Diary of a Journey under the World – Part 15 – Cape Bird
David travelled aboard the magnificent Le Commandant Charcot by PONANT Cruises earlier this year on a half circumnavigation trip from Ushuaia, Argentina to New Zealand and what follows are his notes and highlights of a once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica in 2023.
David Heydon has been many things, nominated for Australian of the Year in 2016, the 2012 recipient of the Moore Medal, and a deep seabed mining pioneer. Most days David would be one of the expert naturalist guides aboard a ship, but today he is a guest on the Le Commandant Charcot.
David is an expedition cruising veteran, one who is uniquely specialized in the Polar. His extensive geological knowledge provides welcome insight into these regions’ many fjords and glaciers.
The Adventure Continues…
Since the morning the ship has been breaking ice to reach the destination for today, Cape Bird.
As the only passenger ship capable of navigating this kind of ice, the Le Commandant Charcot is the only the passenger ship who could reach Cape Bird in these conditions.
The weather was fierce today, with ambient temperatures around negative -5 degrees Celsius, and much worse when you factor in the wind chill. Nevertheless they prepared for a short zodiac trip to Cape Bird.
The Kayakers prepared to disembark for their day, while David and the others walked on foot to a nearby penguin rookery.
The penguins looked on as David observed the rocks, where ice and volcanic debris had been incorporated into layers on top of each other.
On returning to the ship, all the passengers and the crew must use the boot washing facility. All boots, any walking sticks, or anything that may have come into contact with the ground must be washed and disinfected. This is to ensure that nothing can be transmitted between colonies, reducing the risk of any contamination.
continued in Part 15 coming soon…