Courted by a penguin

Antarctica | Anno 2018

 

Saturday 27 January | Danco Island – Port Lockroy – Neko Harbour

 

 

Saturday 27 January | Danco Island – Port Lockroy – Neko Harbour

Just after four in the morning, there's activity at Portal Point. We knew beforehand that it would be a short night in our shallow snow pit on continental Antarctica. As long as we're ashore, the Sea Spirit can't sail further. And we still have quite a few nautical miles ahead of us. So, we need to get back on board quickly. We managed to sleep for about three hours, and we didn't feel cold.

 

Portal Point – Awakening in Antarctica

Fifteen minutes later, the red and black penguins are busy with shovels, as all the snow pits need to be filled back in. It's a matter of leaving the place as pristine as possible.

At exactly five o'clock, we're down on the rocks, packed and ready, waiting for the zodiacs. The dawn sky is tinted blue-grey. Clouds hang low over Charlotte Bay. Like on a silver mirror, icebergs with peculiar shapes float on the calm water.

A fur seal glides through the water and hauls itself onto a rock, not even surprised by all the commotion

Fur seal

Imperial shag

A fur seal glides through the water and hauls itself onto a rock, not even surprised by all the commotion. A solitary imperial shag explores the surroundings from the air. In the distance, the first zodiac detaches from the Sea Spirit.

 

Zodiacs set off

Dawn breaks over Charlotte Bay

Quarter to six, we're all officially back on board, properly checked in and with a hot cup of tea in our stomachs. The sun now generously casts its low morning rays over the calm water. Over the jagged shapes of the icebergs, it paints a fascinating chiaroscuro in all shades of white, grey, and blue. Humpback whales are busy gathering food. Penguins frolic happily in the water.

 

Over the jagged shapes of the icebergs, the morning sun paints a fascinating chiaroscuro in all shades of white, grey, and blue

 

Captain Oleg Tikhvinsky wastes no time. Just after six, we're sailing southwest at cruising speed through the Gerlache Strait. Meanwhile, we hang our sleeping bags and bivouac sacks to dry in our cabins and try to catch a nap.

 

Humpback whales

Today, Danco Island, Jougla Point, and Port Lockroy are on the agenda, we learned last night during the briefing from John, our New Zealand nature photographer. So there's quite some sailing ahead. Apparently, we have a calm morning ahead of us.

 

 

Until quarter to eight when suddenly an alarm is sounded over the intercom – just as we're devouring a delicious bacon omelette. Orcas on the port side at eleven o'clock. Such is the harsh life of a tourist.

Dutifully, we immediately drop our cutlery and rush to the bow to see the impressive killer whales

Orcas

Dutifully, we immediately drop our cutlery, rush to our cabin to grab our cameras, and storm to the bow. It must be quite special, this spectacle. Because even Captain Oleg can be spotted at the railing with a camera ready.

And indeed, it is very special, the spectacle unfolding around the boat. Everywhere you look, you see imposing fins slicing through the water like knives. That's why orcas are called sword whales. We estimate there are at least fifteen to twenty individuals swimming around here. In reality, we'll learn from John later, there are 35 to 40 of them. Two or three complete orca families have gathered here, just off the coast of Cuverville Island, at the beginning of the Errera Channel.

These are not just any orcas; these are type B orcas

Orcas

Two orcas even casually swim in front of the bow, just a few meters beneath our feet. The characteristic white patches on their heads are clearly visible. However, these patches aren't pristine white as one might expect from cleanly washed killer whales, but rather a grubby yellow-brown. John explains that this is due to their diet. These orcas will never leave the vicinity of the Gerlache Strait. They rely on the same food source consistently. Consequently, they ingest quite a lot of diatoms thriving in Antarctic waters. It's likely these diatoms give the orcas their colouring – somewhat akin to the beta-carotene in flamingos.

Because these are not just any orcas, John explains; these are type B orcas. Depending on their habitat, orcas exhibit different behaviours, have different dietary habits, and employ different hunting techniques. These differences are referred to as different ecotypes. For example, type B feeds on seals, while type A targets only Antarctic minke whales, and type C exclusively prefers cod. Type D remains uncertain.

To what extent one can still speak of one and the same species with all these types, and whether they might actually represent different subspecies of orcas, is still a matter of debate among scientists.

Despite being slightly smaller than their larger type A cousins, type B males can still develop dorsal fins up to one meter long. They weigh around five tons and can reach up to nine meters in length.

