Crossing the Antarctic Convergence 1/24/26 Saturday Day 6
This is our second sea day en route to South Georgia. Early this morning we passed the Antarctic Convergence, which is where the colder Antarctic waters meet the warmer sub-Antarctic waters. The two bodies of water converge somewhere between the 48th and 61st parallels depending on the area of the globe. South Georgia lies at the 54th parallel. The convergence is just north of the Antarctic circumpolar current that flows in a clockwise pattern around the continent. This convergence is the border between two very distinct bodies of water, each with its own micro climate and variety of sea life. The convergence also stirs the water and brings up large quantities of various sea life, including Krill, so we are in an area where we hope to start seeing whales. There are several species of whales in Antarctic waters, including Orca, Sei, Humpback, Minke, and Blue.
We had our biosecurity checks today. We all had to take our parkas, waterproof pants, boots, hats, gloves, and backpacks to be inspected by the expedition staff. We used tiny brushes and paper clips to remove sand and debris from our previous landings, then vacuumed out our backpacks. This is all part of the effort to leave these places as we found them, and not introduce foreign species of plants and microorganisms. We also have to dip our boots in a cleaning solution when leaving or reentering the ship.
When we get to Grytviken in South Georgia, we will be inspected by government officials. (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands is also a British Overseas Territory.) Our ship has received a perfect score on inspection for the last five years, so they are allowing us to go ashore in another location on South Georgia prior to being inspected in Grytviken. The other larger ships we have been tailing from the Falklands must all go to Grytviken for inspection before being allowed to go ashore. Our expedition leader, Ali, is so very proud of her record of inspections, and the privileges that come with it. The entire expedition team is working very hard to make sure we all pass.
The weather has cooled considerably today. It is quite foggy and around 40 deg F. There is not much to see from the decks due to the fog. There is still quite a bit of wind, and the ship continues to rock and roll. This is definitely not the ship for anyone who is prone to motion sickness, but we feel like we hit the jackpot with the staff and the expedition team, and our ability to access different landing sites that the larger ships will not be able to access. Our lecture today was on Penguins, and we also watched a documentary on Polar bears.
This trip was advertised as a bilingual German/English sailing. More than half the passengers are from Germany, with several from The Netherlands, UK, Poland, and Slovenia. There are many German speaking staff members on this sailing as well, and all the announcements are in English and German. They have translation earbuds available for anyone who wants to use them. Everyone we’ve talked to speaks way better English than we do German.
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