December 27 Point Wild, Elephant Island and South Shetland Islands

 

The South Shetlands islands are a far cry from their northern namesakes – wild and rugged and icy. While we were sailing towards Elephant island we were engrossed in a wonderful lecture from Nina Gallo about Shackleton’s ill-fated expedition, the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition aboard the Endurance. His ship was trapped in the ice of the Weddell sea with no hope of getting free. The crew camped on the ice for months before deciding to make a run for Elephant island 400 km away through wild seas and ultimately on to South Georgia. The story was unfolding as we were approaching Elephant island – it was quite eerie.  

Decks 5 and 6 at front of the ship are a glass atrium. From here you can watch the sea.

On the way to the island, we passed through the Southern Convergency where the cold Antarctic waters meet the warmer Subantarctic waters. That produces an upwelling of nutrients such as krill and fish which attracts sea birds and whales and other cetacea. Huge aggregations of birds and whales circled around near our ship. Two surfaced right under the window I was watching from. It was quite amazing to witness.

We passed some impressive islands before we reached Elephant Island. Elephant Island is a half-submerged mountain cloaked with an ice sheet at the outer limits of the South Shetlands. As we were passing around the island Nina was talking about the landing that Shackleton made at Point Wild. At this desolate spot he left 22 of his crew who survived for 100 odd days under two upturned lifeboats with sail roofs and a seal pelt floor. In the meantime he and 5 others sailed on to South Georgia 1300Km away.  A group of our passengers braved the wild weather including snow to visit Point Wild.

“Nearly always there were gales. So small was our boat and so great were the seas that often our sail flapped idly in the calm between the crests of two waves. Then we would climb the next slope and catch the full fury of the gale where the wool-like whiteness of the breaking water surged around us.” - Ernest Shackleton

What an epic journey in such a small boat, the James Caird! He eventually made it to Peggotty Camp, the whaling station at King Haaken Bay.  After an extremely difficult trek across the mountainous spine of the island, Shackleton reached Stromness whaling station.

Landing point on our expedition to date.