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were out of the ice & sailing clear. Got to breakfast about 7:55 only to find that new hours apply. Breakfast ends at 8:00 instead of 8:30. I wanted only cereal & coffee, fruit juice and toast. I refuse to go back to eating huge meals again. Spent all am on the bridge as we rounded Mt. Bransfield at the tip of peninsula. We then turned S. toward Low Is. for some fishing tonight. Phil recording birds on bridge. Jeff there most of the time, plus a few others. 

Lunch was tomato soup, salad, bread, milk. In pm we were on open water so I completely reorganized my things & did laundry. Once the main mass was done I decided to do my white sweater wash cold & dry low - w. great success. Also, my goretex pants & Jacket laundered w great success.

Dinner -- steaks, fries, corn. I had a chance to thank Buzy for taking us off the island. He was pleased & we discussed things at length. He was shocked at the ice breaking the Duke did. He thought that would be ~ maximum for a genuine ice-breaker. It won't be dry-docked (by owner) for 2 years, so who knows how the hull looks! USF may buy it but not for 5 years or so. Buzy doesn't like putting parties ashore in rubber boats, but doubts that helicopter would ever be used sufficiently to justify cost. 

He urged me to write a description of the Seymour experience after I get home. [[strikethrough]] intuding [[/strikethrough]] including a word picture of climbing the Meseto to evacuate a victim of a broken leg.

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About 9:00 the fishing started. I could feel change in speed & character of ride. I went up to bridge, which was all dark except for searchlight out front. Jeffrey soon appeared -- then we both went to back deck where an A-frame was erected for fishing. 

A big green net goes down to 90 meters (tonight anyway) and trawls for 20 minutes. Then a great winch drum rolls it up -- taking 7 or 8 minutes. They twist the ship to make sure the net does not foul propellers. It was snowing & monstrous waves were rising above the edge of back deck -- sometimes working over it. 

Net raised & dropped on deck & cargo of fishes & starfish & sea creatures spread on deck. Pat and Buzzy & Mark selected types of interest & rushed them to tanks in the next room. Jeff & I took flashes. An exciting procedure. There will be 3 more trawls tonight. Meanwhile, the next thing is to arise w. the sun to watch Gerlach passage to Palmer.

[[underlined]] Wednesday, March 13 [[/underlined]]
Roused out at 6:00 a.m. just before daylight was well along. Stayed on deck through spectacular scenery -- except for some low clouds -- Photographed Mt Hansen & berg & glacier in the passage -- however, we did not get the vertical wall effect in a narrow passage. 

A few penguins, some Orca whales, lots of S. fulmars, Wilsons storm petrels. Breakfast of pancakes & bacon about 7:15 & back to deck. We finally entered the Neumayer channel which was indeed truly spectacular - docked at Palmer Sta. ~ 11:30 & had lunch. Bill called for all of us to turn up at