We awoke from a quiet evening at anchor while the ship navigated to our destination this morning at Hercules Bay. Although the wind was a bit breezy outside, the bay offered ample protection to explore the area via our Zodiacs. The Cumberland sandstone and metamorphose sandstone that form this part of the bay provided the perfect perch for many albatrosses to build their nests and raise their chicks before heading back out to the open ocean for the winter. And while some of us were enjoying the wildlife on the beaches and the cliffs, the dive team opted to explore the kelp beds that lined the edges of the shoreline.
After lunch we headed to our second location for the day, which also happens to be the only inhabited spot in South Georgia, Grytviken Harbour. It was once a thriving whaling station that now serves not only as a museum and gift shop, but also as a research station and government entry point for vessels that wish to visit the island. We toured the old station and visited the museum and got to exercise our credit cards. Some of us walked up behind the station along the meadow for a panoramic view of the harbour. And before we departed, we paid our respects to The Boss, Earnest Shackleton, and the other whalers who occupy the gravesite with a toast and some scotch. And with the wind building, it was time to leave the harbour and find more protected anchorage for the evening.
