A WHALE OF A TAIL AND HARP SEALS DISRUPTED THE DAY

A Whale of a Tail and harp seals disrupted the day. 

Good Morning Campers 

Our daily briefing sheet notes Sunrise: Not Yet and Sunset: Not Yet. 

To day we are at 77.52.303 North and 000.44.056 West, making 14.4 knots on a heading of 231 degrees. The weather report is as follows: low clouds and fog with a visibility of 1-2 km, there is a constant light rain falling.  Seas are calm. 

Today we will have several presentations, as well as have some time to R&R and catch up on various projects. 

The naturalists onboard are totally amazing, for example last night Ian gave a presentation on Walrus. He started with the Lewis Carol Poem “Of Cabbages and Kings”. He took each line and wove in an element of the Walrus, be it the natural habits, the value in early days, or a natural trait. I shall never read that poem again without a fond remembrance of the Walrus we have encountered. 

It is this passion of the Naturalists onboard which is a key element of these journeys.  

Two Bells Just sounded here in the Chart Room. 

Our Captain, Lief Skog, is so skilled with many many many years in the Ice. I have learned from our expedition leader he is one of the top Ice Captains in the World. The National Geographic Explorer is somewhat his ship as he was very very instrumental in her retrofit as an expedition vessel. 

Morning lectures were on Climate Change and Glaciers, both excellent. 

Lunch

R&R then tea with puff pastries. Lynn likes tea time. 

Krista was a few minutes into her presentation about being on assignment with National Geographic when the call went out “ WHALES OFF THE BOW”. Again this is why one stays at the constant ready to get out and see such sightings. The Greenland Whales (Bowhead) had been spotted by our Captain and he positioned the ship for our optimum viewing. 

                                                            

                                                     

Dinner recap was about light spectrum and snow/ice, and more info on the Bowhead Whales we saw. Interesting fact: It is believed the Bowhead might be the oldest living mammal, as they have found stone arrowheads imbedded in their flesh. These arrow heads were aged and found to be over 200 years old. This was thought not possible till a techniques of aging the whales by their eyes was discovered and the age of these mammals was confirmed. 

Dinner was in the Chart Room. Invited to dinner hosted by staff members Steve Ewing the videographer and Caitlyn Webster the Underwater Specialist in training. Lynn and I  had teh quail. Desert was a chocolate coconut cake with raspberry sorbet.  Wine also flowed freely, during this nice evening with fun conversation. 

After dinner we started to settle into bed, when we received the call for Harp Seals on the ice. Dressed and were out the cabin door headed to the flying bridge. I would guess we saw 300 to 500 Harp Seals all about us lounging on the ice. 

                                                               

                                                                    

                                 

Makes one excited with wonder as to what we might see tomorrow.