 

Orca

Female orcas become pregnant approximately every five years. It takes fifteen to seventeen months for the calf to be born. And even then, they endure a tough start. Because a quarter to half of young orcas do not survive their seventh month.

A quarter to half of young orcas do not survive their seventh month

Later we'll learn from Eduardo that the orca is the largest of the dolphins. They belong to the toothed whales and have real teeth made of calcium – not cartilage. Baleen whales like the humpback, on the other hand, have no teeth but baleen plates. These hang like gigantic curtains from their upper jaw to filter food from the water.

Toothed whales communicate readily with each other using high-frequency sounds. However, more important is the biological sonar they possess. It's a highly sophisticated instrument that allows them to echolocate with deadly efficiency.

 

 

This closely resembles the ultrasonic tones used by bats, but orcas employ high-frequency click signals. They likely generate these clicks with air displacement in their blowholes. A spherical organ on their snout, called the melon, acts as an acoustic lens. This creates a focused beam of click signals. All the orca needs to do is turn its head slightly to steer the beam in the desired direction.

The unsuspecting prey unfortunate enough to be in the line of fire will unwittingly reflect the signal. This signal reaches the orca's middle ear via its lower jaw. Now, the orca knows what to do. The prey, however, remains unaware.

 

Errera Channel

With all the excitement, we almost forgot. Danco Island is our destination. While we finish up our breakfast – in the restaurant, Miguel and his team are still diligently at their posts – Captain Oleg stows away his camera and guides the Sea Spirit further into Errera Channel with a delay of about twenty minutes. Cuverville Island slides past the window to the right.

 

On our way to Danco Island

It's not easy to navigate through the shallow waters over the rocky boulders to land, but by half past nine, we've reached our destination – the rocky shore of Danco Island, approximately one and a half kilometres in diameter.

 

Disembarkation on Danco Island

Penguins head out to forage

Kayaks land on Danco Island

Kayakers start paddling, while we follow in the footsteps of expedition leader Jonathan, ascending a snowy hill. And that can be taken literally. Because in the untouched snow layer, about twenty-five centimetres thick, it saves a lot of energy to follow in his footsteps.

The Sea Spirit seems like a tiny toy boat in this immense setting, floating amidst the icebergs and ice floes

Climb to the top of Danco Island

The climb to the top, one hundred and eighty meters high, takes about half an hour. Panting, we stand on the hill, surveying the surroundings. It’s truly breathtaking.

Like a silver mirror, the calm waters of the Errera Channel stretch almost to the horizon. The Sea Spirit seems like a tiny toy boat in this immense setting, floating amidst the icebergs and ice floes. Further on, Jonathan points out Cuverville Island, named after Jules de Cuverville, a vice admiral of the French fleet. Although, as far as we're concerned, Adrien de Gerlache should have opted for Cuberdon Island, given its beautiful cone shape. To the left, Rongé Island rises more than a thousand meters above us. In the narrow channel separating us from that island, the icebergs jostle each other. A ship can't possibly pass through there.

 

Errera Channel

To the right stretches the Danco Coast, with its rugged bays, its dark peaks, its crumbling glaciers. Both the island and the three-hundred-kilometre-long coast are named after Émile Danco, a young scientist from Mechelen, Belgium, by Adrien de Gerlache.

Ultimately, the intervention of the Archbishop of Mechelen tipped the scales

The fact that Émile Danco was part of the expedition with the Belgica was by no means obvious, as historian Jozef will tell us later. The Belgian military leadership was adamantly against it. After all, Danco had been told by his doctor in 1895 that his heart condition would be fatal within three years. Other military personnel were deemed better suited to complete this mission, was the directive. Ultimately, the intervention of the Archbishop of Mechelen tipped the scales. Danco and de Gerlache got their way. The doctor got his way too. On 5 June 1898, Émile Danco passed away in the middle of winter in Antarctica, at the young age of 28.

 

Penguin highway

Despite the impressive scenery, it is the penguins that attract the most attention here. There must be many hundreds of penguin pairs with their chicks on the barren summit. Of course, that area is off-limits to us.

 

Penguin highway

Gentoo penguin

The same goes for the penguin highways, the routes along which the penguins descend to the sea for food and return to their chicks. Since the penguins always take the shortest route, it's us who have to take a detour.

