Lemaire Channel and Port Lockroy, January 15, 2013

I awoke to an overcast sky.  The seas remain calm but the light is diffuse at best.  We cruised down the Lemaire Channel to our southernmost point, 65°6’ South Latitude.

A cross-section of layering in the glacial ice.

I am not sure why we headed down the Lemaire Channel other than to say that we had done it.  The channel is less than 500 yards wide at its narrowest and is flanked by volcanic and plutonic rocks that are mostly covered by ice and snow.  I did see some interesting sedimentary patterns in one flow.

After reaching the southernmost point of our journey we turned around and headed back north up the channel to Port Lockroy.  Port Lockroy was formerly a top-secret British base positioned to supposedly keep an eye on the movement of German ships towards the end of World War II.  Of course, it had some history prior to that, whalers, etc. 

Following WWII the base was used as a scientific research station until the early 1960s, at which point it was abandoned to the Gentoo penguins.  However, in the mid-1990s the Antarctic Heritage Trust took over and turned the base into a museum preserving the heritage of the scientists. According to their website (http://www.ukaht.org), Port Lockroy is the "Jewel in the Crown of Antarctica."

The kitchen. The cookbook on the stove is open to
a recipe for "Seal Brains with Eggs."
Sounds like a nourishing breakfast. 

We toured the open museum building, stepping over Gentoo Penguins to get in. The penguins are so habituated to humans that they nearly step on your feet in their hurry to get from one point to another. Their nests are literally on the foundations of the buildings. It turns out that there is a reason for this. The Skuas don't like to fly among the humans and are less likely to carry out their predatory behavior in the vicinity of the structures. 

Of course, there is a gift shop associated with the museum.  I spent over $100 buying gifts and mailed a couple of postcards off to my nieces Lily and Abby in New Mexico.

Lunch was interesting.  It consisted of a BBQ on the stern deck of the ship with some of the crew of Port Lockroy as guests.  Since the weather was warm (comparatively) we ate outside in the fresh Antarctic breeze.  Beer and soda were included!

A picnic in Antarctica!

From Port Lockroy we headed north to Neko Bay for a post-prandial cruise or hike.  I elected to hike.  The hike was pleasant enough but not memorable.