Happy New Year from Palmer Station!

Twilight of the Millennium at Palmer Station.


The World Discoverer, moored in Arthur Harbor.

New Year's Eve began early for Palmer Station. I had a live telephone interview with Moniek Darge and Bart Stouten in Antwerp, Belgium, beginning at 7:30am. The cruise ship World Discoverer made a port call as part of their Millennium celebrations. We had 96 visitors take a tour of Station, do some shopping and have a brownie and coffee. Everyone seemed in good spirits and the ship left for points South at about noon. Meanwhile, the sun came out, shining brightly on Arthur Harbor. We all completed House Mouse by about 3:30pm and then held the weekly Station meeting out by the boat house. The start of New Years' Eve festivities were marked by an Elvis sighting--two, in fact!

A group of us gathered to make sushi with shrimp, smoked salmon, crab and assorted vegetables. We had cocktails in the galley, followed by dinner--a sumptuous feast of crab legs and steaks! Norm Lavoie helped Sue Deyoe with cooking by grilling the steaks outside. The skuas took great interest in this activity, flying by and angling in for opportunities. We lost neither a steak--nor Norm.

After dinner, a bunch of folks gathered on the porch to play music, while much of the party drifted out to the pier. Bob Farrell roasted marshmellows and champagne flowed freely. At precisely midnight, an iceberg in Hero Inlet calved. With the crack and boom, a group of folks headed off the pier and into the water for a celebratory splash in Antarctic waters. Happy New Year! The hot tub had been prepared and about 1/3 of the Station ended up here--including Steve and me, after our polar swim. With a full New Year's Day ahead of me, I turned in with the summer sun high in the sky at about 4:00am.


Ken "Elvis" Navarro, aka, "Cheech.

Ken "Elvis" Doggett.


Pete Duley (potlids), Steve Navarro (guitar) and Ken Doggett (banjo)
treat Palmer Station to a little night music.

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