Viking Polaris: Day 8! The beautiful weather continued today and this allowed me to get another “hat trick” of off-ship activities. The ship was moving all night and we were approaching Trinity Island when I awoke (0630, the latest on the trip). I slept OK but I think I woke up in the middle of a REM cycle... I’d been unable to finish my travel post on social media last night so worked on that until about 0815. After that, I got ready and walked to the World Cafe. There, I met up with Jennifer, Donna and their friends (including Danny the Cruise Director) for a light breakfast (half waffle and yogurt). It was interesting to observe all the dynamics at an "official cruise table" for the first time on this cruise. Usually, I just select my own table and run into others accidentally. This was completely different and included some good natured ribbing, stories missing context (for me, anyway) and, surprising to me, a LOT of complaining. Perhaps I'm the strange one but I have been enjoying everything and never noticed anything worth being upset about - the folks this morning sure felt otherwise... It was raining a bit and foggy so I wasn’t sure if the second attempt of launching the NOAA weather balloon would actually happen. At 0845, I was the only one at the table who headed up to Deck 6. The weather still wasn’t very nice up there (and Deck 7 was secured) but they did give me an Amarulo coffee and it warmed me up. Best part, though, was that I got to watch the Chief Scientist and her team conduct a successful launch at 0900. The few guests that were in attendance congratulated the Science Team and, after a brief detour back to the World Cafe (for some bread pudding and juice), I headed to Expedition Central for a briefing about the data being received from the balloon’s radiosonde (0925). It was all very interesting! Continuing along with the Viking theme of Enrichment, I next went to The Hide (at 1000) for a presentation by the Chief Engineer about the inner workings of “Polaris”. He was from Norway and had been intimately involved in the construction of the ship (and its sister, “Octantis”). “The Chief” was quite funny and an expert at all things mechanical - I geeked out with him for about 90 minutes (he still wasn’t done) before I decided I needed to start getting ready for my three excursions this afternoon. First (1130) went back to the World Cafe for lunch (pizza and lasagna, followed by a specially made Caesar salad). Topped off the meal with some delicious desserts (including items from the Chocolate Fountain) and also tried the special soufflé (“offered only once per cruise”). On the way out of the dining area, I crossed through the Living Room and got to hear some of the Daily Trivia questions. After returning to my room, I did some blogging and watched (recorded version of) the Daily Briefing. At around 1300, “Polaris” arrived at Mikkelsen Harbour, located on the coast of Trinity Island. Once I was geared up, I went to Deck A at 1310 so I could join the first kayak excursion of the day. This was actually an event that I’d signed up for back in December. In a sign that other passengers may have reached some level of “travel fatigue”, only seven other people (half the number on previous paddles) showed up. This meant (to me, anyway) that the event ultimately ended up being much nicer - for the crew, certainly, there were much fewer logistics to coordinate. The weather had improved to be mostly cloudy (no precipitation) with temps on the mid 30s. After departing the ship in the first wave of excursions, we transferred from zodiac to kayak near D'Hainaut Island and then proceeded to paddle (counterclockwise) around the whole island. I was paired with a young man named Mauro (from the Aeolian Islands near Sicily) and he was a true kayaker - this meant we could go really fast! During our circuit, we passed several Weddell Seals, sunning on the beach, and saw countless Gentoo Penguins. On the other hand, we had to dodge submerged rocks, avoid mini-icebergs and “surf” bigger waves. Altogether, the entire experience was awesome! In the distance, I several times saw some huge chunks of ice falling into the ocean - the resulting waves from this glacial “calving” were pretty big. Closer to our kayaks, we saw some penguins and other birds that seemed unafraid of us. Mauro got lots of good video. When we had completed the full circuit, we transferred back onto our zodiac and headed back towards “Polaris” (passed the Science Team's zodiac on the way). Talked a lot with my fellow paddlers, including Richard, a doctor from Massachusetts, who had lots of questions for