Our destination was Yankee Harbour - not on the original itinerary. But the weather rules. This is a natural ice-free harbour surrounded by glaciers. It is a safe anchor for ships and was thus used by sealers for many years, both American and British from the 1820s onwards. There is a large gentoo penguin colony, with over 4,000 breeding pairs. Skuas often nest there. Their feathers camouflage them well against the rocky ground. There could be artifacts from the days of sealing still littering the shoreline.
Early morning view from Explorer's Lounge.
Nearby to Yankee Harbour is Edinburgh Hill which features a volcanic plug.
These are hexagonal basalt columns.
This sleek bark "Europa" sailed past our cabin window.
As the morning progressed, the weather became sunny with blue skies. Still about minus 3 degress C outside. This was good news for a busy afternoon of activities. We were booked for a kayaking expedition (Stephen only), a zodiac landing and a Special Operations Boat cruise. These activities took us through to 7.00pm.
Lunch was a BBQ up on Deck 6. A bit chilly!
The penguins were scattered all over the rocky shore.
There were many penguins undergoing their annual moult. These had raffish bits of feathers still clinging to them.
There were penguin chicks still shedding their down.
We were near a penguin walkway and gave right-of-way to them as they waddled purposefully on their way.
Stephen waiting near the penguin walkway.
Sunny Cords product placement - yet again!
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