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A morning of lectures for yet another day at sea.
First there was one by Lea and how animals camouflage themselves: Then one by Bernardo on bird and animal migration:
Finally won by Margaret On Fort Conger, which was really interesting . The camp had been used by an American Greely, and later by Peary, with lots of photos. Before Fort Conger was established, its Discovery Harbour was used as a wintering site by the crew of HMS Discovery, led by George Nares, during the British Arctic Expedition of 1875. Fort Conger was established as a research base in 1881 during the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition, led by U.S. Army First Lieutenant Adolphus Greely. The fort was named by Greely after U.S. Senator Omar D. Conger, who had supported the expedition. Twenty-five men, including officers, enlisted, and Inuit, lived and conducted research at Fort Conger over the next two years. (Greely would rise to the rank of major general in the Army and received the Medal of Honor for his lifetime achievements in 1935.)
During his 1899 expedition to reach the geographic North Pole, Robert Peary reached Fort Conger, only to have several toes snap off at the first joint because of frostbite. Bedridden for weeks while recuperating, Peary wrote on a wall, Inveniam viam aut faciam ("I shall find a way or make one."), the words Hannibal had allegedly said before crossing the Alps. Later they became an inscription on the monument over Peary's grave at Arlington National Cemetery. Two additional Peary expedition parties returned to Fort Conger in 1905 and 1908. Other explorers used Fort Conger as a base from 1915 through 1935. In 1937, the MacGregor Arctic Expedition attempted to reoccupy Fort Conger.
For a larger photo, click on the thumbnail photo below
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We had lunch in La Terrassa as there was a seafood buffet in the restaurant . But the venison in the Terrassa was inedible. After this I had a swim but there was a really cold wind. We played Bridge between two and 2.30 but then there was a show by Jessica ,
Called the explorer and the journalist: this was about Frederick Cook, his claim to have reached the north Pole and subsequent claim by Perry to have done the same - both probably equally dishonest. Jessica had put a lot of effort into converting the story into a script read by various expedition members.
For a larger photo, click on the thumbnail photo below
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Then a light tea before returning to the show lounge for the captains talk, a question session on navigation which was surprisingly interesting for Chris.
Dinner in the restaurant.