The captain and our excursion director Brent, review the ice and weather conditions and determine it is safe to take us even further south in Margarite Bay. Our destination is the Terra Firma Islands, 68 degrees 41 minutes South, 67 degrees 47 minutes West. The ship has never been this far south. The sun rose at 2:25am, but we awaken at 7am as the ship approaches the islands. There are icebergs and small amounts of pack ice floating in the bay. The temperature is 2C and the winds are calm.
After breakfast my brother Dan and I go sea kayaking. This is the first time I've kayaked - what an iconic location and fantastic kayaking partner! The ship has a launching platform which makes it very easy to get in and out of the kayaks. We are out for about 20 minutes when the breeze picks up, so we paddle (into the wind) back to the ship. By the time we arrive the crew has decided to cancel kayaking for the next groups scheduled to go out. We feel lucky to have had the opportunity.
As soon as the kayaks have been put away Brent announces that it is time for the polar plunge. William declares that he will be our official photographer and Dan, Martha did I quickly change into plunging attire. After waiting 15-20 minutes we are at the front of the line. Brent coaches each person prior to their jump and is right there (along with other staff) to help us out. All I can say is da#n! the South Sea is cold and salty! A shot of vodka or hot chocolate is offered once inside the ship. A hot shower back in the cabin is what really warms me up.
During lunch the captain pulls up anchor and we begin our journey north. The scenery and icebergs are magnificent. At the mouth of Margarite Bay we pass Adelaide Island. The mountain peak on the island is ~9,500 feet. That is one of the challenges with all of our photographs, it is hard to convey the scale of what we see in this vast wilderness.
There is a slight wind and the sun is streaming down. It feels nice enough to go outside in a long sleeve shirt for up to 15 minutes - more than enough time to take photos as we pass icebergs. For fun the staff fires up grills on the aft deck for a cookout.
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