ГРИΓΟΡИЙ МИХЕЕВ - Spitzbergen

world, and if we were
to make a final
excursion than an early
start was the one and
only option. During an
early breakfast, the
Grigoriy Mikheev sailed
just around the corner,
back into the Lemaire
Channel and stopped in
the middle of this most
scenic and famous
place the Antarctic
Peninsula had to offer.
Zodiacs were lowered
on the water once
again, and we stepped
down the gangway to explore Deloncle Bay on the eastern side of the Lemaire, framed by the
mountains and glaciers of Antarctica. We soon found out that the wind inside the bay was actually
stronger than in the main channel, so we decided to stay in the Lemaire Channel to enjoy the icebergs
that were drifting there, providing some interesting challenges for our bridge crew at the same time. It
was not long until a Leopard seal was found swimming near one of the bergs, and we spent some time
in the area, waiting for the seal who seemed to be playing with us, showing up at unexpected locations
but always near the boats.
18
But there was even more
to come. Sharp eyes
spotted a small group of
Humpback whales, and our
drivers set course for these
majestic creatures, four of
them in total. The whales
seemed to be somewhat
undecided as to the
direction of their travels,
and we made a large circle
following them at a
respectful distance.
Several times, their heads
came far out of the water,
maybe they were curious