Day 10-14 At Sea (11/8-11/11)

The remainder of our journey was spent at sea and in very rough conditions.

Day 9 Gold Harbor - Cooper Bay - Drygalski Fjord (11/7)

Today’s first stop was another great site for king penguins, fur and elephant seals. When we first arrived we were treated to a display of jousting from the elephant seal males that were congregated at our landing site. I also think the early morning time (5:30AM) may have had something to do with the heightened activity as well. It seems that all the big bulls do is sleep, fight, and have sex and not necessarily in that order.

We are headed to another small landing this afternoon where we hope to see some macaroni penguins.

Day 8 St Andrews Bay (redo) - Ocean Harbor (11/6)

As planned, we returned to the spot (St. Andrews Bay) that was so problematic yesterday and it was much better at the start but became windy at the end. I think I got on shore around 6:30 and left at 10AM. The return was the tricky part and apart from being totally soaked by sea spray and being forced to use the gangway to get off the zodiac it was an unbelievable morning under sunny skies once again. Nobody fell getting off but some folks really struggled. If you think getting off our dinghy is hard you ought to try this. If this was the last thing we see it would be fine with me. The amount of wildlife that surrounds you in the places is mindboggling. We climbed to a hilltop where we could see the vast rookery below us filled with many chicks still in their brown coat.

We made one more landing this afternoon and will have two landings and a fjord cruise tomorrow before starting back towards Ushuaia. We hope to be able to sail up the south/west coast of the island on our way back but that is weather dependent and that side faces Antarctica. We are seeing more icebergs the further south we go. It's hard to believe our stay here is almost over but both of us are pooped but could still do more. We have another 5:30 start in the morning. I will actually look forward to the three sea days so we can relax.

Day 7 St Andrews Bay - Moltke Harbor (11/5)

I got all suited up and was just about to get in the zodiac when a big swell came up and just about washed the boarding crew overboard. They have been launching from the stern much like we do on our swim platform but the swells were washing over it so they changed to the starboard gangway. I was probably about half way to the platform when the swell came in. After that they suspended trips ashore and will have to figure out how to get those on shore back. We are headed to a more protected spot this afternoon where launching should be easier.

All made it back safely but two hours earlier than planned. We are now going to a new spot for this afternoon and will try to return tomorrow to the location that was so difficult this morning. That spot has the largest king penguin site on the island and the numbers were clearly visible from the ship. The winds and seas are predicted to be better tomorrow. The staff works closely with the captain and can make changes as need be to get better opportunities for shore side excursions since that is what it's all about.

I finally got off the boat this afternoon at a new beach and had a good shoot of the penguins, seals, etc. I even saw a rare "blond" fur seal which happens but is not common. The real treat was afterward when we took a two hour "dinghy" ride over to the foot of two enormous glaciers that dumped into the head of this bay. I have never seen a glacier that ended in water so it was a real experience. The best part was that the sun came out after lunch and this place really becomes spectacular when the mountains are isible. Tomorrow we will go back to the place where we had all the problems with rough water this morning and see if it improves. Since I could see from the ship the number of penguins (probably a million or more) that are on shore I really want to see it up close. Sunny skies would also be a bonus. At our daily debriefing they answered a question that I had asked yesterday and that was "what does penguin taste like?". As with most explanations we've heard, the answer was quite detailed and quite lengthy. On the staff they have a historian who actually lived on South Georgia at one time, a bird guy who gave the answer to my question and who lived in Antarctica at one time, and a marine mammal guy who is very involved with the orcas in the NW. That guy lives in BC and when I asked if he remembered an incident about 20 years ago where a Chilean sub ran into a sailboat off Victoria he said absolutely he did. Small world. The leader of the staff is from Pointe au Baril (on Georgian Bay) and his family ran the marina there. I showed him a picture I took last year of the lighthouse at the point and he recognized it right away. Again, small world.

Apparently I was the talk around the ship as "the passenger who slipped on the gangway" and the reason they suspended shore transfers and painted on more non-skid on the gangway this afternoon. What happened to me was nothing compared to the crew at the landing who almost got washed overboard by the big swell. I talked to the staff member that was down there and he said the water came up to his chest. One minute later and that would have included me as well. Just so you know, we all wear self-inflating life jackets while off the ship.

