The adventure continues and is flying by. More zodiac trips and a visit to a colony of tens of thousands of penguins! How amazing! Imagine the noise - and the smell! Communication problems have slowed the flow of photos but will soon be rectified. Here's the latest.
Monday, January 2, 2012
http://www.studentsonice.com/antarctic2011/day7.html
Expedition Update - 8:30am EST
We just received the following morning update from the expedition team:
"Yesterday evening we continued our southward journey past Elephant, Clarence and Cornwallis Islands towards the Danger Islands. Many of us spotted Skuas, Giant and Cape (Pintado) Petrels, and our first Humpback Whales and Chinstrap Penguins! Our (full!) evening program included beat poetry and music shared by students.
This morning we awoke in an iceberg gallery and are gradually getting closer to the Antarctic behemoths, the tabular icebergs. The temperature is about minues 3 Celsius, with a 15knot wind. The sky is overcast. Students are out on deck, taking it all in and are buzzing with excitement for our first landing at Heroina Island!
Few expeditions actually travel to Heroina Island, which makes this an even more special place to visit. Heroina is located at the eastern most part of the Antarctic Peninsula. This afternoon, we plan to continue to Paulet Island, where we will try for another landing!
In between landings, students will participate in a presentation by Olle Carlsson, who will describe the Nordenskiold Expedition, another tale of courage and perseverance against all odds.
Today's Education Program schedule:
0700 - Wake-Up!/Yoga (Clare & Danièle)
0730 - Breakfast
0900 - Possible Morning Landing: Heroina Island
1230 - Lunch
1430 - Presentation: Nordenskiöld - The Swedish Antarctic Expedition 1901-1903 (Olle)
1600 - Possible Afternoon Landing: Paulet Island, in which we will offer the following workshops on shore:
1. Ice-coloured painting & chilly writing (Elin & Pablo)
2. Songwriting & storytelling (Tony)
3. Wildlife surveys (Garry, Santiago & Sonja)
4. Geology/Glaciology (Jeff)
5. Backcountry medical care / Medical scenarios (Terry)
1930 - Dinner
2030 - Evening Recap & Briefing
Expedition Update - 11:00am EST
Hello Readers - A quick update to let you know that the ship media team is experiencing difficulties connecting to our satellite system. While we try to resolve this issue, they are only able to communicate with us via the ship-based communications system. As a result, there will be a delay receiving photographs and videos.
We apologize for the inconvenience - we know you are eager to see what the team is up to - and will do our best to get the satellite system back on track as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
SOI Headquarters team
Expedition Update - 1:45pm EST
The team has just returned to the ship after another great Zodiac cruise around Danger Islands and a landing at Heroina Island, where students got up close and personal with a rookery of tens of thousands of Adelie penguins! Students witnessed the circle of life in full action as they had the rare opportunity to see a leopard seal dine on a young penguin.
For most students, this was the first time they had encountered icebergs and Zodiac drivers brought them up close and personal with the huge slabs of ice. No two icebergs look the same and the great towers and arches and cubes surrounding the group exhibited just how unique and beautiful each iceberg can be.
Next destination is Paulet Island, where they will land and participate in several workshops on shore!
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