Stromness, where Sir Ernest Shackleton finally arrived after his epic journey from Elephant Island. A cliffside colony of Macaroni Penguins at Hercules Bay plus King Penguins, Gentoos and a lone Chinstrap.
From Godthul on South Georgia we moved off to Stromness whaling station, passing Leith whaling station near the mouth of Stromness Bay.
Stromness was the station that Ernest Shackleton, Tom Crean and Frank Worsley eventually reached after their epic sea journey from Elephant Island, a distance of 800 nautical miles in a tiny boat, only 22 feet long.
The James Caird, originally one of the lifeboats of the Endurance, was strengthened and made as seaworthy as possible by Harry McNish, the carpenter of the expedition. He, Timothy McCarthy and John Vincent completed the crew of the small boat, leaving 22 men behind on Elephant Island waiting to be rescued.
The James Caird leaves Elephant Island.
Frank Hurley, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
The James Caird, and its six crew, weathered stormy seas and enormous waves to reach the west coast of South Georgia thanks in large part to the navigation skills of Worsley, though the horrific weather made it difficult, relying on being able to see the sun, at least at intervals. Over the course of the journey Worsley was able to make only four direct calculations when the sun put in a brief appearance but he was renowned for his "dead reckoning", calculating present position from a previous position with estimates of speed of travel, direction and time lapsed.
After losing two days due to mountainous seas, and enduring a hurricane, they eventually landed at King Haakon Bay on the north west of South Georgia. The three then had to cross the mountains to reach Stromness, formidable terrain even in good weather and with the right equipment and clothing which they didn't have. To give their boots more grip on the snow and ice they pierced the soles with screws. Crossing a pass (now Shackleton Gap) between King Haakon Bay and Possession Bay they walked 30 miles - although on one memorable occasion they formed a three man "sled" and slid down a steep, snow-covered mountainside - to Stromness where they knocked at the station manager's door.
Hercules Bay is north of Stromness Bay around Cape Saunders. We were making our way there to see the penguin colonies, mainly Macaroni and King penguins, but there were also Gentoos and a lone Chinstrap.
The Macaroni Penguins inhabit the cliffs and the best way to see them is by Zodiac.
They are quite large and have distinctive orange crest feathers, rather like quills tucked behind the ear!
On the shore there were many King Penguins along with Macaronis and Gentoos.
It had been a long, wonderful day, and as we returned to the ship the pilot of the Zodiac took us on detour around the icebergs. There were a lot of penguins in the water, they are amazingly fast.
As we were having dinner that evening the sunset was magnificent, so more photos were called for!
