LEMAIRE CHANNEL

"WHO WOULD BELIEVE IN PENGUINS UNLESS HE HAD SEEN THEM?" - CONOR O'BRIEN



ANTARCTICA IS MAGICAL



WOW we were all woken up by the sound of Anja’s voice. That we have arrived in Lemaire Channel and that we should come out to check out the view. I got dressed and made sure I have my extra battery on the right pocket GOOD GOD.

 

I took some holiday photo card ops with my mum. I wish the sun came out, it was very cloudy. The sun would give a reflection on the water of the mountains, snow and water.  I never saw some many shades of grey.  It was a beautiful view. This is what I pictured Antarctica. The valley, the ice, the glaciers, and blue shade in the water.   I was outside of 2 hours in the cold wind. It was about 30 but it was very windy. It was probably about 20-25 degrees.

 

I could stay out here longer. I took nonstop photos. I of course stopped and enjoyed the view.  Towards the end of the channel I was able to take a few photos of reflections of the mountains on the water.  I like to take photos of iceberg debris. I took plenty of it.

 

Afterwards I went inside, to eat breakfast then to listen for my group to be called to our next landing, Petermann Island and Vernadsky.  i blogged for a bit until we are called. I look forward to today.  It will be very overwhelming. I need to make sure I have enough battery life.



ABOUT LEMAIRE CHANNEL

 

Lemaire Channel is a strait off Antarctica, located between the mainland's Antarctic Peninsula and Booth Island. Nicknamed "Kodak Gap" by some, it is one of the top tourist destinations in Antarctica; steep cliffs hem in the iceberg-filled passage, which is 11 km long and just 1,600 meters wide at its narrowest point.

 

It was first seen by the German expedition of 1873-74, but not traversed until December 1898, when the Belgica of the de Gerlache expedition passed through. De Gerlache named it for Charles Lemaire, a Belgian explorer of the Congo.

 

The channel has since become a standard part of the itinerary for cruising in Antarctica; not only is it scenic, but the protected waters are usually as still as a lake, a rare occurrence in the storm-wracked southern seas, and the north-south traverse delivers vessels close to Petermann Island for landings. The principal difficulty is that icebergs may fill the channel, especially in early season, obliging a ship to backtrack and go around the outside of Booth Island in order to reach Petermann.