Are You Ready For This?

It's difficult to write when you're really excited. Everything wants to come out at once! But your wisdom is solid, so I'll start at the beginning. When does a day begin when the sky is waking from its slumber around 3:30 or 4 AM?

For no good reason, I awoke at a normal time, and was immediately exhilarated. The sky had returned to that grey mist, and you couldn't see much further than a few ship lengths. The steel grey water was choppy, and overall the picture didn't look inviting. But look again and notice the snow... now that's a change. The winds were supporting the tiny flakes in a horizontal direction. Snow is new. Snow means colder weather. Snow means the potential for ice. We are now officially in the Antarctic.

We had reached the point of the peninsula, and had turned left to enter the Antarctic Sound. This would be our gateway into the Weddell Sea. Did you know that for the past two years the frozen Weddell Sea did not thaw or break up enough to allow entry? But this year the currents, winds, and such are favorable, and the areas we are able to explore have increased exponentially. Actually, we may even be able to reach the area where those isolated Emperor Penguins access the continent. This has everyones hopes and spirits soaring. What a rare sight to be able to witness the Emperors. (The stars of the film- March of the Penguins)

Mid-morning we entered the Antarctic Sound and the radar in the Bridge was starting to pick up our first floating ice. I've captured the events as they unfolded so that you can marvel at the feeling of seeing ice for the first time.

Since that time, we've maneuvered around and through copious amounts of ice, both frozen ocean and tabular icebergs, to anchor off of Devil Island. We will be making a mid-afternoon landing to witness a breeding colony of Adele penguin. I'm writing to you as we wait for our group to be called to the Zodiac's. Are you ready for this?