In 19 February 1819 Captain William Smith on the British ship Williams plied the waters of the Drake Passage southward. On his passage from Montevideo to Valparaiso he had diverted his course far to the south by chance. Through this inadvertent course he discovered new territory but some disbelieved him. After a failure attempting to reach it again, the third time was a charm in late 1819 he was able to sail along mountainous lands covered in snow and ice. Originally he called the land New South Britain but did not know the extent of the land and whether it was actually part of a larger land mass. Smith’s reports of abundant whales and seals immediately intrigued the British government. The British Naval officer Edward Bransfield was then ordered to take command of the Williams and have Smith guide him to the New Britain location. Subsequently they charted the islands later called South Shetland Islands and their work then attracted soon-to-follow ships with commercial ventures.
This morning we were also destined to make a similar discovery and approach Antarctica at the South Shetland Islands. However thick fog limited visibility of the surroundings as we slowly passed through English Strait. Large icebergs and a rapid current made for some what tricky navigation by the skilled team of bridge officers, but we were soon through the channel and traveling along the eastern side of the South Shetland Islands. Many joyed at the first glimpses of penguins porpoising out of the water ahead of the ship. Briefings on Antarctica etiquette and Zodiac operations prepared us for our first landing of the voyage.
A doughnut-shaped island at the southern end of the archipelago was our destination. Deception Island is actually an active volcano that has collapsed to form a very protected bay where the volcanic cone had been. But this afternoon we went ashore at a picturesque part of the island called Bailey Head. Even with the overcast skies the lading and scene was spectacular. Chinstrap penguins in the hundreds greeted us on the black ash beach of the island. We were also surprised to find a small number of Southern elephant seals and Antarctic fur seals adding to the wildlife viewing experience.
Returning to the ship we were treated to a presentation about whale research being conducted by John Durban and Holly Fearnbach. And then over cocktails Captain Leif Skog introduced the ship’s officers followed by a dinner punctuated with conversion about the day’s events, which sounded a bit like the penguin colony noise we had heard earlier. And then the grand finale of the day was passing through Neptune’s Bellows into the drown caldera of the island and viewing the remains of the whaling station that had been part of its history. Definitely a full and wonderful first day in Antarctica.
