“They let us off the ship…!”
by Nikki King
Our first sight of land for over a month was
early morning on the 6th January 2006. The RRS Discovery
approached the Crozet Islands and we were soon sandwiched
in the “Orca Alleyway” between Isle d’Este
and the largest of the Crozet Islands, Isle de Possession.
Isle d’Este was further away and according to some
of the scientific party loomed moodily like a pirate’s
hideaway?! Isle de Possession was much closer, with a windswept
appearance and a hint of the French base visible.
Isle d’Este
Whales and seals were spotted soon after arriving
albeit in the distance and Rockhopper penguins were spotted
swimming close. The birds, mainly albatross, gull and skua
became increasingly curious with many sitting behind the
vessel, and some plucking up the courage to land on the
ship. After an initial megacore and CTD we moved closer
into Bay Americane to conduct a SAPS. Rumours started to
circulate that we may be able to take out the small working
boat to go and take a closer look around the bay. Bribes
started and a frenzy was building with the thought of getting
off the ship, albeit into another smaller boat! It was with
this that “Possession Island Taxi Services”
was launched with Rob (3rd officer) and Chris (3rd engineer)
as initial crew.
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| Possession
Island Taxi Services. From left: Fred, Alan, Rob, Chris,
and Sue-Ann. |
Actually getting into the “taxi”
proves to be a little more difficult when you are in an
X4 suit hanging off a rope ladder on the side of a very
large ship and trying to hurl yourself into a much smaller
rib, but we managed (just about). The first trip to the
island comprised myself, Sue-Ann, Fred, and Alan, as well
as Rob and Chris. We initially approached a large waterfall
cascading straight off the land into the sea, which was
a rather impressive sight. The bay was full of large kelp
beds, and lots of seabirds, as well as, wait for it…
King penguins!
Waterfall
Rob swung the rib around and we started to
approach the beach to look at the King penguin colony. We
were met with wall-to-wall penguins, and a few female Elephant
Seals thrown in for good measure. Luckily the wind was blowing
onto land, so we did not get the delights of the smells
of a penguin colony. The Elephant Seals were huge and despite
looking pretty chilled out are supposed to be pretty fierce.
The penguins were around 0.5 - 1 m tall and young were visible
through the adults with patches of much fluffier feathers.
After moving along the bay, trying to take photos and videos
we stopped to watch some of the penguins swimming by the
boat. Sadly we then had to depart to allow another group
to come and enjoy the spectacle of seeing the penguins and
seals in their natural environment.
King penguin colony, Possession Island,
Crozet Archipelago
Female Elephant Seal and King Penguins!
Attempting to get back onto RRS
Discovery |
Returning to the ship gave us all an opportunity to get a good
look at the RRS Discovery from the water, before braving
the ladder to get back on the ship. There were several
more visits after us, and everyone was just as pleased
and impressed by the visit. Unfortunately a small
group were supposed to be dropping of some mail for
the French base, but the rib after making several
trips conked out leaving the mail with Hélène
on the ship – hopefully they will get to receive
it at some stage.
It’s amazing how seeing animals out of captivity
gives you such a huge kick and a much better understanding
of how they live. It was a truly enjoyable and unforgettable
experience and one that topped off a really enjoyable
(albeit slightly disastrous) cruise for me.
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