Iceberg, Dead Ahead!

 

Wednesday, November 1st

I did not think I would have much to write about during our journey from the Falklands down to South Georgia, but there are a few things to note.  As we made our way southeast, we came within sight of our first icebergs somewhere around the 51st parallel.  The drop in air temperature was quite evident.  As we steamed ahead at about 15 knots it seemed as though we were traveling along an ocean highway lined with huge icebergs on each side of the ship guiding the way.  I am comforted by the fact that our ship is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment, especially radar so we could easily steer clear of the bergs!

Our first iceberg, shaped like the base of a giant sequoia tree

The captain also drew our attention to Shag Rocks as we passed them. The small, pinnacle shaped islands in the middle of the Southern Ocean serve as a rookery for Blue-eyed shags.  It was comforting to see some sort of land after passing though a large expanse of nothingness.

A blue-eyed cormorant cruises near its home base of Shag Rocks

South Georgia was the final launch site for Ernest Shackleton and his crew before they made their way to the Weddel Sea for their attempt to become the first explorer to cross over the massive continent on foot.  It is also the site where Shackleton eventually made it back to in order to begin the rescue operation for the rest of the Endurance crew stranded on the barren Elephant Island.

Ernest Shackleton is buried on South Georgia having died of a heart attack while moored off the harbor of Grytviken during his final expedition.  If all goes well, Henry and I hope to toast “The Boss” at his gravesite with a dram of whiskey.

On Tuesday evening we enjoyed the “Captain’s Cocktail hour and met the primary officers of the crew. Interestingly, we learned that the captain is of Ukrainian decent while his chief engineer is Russian.  There are no politics on this team.  It is a model of how all the citizens of the planet should operate.

From Left: Captain Yaroslav Gonta, Chief Engineer, Serhii Tretiakov, Chief Officer, Noel Leanillo, Hotel Manager, Paz Moravillag


Our first glimpse of South Georgia Island as we approach Grytviken harbor

Comments

  1. Gail wNovember 1, 2023 at 10:47 AM

    So thrilled to see some of the views from your ship. Hope you are staying warm! Keep posting

    ReplyDelete

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