Boxing Day - a day late

The WiFi on the ship is completely naff at the moment.  I cannot get on from my laptop and so am waiting around for the PCs available to the public- and they don't work very well either. So - it is before breakfast on Thursday 27th - Julia has gone to the gym (!) and I thought I would get online before anyone else - good idea but it has been a pain waiting for this to work...
As I can't use my laptop I can't post photos.
Boxing Day was spent at sea.  Quiet morning, some photography on deck (mostly trying to capture little birds that whizz by), some lectures, some reading - then lunch.
An afternoon lecture about the original Fram was interesting.  It was specifically built (around 1900) to get stuck in the north polar ice so that it would then follow the currents of the Arctic Ocean, allowing scientists to study where these currents go.  Not  a pleasant job sitting in the boat for 5 years.  The ship survived (as did the men!) and it was later used for Roald Amundsen on his expedition to reach the South Pole in 1912 - the venture which saw him beat Robert Falcon Scott to the pole.
In the afternoon things got more interesting outside.  All day we had been following the edge of the pack ice on our port side (the LEFT - we are heading south-west - for all you non-nautical types) but there was excitement all round when we actually started to cut our way through the ice.  Having watched films and read books about Shackleton and the Endurance getting stuck this was all very 'interesting'.  The ship slowed and we bumped along but emerged safely into clear water - the captain sounding the ship's horn  as we broke clear.  Apparently the ice is much further north than it should be and plans are changing all the time. We now have another day at sea as we try to reach the Antarctic archipelago.  So we are not sure when next we will make a landing - or where...
The afernoon brought good views of Fin whales - and I had pictures ready to show you... Also a new bird on film - the Silver-backed Southern Fulmar - a very handsome bird.  It is a good shot - but I can't show you I'm afraid.
It is disappointing that I cannot keep all you avid readers as up-to-date as I would like - but I suppose we are a long way away and a bit remote; we still expect modern technology to just spring into action don't we?
Anyway - Julia has just finished her workout and it is time for breakfast.
Bye for now...