February 3: Day of Epicness

Written on February 22

So much happened on this day! Humpies at Wilhemina Bay, our first (and only) continental landing, the Polar Plunge, an outdoor BBQ and a singalong at the end of the night. We'd had a lot of cloud cover and even a little rain/snow on the voyage up until this point, but the sun finally decided to make an appearance to give us a glorious "bluebird sky" backdrop for the entire day. Hence: day of epicness!

Morning Excursion: Wilhemina Bay
We started the day with a bit of zodiac cruising around Enterprise Island in Wilhelmina Bay... more like Whale-emina Bay! We saw multiple humpbacks on this outing, including a mom and calf just lazing about and "waving" to us with their enormous fins.

Just another day in a zodiac. © Melanie Adair

"Oh. Hey there."

Momma and baby

We also learned some history about whaling by seeing the wreck of the Guvernøren, an old whaling ship that caught fire in 1915 and sank, leaving only the first third of the ship visible above water today. With the sinking of the ship, the crew lost their entire cargo of whale oil - a highly profitable product at the time, as it was used as a major source of glycerine for making explosives during the First World War.

Learning about the Guvernøren and seeing the gentle humpies in the same outing was an interesting juxtaposition, given that the bay is now witnessing a return of these creatures after so many years of whaling, human interference and exploitation of the whales for profit. As hubs put it, "It's nice to see the whales coming back. If the environment can recover from all those whaling ships, then a bit of responsible tourist traffic shouldn't cause too much of a problem."

Afternoon Excursion: Portal Point
That afternoon saw us setting foot on the Antarctic continent! This "continental landing" (all the other landings so far had been islands) at Portal Point was the gateway for many explorers whose sights were set on reaching the South Pole - still quite a far distance from here. The Quark Expedition team had a continental flag at the ready, which we all took pictures with... because, why wouldn't we? It's the 7th continent!

Hiking up a short distance, we experienced incredible vistas from the top of the point. Gleaming mountains, clear water, rugged terrain and falling ice, all set against that glorious bluebird sky. A total highlight.

We made it!

Falling ice at Portal Point

Zero common sense. © Michelle Sole

The Polar Plunge and an Outdoor BBQ
Jumping into the near-freezing waters of the Southern Ocean is apparently a popular activity - which I did, but hubs did not (as he put it, "I'm impervious to regrets but not sub-zero temperatures."). My first reaction after hitting the water was, of course, "HOLY SHIT IT'S SO COLD" but was immediately followed by, "Mmm, salty!" 

I was in good company, with a total of 109 guests (out of 199) taking the big leap. The expedition team described us all as brave souls with no common sense. Agreed.

This was followed by a BBQ dinner on the aft deck. BBQ, beers, and sitting outside in Antarctica ("With wet hair!", as one of our friends observed), after taking a polar plunge... just another of many surreal experiences to add to the list of surreal experiences on this entire journey.

Outdoor BBQ in Antarctica. No big deal.

Sing-along and Nightcap 
After all of this, the "Chilli Goulash Rock Petrels" folk band, made up of three musically-inclined members of the expedition team, hosted a bit of a sing-along, performing some well-known - and lesser well-known - songs from around the world. The Canadian song they chose? “The Log Driver’s Waltz”. Good one, if you ask me.