Day 6 Grytviken – Godthul (11/4)

We arrived to a heavy snowfall but little wind here in the only settled portion of the island at Grytviken. It’s snowing so hard it’s sticking to the water. We went ashore to see a few attractions and to visit Shackelton’s grave. At the gravesite we toasted Shackelton and then poured whiskey on the grave which is a tradition. The village was very interesting with a nice museum and gift shop. I took the guided tour and learned the ins and outs of the whaling business. There are several beached whaling ships and most of the processing equipment is still in place. There is a newer part of the settlement at King Edward Point where the modern part of the station is located.

 We left Grytviken and headed over to another abandoned whaling station at Godthul. It was a small beach with the usual compliment of fur and elephant seals and many Gentoo penguins. The beach was littered with whale bones from the past commercial operations. We hiked up a small hill where several Gentoos were roosting on eggs. Unfortunately it was sleeting when we started and raining when we finished. I only stayed an hour and headed back to dry out.

Day 5 Fortuna Bay - Stromness - Hercules Bay (11/3)

Day 7 – Fortuna Bay, Stromness, Hercules Bay

Today began early and under a sunny, cloudless sky at our overnight anchorage in Fortuna Bay. After breakfast and a short relocation of our ship deeper in the bay we headed to shore to visit the wildlife once again. Today we saw more king penguins, fur seals, elephant seals, and a new treat, reindeer. The reindeer were left over from the whaling days when they were brought to the island by the Norwegians for food. This will be the last year that they will be on South Georgia as they will be removed in 2013 and by an undetermined method.

A group of more fit passengers opted for a hike that took them on the same route that Sir Ernest Shackelton followed during his rescue mission for his crew that he left on Elephant Island in Antarctica in 1914. The route went from the more rugged south side of the island, over very high and glaciated mountains, down to Fortuna Bay and then on to the whaling station of Stromness a few miles away. That group completed the hike and we met them at Stromness. For the not so fit passengers another hike was arranged that followed Shackelton’s final route from a waterfall at the base of a hill that we did not climb back to Stromness. Needless to say, it was not that exciting as it was a difficult walk over mud, rocks, through streams, and finally in knee deep snow. On top of that, the waterfall was not that impressive. Stromness is one of many abandoned whaling stations that is just a rusting hulk sitting at the shoreline of this bay. The site is off limits to people as it has an asbestos problem. After we returned to the ship another short excursion via zodiac followed that Marty and I opted out of because we were so tired from the waterfall death march.

 

One extra treat today was a pass by of several orca whales. There was a male and several females that made several runs by the ship as we left Stromness. The crew said that was a first for them as well. We also some icebergs off in the distance.

One additional treat today was an outdoor BBQ on the aft deck that celebrated the beautiful weather we had all day.

 

Day 4 Elsehul Bay, Salisbury Plain, Prion Island (11/2)

(Elsehul Bay) After getting up at 4:45 we waited for an hour before the staff decided the early morning zodiac tour was unsafe due to rough sea conditions. Although we were anchored in a bay the seas were 6-9 feet at the stern where the zodiacs are loaded and unloaded. The land is very stark and fresh snow is present.

(Salisbury Plain) The weather cooperated after the first area and we were treated to some incredible sights. The first place was called Salisbury Plain and had about a billion penguins on it. It was a long beach and flat area beyond the beach with some hills leading up to the mountains. It was exclusively a King penguin colony which are also the largest species here. There were also elephant and fur seals and an assortment of other birds (mostly scavengers).

(Prion Island) We were on the beach at Salisbury Plain about four hours and then returned to the ship for a short hop to an island where we would observe Wandering Albatross nests. It is a protected island where we needed a permit to land on it. There was a boardwalk on it that was put there to protect the plants and nests that were in burrows under the surface. We saw what we wanted to see plus more seals and some Adele penguins that made their home there. This island was unique in that it was classified as  "rat" free meaning that the rodents that made their way to the main island via sailing ships had not come to this island. Certain species of birds are only found in those "rat" free places. 

We are now anchored in Fortuna Bay that we will explore tomorrow morning. There is also a four mile hike that retraces some of Shackleton's route when he returned to South Georgia to get help so that he could rescue his men. Based on the description of the hike I don't think they want people like me or Marty so we opted out.