Grytviken and Gold Harbour, 3/4/2022, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Antarctica
What an incredible first day in South Georgia. After making the crossing from South America, we were all excited to reach South Georgia…and wow, it delivered! We had perfect weather to stroll through the historical whaling station at Grytviken, and we encountered fin whales from the bow of the ship. To cap off an already spectacular day, we visited Gold Harbour to see thousands of king penguins. What a start to our trip!
Brett is a photographer, marine biologist, and educator from California. He is happiest underwater with camera in hand working to inspire marine conservation. He has worked and traveled extensively throughout the Americas, Asia, Oceania, and the Midd...
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Having successfully avoided the worst of the weather in our crossing from South Georgia, the sun rose to reveal Saunders Island before us at the beginning of the day. This is an island in the West Falklands and is home to many sheep and black-browed albatross. In the heavy winds of the morning, we were visited at sea by these albatross, as well as a variety of other seabirds and some sei whales. We started our program for the day with a presentation from Historian Steve Fisher, who took us through the complex history of the archipelago up to the 1982 war. This was followed by a serene watercolor session led by Naturalist Jessie Johnson. In the afternoon, Naturalist Gerard Baker talked us through contemporary life in the Falklands. In all, the day set us up well for what was to come as we made our transit.
The day dawned aboard National Geographic Resolution as we sailed out of the Scotia Sea. After yet another delicious breakfast, our natural history staff kicked off a series of presentations. Naturalist Joe Holiday started it off with a program on “Geology of the Falkland Islands” followed by an interesting program by our visiting scientist, Ariana Mancusco, about the research she’s conducting throughout this expedition. By late morning, we crossed the Falkland Trough, the captain and navigation officer were steely-eyed on the bridge, plotting our path through the clashing currents, winds, and waves. At noon, a surreal calm descended as we entered the eye of the low-pressure system. The sea state calmed and lunch was served in the dining room. Afternoon, the hotel team turned the lounge into a haven, hosting a lovely teatime—scones, clotted cream, and Earl Grey flowing as the ship continued westerly. Meanwhile, the natural history staff continued, with veteran Naturalist Dennis Cornejo explaining the unique plant life of the Falkland Islands. Approaching dusk, thick fog filled the sky and the Falklands loomed a mere 20 miles off, a promise for our days ahead.
Today, our first full day at sea following our time in South Georgia was spent well. The ship was quiet this morning while folks awoke to light movement due to swell leftover from a passing storm. We each seemed to take the day to reflect on South Georgia and start to move our sights to our next stop in the Falkland Islands. As the day moved from morning to afternoon we had several presentations, including one about birds from Naturalist Peter Wilson, on the topic of photography by National Geographic Expert Dan Westergren, and post-processing photos from our photo team. The sea was quiet for the evening as we sipped cocktails during our nightly recap and looked forward to the days ahead.
