At sea to South Georgia
The north-westerly winds of yesterday continued to blow from our stern quarter, as if to help us on our way to South Georgia. The National Geographic Explorer rode the waves comfortably and made good speed, so we should make our eagerly anticipated landfall in South Georgia tomorrow morning.
During the day we continued a watch for wildlife from the bridge and open decks. Among the diversity of seabirds, albatrosses featured prominently in the species list. As yesterday, we recorded five species during the day. The bird with the largest wingspan in the world (at a little over 3 metres or 11 feet) – the wandering albatross – was sighted several times, while the smaller but perhaps more elegant light-mantled sooty albatross competed for attention.
In the early afternoon we passed the isolated rocky outcrops of Shag Rocks, home to a colony of eponymous seabirds. Several distant humpback whale blows were sighted, but conditions were not really suitable for slowing down and whale watching. Hopefully we will have better luck later in the voyage.
Meanwhile our on board series of presentations continued, preparing us for our visit to South Georgia by covering subjects from penguins through to seals. We also prepared for our arrival by thoroughly cleaning our gear to ensure that we do not unwittingly transfer seeds or other material to South Georgia from the Falkland Islands; a reminder of the vulnerability of small oceanic islands to the impact of non-native species.
