Early in the morning, around 4:30 a.m., we were woken up unexpectedly by our expedition leader’s voice: Killer whales had been spotted! The early birds enjoyed watching them for about 20 minutes. After breakfast, we sailed through the emblematic Lemaire Channel, but we left when we discovered the area’s poor visibility. Instead, we ended up in Paradise Harbor for Zodiac cruising. There we met there a sailing yacht that had crossed the Drake Passage in 4.5 days with hurricane winds! We also saw an Argentinian research station that’s manned during summertime only.
2/24/2025
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National Geographic Resolution
The Gullet and Marguerite Bay
At 7am, National Geographic Resolution’s horn sounded as we crossed the Antarctic Circle. After steaming south overnight we awoke to see Adelaide Island and spent the next few hours probing south, seeking an ice-free route to the Gullet, the narrow passage that leads into Marguerite Bay. In between marvelling at the scenery, guests learned about the future of polar governance from naturalist Kevin Rattue. After carving through the broken sea ice in Hanusse Bay, spotting crabeater seals and minke whales, we found that the narrow route to the east of the Gullet, the Gunnel Channel, was clear and navigable. Carefully negotiating down the passage, we emerged into the open waters to the south and nestled for lunch in the spectacular Laubeuf Fjord. While Zodiacs zipped off to explore the nearby shores and islets, we also deployed our fleet of kayaks so that guests could enjoy the still ice floes at sea level and under their own steam. Crabeater seals lounged on last year’s sea ice, a leopard scowled as we passed, and magnificent ice sculptures lingered in the bay. Once back aboard we prepared the ship for the polar plunge and 76 brave guests finished the day by leaping into the icy waters of the Antarctic Circle.
