Sunday February 25th, 2018 Sunrise: 0634/Sunset: 2057
The Scotia Sea
“Strange. There is always sadness on departure. It is as if one cannot after all bear to leave this bleak waste of ice, glaciers, cold and toil…”
– Fridtjof Nansen, 1912
Normally stormy and cold, the Scotia Sea is the area of water between Tierra del Fuego, South Georgia, the South Sandwich Islands, the South Orkney Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula, and bordered on the west by the Drake Passage. These island groups all sit on top of the Scotia Ridge.
Named in about 1932 after the Scotia, the expedition ship used in these waters by the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition (1902–04) under William S. Bruce. The most famous traverse of this frigid sea was made in 1916 by Sir Ernest Shackleton and five others in the adapted lifeboat James Caird when they left Elephant Island and reached South Georgia some two and a half weeks later.
This area from 40° south latitude to near the Antarctic Circle has the strongest sustained westerly winds found anywhere on earth. The highest frequency of gales is reported between Longitude 20° and 60°E, north of the Ross and Weddell Seas and within the approaches to the Drake Passage. They make the region from 40° to 60°S one of the stormiest areas in the world as cyclones track west to east around the periphery of Antarctica.
We were allowed to sleep in today as it is a sea travel day. The rocking and rolling makes for a great night’s sleep. We awoke just before 9am and nearly missed breakfast. As we lay here in bed rocking and rolling we can hear the wind gales outside our window. The Captain has been a master at assessing the weather patterns around us and plotting out path to help avoid truly horrible weather. Today will be a laid back day–nothing interesting to see or photograph on the horizon and no outings off the ship. During the night a tiny Wilson’s Storm Petrel was found motionless in one of the outside drains on the ship. Peter and Conor took it in, dried it off and tucked it away in a box to sleep and recover. Several hours later it was perky and recovered. We all gathered round for his release back into the wild blue yonder and see him fly off good as new.
0930 South Georgia Landings & Environmental Briefing. This is a mandatory briefing for all guests wishing to go ashore in South Georgia. This will be followed by a repeat of our bio-security, gear cleaning efforts.
1500 Lecture: The Nimrod Expedition: Shackleton’s Forgotten Foray in Antarctica – Join Eric Pohlman for a tale not often told about one of Shackleton’s first endeavors south.
1700 Lecture: The Seals of Antarctica and South Georgia – Expedition Diver Robert Alexander will look into the fascinating lives of this journey’s pinnipeds; the ones we’ve seen and those still to come.
1800 Recap & Briefing with the Expedition Team in the Lounge. Thank heaven for cocktail hour to help pass the hours at sea!
2100 Movie Night in our room: part one of Chasing Shackleton– This docu-drama recreates the incredible voyage of the James Caird from Elephant Island to South Georgia.
The black eye is looking gross!
Open Sea Warning! We will be at sea throughout day. Conditions may be rough & variable. Please take care moving around the vessel once in open sea. Always keep one hand free to hold on to railings, and take care of doors that may swing closed or open unexpectedly. Please ensure that all breakable items are carefully stowed in your cabin before retiring this evening as the motion of the ship can increase at any time.
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