A23a the largest Iceberg in the world

Today was a day at sea, which generally doesn't have much to talk about but today we passed the largest iceberg in the world. A23a broke off from the Filchner–Ronne Ice Shelf in 1986. It was stuck on the sea bed for many years but then started moving in 2020. As of January 2025, its area is about 3,500 square kilometres (1,400 sq mi), which makes it the the size of Rhode Island and the largest Iceberg in the world.

The Iceberg spent some time trapped in a current pattern but broke free ot that current in January abd began to drift in the Southern Ocean.

The British Antarctic Survey expects A23a to follow the Antarctic Circumpolar Current towards the island of South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean, where it will eventually encounter warmer water and break up into smaller icebergs. As of 23 January 2025, A23a is 173 miles (278 km) away from South Georgia and still on its way towards the island, potentially threatening the penguin and seal populations by blocking their access to feeding grounds.

We passed right by the Iceberg and it was massive, taking about an hour for us to pass the whole thing.

The rest of the day was pretty much hanging around the ship until dinner time when we were invited to a special dinner based on Charlie Green the cook for Shackleton on his Antartic Expedition. The menu was a 7 course meal and a final toast with a whiskey that was based on Whiskey that had been found at Shackleton's camp and recreated in Scotland. Here's the menu.

Tomorrow we will stop in the South Orkney Islands on our way further south to Antartica.