Day 39 - Yankee Harbour

We woke up to gray skies and rolling seas as we had to our last port in Antarctica, Yankee Harbour in the South Shetland Islands. It’s our last stop before we cross the Drake Passage on our way home.

At the Daily Briefing this morning, it was announced that we weren’t cancelling our stop at Yankee Harbour, but that we were in a wait and see mode. At 1:00 they cancelled all landings but will only do SOB rides near the stone spit at this location. The winds are high, and the ice is creating problems. As the SOB rides are VERY COLD, I think I’m going to stay aboard today and watch for whales from my window! There have been whales around this morning, and they don’t look like Humpback whales, but they’ve been too far away to identify. Hopefully while we’re sitting still, they’ll come closer.

Berna, our Expedition Team Leader, who leads the Daily Briefing, has been giving a rundown of where we’ve been on this journey in Antarctica. I videotaped it this morning so that I’ll have all the correct place names. The video is only a bit over 1 minute – including it here for those who might want to see the journey! Be sure to turn your volume on as you watch!

Here are some photos of Yankee Harbor from the ship.

One of the cool things I learned about while onboard was a website called HappyWhale.com. You can sign up and then you’re allowed to upload pictures that you might capture of Whale Tales (Flukes). The fluke is as identifiable for whales as our fingerprints are. You submit your photos and within 24 hours they let you know they’ve received them and that they’re cataloging them (see the photo below). Then, within a few weeks you’ll hear back as to whether they’ve identified your whale, where it’s been, or, that it’s a new one, never before seen (or at least captured in a photo). They get reports from all over the world and are thus tracking the migration of these huge beasts. It’s pretty cool!!

And, as usual there is wildlife to see - Gentoo Penguin colonies and Weddell Seals.

Tonight, the Captain and Senior Officers hosted a Cocktail Hour for those of us who had gone from Fort Lauderdale through Antarctica. It was very nice, and was good to see the 20 or so of us who have made this long journey.

Then tonight, when we returned to our room, there was BLING! Always fun to get BLING!

Some farewell scenery pictures as we say goodbye to Antarctica and head back through the Drake Passage.

Even this little guy came to offer a bow as we leave!