This morning was suppose to be an early start with a 0530 landing, however, the ship broke anchor during the night so they had to relocate into Gold Harbour proper and the winds were so extreme that we couldn’t land. So after getting up at 0445 I went back to bed, after first looking out the port hole and seeing the amazing landscape of Gold Harbour and mentally noting that I should have gone and taken a photo but was just too tired to go beyond my bed! I then got up at 0630 and went and had breakfast before returning to bed again. At 1000 I finally got up and the sky was still blue and clear but the wind still hadn’t died down so they put on some lectures. Ideally they would have relocated the ship and gone to an alternate location but it was too windy to even do that, so we were essentially stuck where we were. I only went to one of the lectures on ‘Why birds migrate’ by Marco. We had lunch on the ship and for dessert we had chocolate mousse. It was so good I ate everyone at the tables who didn’t want it (I’ve been told I eat the most on the ship because most nights I ask for an additional main meal and any of the chocolate desserts I as many as I can…the Swedish couple have also told me they have nicknamed me ‘yummy’ because apparently I say it before I start eating at every meal).
At 1400 we started landing at Gold Harbour. I was out on one of the first zodiacs and our landing was on a black sand beach again covered with King and Gentoo Penguins, Elephant Seals and Fur Seals. I didn’t get past the Elephant Seals for the first hour. They are so hilarious to watch. They burp, fart and scratch and roll around like giant fat blubbery slugs. These ones were only juveniles but wow, they are still so huge. They all line up in a row and flick sand over their bodies to keep cool. Watching them get in out and out the water is tiring. It takes them so long to wriggle their way down to the water but once in, they are unstoppable.
Tom did a photographic workshop which I only stayed for the first 20min because a lot of it I have already done with him one on one. Hugh led a hike up the mountain so I went on that along with half the ship! Initially we had to snake our way through the tussock grass and all the resting seals before getting out onto the low vegetated hills. I only went ¾ of the way up with Zoe – far enough to get some lovely views over the harbour and then turned back and went to the Light Mantled Sooty Albatross nesting site. There were three birds on the side of a hill nesting. Occasionally you got to glimpse a fluffy grey chick. From there I snaked my way back down through the Fur Seals and back to the beach to go and watch the King Penguins in their colony. Many of the birds were incubating their eggs. Unfortunately I didn’t see an egg exchange, but certainly saw enough couples with eggs waiting to exchange. Just as I was returning to the landing site I stopped to take a photo of a couple of King Penguins and suddenly heard the high pitched call of a penguin and looked down from my camera to find an adult King standing at my feet. His beak came up to my elbows! He was so cute and curious and just kept calling. It’s so loud when you are right next to one. He was too close to photograph so I just stood there watching him before he decided I wasn’t really responding to his call and he turned around and waddled away.
At 1900 we had to return to the ship and had dinner at 1930. Thankfully these last few days they haven’t been putting anything on after dinner so we can get to bed at a reasonable time.
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