 

Diving into the water one by one

These are gentoo penguins, explains Ab, our Dutch ornithologist. Like the chinstrap penguins, they belong to the brush-tailed penguins with their sturdy tails. Globally, there are only half a million of them, making them the smallest penguin population.

But with the racket they make, they more than make up for their numerical minority. Gentoo penguins are by far the noisiest of all penguins. And their call always ends with ee-aa-ee-aa as if they were braying donkeys. Hence they’re called donkey penguins in some languages such as Dutch and German.

They more than make up for their numerical minority with the racket they make

Colony of gentoo penguins on Danco Island

With their orange beaks and a white patch behind each eye, they are very easy to recognize. Those white patches might remind one of an Indian headscarf. Hence the English name gentoo for these penguins, a derogatory term for Hindus wearing headscarves.

 

 

These gentoo penguins can grow up to 90 cm in size, placing them among the big boys – only the king penguin and the emperor penguin are larger. They also excel in the water, reaching speeds of up to 40 km/h. No other penguin species performs better.

 

Gentoo penguin

Like all brush-tailed penguins, they build their nests with stones. This is only possible in snow-free areas. So, they climb all the way up along those steep snow slopes to reach the bare rocks. And we follow them, albeit with different speed and different motives.

 

Gentoo penguin

Nest-building is also the work of the males here. If the relationship is successful, the male will mate with the same female repeatedly. That is, if he can find her in the colony, which is not always the case. If he fails to find her, he will take care of the first female he comes across. Unlike in other penguin species, the chick remains with its parents even after moulting.

 

Snow quenches thirst

It became clear in 2012 that things are not going well for the gentoo penguins. At that time, they were classified as Vulnerable on the international Red List. Ab attributes this partly to higher temperatures. Penguin chicks, after all, don't have waterproof feathers, and even adult birds are not protected from water during moulting. In the past, only snow fell, which easily brushed off their feathers. Now, there is more rain, leading to more cases of pneumonia among the penguins.

A leopard seal sometimes catches seven adult gentoo penguins in just an hour

But the natural predators of gentoo penguins also take their toll – orcas and leopard seals. A leopard seal sometimes catches seven adult gentoo penguins in just an hour, Ab adds significantly.

 

A penguin's slide trail

We haven't seen leopard seals yet. They are formidable hunters. With their flattened heads and long, streamlined bodies, they resemble reptiles. A male can weigh 270 kg, while a female can weigh up to 600 kg. They enjoy sea fish and squid, but if possible, they prefer warm-blooded animals – like penguins.

 

 

For a moment, we let the majestic surroundings sink in. Most penguins are busy doing nothing. Some preen their feathers, some call out for their partners, some scoop up snow with their beaks.

Now we notice brownish-red spots on the pristine white snow. Environmental pollution? No, it isn’t

Danco Island – Penguin highway, spots of red algae

Then we begin our descent, parallel to the penguin highway. Here and there in the snow, we can see the slide tracks of penguins who have slid down on their bellies, like living sleds, paddling with their wings.

Now we notice brownish-red spots on the pristine white snow. No, that's not environmental pollution, we'll later hear from Vadim, our Russian mathematician with a passion for the poles. Those are red algae. Earlier, we noticed similar green spots on Hydrurga Rocks. So that must have been green algae.

 

Returning from the sea

But it's once again more complicated than it seems at first glance. Because those algae thrive preferably on a layer of cryoconite. This is a powdery substance deposited on the snow by the wind. This dust can originate from distant deserts or agricultural lands, it can contain soot or particles from volcanic eruptions, and even microbes can be found within it.

Of importance is that this dust has a dark colour. This means it absorbs solar heat, unlike white snow, which mainly reflects sunlight. Due to the resulting warmth, the dust particles bore into the snow, creating what is called cryoconite holes. This is an ideal spot for algae to nestle during the Antarctic summer.

Tardigrades, known colloquially as water bears, find this quite enjoyable. Because they feed on algae and microbes. Despite how tiny tardigrades are – at most half a millimetre – they still have eyes, legs, a mouth, and a digestive system. Their name comes from the fact that they suck the contents out of the cells of their prey like a bear sucks honey from a hive. Tardigrades are true survivors. Extreme temperatures, complete dehydration, they have no trouble with it.

