Island escape

lat: 55 21.66S

South Georgia is once again magnificent. Last year the clouds opened up for the few hours we were there, bathing everything is a  warm glow, softening, but still suggesting the harshness hidden below the glow. This year allowed us to see some of rougher side of this stark island. Even with the low hanging clouds and the hint of wind, South Georgia lost none of it's charm. Last year I did the full historical and cultural tour of the island. This year I decided to explore the hills. I returned to Shackelton's grave first. You cannot step onto this land without going there, dwelling on his epic journey, the courage of both him and his men, what they faced. The fact that none of them died-yet so many have been lost to both the seas as well as the white expanse of Antarctica. I then turned to the mountains that were his last obstacles before reaching help, and disappeared into them.

We did not have long, but to walk on land! To hike without sea spray in your face! And to smell rock, hear the cries of the sooty albatrosses against a backdrop of the gurgling stream. and to just walk was amazing. We aimed for a glacier lake but time constraints cut this short. A ford across the river created a perfect clear pool. Glacier melt water. Delicious to drink. Icy to jump into, but refreshing:-)

I swear the Antarctic fur seals are chauvinistic! I got chased AGAIN this year! And this time I was with two other girls! And the guys went a few meters ahead of us unmolested!

Last year I swore that I would return to South Georgia once again. I am glad I did, and I would happily return again for its towering cliffs, aggressive Antarctic fur seals, lethargic elephant seals, king penguins, graves of lost souls, bones of lost whales, but most of all, for its magic.

Apparently South Georgia is visited by an average of 70 ships in the summer season! This knowledge, as well as passing a gigantic cruise ship as we were leaving drove home how fortunate I have been regarding South Georgia. To have brilliant sunshine the first year and decent weather the second along with a singular lack of anyone else around has been incredibly lucky. The cruise ship in question is called "the world", carries about 200 people and has privately owned apartments. It is gigantic and, like all cruise ships, it looks like a breath of wind would knock it over. I do not think I would like to face the Southern Ocean in such a ship, nor would I want to be on such a pristine island filled with such natural energy when it arrived. But from a point of view of preserving both a historical and natural site, and making such a place and knowledge available to the public, it is indeed necessary. What was really special were the South African scarves and flags waved at us from "The World" as we passed-they looked suspiciously like those sold during the World Cup and made us smile, graciously handing the bay over to them, as we turned and sailed into hail.

We now feel like we are in the Southern Ocean. The swell has picked up beautifully with rising towers of water threatening to break over you. Your movement down the corridors is dictated by the ship, so is the speed you arrive through doorways. The amount of times a door opens only for it to close again as the person is forced backwards is really quite funny. The patterns of unknown bruises on ones body is now distinctly railing height and the rides available from just sitting on a chair beats many roller coasters as you suddenly end up crashed against a wall on the other side of the room. The whole ship creaks and one is rocked to sleep at night.Or woken up as things go flying across one's cabin. It is in all beautiful, impressive and majestic, making one feel very small against the might of the sea.

We unfortunately discovered that if the waves hit the sideboard portholes our dry lab floods. dry = keep our computers there. Or as least did, till tonight. We begin our CTD sampling in earnest in a few days time. Up until now we have been doing surface research, but the Weddell Gyre is our main area of interest for this cruise. As we are planning 6 CTD's a day, any free time is about to vanish.