me once he realized I'd hiked the AT and visited Patagonia. He asked if I could tell him more and I suggested we meet up during the dinner hour. Back aboard the ship (arrived at 1500), I spent some time exchanging a huge number of photos/videos (via Airdrop) with my fellow paddlers before returning to my room for a gear change. Without much rushing, I was back on Deck A in time (1545) for my next excursion: an SOB ride across the harbor. This time, I had a completely different crew, with Daniel as the guide. We first journeyed straight over to an iceberg that featured a sleeping leopard seal. He was quite entertaining, rolling around and flexing his flippers. Daniel told us that the entire bay was likely patrolled/defended by this one seal. In the same area, we got to see the submarine up close - I’ve not had any desire to ride in this excursion craft but am still fascinated by the engineering. Driving to the south, we passed the ship, left the harbor and entered the open ocean. Out on the “Big Blue”, we could still see many majestic peaks, lots of blue glaciers and some large icebergs. Most of these things were covered in a pretty fog. The SOB next opened up the speed (25ish knots) and we raced through the water to an area where we could observe Gentoos swimming and “skipping” across the water. After turning around, we returned with almost the same amount of speed. Along the way, we did make one stop to view and talk about a skua perched on a piece of ice (he was, apparently, a different type from what we’d been seeing for the whole Expedition). With my binoculars, I watched some soaring Antarctic Terns and marveled at several cormorants that were flying with their wingtips almost touching the water. Back at “Polaris” (1630), I immediately boarded a zodiac that was headed to D'Hainaut Island. By then, the weather had gotten a bit wetter - it was still pleasant enough, though. I arrived on land at 1645 and proceeded to explore the area with some borrowed trekking poles. There were lots of photo/video opportunities for capturing images of the plentiful Gentoos, seals (Weddell and Fur), skuas and gulls. Also interesting to me were the 100+ year old Blue Whale bones that lay on the shoreline. Most of the walk was muddy or icy but I kept my footing throughout the visit. I saw lots of familiar faces and enjoyed watching all the animals in their habitat. Since learning more about them, it was also a treat to meet up with the penguin counters again - I ended up chatting with one of them (Jason) for a bit (and later on the ship). Climbing up on the highest point of the island, I found some good views. Along the way, I assisted several couples in creating wonderful photo memories. Unlike previous landings, I actually left the island within 45 minutes (1730) and was back aboard about less than 15 minutes later. After taking off my gear in the room, I started roaming around (outside) on the Promenade Deck. At first, the weather topside was quite pleasant and I was able to get good photo angles on a lot of the scenery. About 30 minutes later, though, it started to rain. That was a good cue for me to head to dinner (roast turkey, veggies and potatoes; also sampled several desserts) in the World Cafe. Along with the food, I enjoyed a glass of 6ème Sens Rouge (from France, by Gerard Bertrand). Meanwhile, “Polaris” left Mikkelsen Harbour and continued north. I’d chosen a table by the window with three vacant chairs - this created several scenarios where passenger friends stopped for conversations about their day. Richard found me near the end and we spent a lot of time talking about his upcoming (right after the cruise) trip to El Calafate and El Chalten. It was great to reminisce about my 2022 visit there and, I think, he was glad to pick my brain. This conversation meant that I wasn’t done with dinner until 2045. Since the sun hasn’t been going down until about 2200, it never really feels late until it’s well past my normal bed time… Before I was ready to call it a day, however, I walked a bit more and stopped in at Pap’s to do some more visiting. It was already 2300 by the time I finally reached my cabin again. Not exactly sleepy yet, I did some blogging and planning for the next day. I also watched a movie while my social media posts were uploading and eventually went to bed at 0100. One thing that I noticed as I turned out the lights was that I might be getting a cold - dang... Apart from that, though: what a great day for truly exploring the wonders of Antarctica! We’ve got another exciting day (the last with excursions) planned for tomorrow - wish this never had to end!