This innocent-looking carpet of snow is a murderous savannah with grazers and predators, more or less a miniature version of the Tanzanian Serengeti

But there are predators lurking. It's suspected that these tardigrades are preyed upon by Antarctic springtails. They owe their name to the forked tail with which they can quickly jump away when danger threatens. They are slightly larger than tardigrades and effortlessly withstand temperatures down to –30 °C (–22 °F). In short, this innocent-looking carpet of snow is a murderous savannah of cryoconite with grazers and predators – almost a miniature version of the Tanzanian Serengeti.

By the way, Vadim also mentions the largest insect in Antarctica, the Belgica Antarctica. It measures about six millimetres, and you won't find it anywhere else but Antarctica. According to a diary note by Adrien de Gerlache, it was discovered during the Belgica expedition by biologist Arctowski. The good man was almost ecstatic when he lifted a stone and saw the creature for the first time.

 

Snowy sheathbill…

…takes a bath

Down on the beach of Danco Island, we feel tiny in this immense environment. Some snowy sheathbills take a bath in a puddle among the rocks. And they do it thoroughly, splashing water around.

Further along the beach lie the stone foundations of Base O. It was a former British station, essentially nothing more than a simple hut. It was operational for about four years, from 1956 to 1959. After that, it was maintained as a potential refuge for stranded Antarctic travellers. However, the Antarctic Treaty allows no exceptions. In 2004, Base O was dismantled.

 

 

Jonathan takes us on a short cruise along the ice floes before returning to the Sea Spirit. And he has a very good reason for it. Because it's teeming with crabeater seals, being safe there from their main predators, the killer whales. It's known that killer whales operate in groups to create a shockwave that washes unsuspecting crab-eaters off their ice floes. But in these shallow waters, killer whales won't venture.

 

Crabeater seals on ice floes

Jonathan approaches each ice floe very cautiously, making little noise and creating minimal waves to avoid disturbing the crabeater seals. Because these lazy lumps are very sensitive. Human presence irritates them immensely. Not that they would attack or anything, they just grumpily slide into the water. Sometimes, they make the ice floe tilt this way, causing some swell – our kayakers can attest to that.

 

Crabeater seals

Crabeater seals, we had never heard of them before. A big gap in our culture, it turns out, because this is the largest seal population in the world. What's more, it might even be the largest mammal population in the world. However, estimates of their numbers vary widely. It seems that worldwide there are at least 15 million of them, but the upper limit varies greatly depending on the source – from 30 million individuals to 40, 50, and even 75 million.

 

Crabeater seals

Recognizing marine mammals is rarely an easy task. But with their slender, agile bodies and short, flexible necks, crabeater seals make it relatively easy for us – they can raise their heads and arch their backs.

 

What do crabeater seals feed on? Definitely not on crabs

 

What do crabeater seals feed on? Certainly not on crabs, because they are not found here, except at great depths. Despite their name, they almost exclusively feed on krill. Evolutionarily, that has become their trump card because krill is one of the largest biomass sources on the planet.

Their diet is perfectly adapted to this. Their upper and lower jaws fit together like the teeth of a zipper. Together, they form a sieve that traps the krill while allowing water to flow out of their mouths.

 

Crabeater seal

You will never find crabeater seals on land. They spend most of their day in the water. They mate in the water and give birth on the ice. Unlike penguins, they don't do this in colonies, but on their own. At birth, the pup weighs 20 to 30 kg, and after three weeks, it can weigh up to 100 kg.

 

About four out of five crabeater seal pups fall prey to leopard seals during their first year of life

 

Ultimately, they will weigh about two hundred kilograms – if they are given the chance to grow into adult animals. Because constantly, the pups are hunted by leopard seals. With remarkable success. About four out of five crabeater seal pups fall prey to these sea predators during their first year of life. It makes you wonder how crabeater seals manage to sustain their enormous population at all.

 

Neumayer Channell

Westward we go now, crossing Gerlachestraat. Just after two, the Sea Spirit enters the Neumayer Channel. Initially seeming like a dead-end canal until we encounter a sharp S-bend halfway through. Apparently, it obstructed the view.

Meanwhile, Wiencke Island slides past on the left. On the right, the enormous Antwerpen Island, the largest island in the Palmer Archipelago, but much more mountainous, featuring the 2,750-meter-high Mount Français. Even an impressive glacier is not absent from the scene, as shown on the map. The namers clearly had some fun, as along this 25 km long Iliad Glacier, peaks and ridges boast names like Menelaus, Achilles, Hector, Paris, Helena, Patroclus, Nestor, ... all from the world famous epic poem Iliad of the Greek poet Homer.

