Page 130 - 2003 - Atlantic Islands

Needless to say, it was impossible to stay 50 ft. from them because they were lining

the pathway all the way. Mostly, they again just rolled their enormous eyes our way

and if we seemed just a little too close, they would open their wide bright pink

mouths at us.

On getting back to the ship we had 30 minutes before lunch and we were hungry and

thirsty! Lunch today was particularly delicious too - sweet and sour chicken and fish

(sounds delightful, eh?), fried potatoes and onions. Guess we needed and wanted all

those carbs since we had exerted ourselves much more than usual! We wished we

dared to get in line for seconds but we did not.

The ship hoisted anchor and we sailed the 19 miles to St. Andrews Bay hoping for a

late afternoon excursion among the penguins there, but alas, it was not to be. The

swells on the ocean told us that the swells on shore would be way too big for the

Zodiacs. Besides, the ride from the Orion to shore would have been about 10-15

minutes long over some pretty rough seas, which were getting rougher as we waited

for the verdict from the scout boat. So we reluctantly left the Bay and headed out

into the Southern Ocean where we will be spending the night before trying an early

morning landing at Gold Harbour.

Now we are awaiting Recap and our Shackleton dinner. We are not hoping for boiled

penguin or seal steaks. It will be interesting to see what Stefan, our chef, has in store

for us to celebrate the Boss! Turned out the food was just our usual fare, described

however with Shackleton-related names: like Endurance Crushed (Pineapple with

Batida de Coco), Shackleton’s Dream (Beef Stroganoff), Penguins Round Dance

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