Tuesday, February 27^th, 2018                                              Sunrise: 0541/Sunset 1927

Drygalksi Fjord & Cooper Bay

“…savage and horrible…the wild rocks raised their lofty summits until they were lost in the clouds, and the valleys lay covered with everlasting snow. Not a tree was to be seen, nor a shrub even big enough to make a toothpick”  -Captain James Cook (upon sighting Isle Georgia in 1775)

We awoke this morning to views of South Georgia Island out our window.  It is very mountainous and snow covers the upper elevations.   We will approach Cape Disappointment and the south-eastern coast of South Georgia Island.  The ends of the island can be treacherous from wind, growlers and sometimes even large icebergs which can make navigation and expedition operations difficulty. We hope to have the opportunity to investigate the large Drygalksi Fjord later this morning depending on weather conditions.  This is a Norwegian-style fjord of immense beauty.   Lofty crags and precipitous glaciers line its sides and it ends in a wall of ice.  Right now the seas are calm and blue and it’s sunny and 45F with low winds.

We’ve decided to take the POLAR PLUNGE at Drygalksi Fjord!  Needless to say, not many people are volunteering for this.  Jim & I did the jump together into the 3C water.   Yikes…it was cold and super salty.  The reward–Shots of Cognac were awaiting us as we climbed back onto the ship.

We are now parked in a harbor watching the wildlife while the kayakers head out for short ride.  The weather is changing again already.  Clouds have moved in and the winds have picked up, and it has started to rain a bit.  So glad we did the plunge while it was sunny and less windy! The terns are feeding on the waters near the ship and in the water under them we see Macaroni penguin jumping in and out to feed as well.  There are several seals lounging along the rocky shoreline and some in the water splashing around and playing.  They’re so entertaining to watch.

After lunch the ship ventured into the smaller Southern arm of Larsen Harbour.  The rock and glacial vistas are amazing.  We are finally seeing an abundance of wildlife-petrels, macaroni penguins, seals, gulls and shags.

Late Afternoon we ventured out in the Zodiacs for an expedition in Cooper Bay.   We did a cruise along the shoreline and then landed on the beach where there were thousands of fur seals.  Fur seal pups were everywhere playing in the water and on the beach.  They are so cute and very inquisitive.  We kept our distance from the Elephant seals as they can be very aggressive.  We got more views of Macaroni Penguins this evening.  They have the most dramatic eyebrows!

 

 

South Georgia is a mountainous, barren island in the South Atlantic Ocean.  It is 100 miles long and 20 miles wide and rises to Mount Paget (9,625 feet).  It is 1,250 miles from the South American coast to the west, 500 miles from the South Orkney Islands to the south and 800 miles east-southeast of the Falkland Islands.  There’s only one way to get there: by boat, which takes two full days from the Falkland Islands or three from Ushuaia, Argentina.  It is part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands although Argentina also claims the territory.  The island’s bleak Antarctic climate, with perpetual snow covering three-fourths of the island, supports only hardy grasses and other tundra plants. Reindeer were introduced shortly after 1900 and have survived. Marine life is abundant offshore, and there are a number of species of penguins and seals.

Drygalksi Fjord is approximately seven miles long and features a large tidewater glacier at the far end of the fjord.  The glacier can have spectacular calving events, especially given the incredibly scenic alpine backdrop that makes up the two steep, jagged-peaked sides of the fjord. Larsen Harbour is a small, southern arm of the larger fjord system.