V9 Antarctic Peninsula_Voyage_Log

The White Continent
9 January 2020 – Hydrurga Rocks & Portal Point
By Sandra Ophorst
16
This morning we reached “Hydrurga Rocks” at 64°S.
They are rocky islands located in the Palmer
Archipelago. It’s named after the leopard seal’s latin
name, Hydrurga leptonyx. We landed at a narrow
beach which is made up largely of pebbles and
cobbles. At the landing site we were welcomed by
Weddell seals near the beach.
There was so much to see on this tiny island. A colony
of around one thousand Chinstrap Penguins, which
already had chicks. Brown Skuas and nesting Kelp Gulls
could also be spotted. We also saw nesting Blue Eyed
Shags with chicks which were almost the same size as
their parents.
The photographers amongst us were especially happy
for the Weddell seal lying in front of a huge iceberg. A
true Antarctic scene! No miracle that some started
lying on the ground and turning towards seals to catch
this moment with their camera. A fantastic landing
with almost no wind.
Portal Point lies northeast of the Reclus Peninsula and
was once home to a British hut, called Cape Reclus,
that was established in 1956. We were excited as this
was our first chance to step foot on the Antarctic
continent itself, so far we had been exploring only
Islands. The hut has been removed from the site and
only the foundation remains on the site today.
We had a chance to enjoy the company of Weddell
seals, Brown Skuas and Antarctic terns while admiring
all the shades of white and blue surrounding us. During
the second part of the landing we got some visitors:
Adelie penguins.
During our zodiac cruise some of us were even treated
with the amazing experience of watching humpback
whales at play. These giants of the sea can become
quite rambunctious under the right circumstances.
Luckily they are always aware of their surrounds so our
inflatable zodiacs were
5 JAN 2020 – 14 JAN 2020
Volume 2, Issue 9