we’reclamouringfortheweatherforecastassoon
asthesnow-cappedmountainsofTierradelFuego
disappear.“ThistimewewillseetheniceDrake,dear
guests,”promisescaptainCharbelDaher,andwecan
hardlybelieveourluck.There’sbarelya rippleinthe
Bordeauxat dinnerthatnight.It doesn’tstaythat
way,ofcourse,butI imaginedmuchworse.
WearriveintheSouthShetlandIslandsinicy
drizzle.“Ah,realexpeditionweather,”saysFrench
penguinspecialistValentinNivet-Mazerolles,rubbing
hisglovedhandsinanticipationas wewadefromZodiac
toshoreinpolar-thicknessrubberboots.Betweenfridge-
sizediceblocks,ourfirstsouthernfootfallis ona black-
rockbeachat RobertPoint,litteredwithkelp,bitsof
boneandfeather,a dismemberedpenguinfoot.
Suddenly,likethecurtainopeningona stage,a
castofvaudevilleperformersswingsintoaction.Five
youngelephantsealsarelinedupona knoll;liketeenage
boysloungingonbeanbags,theyfartnoisilyandbark
insultsat eachother.Betweenthemanda rivalgang
offurseals,platoonsofgentoopenguinsanddelicately
etchedchinstrappenguinsmarchabout,comically
clumsyyetfullofpurpose.Wescatterdutifullyas the
penguinsapproach,keepingtherequiredminimum
five-metredistanceas bestwecan,whiletheyseem
oblivioustoourequallyclumsypresence.I’mtransfixed
bytheiralmostheroicstoicism,undeterredbysteep
slopesorrockyoutcrops,andI mighthavestayedhere
longerbutforthestingofsleetandthelureofa
decksidepotofhotchocolatewaiting onLe Soléal.
Latitude 63°40.8’ S
Ice.Everywhere.I wakeintheWeddellSea,orI think
I’mawake.Likethelapseoftimeandlogicindreams,
everythinghereseemsthrillinglyoutofkilter.The
wateris solid,thesunneversets,thedayssolongthat
timeitselfseemstobesuccumbingtohypothermia
orinertia.Notinthebridge,though,whichbristles
withhyperactivity.Mybalconyis immediatelybehind
it,andI canhearthecrewondeckcallingpositions
aswezigzagthroughthispuzzleofseaice.Thisis
wheretheWeddellsealmaintainsitsbreathingholes
bygnawingat theicefrombelow.It canholditsbreath
foranhouranddeep-diveto 600 metresbutis best
knownforitssong.Welistentoa recordinginan
onboardlecture,a hauntingpsychedelicelectronica
unlikeanythingI’veeverheard.
Thisis wheretheEndurancebecamestuckand
Shackleton’sexpeditionunstuck.“Itwasalmosta
reliefwhentheendcame,”hewroteon 21 November
1915 whenthecrewwatchedtheircrushedshipsink,
10 monthsafterit becametrappedintheWeddell’s
driftingpackice.It wasthestartofanunimaginable
ordealinwhichthestarvingcrewsailedtwolifeboatsin
mountainousseas– 16daysand 1300 kilometresinthe
case of Shackleton and Worsley in the tiny James Caird.➤
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