Saturday, March 3^rd, 2018                                                   Sunrise: 0600/Sunset: 1926

Elsehul & At Sea

Our final day in South Georgia finds us at the northwestern tip of the island where the early risers went ashore to explore the inlet of Elsehul.  Needless to say, Jim went on the excursion and I stayed in bed.  Elsehul is a small bay that was formed by a geological fault in the local rocks, which have been eroded away by the sea.

Grey-headed, light-mantled, and black-browed albatross live in the inlet, as well as gentoo, king & macaroni penguins.  We have seen thousands upon thousands of seal pups but the Naturalists tell us that only about 50% of them will survive the upcoming winter months.  I get that it’s the circle of life thing, but it’s still so sad.

After breakfast, the ship headed out into open seas again for the 2 1/2 day crossing to the Falkland Islands.  The ocean swells are giving us a wild ride today.  The sun is shining and we’re experiencing huge swells of about 8-10 meters.  Hoping this isn’t the night we get tossed out of our bed by the swells.   We can see Albatross flying alongside the ship as we’re sailing.  It’s so awesome to watch these huge beautiful birds coasting alongside the ship with so little effort.

Sea days are kind of boring, especially when moving about is challenging due to the “motion in the ocean”.  We had a photography lecture to help pass the time.  Then a guest who was stationed at the South Pole many years ago as a physician gave a photo presentation on his time spent there.