Antarctica - Part 4

The Rotterdam first makes it way to view the US Research base, Palmer Station. Then, we cruised to the Lemaire Straight to see if we could sail through it.

It began as a lovely morning, around 7 am as we approached Palmer Station But as we sat off the Station the clouds began to build over Anvers Island. The Anvers Island ice cap rises over the bare rock of the island. The US Research Base, Palmer Station. The Rotterdam then sets sail for Lemaire Channel. Cape Renard Approaching Lemaire Channel. A few bergs are visible, but ahead ... in the distance, are far more. Still ... the day is beautiful. Looking into the Lemaire, ice flows are choking the waterway. A private yacht, Lady M comes cruising out of the channel ... reporting ... ... a difficult passage through the ice. The "Lady M" cruises by. She was flagged St. Thomas, believe it or not! The ice fields are being blown toward us. RevNeal wraps up as the winds start picking up the cold snow. looking down the channel, the ice is clearly too thick for us to pass. We had whales off our port side. At extreme magnification it's clear that we could never have made it. On the far end, even an expedition ship is having trouble. So, the Rotterdam turns and heads back into the Gerlache straight ... ... heading toward the Neumayre Chennel, between Anvers and Wienecke Island. Entering the Neumayer Channel, the Rotterdam cuts her path into the thick ice. The snow picks up and gets heavy. And the ice fields start to get thicker