Sadly this is going to be the last update from the James Clark Ross as the ship will be arriving in Punta Arenas, southern Chile, on the 22nd January and we will then carry out a crew change, which means that The Wise Owl and I will be heading back home. It is going to be a bit of a long trip back, taking perhaps as much as thirty-six hours from leaving Punta to walking through the front door of my house. All of us on board, who have been away since September, are now keenly looking forward to getting home at last.
My apologies for not doing an update last weekend but on the Sunday, when I normally have some free time to write, the ship was visiting the Ukrainian base Vernadsky in the morning and then during the afternoon and evening was taking the most scenic route a ship can take, through the Lemaire and Neumayer Channels. Whilst the weather was overcast and dull, the views were far from it and we also had the joy of seeing some wonderful wildlife. At one point we also heard the thunderous roar of an avalanche, shortly followed by seeing a vast amount of snow crashing down the side of a mountain just hundreds of metres from us.
The James Clark Ross was also back at Rothera for a final visit before heading north to Punta Arenas and a number of lovely days were spent alongside, and it is from there that I will start this update.
Holidays 2023/24