Wihelmina Bay and Port Lockroy, Antarctica

Wilhelmina Bay and Port Lockroy, Antarcticia         January 12, 2016

On Tuesday the Fram cruised Wilhelmina Bay. Spectacular scenery was abound. Humpback whales were everywhere. Just plain awesome to watch! Three swam up next to the ship, spouting and flipping their tails at us for about an hour. What a fabulous way to spend the morning!

Thar she blows!

                                              

During the afternoon Larry and I boated to Port Lockroy, British Base A built in 1941 on Goudier Island.

The ride over to Port Lockroy

                                                     Climbing the rocks to get to Base A

     Just love wearing that extra layer....called a life jacket!

Restored in 1996 by the Antarctica Heritage Trust (a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving historical huts in Antarctica), it has become one of the most visited sites on the continent.

We spotted seals lying on the icebergs while boating into the landing. Gentoo penguins nested about.

This Gentoo Penguin was picking up rocks to build a nest....back and forth a zillion times picking up a new rock to drop in the nesting area. They were relentless about getting it done.

After watching the feller above for a while, we went into the museum that the Brits had restored.
The museum was kept in the 1950’s era with canned goods still remaining on the shelves.

 

Original radio equipment

 

The men who wintered here long ago drew voluptuous females on the walls of their bunk beds. Guess you know what they were dreaming about!

We mailed our postcards here. They will be taken to Stanley in the Falkland Islands. From there they will be taken to Great Britain and then to the USA. Wonder how long that will take?

Four people lived on the island during the summer (November 15-March 1^st), running the little store (our only shopping experience other than Esperanza Post) and the post office. These four youthful summer employees also had the job of counting the penguin population in the area three times….once when the penguins migrated in, once when they have laid their eggs and last when the eggs have developed into teenaged penguins. That all takes place between December 15 and March 1.

They have no water (relying on ships that come to port for a fresh water supply and a shower). They develop electricity by solar and wind power.  While here we could hear the icebergs of the mainland crack and fall into the bay.

A kayak excursion was offered here as well.

 

Climbing back to our tender boat.

 

What a day! The snow gets thicker the further south that we go. It sure makes the warmth of the ship look mighty fine at the end of the day.