Day 7 – Change Of Plans: Ice-Choked Channel Causes Us To Miss Port Lockroy, But …

Today, we were supposed to be stepping ashore at Port Lockroy, a natural harbor within Antarctica’s British Antarctic Territory. The harbor was used for whaling and later for British military operations during World War II, and afterward became a British research station until 1962. The attraction today is a museum and post office operated by the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust. Stick a stamp on a postcard and mail from Antarctica. Not many people can claim having done that.

Last night, however, Silver Explorer was stopped short of Port Lockroy. Our captain had charted a course, hoping we would anchor in Port Lockroy in the morning, but a channel thick with ice turned us away. The crew made every effort, but eventually a decision was made to sail to another harbor for a landing that included a hike and scenic zodiac cruise. It was a good decision, validated by another vessel that had spent the entire day trying to get through the ice — and failed. At least we were ashore and active.

Of course, it was a bit disappointing not to visit Port Lockroy, but the expedition team did a good job in coming up with an alternative. That is the thing about Antarctica: Itineraries and activities are weather-dependent, but the knowledgeable Silversea expedition always has a Plan B.

After lunch, we visited Neko Harbor for another landing. Many of us on Silver Explorer agreed that Neko Harbor was one of our favorite landings during our time in Antarctica so far. Activities included penguin and seal spotting, calving glaciers, a not-too-rigorous hike to the top of a hill that offered gorgeous vistas and even some sledding, on our rumps back down part of the mountain.

From the ridges at Neko Harbor, we could practically frame the whole spectrum of the Antarctic experience within our viewfinders. There was wildlife, glaciers, an iceberg-strewn sea, snow-covered mountains. It was beautiful and expansive, on such a scale that it deemed humans insignificant.

That was the feeling I had when I snapped the photo above. As were those who I photographed, we were standing on such a small piece of Antarctica, and yet it dwarfed all of us. A land of extremes, Antarctica has the power to humble humans. That’s not such a bad thing. Antarctica is where nature asserts itself over the domain of man. The power and beauty of a place so grand that even words — and photos — aren’t enough to fully encompass the feeling one has when standing on ground such as this.

Our voyage so far …

• Day 1 – Arriving At The End Of The World: Ushuaia, Argentina
• Day 2 – Sailing The live-voyage-reports Drake
• Day 3 – Today, A Big Surprise
• Day 4 — Destination: Mainland Antarctica, It Only Gets Better
• Day 5 – Brilliant Sunlight, Beautiful Bay, Awesome Antarctica
• Day 6 – The Polar Plunge & Vodka At A Remote Outpost
• Day 7 – Change Of Plans: Ice-Choked Channel Causes Us To Miss Port Lockroy, But …