 800m wide. It is referred to as the most photographed place in Antarctica.
We had a fair bit of ice on the western side, but our captain transited it with ease. During the crossing we saw a Leopard Seal lounging on a flow with a whole bunch of porpoising Gentoo Penguins coming towards him. We were hoping to have a National Geographic moment, but he just lazily looked at them then went back to relaxing.
The Leopard Seal is the top predator in these waters (along with the Killer Whale) and are quite fearsome. They are up to 5m in length and their jaw hinges open to 120°. They have a long slender neck which they use to thrash about when its prey (mainly penguins) is in its mouth, killing the penguin and turning it inside-out so they don’t have to deal with eating the feathers.
The further we got into the passage the more the wind picked up, but it kept the clouds away and we still had spectacular views.
Now we are off to Paradise Bay, named during the whaling times as a safe harbour from wind and waves. We are hoping it will be the same for us to land.
No comments:
Post a Comment