Wednesday, February 28^th, 2018                                Sunrise: 0545/Sunset: 1926

“As every thread of gold is valuable, so is every moment of time.” –English Proverb

Jim ventured out at dawn today for an expedition into Gold Harbour, home to about 25,000 king penguin pairs. With an east facing beach, Gold Harbour is a great spot to be in the dawn light.  It is one of South Georgia’s most beautiful sites, with an amphitheatre of hanging glaciers and vertical cliffs rising straight out of the sea. The towering snow-covered peaks of Mt. Paterson create an unforgettable backdrop to the exceptional abundance of wildlife. The Bertrab Glacier has receded rapidly in recent years; as recently as 1985 its snout reached the single beach that runs the length of the harbour, but today there is a large lagoon between the beach and the glacier cliff.

Midmorning we returned to Gold Harbour to spend more time with the wildlife.   There are King Penguins, Gentoo penguins, Elephant seals, fur seals and birds everywhere.  I got several video’s of the seals playing and the penguins moving about.

Watching the penguins (who could care less about our presence) waddling, swimming, nesting, interacting with their peers or mates, or just doing their everyday activities can keep you mesmerized for hours.  Baby king penguins are called ‘oakum boys’  and are well-grown chicks covered in dense brown downy fur.  Penguins have no natural land predators so they don’t view us as a threat.  They are not only fearless but comically inquisitive.  Dozens toddled down the beach, pecked at one another, and whacked each other with their stumpy wings like bored siblings.

Hundreds of fur seals lounged in the tussac grass and along the beach. One energetic pup kept bluff-charging us as we got in and out of the Zodiac.  Others would sometimes get territorial and bark at us like Labrador puppies.

We had great weather today with sunshine, temps in the 40’s and no wind so we were able to enjoy lunch on the outdoor patio on the ship with the majestic lush mountains of the bay as our backdrop.  There are the most stunning vistas here in Gold Harbour.  For our afternoon excursion, the Captain has moved the ship to Royal Bay.   There is a huge King Penguin rookery on Royal Bay.  I’ve opted to stay on the boat.  Jim ventured out to shoot yet more penguin photos!

During our daily wrap up and cocktail hour, Peter raised a beautiful toast (whiskey-yuk!) to Tom Crean, a famous Irish Antarctic explorer.

2100  Movie Night in the Lounge: part three, the conclusion, of Chasing Shackleton. This docu-drama recreates the incredible voyage of the James Caird from Elephant Island to South Georgia.  Popcorn will be provided!