Antarctica (Day 6) - Yankee Harbour

On our final stop in Antarctica we dropped anchor at Yankee Harbour on the southwest side of Greenwich Island, a small inner harbor surrounded by volcanic rocks and a long spit.  There is abundant wildlife there including 5,000 pairs of Gentoo Penguins, various sea birds and seals.

Snow falling in Yankee Harbour

 

Exploring the spit in Yankee Harbour

Our Blue Group went out on the Zodiac at 11:00 a.m. for a short ride from the ship across the calm bay to the shoreline where we had a 90 minute visit.  The weather was absolutely perfect.  We experienced light snow when we first left the ship which is exactly what we wanted in Antarctica.  Later, the skies cleared and we had bright sunshine as we explored the area. We actually took off our gloves and unzipped our parkas in the warm sunshine as we walked around this beautiful cove and along the spit.

In addition to the always entertaining penguins, there was also several Weddell seals and a couple of Crabeater seals sunning themselves on the beach.  Unlike the comical penguins, the seals don't move much at all when they are resting on land, only an occasional yawn and stretch.  Nevertheless, the seals are magnificent to see in the wild.  The Expedition Team member that is an expert in sea mammals set up a telescope near the seals so that we could all have a good look at them through the powerful lens.  He stayed there all day to be available to explain their behavior to all the passengers as he gathers more data for his scientific studies of marine mammals.

Crabeater seal and Gentoo Penguins

More seals and penguins to enjoy

 

Waddling to the sea

Waddling from the sea

We relished our time at Yankee Harbour knowing that this was our last stop in Antarctica. So few people in the World get to visit this last frontier.  Protected by the Antarctic Treaty, the Antarctic Peninsula remains one of the most remote and pristine places on our planet.

Enjoying our last day in Antarctica

Ship's entertainment staff enjoying the scenery

When we leave Antarctica, we face the return trip across the notorious Drake Passage on our way to Patagonia.