Lunch with a view & first landing – Halfmoon Island (South Shetland Island Group)

10 November 2022

Sooo feeling better then… apparently. This morning I was up running around taking pictures of a sleeping ship.

First sighting of land… this is supposed to be Day 2 of Drake crossing! The weather and ocean conditions were so good (despite my sea sickness in apparent glass-like Drake Passage) that we are ahead of schedule !!!

Attended first in-person lecture this morning – Smartphone photography by Expedition Team Photographer Luis.

Followed shortly by the Kayaking briefing – my hat still in the ring for a kayaking opportunity.

Followed by… and not a moment too soon… Penguins of the world by Lancy. Just before our first landing featuring Gentoo and Chinstrap penguin sightings.

Lunch with a very apprehensive Nancy. They are the first boat group to go ashore – shortly after lunch. Nancy has never been on a zodiac. Way to go for a first.. in Antarctica! She loved it – went from pretty much “I might seriously end up not doing any landings that involve getting into that thing!” to voluteering for “extra credit” – Joining the scientists and going out on “the science boat” (zodiac) to collect samples etc.

So group by group we had our first landing – not continental landing – that would be tomorrow.. but landing on the South Shetland Island Group – Half Moon Island.

We landed on a pebble beach – under the watchful eye of some Gentoo penguins. Remnants of an old wooden boat – origin unknown.

Walked up – following cones and flags put out by the expedition team to mark safe exploration areas.

Saw some Chinstrap penguins and looking back to the other side of the ridge – a lone Weddell seal keeping watch over a meeting between a Gentoo and Chinstrap. Can’t help but wonder what that inter-species discussion was all about…

Returned to the ship – super excited…

The evening was filled with supper and the information session for the next day continental landing at Orne Harbour – most importantly – walk carefully on the switch-back and DONT even think of sliding down… accidently or accidently-on-purpose.