- Buenos Aires, Argentina — the stopover
- Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina
- The Falkland Islands
- South Georgia Island
- On the “road” to Antarctica, Christmas aboard the Fram, and Elephant Island
- Yankee Harbor and Deception Island, Antarctica
- Danco and Cuverville Islands, Antarctica
- Almirante Brown Station and Neko Harbor, Antarctica
- A surprise visit, Lemaire Channel, and Petermann Island
- The voyage home, New Year’s Eve, and some final thoughts
After departing the Falklands and spending a few rolling (10-15 foot waves) days at sea, we spent three days on South Georgia Island and I have to say that it has now topped our list for the most beautiful place on the planet (just edged out New Zealand). The landscape is marked by a range of mountains that rise from the sea all the way up to over 9500 feet. More than half of the island’s area is covered in glaciers. But, as we have seen in many other places, the glaciers are receding and the amount of yearly snowfall is decreasing. Similarly, the warming atmosphere is causing come of the formerly giant icebergs to calve into a large number of smaller ones — some becoming a hazard to navigation. The coastline is very rugged and, while there are a number of fjords and bays on the island, the frequent storms and heavy seas can make any entrance a challenge. The very limited flat ground was generally taken up by whaling stations, which were located in five locations on the Atlantic side of the island. As in many other locations, whaling was rampant and, at its peak, over 40,000 whales were killed per year. At the time of the last whaling station closure, over 175,000 whales had been processed by South Georgia Island whaling stations. And with the end of whaling, so went the population. Today, there are technically only 3 permanent government residents on the island, although the numbers do swell a bit during the summer. Most of the governmental functions are actually performed in the Falkland Islands. Of course, the other reason most people have heard of South Georgia Island is the heroic rescue effort that Ernest Shackleton undertook to rescue his men that were trapped on a tiny spit of land near the Antarctic Peninula (more on that later). To do that he had to sail over 800 miles in open ocean in a whale boat to reach the wrong side of South Georgia Island, that necessitated a climb over the mountains to reach the whaling village on the other side. Two of the places we visited brought this into context. Over the three days, we made five landings — each bringing something new and exciting to see. We feel fortunate to have visited here. Today, around 8000 visitors come here a year (mostly from cruise ships). But there is growing concern about preserving the pristine nature of South Georgia Island. The ecosystems are very fragile and biosecurity is a very big deal. We all hand to wash and vacuum all of our clothes, boots, etc. at the end of each landing to minimize external species from invading (they are still getting over a rat and mouse infestation that had a devastating impact on the local bird population.
On the first day, we went into Fortuna Bay and Stromness. Fortuna Bay is very beautiful. You are surround on three sides by mountains and glaciers (although the glaciers are much smaller than 3 years ago according to one of the other passengers). When you get ashore you are amazed by the fact that you are standing in the middle of thousands of elephant and fur seals, as well as king penguins. They always tell you to stay at least 15 feet away from all the animals, but it is virtually impossible to do that here. But as impressive as this is, a short walk away is the King penguin rookery. They say that there are over a hundred thousand penguins here in the rookery and I have to believe them. It is an absolute sea of white out there.
Stromness is the site of an old whaling station that has, unfortunately, fallen to ruin — and, in fact, you are forbidden to go there due to safety concern. This was the back side of Shackleton’s journey, traversing down a steep, scree laden trail, past the waterfalls that now have his name and into the whaling station where he finally got help. Given the historical significance, we were surprised that they hadn’t restored this village, but so be it. Some people hiked from Fortuna Bay to Stromness, following in Shackleton’s steps. Given the scree (and my recent back surgery), I decided to pass. But we did hike in the rain to the falls and met the hikers coming back. As in Fortuna Bay, the close proximity of Gentoo penguins, elephant seals, and fur seals was amazing to watch. They pretty much leave each other alone.
The second day was quite moving for us. The first stop was at Grytviken, a partially restored whaling village which is also the location of Shackleton’s gravesite (he actually died of a heart attack here as he prepared for yet another Antarctic expedition). This was a pretty important site for Deb. There was an excellent museum here, which is also the local home for the South Georgia Heritage Trust that is doing a masterful job at preserving the island, restoring some of the historical sites and ridding the island of harmful non-native animal species. At its peak, over 400 men lived here during the summer that then reduced to around 90 in the winter to perform maintenance. Apparently, work was hard, but life was reasonable. The biggest effort has been a five year effort to rid the island of rats that had come from the various ships visiting over the years. The rats had had a devastating effect on some of the bird populations on the island and it appears they have eradicated them. Also on Grytviken, we enjoyed an early Christmas with a nondenominational service at the restored church. The Captain led the service with the ship’s musician playing music and leading us all in singing Christmas carols in Norwegian, German, and English.
From there, we were off to St. Andrew’s bay to see the giant King Penguin rookery. While initially rough, we were able to ride in boats along the shore and ultimately get ashore. There were a half million penguins on the beach and immediate environs. It was almost too much to take in. This is also home to a number of elephant seals who alternatively charged us or fought between themselves. Even though they weigh multiple tons, they can move pretty fast (but not nearly as fast as the fur seals!). We got to see the sun set behind the two massive glaciers in the area, which was truly awe inspiring.
On the third day, we attempted to do a boat tour of Cooper Bay, a fairly exposed bay that is home to Macaroni, Chinstrap, and King Penguins. Unfortunately, the winds and seas didn’t cooperate and we ended up having to steam just offshore. Both the wind and the distance kept us from getting any good shots. On the other hand, we got to go to the Drygalski fjord, a beautiful spot with multiple mountains rising nearly 1000 feet around us. Luckily, the Larson Bay (within the fjord) was very calm and the winds calmed, so we were able to get out into the boats for a closer look around. Ultimately, the ship went to the end of the fjord — about 100 yards from the glacier that marks the end of the passage.
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
