Picto Diary - 16 January 2023 - Portal Point Ice-scapes

Above: Portal Point. Antarctica. 16 January 2023.

Portal Point (64°30′S 61°46′WCoordinates: 64°30′S 61°46′W) is a narrow point in the northeast part of Reclus Peninsula, on the west coast of Graham Land. In 1956, a Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey (FIDS) hut was established on the point, from which a route to the plateau was established. So named by the United Kingdom Antarctic Place-Names Committee (UK-APC) in 1960 because the point is the "gateway" of the route.

To humans, landscapes seem immutable. "Ice-scapes" are ever changing. No human will capture this same image again.

Above: The Weddell seal. Portal Point. Antarctica. 16 January 2023.

The Weddel seal is a relatively large and abundant true seal with a circumpolar distribution surrounding Antarctica. The Weddell seal was discovered and named in the 1820s during expeditions led by British sealing captain James Weddell to the area of the Southern Ocean now known as the Weddell Sea. The life history of this species is well documented since it occupies fast ice environments close to the Antarctic continent and often adjacent to Antarctic bases. It is the only species in the genus Leptonychotes.

Above: Expedition goers on Portal Point. Antarctica. 16 January 2023.

Image from L'Austral.

Above: Le Rodriguez Restaurant, 6th deck, outdoor section. L'Austral. Antarctica. 16 January 2023.

Buffet only restaurant had no available tables indoors, so we went outside. Forty degrees. Eat in a hurry. Rare sunlight, at least, gave the illusion of warmth.

At the 65th parallel south latitude, Ponant combines five-star French cuisine dining with the unforgettable experience of well-organized land-based adventure.

Above: Humpback whales. Charlotte Bay. Antarctica. 16 January 2023.

The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera. Adults range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and tubercles on its head. It is known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song typically lasting 4 to 33 minutes.

Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 16,000 km (9,900 mi) each year. They feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth. Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish, and they use bubbles to catch prey. They are promiscuous breeders, with both sexes having multiple partners. Orcas are the main natural predators of humpback whales.
Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction; its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s. Numbers have partially recovered to some 135,000 animals worldwide, while entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to affect the species.

Espresso reported his fascination with Captain Marchesseau's working the joystick ship control as he stood outside on L'Austral bridge maneuvering the ship to follow the pictured whales. These whales were cruising Charlotte Bay feeding on krill.

Interesting factoid relayed in one of the shipboard naturalist presentations: Weigh all the krill in the earth's oceans. Then weigh all of humanity on the earth today. The krill would weigh one and a half times as much as humanity.

Above: Humpback whale. Charlotte Bay, Antarctica. 16 January 2023.

Image one, the "humpback," image two, the fluke.

Above: Iceberg. Charlotte Bay, Antarctica. 16 January 2023.

Icebergs are like snowflakes. No two icebergs are identical.

Above: Dinner with ship's #2 engineer (Henri) and assistant, (Pierre). Le Coromandel Restaurant, L'Austral. Antarctica.

Also at table, Helen and Jean Charles, from Paris. Jean Charles is a retired banker who spent a career at Banque du Pays Bas. Jean Charles and Helen were assigned to Chicago for four years.

Espresso did a fabulous job at keeping the two of us engaged with the goings on of the cruise. Cruise goers could sign up for dinners with various of the ship's officers. Apparently, dinner with Captain Marchesseau was taken. It behooved me, however, to cede my attempt to dine with him to others since I had already met him a couple of times, including the time when he asked to be in an image with me.

The conversation was in both French and English, with each of us alternating speaking the two languages. I have a tour, arranged by Espresso, of the engine room coming up tomorrow.