MS Fram was planning to sail through the Lemaire channel to Petermann Island as we all were eating lunch or resting. But another expedition ship reported that it had found the channel blocked by ice so our next landing had to be switched.
Plan B was a landing at Dorian Bay which we would reach via the Neumeyer Channel. The extra activities planned for the afternoon, Polar Circle cruising and kayaking, had to be cancelled due to the sea state expected around this site.
In the afternoon of the 27th February MS Fram sailed from Neko Harbour to our second landing of the day at Dorian Bay in a snow storm.
When we reached Dorian Bay the expedition team went ashore to find a suitable landing site. We were warned to expect that we would be landing on rocks and it would be both wet and dangerous.
After waiting for our group to be called on Deck 4 it was time to start getting ready on Deck 2. The Muck Boots proved as difficult as before and the life-jackets were equally recalcitrant. One of our new table companions discovered that someone had taken his Muck Boots rather than their own – an unexpected difficulty in the afternoon.
The boat ride to the rocks was soon over and then we were helped off the boats by the expedition team. The seamen’s grip was the best way of making sure that we didn’t fall into the sea or the rocks. We scrambled up the slippy rocks onto the land. Underfoot we were walking on pink penguin poo mixed up with stones and snow. The sky was overcast and snow was steadily falling.
Dorian Bay in the snow
We followed the trail of red cones up the hill to a ridge. This was the view looking back to the landing site.
Following the red cones we walked up the hill.
Over the top of the hill we came to a snow field. On our left back towards the sea there were penguins between us and the rocks.
Damoy Hut
Away in front of us across a snow field were two huts in the distance. These were our objective after walking past all the penguins.
The British hut had been the base for early supply flights to other bases before ships could make it through the ice to re-supply them.
The Damoy Hut is a preserved historical site that was full of preserved items.
The Argentinian one, next door, was rather the worse for wear.
Time for a group photo in the snow storm in front of the huts.
Back across the snow
Walking back across the snow field was more like we’d expected visits to Antarctica to be – lots of falling snow and a snow field.
The snow had ‘eased’ a little and we all stopped to look at the penguins up in the snow.
There were penguins on scooting along in the snow just in front of us.
Leaving Dorian Bay
As we walked back down to the landing site I took sometime to get closer to the penguins on the rocky slopes.
Getting back into the Polar Circle boats was just as exciting as getting out of them.
The ballet of taking off Muck Boots and life-jackets was definitely easier this time. Our boots and trousers were as wet as before as we had needed a thorough jet wash to remove the penguin poo!
Our cabin was ready again for us to get changed – lots of room.
Dinner was a buffet again but with special ice-cream flavoured with Calafate berries- delicious.
At 21:00 were back in the lecture theatre for our briefing on the next day’s landings. These would be at Admiral Brown Station at Paradise Harbour and at Cuverville Island. Brown Station is back on the Antarctic mainland.
Helga explained about Antarctic weather forecasts
You get a weather forecast and then by the time you land the weather will have changed
We learnt that Cuverville Island has one of the largest Gentoo penguin colonies in Antarctica.
Dorian Bay was now to be the landing where passengers would stay overnight on the ice in tents. We watched their boats leave the ship and land on the shore below the two huts. They then made their way up and out of sight across the snow field. . . .
The ship stayed in Dorian Bay and we looked forward to a really good night’s sleep on-board.