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.