A strong wind has picked up, blowing fiercely through the canal. Low, grey clouds obscure the mountain ridges. The seawater is rougher now, although the ship's rolling and pitching remains relatively limited. According to the plan, the second group was supposed to spend the night ashore tonight. With this weather, that seems increasingly unlikely.

 

Goudier Island with Port Lockroy (on the right)

In the distance, the Neumayer Channel extends into the wide Bismarck Strait. But we're not sailing that far. Because on the coast of Wiencke Island, a small bay has appeared. Adrien de Gerlache had already noticed this place in 1899, but it was waiting for the French polar explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot for it to receive its current name in 1904 – Port Lockroy, named after the French Minister of the Navy.

In fact, it's an attractive natural harbour where ships can find some rest. Currently, there's a sailboat anchored there. In the past, whale hunters also gratefully used it. In 1943, the Argentines even went a step further. They deposited a copper cylinder containing documents claiming Goudier Island, the main island in the bay, as Argentine territory.

The British didn't like that at all. In utmost secrecy, they launched Operation Tabarin

The British didn't like that at all. In utmost secrecy, they launched Operation Tabarin with the aim of safeguarding British interests in Antarctica. They didn't trust the Germans either. Were they perhaps secretly trying to seize and claim a part of Antarctica for themselves? Keeping an eye on things seemed prudent.

A team of eight Britons landed on Goudier Island on 11 February 1944. They removed all references to Argentine claims and established the first of a long series of Antarctic bases – conveniently called Base A. Base O, whose foundations we could see this morning on Danco Island, also fits into this story.

Base A would remain manned almost permanently for nearly twenty years. Those who came to work here typically signed up for a stay of two and a half years. They only had contact with the outside world via a Morse telegraph, specifically with Stanley in the Falkland Islands. But in 1962, the British had had enough. The benefits no longer outweighed the costs.

Until 1996, when someone came up with the idea to restore Bransfield House, as the main building on Goudier Island was called, and turn it into a museum. With an annex post office and souvenir shop, of course. Because that had its advantages. By engaging in administrative activities – such as issuing postage stamps – the British could strengthen their claims on this sector. And by engaging in commercial activities, they could finance the operation. Because Antarctic tourism had taken off by then.

We are astonished to learn who has been appointed as Base Leader of Port Lockroy this season

Nowadays, Bransfield House is kept open for four months every summer by a handful of volunteers. We are astonished to learn who has been appointed as Base Leader of Port Lockroy this season – Hannelore, a Belgian dentist Cuypers from Tessenderlo.

A zodiac is going to pick up Hannelore, as she wants to make an exception for Belgian tourists. In the lounge, she will tell her story – what daily life is like on Goudier Island, what drives her and her companions. However, under one condition – that she can take a real shower aboard the Sea Spirit. Expedition leader Jonathan gladly offers his cabin for this. After all, Jonathan remains a Frenchman.

Boundless energy and unstoppable enthusiasm radiate from Hannelore as soon as she takes the floor. The audience is captivated by her every word. In fact, she graduated as a dentist in 2009 in Bergen, Norway. She also has her practice there. But the call of the wild was too strong to resist. After some outdoor activities in the far north, she applied without much hope to the British Antarctic Heritage Trust for a job at Port Lockroy. To her surprise, she was accepted for the 2017-2018 season. The following year, she even became Base Leader. Together with the British Hannah and Sally, and the French Sophie, she now runs the base – a true women's station.

It took a lot of struggling in the snow before they even found the top of the door of the snow-covered station

That's not self-evident. When they arrived in mid-November 2017, both the Neumayer Channel and the Bismarck Strait were still full of sea ice. They were dropped off on the ice with all their gear. They had to figure out the rest themselves. It took a lot of struggling in the snow before they even found the top of the door of the snow-covered station. Inside, it was 3° C (37 °F).

They don't have toilets, nor do they have real showers. They derive their energy from the sun and the wind. For emergencies, they have an iridium phone. Their term lasts for four months, and the pay is rather modest. It's not the financial aspect that motivates them, but rather the nature of the work and the lifestyle.

And that's very special. The island is no bigger than a soccer field, but Hannelore and her team have to share it with three to four thousand chinstrap penguins – including their chirping and their guano. These penguins only showed up here after the base was abandoned in 1962.

