What a morning! I’m on my first watch from four to eight. Shortly after five, the sun rises astern from the leaden-gray-blue, rolling sea. The sea is rough and beautiful, the wave crests and troughs high, and the swell—coming from a slightly different direction—creates a choppy sea. A pair of Sooty Albatrosses circles the Selma …
Wandering albatrosses are the quintessential ocean travelers and a symbol of the Southern Ocean. They spend approximately 90% of their lives on the open ocean. They are among the heaviest flying birds in the world, and their average wingspan—over 3 meters—is greater than that of any other species. And—as with other albatrosses—there is another distinctive …
Yesterday, we continued our course northwest along the coast. On the way, we made a stop near Prion Island, across from Salisbury Plain in the Bay of Isles. The island is an important breeding ground for wandering albatrosses. These albatrosses are the largest albatrosses and the largest flying birds in the world, with a wingspan …
It snowed last night. And winter is back. It’s bitterly cold as I take my watch at six in the morning; we’d just weighed anchor in Hercules Bay. It’s still snowing, though not heavily. Snow clouds partially obscure the landscape. Visibility is limited. The wind whips the snowflakes around my ears and stings my eyes. …
Departure Early in the morning, shortly after five, we set out and cast off from Grytviken after two days. Once again, the expected rain fails to materialize; it’s windy, but pleasant. Humpback whales bid us farewell as we leave King Edward Cove; we pass Hope Point and send a final greeting to Shackleton. We leave …
A beautiful and special moment. I’m sitting on a bench—probably the only one in all of South Georgia—and looking out over the water. King Edward Cove, where Grytviken is located, is part of Cumberland East Bay. Sun and shadow alternate every second; a strong, gusty northwest wind chases the clouds across the sky and sends …
We’ve been in South Georgia for a week now, sailing along the northeast coast. After arriving in the northwest of the archipelago at Right Whale Bay, we’ve been making our way slowly eastward—from bay to bay, from anchorage to anchorage. Each place is more beautiful than the last. They’re all special, impressive, teeming with life, …
In the footsteps of Shackleton The 5.5 km long Shackleton Walk traverses the barren fellfield country between Fortuna Bay and Stromness Harbour. From the beach, a steep uphill climb leads to a 300m high pass and an even steeper descent into Shackleton Valley, finishing at the beach in Stromness Harbour near the whaling station. This …
History Prince Olav Harbour is a small sheltered inlet within Cook Bay at the western entrance to Possession Bay. At its head lie the remains of an old whaling station. This is a site steeped in history from the early days of exploration. First explored by Captain James Cook, the harbour was well-known to sealers …
A dream in white, blue, and pale yellow. A vast, gently curving bay, surrounded by a magnificent mountain backdrop. Dotted with thousands upon thousands of tiny dark specks—that is Salisbury Plain. The tiny specks scattered across the landscape are hundreds of thousands of king penguins. A massive colony, whose calls echo across the landscape. The …