From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lemaire Channel is a strait off Antarctica, located between the mainland's
Antarctic Peninsula and Booth Island. Nicknamed "Kodak Gap" by some, it is
one of the top tourist destinations in Antarctica; steep cliffs hem in the
iceberg-filled passage, which are 11 km long and just 1,600 meters wide at
its narrowest point.
It was first seen by the German expedition of 1873-74, but not traversed
until December 1898, when the Belgica of the de Gerlache expedition passed
through. De Gerlache named it for Charles Lemaire, a Belgian explorer of the
Congo.
Glaciers and cliffs reflected in still waters at the south end of the
channel.
The channel has since become a standard part of the itinerary for cruising in Antarctica; not only is it scenic, but the protected waters are usually as still as a lake, a rare occurrence in the storm-wracked southern seas, and the north-south traverse delivers vessels close to Petermann Island for landings. The principal difficulty is that icebergs may fill the channel, especially in early season, obliging a ship to backtrack and go around the outside of Booth Island in order to reach Petermann.
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