The morning of our last full day in Antarctica started out foggy and the mountains were shrouded in low clouds. It was a moody approach to our anchorage just off Weinke Island and our first outing of the day at Port Lockroy.
We went ashore to visit the small museum preserving what British Base “A” looked like during the 1950s and 1960s. We met the small team of charming ladies from British Antarctic Heritage Trust who are stationed here for four months during the summer. They run the post office, museum gift shop and conduct research about the resident gentoo penguin breeding success. Amazingly, this little island is the most visited site in the Antarctic Peninsula!
Other groups spent time ashore at Jugula Point, where more gentoo penguins nest and also had a chance to see the last of the blue-eyed shag chicks just before they fledge. It is such a magical time in the season to see the fluffy, downy gentoo chicks racing around, curious about everything.
After lunch we sailed into the Gerlache Strait and the wind picked up a bit but the eagle eyes on the bridge still managed to find a group of three Gerlache Strait killer whales. Killer whale researchers John and Bob recognized the whales from previous seasons but it was the first time this year they had a chance to take ID photos of this group.
The last outing of the day was at Orne Harbor. This sheltered bay was a great place to have a walk up the ridge to see nesting chinstrap penguins. The other option was to go for a Zodiac cruise to see chinstraps walking up and down their highways along the steep cliffs. Then while out in the boats, we had an amazing sighting of a young humpback whale lunge feeding! The whale was circling around, feeding on the patches of krill that were concentrated in the harbor.
The day ended with a spectacular sunset. Many people lingered in the lounge or were out on deck soaking in stunning beauty of Antarctica.
