January 31, 2008

Aboard the Professor Multanovskiy

We began the morning entering Advord Bay, a 15 mile long fjord that cuts east in the Antarctic Peninsula. We followed the fjord into Neko Harbour. Absolutely indescribable. Ice and snow covered (not capped, covered) mountains all around. Ice bergs of all shapes and sizes throughout the water. Big booming crashes from the glaciers, both the ones you could see and the ones you couldn’t see.

We moved slowly through the water, probably to avoid the bigger pieces of ice, but I like to think so that we could better enjoy the sights. We landed at Neko Harbor, then climbed the snow and rocks to a position fairly high above the harbor.

And then, just before we boarded the Zodiacs to go back to the ship, the moment we had (almost) all been waiting for. It was time for the Polar Plunge. We stripped down to the swimsuits we had strategically worn below our warm clothes and plunged right in. Out to the nearest iceberg and back. Pictures to follow when we get home.

It was a beautiful day, so we enjoyed lunch on the deck of the ship. Then, on to Useful Island, for which no one has any particular use at all.