Currently, the penguin chicks are developed enough that they are being trained by their parents to walk to the sea. The strongest chick always gets the most food from its parents, while the weakest one has to fend for itself. We are not allowed to go where the penguins are breeding, which includes the vast majority of the island. And if they cross our path, we have to give them the right of way. But we already knew that.

The station remains much the same as it was in the 1950s, including more than 2,500 artefacts

Back in the day, all sorts of scientific research were conducted at Bransfield House, but those times are long gone. Nowadays, it's a museum. It remains much as it was in the 1950s, with over 2,500 artefacts still intact. In the meantime, the site has been accepted as number 61 on the official list of Historic Sites and Monuments of the Antarctic Treaty.

Bransfield House welcomes fifteen to seventeen thousand visitors annually. During the summer season, this equates to one to three ships per day. You can even find the place listed on TripAdvisor, complete with star ratings. The business plan of the Antarctic Heritage Trust seems to be working well; it even helps maintain the six other historical bases.

Lockroy's post office is the southernmost in the world. Around 70,000 postcards are stamped and sent from there each year, adorned with unique stamps from the British Antarctic Territory.

Someone wants to know what Hannelore's most peculiar experience was. Hannelore doesn't have to think about it for long. One day, a male penguin placed a pebble in front of her and bowed its head. That's how male penguins invite females to build a nest together and have little chicks. Being courted by a penguin, it was a completely new experience for Hannelore. But it led her to suspect that her body odour was no longer distinguishable from that of a penguin. Hence her longing for a real shower. Jonathan nods in agreement.

But it led her to suspect that her body odour was no longer distinguishable from that of a penguin

Outside, the wind has steadily increased in strength, from twenty knots to forty, with peaks reaching fifty knots – roughly translated, that's 93 km/h. The stiff breeze steadily propels turbulent waves into the bay, with white foam cresting their peaks.

Such rapidly rising winds are typical for Antarctica and nearly unpredictable, Jonathan will explain later. But for the zodiacs, it's not without danger. With passengers on board, a zodiac weighs approximately one ton. However, when it returns empty, it's only two hundred kilograms. A fatal combination of waves and gusts could easily capsize it. Even fully occupied, a zodiac would be helpless in this weather if its engine were to fail.

Our very own Sea Spirit can attest to this. In 2013, during an Arctic cruise with Quark Expeditions off the coast of Spitsbergen, things went awry. One of the zodiacs was hit by a large wave in Krossfjorden. Twelve passengers ended up in the icy water, and a sixty-year-old lady did not survive.

 

On our way to Port Lockroy

Things won't proceed at such a pace today, that's for sure. In the Neumayer Channel, waves can't develop the same force as they can on the open sea. However, for safety reasons, Oleg and Jonathan cancel the planned landing at Jougla Point. The visit to Goudier Island, on the other hand, will continue as planned, albeit in shifts. Because the modest Bransfield House can't accommodate more than about thirty visitors at a time.

 

A fatal combination of waves and gusts can easily capsize the zodiac

Seawater splashes high as the bow of the Zodiac cuts through the waves. The biting wind drives grains of snow low over the grey water. Slightly hunched, we sit closer together than usual, our parkas tightly fastened.

Wrapped up tightly, the zodiac master stands upright, braving the elements. As best as he can, he balances the zodiac against a rocky landing spot on Goudier Island. Helping hands hastily grab us one by one, guiding us safely over the slippery rocks through the water.

Then it's a climb up along the steep rocky coast. And to think that back in the day, the Tabarinteam hauled up around fifty barrels of fuel oil annually along this same route for their vital diesel generator.

Guano mixed with mud covers the rocks as if it were a form of fixed carpeting

Port Lockroy – Nissen hut

Further down is a Nissen hut, a prefab construction of curved corrugated sheets. At the time, it served as storage for food, materials, and emergency supplies. However, in the nineties, the hut completely fell apart. It wasn't until 2010 that it was rebuilt. Now, it houses the private quarters of the staff. Skeletons of two Norwegian ship hulls remind us that no matter what humans plan, it is nature that decides.

 

Adélie penguin chicks

Penguin protects chick

On the island, it's all about cosiness – if you happen to love Adélie penguins, that is. There are many, many hundreds of them, leaving no spot untouched. Guano mixed with mud covers the rocks as if it were a form of fixed carpeting. The smell is intense, the noise commensurate. And one must be wary of the greenish stream of excrement from the back of a penguin, which sometimes streaks low over the ground for up to a meter.

