15/02/2020 – Saturday
Today we had a rather long journey to the British Base at Port Lockroy.
We arrived in 25 knot winds, gusting to 40 knots. There were no cruise
ships in the bay – we learned later that two ships had cancelled their
visits due to the wind. After quite a “hairy” ride in our zodiac to the
base, we were greeted by Gentoo penguins and a lovely British young lady
who guided us inside to view the historically reconstructed base as it
was in the 1960’s. She was very informative about the original base
inhabitants, as with the current occupants and their tasks. We also
learned that the base does not have any shower facilities and the staff
are invited onto cruise ships every 2-3 days to have a hot bath and a
meal!!!
After postcards were written and shopping completed, we returned to the
zodiac with hesitation for the return “hairy” journey. Disaster!! The
zodiac was a little deflated, and two trips were necessary to return the
shore party to the yacht!! Upon further inspection of the zodiac, the
crew determined that a leopard seal had attacked the zodiac – as they
are known to sometimes do – and there were teeth punctures and a patch
stripped!! What a day!! For dinner, however, Tiak and Julin made a
beautiful sweet and sour pork with rice – certainly made for an
extraordinary end to the day!!!
Post from Denise
February Trip 2020
