December 28, 1999

The yacht, Sarah, makes a port call at Palmer Station.

The day began with a promising wind forecast but, quite suddenly at mid-morning, the speed picked up to about 20 knots--once again bringing boating operations to a halt. I was content to continue my work, writing for the upcoming programs on NPR and WDR. For the "Lynns," the ornithology group studying seabird communities, it was another frustrating day. It is a critical juncture in their censusing of the region's giant petrel nesting sites and Donna Patterson and her colleagues were anxious to begin the second rotation of counts. They wait... The other event of note is that our resident population of elephant seals has increased to 5 with a rather large and vocal newcomer. Their bubbling chortles are a pleasant puncuation to the soundscape. However, the smell is beginning to get more pungent and pronounced around this end of the Bio Lab.

More elephant seals hauled out by the Bio Lab.

Today, we also had the pleasure of receiving a yacht, the Sarah, with her Dutch captain and complement of German and Swiss travellers. They are nine in all and joined us for lunch and a tour of the Station. In turn, we were given the opportunity to pay a visit and look around. The Sarah is a fine vessel, 16 metres in length. I though to myself, "The crossing of the Drake Passage must have been quite the ride!" They are planning to head across to the Lemaire Channel to spend the New Year..ice conditions permitting.

Into the evening, we had a variety of snow squalls--from dense, styrofoam beads to large fluffy flakes. It was a perfect evening for kicking back in the hot tub...

Steve Dunbar (left) and Ken Doggett (right) relax in the hot tub at the end of the day.