Shackleton Hike, Fortuna Bay to Stromness, 3/1/2018, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Antarctica
The morning got off to a very bright sunrise with mirror seas as we approached our first location, namely Fortuna Bay and the starting point of the final leg of Shackleton’s hike across South Georgia on the 15th and 16th of May 1916.
The weather in the afternoon turned to rain but it did not stop us from landing at Grytviken where “the Boss” shook off his mortal coil, so consequently suitable toasts were made at Shackleton’s grave (and that of Frank Worsley) by our very own National Geographic Orion stand-in Peter.
Following a distinguished business career with Unilever PLC, Chris obtained a master’s degree in marine biology at the National Oceanography Centre (NOCS) at Southampton University in the U.K. and graduated in 2007 with first-class honours. From ther...
Growing up in a military family, Mark Coger has been traveling most of his life. While living in Japan, he developed his passion for videography. He began his venture in the field of video production by filming numerous events for a local high scho...
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It was a day for reflection. Our journey was coming to an end as we left the Falklands behind and National Geographic Endurance steamed towards South America and Ushuaia. The seas were kind to us, and despite low winds, we had black-browed albatross, among other birds, around us. In the morning, we listened to the naturalists onboard as they presented on different subjects in the ice lounge. Land-ho! Mid-morning we had land in sight, South America was appearing on the horizon. Upon entering the Beagle Channel, we saw possibly a hundred sei whales. While the seabirds were waiting for the wind on the surface, the whales were feeding a short distance from the ship. As our vessel waited for the pilot to arrive, we could still see whale blows in the distance. We enjoyed a teatime extravaganza with Chef Sara and her team. Cheese and wine brought most of the ship’s inhabitants to deck 8, and while sipping wine we watched sea lions, dolphins, and stunning views of Tierra del Fuego go by until it was time for Captain Aaron’s farewell toast. As much as we are reflecting on our expedition today, it has also been a day of celebration! It has been an incredible journey of many miles, great people, and wonderful experiences. Thank you all!
What a fabulous day we’ve had for our last expedition day of this incredible adventure! We arrived at West Point Island’s sheltered settlement harbor after a windy night off the coast of the Falkland Islands. The colony at Devil’s Nose was a spectacular sight and we were so thrilled to get our fix of albatross up close after seeing them following us at sea for so much of this voyage. Black-browed albatross chicks were sitting patiently, waiting for their parents’ return, and rockhopper penguins were quietly completing their molt. In the afternoon, we made our final landing at Marie-Paul and Luc’s beautiful piece of the Falklands, Grave Cove. It was an easy, although windy, walk to the beach on the opposite side of the headland to see thousands of gentoo penguins on one of the Falklands’ most picturesque sand beaches. The waves were crashing, the sea lions were hunting, and Johnny rooks kept us entertained among the penguins coming and going to the sea! It was an absolutely fabulous final spot for our last taste of the Falkland Islands.
We arrived in the morning at the beautiful Saunders Island, home to the family of Expedition Leader Russ. It is always very special to visit this island, and the welcome we get is absolutely amazing. Today we visited the settlement and got a tour of the farm. The working dogs of the island met us on the beach and gladly joined our Zodiacs for a tour around the bay, happily barking at the many Commerson’s dolphins playing around us. In the afternoon we tried to go to the rookery on the other side of the island for a chance to see rockhopper penguins and black-browed albatross. The weather was not on our side, and halfway through the landing operation we decided to change our plans. It was an adventurous Zodiac ride back to the ship and the joy of being greeted with a warm beverage from our bar team was enormous.
