Viking Polaris: Day 4! Due to weather, the “Polaris” crew had to make the first change from our initial itinerary. I saw a weather map that depicted only one location within 100 miles where the waves and wind were conducive to planned excursions. Overnight, we re-positioned to Charlotte Bay, which is surrounded by the coastline of Antarctica itself. The ship had previously never visited the area so I'm sure there was a lot of scrambling this morning (to identify suitable zodiac landing spots, submarine diving areas and wildlife). When I woke up (0500), it was rainy and wet. But the ship was still moving and I tried to stay positive as I read and relaxed in front of my stateroom window. Things did improve - by the time I arrived at the World Cafe (0700) for breakfast (bagel, eggs, sausage, beans, fruit), it was clear we’d hit the jackpot on animal encounters - the ship was surrounded by dozens of humpback whales. Even better, they didn’t leave for the whole day! Instead, they breached, sounded, floated, “trumpeted”, “bubble netted” krill and never strayed far from nearly every viewing spot I found on the port side of the ship. Weather-wise, it was still rainy after I finished eating so I walked around (inside) on Decks 3 and 4 (to get steps). At one point, I noticed that the whales had gotten even closer to "Polaris" so I went outside to get photos. There were at least two big pods of humpback whales that made funny noises (from blowholes). It remained rainy and miserable for a while so I made a trip to Guest Services to make a small adjustment in my calendar for excursions the following day. While there, I also picked up a hard copy of the “Viking Daily”. I continued my walk until 0845, saying “hi” to many of the passengers I’ve already come to know, and then returned to my room so I could change into workout gear. Next, I headed to the Spa to check out the pools and hot tub. When I arrived (0900), I found the latter still hadn’t opened - drat... However, the larger pool was available for use. Stepping into the water, I found it to be extremely warm. It also had some water jets that basically turned part of the huge pool into a tepid hot tub. This was enticing and I spent an hour in the water, watching the whales through the big windows. While I was there, a couple (Steve & Regina) arrived to enjoy the same pool. We had a nice time talking about cruises, travel, kids and military careers. At 1000, I returned to my room to re-watch the Daily Briefing from the previous day, which contained more information about the modified shore excursion in Charlotte Bay. Even though it was rainy outside, the presentation got me excited for my first afternoon activity: a landing on a little island close to Meusnier Point called (by the crew) “Bird Island.” It took me a long time to find specific information about the former location but I soon realized that this latter place was visible (with binoculars from my stateroom. After watching the zodiacs transiting to the island for a little while, I watched the first part of the (recorded) “Introduction to Viking Science” (presented by the “Polaris” Chief Scientist) that I'd missed last night. I also read and rested until close to noon. Heading to lunch at the World Cafe (1210), I chowed down on pizza, cheesesteak, desserts and veggies. While there, I saw Steve and Regina again - we exchanged notes about excursions. Just after lunch (1235), I got geared up to go on my first excursion (wore four layers today, assuming it was colder). Watched the whales through the window - wow... Suddenly noticed my phone was blinking with a message (left at 0830). When I called Guest Services, Jess offered me a swap out of a SOB ride for a kayak excursion. Yes, please! (I’d put my name on the waiting lists for additional kayak events and Guest Services offered me and extra one!). At 1315, I went to Deck A to load up for my Zodiac Landing on Bird Island. I saw Jim and Gail in the waiting area - nice to notice so many familiar faces everywhere I go! Because of Avian Flu fears, there was a strict biosecurity prep, followed by a higher level of “Leave No Trace” philosophy than I’ve ever encountered. The zodiac ride wasn't too fun - it was rainy with temps in the mid 30s and there were some big swells. On the plus side, we saw whales on way to and from the ship... Just after landing on the pebbly beach, we were instructed to limit our walk in the snow to proscribed paths, not let anything but our boots touch the ground and to completely avoid all nearby wildlife. From the landing site, I walked uphill to a spot where I could see a lot of the nearby terrain. Across a small lagoon, there were glaciers and icebergs and mountains - wow! We had about 30 minutes to wander (they provided trekking poles) and I got some awesome photos of mainland Antarctica, flocks of Kelp Gulls and cormorants, resting fur seals and “Polaris” itself. Some of my friends from previous days were ashore with me (made it more fun) but I met other folks today too. One lady (I learned later that she was serving in the US Space Force) let me borrow her Antarctica Flag - that was a nice photo. Back on the zodiac (1405), we (including Maoro, from yesterday's zodiac ride) took our time returning to the ship so we could get some up-close views of the whales. My iPhone 8 wasn’t as good as the rest of the cameras in the boat so I’m still hoping to get an AirDrop of some beautiful shots of the whales’ tails… Back onboard the ship, we did more biosecurity procedures (including getting hosed down). This only left me about 10 minutes to run back to my cabin to change for the kayak trip (the last one of the day). I did make it (1445) and ran into the guy (Corby from Houston) who had saved my phone in Buenos Aires airport - I was able to thank him again. Along with us, there were four solo kayakers so we had to come up with pairs for the tandem kayaks. I went with Corby, who had come on the cruse with his mom (she stayed in her room). After getting geared up (dry suits, booties, life jackets), we boarded a zodiac for our ride to the paddling zone. Our driver was named Diogo and we also had the Captain of ship with us!. The kayak leader (Deb) was in another zodiac, piloted by Molly. We saw lots more whales, including one baby humpback. The swells in the area we transited to reach the kayaks were rather large but the lagoon near Bird Island where we boarded them was much calmer. The rain had stopped by then and we all managed to safely transfer from the zodiacs to the kayaks. Corby told me he hadn’t paddled a kayak in years but we did really well, working together. Actually, I was pleased with our speed at times. We were scheduled for about 45 minutes on the water but, since we were the last group of the day (and, I think, because the Captain had come with us), we stayed out much longer (finished at 1630). We even got to venture into the larger bay towards the end and that was rather thrilling. We did several circuits of the lagoon and then went into the open bay and saw several effects of the tidal changes. A curious crabeater seal followed us in water for a while. Before leaving the area, we got a group photo and admired a pretty blue glacier. After transferring back to the zodiacs (I ended up on Molly's in the end), we took our time returning to the ship. This allowed us to see several skuas (birds), petrels, a crabeater seal (on an iceberg), fur seals, cormorants, a Wilson's Petrel and more whales. We arrived back on “Polaris” just after 1700 and spent some time taking off gear, exchanged photos, etc. Back in my room for the first time in hours, I rested, blogged and texted with the kids. Felt so jazzed with two awesome activities that I walked over to the Explorers’ Lounge to compare stories with other passengers (1830). This conversation lasted into the dinner hour and I joined some of my new friends for our evening meal the World Cafe. I ate some delicious chicken noodle soup, a Stromboli, several green veggies and desserts - I really had an appetite! The wine with dinner was a Tempranillo from Spain (it was good). My friend, Mark (from yesterday), joined me for a bit before I left the restaurant. After dinner, I walked around the ship until I hit 10,000 steps and then retired to my stateroom (2000, the earliest time on the trip). By this point, I was exhausted. I spent the evening blogging and watching movies - headed to bed at 2330. What a day. “Polaris” is moving again now - more fun in Antarctic waters tomorrow!
