Post dinner update

I haven't said much about the food - other than it is GOOD! So good in fact that it could be a problem.... every night there is a new theme.  Tonight's theme is Tuscany! Boy do I know Tuscany (and miss it terribly).  The staff really did do justice to thier theme. The food was really excellent and paired with two Tuscan wines.  There was even a carving of the prosciutto!

Guests were greeted with this lovely patriotic display!

The head of food services was carving the prosciutto

Mom contemplating the options - not sure how "Tuscan" the pineapples are - but they looked good!

At the end of dinner, mom and I passed another bar area that has ship-board made ice cream and sorbet.  Tonight they had cassis sorbet.  The waiter insisted that I have it with champagne poured on top..... how can one refuse???

Port Stanley, Falklands Islands

We made it to Stanley around 7AM this morning.  It was a bit overcast and threatened rain. Temperature was only 6 degrees.  Everyone on field trips bundled up and headed out on the tenders to load on their 4X4s, buses, vans or whatever.  Mom chose the "rock hopper" penguin trip had a great time viewing this interesting and striking looking penguins with their great plumage.

Mom and the Rock Hoppers!

Rocker Hoppers enjoying the Late Devonian Port Stanley Formation Quartzite. 

I walked into town and poked around along the beach to the west of town.  I passed lots of Kelp Geese and the main market garden area for the town.  It is early spring, so only some potatoes and cabbage are coming up.  As I walked along I suddenly smelled the sweat scent of stocks and around the Gorse is in bloom.  Mixed with the scent of stokes was the unmistakable smell of peat burning. I couldn't see where it was from, but the houses all looked like they had modern heating systems. The day warmed up and the skies cleared.  B the time I headed back to the ship I was decidedly hot!

Stokes and Gorse in bloom along the shore edge.

Many backyards had chickens - these one had a really nice house!

Modern, well stocked grocery store - it had lots of cold weather gear!

Shoreline looking westward into Stanley.  An old ship was wrecked and only the boilers remain in the shallow water.

This is a spot where mariners can go and get a meal, trade a book, or even get some clothes. 

Glenn and I are convinced that there is a huge market in trampolines in small isolated polar Islands. They also abound in the Faroe Island and Iceland. 

More nice quartize. It forms prominent ridges throughout this part of the island.


Check on the tracker link to see where we are - tomorrow morning around 8 AM will will cross the Antarctic convergence zone. http://my.yb.tl/seabournexpeditions/1903/#

Once we are south of that point we are considered to be truly in Antarctic seas.

December 4th - day at sea

December 4th was spent at sea, crossing the wide and relatively shallow continental shelf that extends eastward from the South American continent. we were followed by a host of seabirds that included Giant and Cape Petrels and we saw Royal, Wandering and Black-Browed Albatrosses. The first Southern Fulmer was also spotted while I was on the observation deck.

The seas had a moderate swell, but it is hardly noticeable on-board! However, a brisk wind kept most voyagers behind the glass windows taking in the passing white-capped scenery as the ship sailed ever southeast ward closer to the Falkland Islands. It is great to have the birders on deck to ID everything that flies past!

Since it was a sea day, there were lots of presentations. Expedition staff took the opportunity to present lectures starting with the history of the Falkland Islands by Dr. David Walton. I then spoke about the different kinds of rocks that will be seen on our voyage. A lecture on penguins by Luqui Bernacchi filled the house as everyone geared up to see these amazing birds in action on the Falklands and in Antarctica. Dr. John Ford (Nanaimo) rounded out the day with a talk on seals.  You could also play trivia, participate in the knitting/needle point club, play bridge and numerous other activities if you didn't want to go "school"!

As a special feature of Seabourn, in the evenings guests dine with members of the expedition staff in the elegant surroundings of the main restaurant, being treated to world class food and wines. For this part of the trip some special red and white Argentinian wines had been brought on board.  (It is VERY easy to overeat here) I had a table of nine people - so that wasn't very good as there were too many people and it was too noisy in the restaurant to have a good conversation.  We Expedition staff are labeled as "conversationalists"!  My "guests" were a couple from Ireland, another from California, a couple from New Zealand, a lady from South Africa, and a dentist from Winconsin. Mom and I rounded out the table. 

While all this was going on, the ship’s crew was hard at work decorating for the up-coming festive season. The ship is beginning to take on a joyful and wintery air as we head south into colder waters!

Dinner - note flowers, silverware, etc.!  

