The French Connection

Thursday, January 21

After nearly 22 hours of hard labour to travel 19 nautical miles at less than 5 knots, the Shokalskiy has finally broken through the last ice this morning.

It is an absolutely stunning day today and everything we see is just to die for.

There is a Zodiac cruise planned near Port Martin - the original French Base - but the sea is very choppy and that puts quite a few people off.

Eventually, we move on again.

I spend most of my afternoon on deck as I just can't get enough of it all.

When Agnes announces the opening of the bar, Rodney follows up with an announcement of his own: Don't drink too much. There will be an activity after dinner.

We arrive in the vicinity of the French Base and drop anchor where Dumont D'Urville had landed 176 years ago to the day.

We get all dressed up - and put sunscreen on at 21.00h! - to go for a ride across to Landing Rock.

It is a very smooth crossing, but the rock seems to be moving under foot.

Samuel has fixed up a sign to commemorate the French landing on January 21, 1840 and we have a group photo taken at the top of the rock.

Huw assures us that they only have about 3 days of such calm and glorious weather a year. How lucky are we?

A bit later on, back on board, Rodney announces that there are some orcas (Killer Whales) trying to get at a seal and some penguins on an ice floe.

Needless to say that we all get dressed up and scramble out on deck.

There are four orcas trying very hard to dislodge the seal and the two penguins. They jump up and stare them down, they swim in circles, they nudge, shake and spin the ice, but the three potential 'tasty morsels' are hanging on.

What a spectacle!

We are also witnessing a very spectacular sunset as well as a full moon.

 There is no end to the natural beauty. And to think that it is now just about midnight!


Friday, January 22

The ship has been quietly moving back towards Port Martin. The sea is calm as a millpond.
We're getting a Zodiac ride to the mainland. Where the old French Base used to be is a very large Adelie rookery. We are only allowed to scramble up the rocks a little bit and sit and watch. They are such darling animals.

There are lots of fluffy young ones waiting to be fed. We watch a couple of them chase a very reluctant parent to get their feed.

 Oops, I think we're sitting in someone's favourite landing spot.

In the afternoon, as we are starting to move towards Petrel Island, Samuel gives us a very interesting lecture on the History of French Antarctic Exploration.

Given the calm sea and the beautiful weather, the bar is out on deck this evening.

Saturday, January 23

We arrive off Petrel Island and a Zodiac goes across to pick up some of the staff from the French Base who come and give us a briefing on our visit to the base. We are to be taken over in groups.

Since I am part of the last group to go over in the afternoon, I make the most of the quiet time aboard ship to go down and see the engine room. 

The command center downstairs

One of the three generators/inverters that keep the whole ship 'electrified'

two sets of 6 cylinders

and the 'gizmo' that combines the power from them both and transfers it onto the single drive shaft

 The ship carries 300'000 litres of diesel - enough to keep going for a couple of months. There is also enough food on board for that kind of time span. In other words, we could quite happily get stuck for a while......ah, if only!

The ship also has a desalination plant which we don't get to see, but Samuel explains to me later that it works a bit like a large distillery, with sea water being heated. Funny that. I thought it would get frozen for the salt content to be eliminated, just like it happens in nature (hence the lack of salt in sea ice).

At last, our turn comes to be taken across to the base. There is just a little hint of snow fall as we get started.

The base is a bit like a village of shipping containers and prefab huts in the middle of a large Adelie penguin colony. Just heaven.

 

 

They have set up a souvenir shop and some afternoon tea for us. There is also a tiny post office. Samuel catches up with old acquaintances and at times looks suspiciously as if there were tears glistening in his eyes. I can understand that. He spent two summers and a winter here ten years ago. I could quite easily spend some time in a place like this myself. 

All too soon, it is over and we are back on the ship, ready to travel on. It is a bit sad really, as this is the last we see of Antarctica. 

Until we meet again.