South Georgia Island

Following our escape from the Falklands we knew we would be in for some rough seas on the way to South Georgia Island (SG), although the worst part of the storm had passed, forecasts still showed some heavy winds and sizeable swells on our route.  It was to be another 800+ nautical miles to reach South Georgia, but from all reports we were in for quite a treat.  Each member of the expedition team had expressed that SG was their personal highlight of the trip, and based on the preparatory lectures we were going to see a a ton of wildlife, incredible glaciers, etc., etc..  In addition to all of that, the whole Ernest Shackleton story was going to come to a head.  For those who don't know his story, Google it........amazing man, who even in failure was a hero.  Also search "Chasing Shakleton", a three part documentary about the recreation of his rescue journey from Elephant Island to SG, and one of the participants on that trip is part of our expedition team......Young Shackleton....better known as Seb.   Shackleton is buried on SG and we would be visiting his gravesite at Grytviken, the former whaling station, now a research facility, and tour stop for many of the ships who make the trip to this remote island.

The weather was as predicted, and at times we were even restricted from going outside on deck for fear we would be blown over the side.  Swells were reaching 7-8 meters in some places so even walking around was a challenge.......rule #1 on board was to always have one hand free for the ship.......there were railings everywhere, and you needed them to stay on your feet.  Sleeping was becoming a problem, so I devised a solution which put me on the couch......feet pressed against the arm at one end, and shoulders tucked in at the other.......it at least kept me from rolling around and was able to get some shut eye........Jutta enjoyed having the bed to herself so she could lie in whatever direction the ship was moving and reduce the effects of the waves.  Still not taking any medication.

There is a nice mixture of people on board, and the 110 passengers are broken down roughly as follows........60 USA.......25 UK.....12 Canadian.....4 Israeli.....a few Aussie's, and a couple of Kiwi's.  Some are returning passengers, going around for a second or third time, but for most this is a first time thing.  We are all impressed with the material and information being fed to us daily and can only hope we retain some of this knowledge.

The Hebridean Sky is almost 300 ft long, has 7 decks, roughly 85-90 crew including the expedition team, top speed 14.5 knots (17mph)..........so it did take 2+ full days before we sighted land again.........Gooooood morning ladies and gentlemen.........Haley announcing that Shag Rocks were in view........a series of rocky formations just off the northwest coast of SG.........thankful we are here and can get on the leeward side of the island for some shelter.  You can see from the map that we made a number of landings on SG, and a couple of nice cruise-by viewings.........better to tell the story with the pictures...........

Shag Rocks....named for the birds that nest here......Shag's.....basically Cormorants.  First land we have seen in over two days.....South Georgia is close.

These are the stops we have planned for the next three days

Before anyone steps foot on SG we have to undergo a complete bio-security check on board.....all outerwear including boots and backpacks have to be checked for any bio material and cleaned before you are cleared for landing on shore........interesting to see how many little seeds and bits of dirt were caught up in seams and velcro on the clothing!

South Georgia.....amazed by the glaciers

First stop Fortuna Bay......introduction to a large king penguin rookery

A place where they processed hundreds of thousands of whales, largely for whale oil used to light the lamps of Europe........almost wiped out the species.........this was only one of many whaling operations on the island........we were devastated walking around looking at the size of this operation.......nice to see it is now preserved for viewing, complete with museum, gift shop, post office, etc..

Shackleton's last resting place

Jutta with Seb......aka Young Shackleton 

Our favourite little poser from Grytviken

Macaroni Penguins

It is summer down here, so lots of greenery around that is totally snow covered most of the year.....we are told at one time this glacier covered all the rocks and ended at the sea 

You can't imagine how big this guy is from the picture.......think like a small car

Handsome guy

Beautiful cruise up Drygalski Fiord.....more glaciers....love the ice

I might have touched this up a bit, but the natural blue's in the ice and water are amazing........am I saying "amazing" too many times?

Amazing...........Stunning view.

Shag......liftoff......

A happy couple

A happier couple........saw them 5 minutes later having a smoke on the beach

Couple of young elephant seals having a playful joust 

I believe the stats are like one in every thousand

Taking care of the chics is a full time job for both parents

The chicks look huge with their furry coats......others in the background are adults going through moulting phase

This was the big one for me......Salisbury Plain......over 60,000 mating pairs in the rookery + all the singles + all the chics.......likely 200,000 king penguins in this location

That's it for South Georgia.........a very special place.