What a fantastic second day we had on South Georgia! Weather-wise, the snow and rain that we had yesterday passed by and we were treated to changeable but fair conditions all day. Seas were generally calm close to shore, which allowed for two fabulous landings.In the morning we visited Moltke Harbour. The harbour was named after the German expedition ship which charted the area as part of the International Polar Year in 1882-83 (http://www.ipy.org). There we found a large elephant seal rookery with perhaps 2-3 beach-master males, lots of females and lots of pups. During the landing, strong winds from the glacier came up and down like a yo-yo, and with the winds came blowing snow and white-out conditions. Also on land we saw a herd of about 30 reindeer, King and Gentoo Penguins, and Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses circling the snow-clad, tussock hills behind us.
After returning to the vessel for lunch we repositioned to King Edward Cove and landied at the famous Grytviken Whaling Station. This landing provided something for everyone including history (for example, Sir Ernest Shacklton's grave), nature (seals, and various bird species including the endemic South Georgia Pintail), incredible scenary, photo opportunities galour, and even some shopping in the museum store.We experienced virtually calm
conditions during the landing which contributed to the peaceful feeling we got from this historic and rich location.Now we have two more sea days before we reach Antarctica!
