Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Antarctica Day 2... Part 1 of 2

I was up and out on the forward deck before 6am and was able to spot some penguins and a humpback whale. We made our way to Cuverville Island, the largest breeding ground for Gentoo penguins. Cuverville stands at the entrance of Errera Channel and is flanked by the mountains and glaciers of the Antarctic mainland.  On the way there, I came across a huge number of Gentoo penguins swimming…  amazing!  Due to the heavy ice flow the ship was unable to continue down the channel but the captain stayed in the channel so we could take in the scenery. It appears the Gentoo penguins are just starting their migration to Cuverville Island as it is early in the season…I did however spot a humpback whale thanks to a good spot from the captain... With some fancy maneuvering skills, the captain was able to avoid the icebergs and get a clear path along the Errera Channel. Making our way to Paradise Bay we passed González Videla, a Chilean research station. It is situated at Water boat Point, which is on a land spit at the northern entrance of the bay. The name came from two British scientists who stayed on the island in 1921/22 in a primitive shelter built partly out of upturned boats left by whale hunters. The hut is now an historic monument. Paradise Harbor, also known as Paradise Bay, is a wide embayment behind Lemaire and Bryde Islands. When it comes to Antarctic scenery, Paradise Bay is spectacular with enormous glaciers towering out of the steel blue sea with shimmering icebergs…and a pod of killer whales following the ship. When the sun is shining and you have calm weather as it was this morning, there are few places that will give you the Antarctic experience more than cruising through Paradise Bay…absolutely beautiful. We spent some time on the back deck as some local birds hitched a ride. Lo and behold our comedian friend Marc Yaffe was outside suntanning taking advantage of the sun. Marc is a great comedian friend we met on the Koningsdam in 2021. You can catch his act at Laughwithmarc.com. The ship turned around in Paradise Bay and we headed back from whence we came through the Gerlache Straits. It started snowing, the visibility is poor…this weather is predicted to last for 11 hours…so time will tell! We are now enroute to Admiralty Bay on Prince George Island with an expected arrival of 2pm tomorrow… Great news!!!  I don’t have to get up in the middle of the night tomorrow…  What a great experience we are having.  I have been down here a number of times but always in January/ February with the conditions in the Antarctic are much different.  This is an amazing way to experience the Antarctic with the weather much colder… Loving every day!!!!