Patrick Robinson at Signy Island, South Orkneys -- We made it through the drake passage with very calm seas and have arrived at our first stop, a British research base on Signy Island (part of a small group of islands called the South Orkneys).  We are dropping off a few biologists and will return for them after the oceanographic and seal-tagging work in a few weeks.  Some of the dramatic icebergs that scatter Southern Ocean. Photo: Patrick Robinson

Calm seas. Photo: Patrick Robinson.

One of the humpack whales we spotted along our jouney. Photo: Patrick Robinson

On our way in to the research base, we saw some amazing icebergs.  The South Orkneys tend to collect the icebergs that break off of the ice shelf in the Weddell Sea.  We were also greeted by a group of humpback whales. Next, we are heading south to collect a pair of oceanographic moorings.  Keith Nicholls, chief scientist and British Antarctic Survey researcher, deployed mooring lines filled with oceanographic equipment two years ago.  

Wish us luck as we search for them to recover his data!