twangster

Our zodiac ride this morning:

On the departure from Point Wild we had been informed we would sail through a whale hotspot. They didn't lie. I spent a lot of time up top until I was so cold I couldn't stay longer. I've still need to go through those pictures. Coming soon...

Walking past La Dame the table that can be seen from the lobby typically has not been occupied with anyone wearing a jacket. Most nights on the ship are labelled casual. Even on the "Informal" night last night very few jackets were worn in The Restaurant. Expedition cruising is very different from Classic. Typically this cruise has been smart casual by many, less so by a few.

I think it's in great shape for a ship this old. It has been modernized with things like current wifi technology and USC outlets in the suites. Sitting in the Dolce Vita bar as I type this it doesn't feel dated. However I've not sailed a newer ship in the Silversea fleet so you might be better to ask in the main forum for input from others that have sailed more of the fleet.

Anyone fancy a shag? The Antarctic Shag. Time to head back to the ship. Stunning scenery.

With very little coastline or a beach there isn't a lot of space to land. Could you imagine spending four and half months living under the remnants of lifeboats? This little spit of land is all there was. Now there is a monument to the pilot of a Chilean Navy boat that led the fourth and finally successful attempt to rescue the men of the Endurance that were marooned here. Luis Pardo Villalón was a pilot in the Chilean Navy. His Captain refused the mission so Villalón gathered volunteers and set off to effect the rescue after three previous attempts by other resources had failed. Some Elephant seals rest on the only resemblance of a beach in the area.

High in the hills where the nests are they make their way up and down the steep rock faces all day long. Now onto the next reason we came here...

It's very interesting to watch these penguins as they prepare to jump in. They thinlk about it brielfy and them just go for it. Coming back onto land from the sea... Once they stick their landing it's like they are glued to the slippery rock. Time to feed!

We repositioned to see different areas of the colony. All the while the busy penguins left to feed and returned. A small group made their up way an iceberg. The ultimate game of King of the Hill. Very good at climbing steep inclines.

They are a lot more graceful swimming through the water where they "porpoise" as they skim along near the surface. Throughout the morning this was occurring all around us as the colony went to sea to feed and return with full bellies to feed their young.

Despite the inhospitable environment and steep rock walls these penguins seem to thrive. They nest high above the water and make the commute down to the waterline to jump in, feed, and bring a meal home to the chicks they are raising. These are Chinstrap penguins, so called for obvious reasons namely the thin black line that resembles a chinstrap. Stains on their chests are from feeding their young back in the nests.

Soon enough my zodiac group was called. Stunning scenery especially with the blue sky contrasting the snow and ice. We encountered some brash ice we had to slowly navigate through. Back up to speed towards the penguin colony.

This is another day when the weather became better as the morning progressed. A later zodiac time was a good thing today. A zodiac nudges some ice out of the way.

Point Wild is where twenty two men of the Endurance spent four and a half months waiting to be rescued but eventually they were. Gert, our expedition leader was surveying the scene from the bridge wing one deck down. A visit to Elephant Island is never a sure thing. Swell is often a cause to cancel operations. Wind and low visibility are common. It looks like we are a go. With a late zodiac group today I was able to relax and have a leisurely morning. With a zodiac now in the water you can get an idea of the scale and size of the mountains.

I woke up to discover land outside my balcony. As we had been told in the briefing, Elephant Island is not a hospitable environment. The island is mountainous with steep, sharp rock faces. A number of glaciers or snowfields filled the valleys in between peaks. I was fairly certain Point Wild lay straight ahead.

Super busy day. Just back from our afternoon session and the daily briefing is starting soon. More on today soon.

We've arrived to Point Wild and the first zodiac groups are off. I'm waiting for my group to be called. More to come on our approach and the beautiful scenery here where Shackleton's men spent 135 days waiting rescue.

Day 12 Chronicle: 30 DEC - Point Wild and Elephant Island South Antarctica.pdf

Day Twelve - Elephant Island Position report:

After dinner I suited up and ventured upstairs to see if there was any marine life out there. It's pretty cold now so looking for wildlife requires dressing up for the occasion. No sign of anything so I might as well enjoy the view from my suite. From on board the Silver Wind.

Daily briefing for tomorrow at Elephant Island: The goal or hope is to visit two locations on the island. In the morning Point Wild in the North is where Shackleton left his men to go and find help leading to the now famous story. In the afternoon somewhere in the South depending on weather. However visiting Elephant Island is highly weather dependent and we won't know if either is going to happen until we get there.

Our position when we encountered A23a. Then later as we moved off to continue towards Elephant Island.

A23a is a very large iceberg that broke off in 1986. It quickly grounded and stayed in place until 2020 when it floated free and began moving. Over the course of 2023 it has really picked up steam and began making a move North to where we found it, or the Captain and bridge team found it, today. It's hard to capture the scale of an iceberg this large. It just goes on and on. Once again the deck 5 bow area was open for our viewing pleasure. There is little point trying to capture all of it in a photo because you can't unless you are in space which is where scientists are following it using satellites. It's 3,900 square kilometers or 1,500 square miles in size. Naturally I brought my 360 camera with me.

Top side on whale watch this afternoon. In the distance appeared a mirage that almost looked like land yet I knew there was no land out here. More small bits of ice were present in this area. The wind was ferocious but that isn't a mirage. It's a really big iceberg. It's A23a.