I switch off the handheld vac and snug the curtain that screens the anchor locker from our cabin – our man cave looks positively spick and span.
Yesterday was our last skiing day in Antarctica and it did not disappoint. We had waved farewell to Eduardo at the Chilean base at the northern end of Paradise Harbor having borrowed a little wifi. A short hop across the ice-filled Anvord Bay and into the Errera Channel between the peninsular and Ronge Island. The Gerlache was filled with bergs some well over 500m across – quite a sight. The sea ice has been quite a feature for the past ten days and shows no sign of letting up.
Our last climb was Mount Tennant on Ronge Island. We landed at a small rookery of Gentoos. Careful not to disturb them we made our way onto the snow and started a relaxed climb through a crevassed but easily navigable shoulder leading to the final haul up to the gentle summit plateau. The visibility had closed in for the final 100m but with the summit gained we enjoyed a delicious lunch comprising my home-cooked bread and Louise and Neal’s freshly prepared guacomole.
Despite the heat of the day, yes another very warm climb, the ski down was excellent with surprisingly good snow all the way down to the long shuss back to the beach.
Back on board and it was a short motor in increasingly iced up sea to a protected anchorage just inside Cuverville Island. With Andy resting his sore ankle again today he manned the BBQ. A couple of hours later and we had yet another epic beef and sausage feast.
Many, many hours later and Bruce was still telling the same story as the sun never set…
9 December arrived. Our last day in Antarctica. We headed over to the Melchior Islands that lie to the west of Brabant Island, anchored and
started to pack the boat up and ready her for our trip north across the Drake.
The kayaks we had collected in Port Lockroy were dropped off in a safe place for a future kayaking trip. We then did a little sightseeing including visiting a colony of twenty Weddell seals who were sunning themselves on the fast ice between two nearby ice-capped islands.
Darrel was hoisted up the mast to carry out a thorough inspection of the standing rigging, provisions restocked from the “shop” in the forepeak to the galley area to avoid the need to struggle forward on the crossing, skis and skiing kit stowed and finally the zodiac deflated, dissembled and squeezed back into its home.
A quick launder of my boxers and vacuum of our cabin and we were ready.
Matt has set up the watch system – 3 hours on and 6 hours off in three teams. We leave very early tomorrow morning. 5-6 days back to Ushuaia.
Mark B 9.12.16