This morning the National Geographic Explorer raced into the protected Settlement Harbor of West Point Island as the cold southern winds blew from astern. Once within the bay the wind died down considerably and we were able to launch Zodiacs and begin our morning operations. The first group to brave the Zodiac trip arrived at the dock for what is sure to be one of only a few dry landings and went ashore. These hardy souls had chosen to take a long walk towards the scenic outlook on a nearby hill top before turning down towards a place on the island known as Devil’s Nose. The staff were fairly confident in the potential for wildlife sightings. The next group ashore were those who elected to take a medium walk. These equally intrepid hikers would take a more direct route to the Devil’s Nose. The third and final group was brought ashore, and these folks had elected to take a trip in one of the island Land Rovers to arrive at the same sight.
And what a sight awaited us! A massive rookery for both the stately black-browed albatross, brooding their single, precious egg, and the adorable rockhopper penguins, often with two eggs. Five hundred pairs of penguins and 2,000 pairs of albatross! Because of its location near a low point on the island, the wind comes through the rookery with quite a high speed at times and the albatross simply open their wings and lift straight off their mud-built nests into the sky. It was a magical scene. After feasting our eyes and filling up our memory cards at Devil’s Nose, we turned back to the settlement and were treated to a massive spread of homemade confections of every variety by the caretakers of the farm there. Tea and coffee was served in ornate china while an affectionate Labrador named Bosun looked on hungrily.
Once safely back on board we sat down for another fabulous lunch from our own galley team and we set sail for Saunders Island. Before we knew it the anchor was down and our second adventure of the day began. The white sand beaches and blue waters of the bay could easily have deceived anyone just looking at a photo of our landing site, until a group of Magellanic penguins popped cheerily out of the surf, and an albatross went floating by on the breeze. A surreal scene indeed. The intrepid again set out on foot and others took a Land Rover to our second colony of black-browed albatross, each nest grander than the last. Back aboard we were ceremoniously welcomed by Captain Leif Skog at his official cocktail party and dinner celebration. A beautiful way to finish our first formal day of exploration.
