2025_26 Oosterdam, Antarctica Day 1, Part 2 of 2...

What a magnificent day in Antarctica!!!  I was up and out on deck by 5:30 am, it was cold but no rain.  Our first stop in the Antarctic was Palmer Station.  Palmer Station is a United States research station in Antarctica located on Anvers Island, the only U.S. station on the continent located north of the Antarctic Circle.  We wound our way through the beautiful scenery to Port Lockroy, a British Antarctic base with the most southerly operational post office in the world.  We were at Port Lockroy so they provided the boat to take our mail (post cards) to Port Lockroy’s Penguin Post Office.  Due to incoming weather, the captain went to Plan B and changed course heading for Neumayer Channel. The Neumayer Channel is a stunning, narrow waterway in Antarctica's Palmer Archipelago, separating Wiencke and Doumer Islands and famous for dramatic ice cliffs, glaciers, penguins and seals.  Unfortunately, our visibility was hampered by the blowing snow so Plan B was activated. Continuing up the Neumayer Channel we crossed the Gerlache Strait headed for our overnight position in Paradise Bay.  Due to an ice blockage in Paradise Bay Plan C was initiated and we headed back across the Gerlache Strait to Dallmann Bay.  Situated between Anvers and Brabant Island Dallmann Bay was discovered in 1874 by a German whaler, Captain Eduard Dallmann. Dallmann Bay is your quintessential Antarctic Bay with whales and there were a fair number of whale siting's along the way.  We will spend the night in Dallmann Bay and begin a new Antarctic adventure tomorrow.  What a fabulous day!  I overdid it on photos so the blog is in 2 parts….