Expedition staff members (left to right) Mary, Rory, Matt and Greg.

Spiral staircase mid ship with Christmas trees!

On our way to Stanley!

Well our electronic part arrived today and the captain made a surprise announcement that we would head for Port Stanley! But back to the beginning.

The day dawned beautiful with little wind.  I was put on the trip to the Valdez Peninsula to see the Elephant seals and to explain the thick layers of sedimentary rocks that underlie the peninsula. With a group of 16 we were off. What was amazing with the number of Guanacos!  We saw dozens animals in small and larger groups including young. When if first started coming to South American in 1994 we didn't see any guanacos and vicuna were very rare - now they seem to be everywhere. Both species were hunted for both meet and hides - especially the vicuna which as the finest wool of all four of the species.  It is so nice to see the Guanaco thriving is what was part of their original ancestral range.  The other surprise was that among the scrubby brushes were Rheas! These are Darwin's or the Lesser Rhea.  They look just like big ostriches, but more mottled in terms of coloration. We saw two adults with chicks. One set of chicks were about the size of chickens and the other more turkey size.

It took another hour to get to Punta Norte, where about 40 elephant seals lay basking on the the sand. These are pups and juveniles that will leave the beach in a few weeks to begin their lives at sea, deep diving for squid.  A couple of sea lions also made an appearance along the coast along with a couple of great egrets, cormorants and other assorted birds. 

An hour or so into our trip we were called by the ship and told to be back an hour earlier.  This was a bit of a pain as the distance to the point was long, so it meant we basically traveled out to the point had about an hour to view the wildlife and then head back. There were a number of other things to do, but these were cut from the itinerary.  

While I was off to the Peninsula, mom went on a trip to visit the Magallanic penguins at Punto Tambo to the south of Puerto Madryn.  She saw lots of adults and chicks.  

When we got back to the ship, the captain announced the change of plan.  We will land in Stanley (with luck) and then head to Antarctica. Our port day in Ushuaia will be delayed by a day as well as Punta Arenas, and we may not get to Puerto Monte.  Anyway, the passengers seem happy now.

Fossil scallop shell.

Guanacos with salar in the background.

Magallanic penguin seeking shade from a post!

Seabourn Quest docked in Puerto Madryn. 

Puerto Madryn

This morning as we approached the entrance to the Golfo Nuevo with the Valdez peninsula to the north, we were treated to numerous whale sightings.  All were Southern Right Whales and females with calves, as this is where the whales come to mate and breed.  We had a couple pass within a 10 meters of the ship.  They don't seem to see or react to the ship....a problem as the ship can't maneuver around them. Our whale experts (we actually have two on board) haven't been very complementary about the intelligence of most toothed whales (Orcas excluded).  We also saw Comerson's and dusky dolphins. And some penguins for good measure.  Unfortunately I got no good photos of the whales and was busy helping organize the events for tomorrow.  They have managed to organize several nice excursions for tomorrow.  I will be going out to the Valdez Peninsula and Mom is off to see penguins!

On the way to Puerto Madryn

Well today has been an interesting one.  The temperatures have been getting steadily cooler as we head south making a B-line for the Falklands.  The sky was clear blue, but the waves large.  Lunch on the lovely deck was a brisk affair, but soon the seas started to calm and then (without the white caps) it became ideal for whale watching! And whales were seen by the dozens.  The most common was the Southern Right Whale, but also some fin whales were spotted and some large spots on the horizon that may have been sperm whales.  Among the whales a few dolphins were seen along with fur seals.  Everyone was having a lovely time until the start of the first lecture on - guess what whales!  At the beginning of the talk the captain came on the loudspeaker.  The room became silent as he announced that we were not going to the Falklands, but in fact were going to have to turn to the Argentine coast due to a electrical failure that had happened in the night.  Puerto Madryn is our next stop!  Please are disappointed not to get to visit Stanley, but must concerned that this not impact getting to Antarctica.  It seems unlikely that it will, but we will have to overnight in Puerto Madryn where the part and technician will met us by noon on the 3rd.

I have added a few pictures to the earlier logs - and do check out the tracker.  There is a bog attached to the tracker written by one of us each day with photographs! Enjoy!

Southern Right Whale

the great jacket exchange - expedition team getting ready.

The track of the ship

We have a data logger on board that is sending hourly updates of the ships position.  Check it out at this link.
Seabourn East to West

Along the left side of the screen you should see some "buttons" that are the daily log produced by the expedition team.