Day 11
Lori made banana pancakes for breakfast. Susan made grilled cheese
sandwiches for lunch.
We motored through Gerlache Straight to Paradise Bay. We arrived about
3:30 pm and anchored near the Chilean base, Gabriel Gonzalez Videla. We
went on a tour of the fully staffed base. There are 14 men and 1 woman
there for the summer. Part are in the navy and part are in the air
force. We were invited back for a barbecue dinner and returned there
about 9:00 pm. We had a nice time photographing penguins at the base and
eating barbecued meats and potato salad.
Through the night everyone had one hour anchor watch. Bay was peaceful
with many whales.
Day 12
The day was bright and still. We all went kayaking in Paradise Bay in
two groups. We saw crab-eater seals, weddell seals, leopard seals, and
penguins. Scenery was beautiful.
Francoise and Munira made shrimp spaghetti for lunch.
In the late afternoon we motored to Skontorp Cove near the Argentinian
Brown Base.
Phillipe and Francoise made calamari risotto for dinner. Calypso made
fresh chantilly with the power drill fitted with a whisk. We had it with
peaches. Dinner and dessert were delicious as all the meals have been.
Day 13
It was a another gorgeous day with sunshine and blue skies. After Mary
made breakfast of Christmas fruit cake French toast Clemens gave part
one of a presentation on wildlife photography.
We all went on a hike up the hill behind Brown Base. Views from the top
were spectacular.
We enjoyed fresh baguette sandwiches for lunch. The Ponant ship
L’Austral gave us the baguettes and some pastries this morning.
In the afternoon some went kayaking, some went on a zodiac cruise and at
least one took a rest.
Hong, who we met at the New Year’s Eve barbecue at the yacht club, came
onboard for a short visit. She is working on a similar sized boat that
anchored next to us.
Clemens made butternut squash and eggplant parmesan for dinner. We were
treated to ice cream for dessert, a combo of chocolate and vanilla
flavors. Yum!
— Clemens, Munira, Susan, Mary, Lori, Phillip and Francoise
All the meals sound delish! and the views spectacular!