Wednesday, May 5, 2010

on to the continent!

Yalour Islands – morning: kayaking and a visit to Akademik Vernadskiy Ukrainian research station (formerly British ‘Faraday’ Station). Kayak through some narrow and shallow passages – pretty cool. Tour of station not terribly exciting, but speaking Russian results in extra shot of vodka at the bar and some good conversation. Sarah, from our boat, trades her bra for a shot…
Afternoon: too rough to land, so zodiac cruising around Waddington Bay. Lots of seals on ice floes – leopard, crabeater, fur. All mostly sleeping and lazily gazing at us. Penguins, cool icebergs, and a sei whale sighting at the very end. Downside: two hours on a zodiac gets rather cold!
Evening: camping right back near Vernadskiy (across the bay, at old Wordy hut) – not particularly cold, but not particularly comfortable either. Glad to say I’ve slept on Antarctic soil though!

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