Part I: Seals teeth and whales ears - Scott Polar Research Institute ...

which was attached to a slimy grey cocoon; it had bitten at the hook, which was
firmly embedded; on the whole rather an obscene sight. After his earlier lack of
success Derek caught a young rock cod. Bill of course washed sheepskins he
had bought, heedless of the shortage of fresh water, and came in for censure.
The weather brightened that evening and we were again under way at 6.0
o’clock. Some of us stood on the monkey-island as the ship, rolling heavily, and
escorted by gulls, penguins, terns and giant petrels, slowly drew away from the
Falklands. The view we had of the hills around Stanley was quite unforgettable.
From heavy black storm clouds a curtain of sunlight pleated into rays, cast a
glow over all the crags and fells, leaving each new horizon to form a darker
edge so as to be gently silhouetted. To the north the incandescent yellow
merged into the purple of Mount Vernet. Fuchs talked to the Base Leaders at
7.0 o’clock and gave us our political instructions.
I was on watch with the Second Officer from 1-2 am and 3-4 am. The
waves were mountainous and the ship developed a roll of 45 degrees at times in
a swell twenty feet or more high. Icebergs had been reported from 49°S so we
had to keep a very careful watch. It was cold and when I got my head down to
"crash a swede" (nautical term!), I found that I was very tired indeed. As a result
I lay in bed until 10.45 am, thus missing breakfast. It was quite sunny on deck,
so David, Derek and I sat and applied saddle soap to boots. After lunch I was
on watch again from 1 -2 pm and 3-4 pm. In between I read Per Gynt; Cox
"smelt" ice and predicted a berg at 8 o’clock, but none came in sight; later I had a
long helpful talk with Fuchs about base organization. Black-headed and giant
petrels, grey-backed petrels, prion species, Wilson's storm petrels, blackbrowed,
wandering and sooty albatrosses and a skua were seen during the day.
By 3 February it was definitely colder, but still no bergs. The temperature
at noon was about 46°F telling us that we had not yet crossed the Antarctic
Convergence, where the colder Antarctic water meets the warmer temperate
waters. The sea had assumed more of a grey-blue cast and the sky was for the
most part grey and overcast. In the morning several fin whale blows showed to
port and in the late afternoon two blue whales came quite close. I stood for a
long time on the monkey-bridge. Wilson's petrels and the blue-grey prions
were all about us. I had several excellent close-up views of a black-browed
albatross, which hovered over the bridge from time to time. Ralph made an
ejector for his .22 rifle and we shot at bottles and cans thrown over the side. The
swell was still heavy and, with the roll of the ship to complicate matters, our
marksmanship was mediocre.
Next day the sea was smoother, but the swell greater. It was markedly
colder with the air temperature 37°F at noon. Evidently we were now south of
the Antarctic Convergence. In the morning five fin whales passed close to the
ship, travelling in a north-easterly direction. Their spouts were about 12 feet
high and the wind blew them out of vertical. The small, curved dorsal fin was
diagnostic and they showed a lot of their backs when surfacing - leaving an oily
slick on the surface at that point. We were accompanied by black-browed and
sooty albatrosses, Wilson's petrels, and many small prions which had beautiful
powder blue backs and buffy wings. Their heads had a dark grey cap and there
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