South Orkney Islands

We reached the remote South Orkney Islands in the morning. We were surrounded by tabular icebergs as we sailed through Washington Strait en route to our landing of the day – the Argentine station of Orcadas on Laurie Island. The weather could not have been more cooperative as the Fram bumped and scraped against chunks of ice. Our imaginations ran wild as we spotted shapes in the ice. Crowds of Chinstrap penguins rode atop islands of ice like commuters on their way to work. Spouting whales and seals basking on ice floes made an appearance as well. Flocks of pintado petrels and several small snow petrels fluttered around the ship. It was an incredible way to begin the Antarctic phase of our voyage of discovery.

Fifteen station personnel lived at the Orcadas base. They were kind enough to give the passengers a tour of their facility. The base consisted of several orange buildings, several built on stilts on account of the wind. There was also a small museum that showed the history of Orcadas station. Founded by a Scottish expedition in 1904 and handed over to the Argentines, Orcadas is the longest operating base in the Antarctic. The base commander informed us during the winter the temperature sometimes plunged to 49 degrees below zero! It was most interesting to see how the Argentines lived, ate, slept and worked at an Antarctic base. We also had the unique chance to see three species of penguins in one place – the Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adelie.

Scotia Sea, southward

Today we continued our southward journey en route to the South Orkney Islands. During the morning our passengers attended lectures on several Antarctica-related topics, such as whaling, geopolitics, Shackleton, etc.

Those hardy souls that did not attend the lectures were out on deck experiencing the bracing breezes and enjoying avian acrobatics. These feathered acrobats in particular indicated that we are in fact heading south, because they are truly antarctic birds: in addition to Cape petrels and Southern giant petrels, we admired snow petrels and Antarctic prions.
The afternoon lectures were interrupted several times by the spouts of distant whales around the ship. We definitely identified a fin whale by its large dorsal fin and the shape of the blow.If any further proof of the southerly course of our vessel was needed, we sighted several tabular icebergs floating on the horizon. These large behemoths of ice are broken off the iceshelves of the Antarctic continent, and drift around at the whim of wind, wave and current.

Grytviken, South Georgia

An incredible night with 150 knot winds blasting the water. In the morning, we were greeted to calm seas and blue skies – an amazing contrast in the space of a few hours. We began landing operations at the abandoned Norwegian whaling station of Grytviken set amid picturesque snowcapped mountains, and bubbling waterfalls. Many of us visited the small but tidy whaler’s cemetery to pay our respects to the great Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who rests in eternal peace overlooking the bay. A German couple was married in the small chapel behind the museum. What a wonderful place to renew one’s vows!

Passing through the remains of the whaling station, now occupied by a few King penguins, sleeping and snorting elephant seals and frisky fur seals, we explored the rusting buildings and visited the museum and gift shop.The wind proved too much and we were unable to make anymore landings on South Georgia. Powerful katabatic winds created dramatic paintings of swirling foam on the surface of the water. In the evening, we set sail toward our next destination, the remote South Orkney Islands.

Fortuna Bay and Stromness Bay

An incredible day was spent among the mountains, glaciers, fur seals and King Penguins of South Georgia Island. The morning landing was at Fortuna Bay, home to masses of King Penguins and pesky fur seals. It rained throughout the landing, but this example of extreme humidity did not dampen our spirits for experiencing a bit of ‘real’ Antarctic weather. Reindeer introduced from Norway as food for the whalers were also seen in strange contrast to the penguins. Heaving anchor, the sturdy Fram sailed to the now derelict Stromness ship repair station. We were met by a horde of fur seals guarding the landing beach. This was the place where Sir Ernest Shackleton and his men staggered to after their epic crossing of South Georgia Island. A tromp through thick mud and clumps of tussock grass brought us to a small whaler’s cemetery. Fur seals grunted and squeaked the entire time we were ashore. We also saw the smaller gentoo penguins. It was an excellent day spent on this magical island in the South Atlantic.