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Prior to departure we had a safety briefing and a practice lifeboat drill before setting sail (without the requirement to put on the survival suit). All seemed a little chaotic with individuals not being able to put life vests on despite having been given instruction only ten minutes previous, so fingers crossed at this point that there won't be a real emergency while at sea.
We set sail just after 6.00pm and said goodbye to Ushuaia for the next 16 days.
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Between now and bedtime we had a briefing on what is to come, an introduction to our expedition leaders, captain and officers; dinner; followed by extensive viewing outside until the sun set along the Beagle Channel and we said farewell to the pilot who had guided us to the open sea.
All next day was spent at sea passing through the "Drake Passage" as we head towards the "Antarctic convergence" and the continent itself. The sun was out, with temperatures around 11 deg C, and time was spent on deck, in armchairs, reading. Also to introduce us to the holiday to come, there were a series of lectures presented by the staff:
This was to prime us for these two days at sea.
On the second full day at sea we had our first lectures on penguins to introduce us to those we expect to see later today, at Penguin Island, and tomorrow - namely Adelie, Gentoo and Chinstrap. There was also a lecture on Zodiac etiquette - the inflatable rigid boats that will be used to make our landings.
We were a little delayed due to some fog but still arrived at Penguin Island, just below King George Island, in reasonable time for a landing - however we got delayed a little more by the presence of a couple of humpback whales that wanted to play close to the ship.
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After watching and playing for about an hour, it was time to make our first landing - on Penguin Island at around 3.00pm.
Penguin Island
The island is dominated by a volcanic cone, with smaller caldera inside. The beaches/lower regions has chinstrap penguin rookeries scattered about with Weddell seals lounging around, and an occasional Gentoo penguin, too. There are two main things to do here - climb to the top of the volcano for views and/or go see the penguins. We opt for penguins first, spend too long with them, then have a bit of a dash up to the summit just in time for the weather to close in and mist up the region. A bit of a rapid descent, too, for the last zodiac back at 6.00pm.
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Tonight is the Captain's dinner, so one of the few opportunities to put on a tie.
Continue to Brown Bluff and Hope Bay
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