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the Shokalskiy bring us to anchor in Baie de L'Aurore Australe (Bay of the Southern Lights) in front of Port-aux-Francais station, the only permanent settlement in the islands. The day is a rare gem and a great gift to us all: clear and warm (temperature 15 C or 59 F), truly a glorious spring day in a part of the world where it rains 300 days out of the year. We go ashore to visit the station and enjoy the hospitality of our French hosts; after lunch aboard, the Shokalskiy steams carefully through a maze of small islands to Presqu'ile Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc Peninsula). Our route through the Golfe du Morbihan (Gulf of Morbihan) might have looked something like that shown here (I did not record the details of our course). |
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Near the dock stands one of the only
elephant seal crossing signs in the world. |
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At the station cafeteria, we are treated
to croissants and French coffee.
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The chapel at Port-aux-Francais is called Notre Dame du Vent (Our Lady of the Winds), an appropriate name in a land where 100 days a year the wind is in excess of 100 kilometers per hour (60 miles per hour).
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One simply must be photographed
by the signpost that shows just how far you are from anywhere (thanks again, Warren!). |
Our afternoon cruise through the Golfe du Morbihan presents sunlit vistas of the islands. |
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The fine weather continues,
affording rare glimpses of the distant mountains. |
Meltwater trickles down
the striated cliffs. |
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Unusual rock formations abound
along the shores of the islands. |
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