A genuine gangway, complete with a wooden railing, brings us to Bransfield House. With great respect, we examine the top of the front door. How would it feel to stand up there with your feet in the snow as Hannelore did back in November 2017?

 

Bransfield House - Living room

Kitchen

It must be a claustrophobic feeling to spend months in the small rooms of Bransfield House, especially when it's pitch dark outside. We wander through the workshop, the kitchen, the dining and relaxation area, the telecommunication room, and the research lab. Here, fluctuations in the ionosphere were monitored. But measurements of temperature, wind speed, sunshine, rain, and snowfall were also part of the program.

 

Bedroom with Union Jack

Marilyn Monroe

The eye-catcher is undoubtedly the bedroom, with the hand-painted pin-ups of Doris Day, Marilyn Monroe, and tutti quanti – each with a significantly larger cup size than we remember from historical photos. How could it be otherwise with a team that named its ultra-secret operation after Bal Tabarin, a sultry cabaret in pre-war Paris?

 

Telecommunication room

Research lab

Things got really exciting on 2 April 1946, when the sea suddenly retreated, leaving the bay completely dry. The scientists immediately understood what that meant. In haste, they sought refuge at the highest point of the island – the roof of the Nissen hut – and anxiously waited for things to happen. All in all, it wasn't too bad. The tsunami wave reached only a meter higher than the highest level they had ever recorded. But one of the three Norwegian wrecks was missing afterwards.

Things are calmer in the shop. You can find all sorts of souvenirs there, from maps and books to clothing. There's no heating; Hannelore and co. just layer up when they're at work. Our passports are stamped, our postcards are posted. Later, it will turn out that it takes between 31 and 39 days for them to reach their Belgian destinations.

 

It became truly exciting on 2 April 1946, when the seawater suddenly receded and the bay became completely dry

Even now, the strong wind is blowing snowflakes over the water as we return to the Sea Spirit with the zodiacs. Camping outdoors on the ice tonight is out of the question in this weather. That’s what we realize as the Sea Spirit lifts anchor at six o'clock.

But that's reckoning without Oleg and Jonathan. Bent over the weather charts, they have selected Neko Harbour, a place three hours' sail from here. In fact, we will be crossing the Gerlache Strait again to a point that is barely five kilometres away from Danco Island as the crow flies.

 

Never before has the Sea Spirit sailed through the Lemaire Channel

Meanwhile, the wind has picked up again. To the extent that the Sea Spirit is listing heavily as if it were a sailboat. This morning, we were still basking in the bright sun on Danco Island. That’s how quickly the weather changes in these parts.

Whether we will be able to navigate through the Lemaire Channel tomorrow remains to be seen. Because that's a different world, Jonathan warns us. He doesn't even know if the channel is free of ice. Everything depends on the weather conditions and the extent to which the wind has pushed the ice. For the Sea Spirit, this is the third season in Antarctica, but it has never sailed through the Lemaire Channel before.

Cooking in the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage is definitely not an easy task. Our cheerful chef, Francis from France, immediately acknowledges this when he comes to chat with us. What he and his seven cooks put on the table here day in and day out can easily compete with excellent restaurants ashore. His seven years of experience working with the late Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France, surely contributes to that.

He hasn't encountered any significant problems during this trip so far, not even in the Drake Passage. If the waves had been even higher, he would have had to forego all preparations with boiling water because it's uncontrollable. And once pots and pans start dancing on the stove, as a cook, you can only do one thing – get out of there as quickly as possible, he chuckles.

Once pots and pans start dancing on the stove, as a cook, you can only do one thing – get out of there as quickly as possible, he chuckles

The most important man on board, he grins, who do we think that is? The captain, that's obvious. No, Francis disagrees, it's the electrician. Because he's the one who manages day in and day out to convert the power of the diesel engines into a constant electrical voltage, ensuring that the temperature in the fridges remains constant. Francis bursts into laughter.

 

Neko Harbour

In the late evening, we anchor in the tranquil Andvord Bay. Just after eleven o'clock, the second group of campers finally leaves the Sea Spirit by zodiac. Neko Harbour turns out to be a calm environment; they will be able to spend a peaceful night ashore there.

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Jaak Palmans
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Paradise at the Arctic Circle