Paradise

By morning we had headed North again and were sailing into Paradise Harbour.   It was still and the light was starting to break through the clouds.  Again, lots of sea ice around.  There were penguins on ice flows which jumped off once the ship came clear.

The ship moored off Almirante Brown.  An Argentinean base now called Brown.  There was no one there yet and the buildings were deserted.  There is a shot of it in the extras.

Some of the ship went ashore and the rest of us did a zodiac cruise around an amazing place with amazing iceberg and glaciers.

We saw blue eyed cormorants, terns, pintados and of course gentoos.  The glaciers were stupendous.  So still.  

It was then landing on Almirante Brown seeing some new buildings tied down and walking up the hill to do a slide.  That was a lot of fun – so much so I had to do it again.
 
The view from the top of the hill was magical.
 
A history lesson from Nina (the historian of the expedition staff) who told us of Cope’s doomed expedition and the young chaps that overwintered living under a life boat and of their useful data they collected.  She also told us about the Argentinean doctor who went mad during Winter and burned the station down so he could be sent back home.  Fortunately, no one was killed.
 
Back on board and then motoring along when we ran into some hump backs. The captain followed them with the ship turning 360s.

By the time we arrived at Foyn Harbour it was snowing and miserable again.  A zodiac cruise with Jarrod (the naturalist on the expedition staff)  to see the shipwreck and bergs and other bits.  A short cruise – just as well.  The shipwreck was of the Governoreon.  It was a whaling ship which was scuttled by the captain to save the whale oil   While the ship was wrecked he did indeed save the cargo and no lives lost.   Surprisingly a chartered yacht, the Spirit of Sydney was moored alonsgide the wreck.