FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 9 – South Georgia
March 13, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 9 – South Georgia
The ABC’s of Islands
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 40 –Sunday, March 10 – South Georgia Islands – heavy cloud cover w/patches of blue sky & sun turning to snow – high 38 – sunrise 6:08 – sunset 7:02
Godthul
Grytviken Church
- 8:00 – wakeup call over PA
- 8:15 – typical cappuccino/ breakfast
- A – no wind
- 1st expedition – 9:00 to 12:00 – Godthul – a bay about one mile long
- 9:30 – in no hurry, depart on last Zodiac
- 9:40 – arrive & stay in zodiac for iceberg tour in bay
- 10:10 – start hike up hill – big clumps of tussock grass very hard to maneuver for first 10 mins
- A – fur seals & molting gentoos perched on grass & hill
- 10:40 – arrive top for view of huge lake & small pond – stark rocky terrain w/low grass, mushrooms, some flowers
- 11:30 – arrive back to zodiac & light snow
- 12:00 – typical lunch
- 2nd expedition – 2:30 to 4:00 – Grytviken – only “town” on South Georgia – has church, museum, gift shop & post office – settlement was founded in 1904 as a whaling station & closed in 1962 –175,250 whales were processed @ whaling stations on South Georgia
- Ernest Shackleton buried here in small cemetery
- 6:30 – happy hour
- C – special on board guests from British Antarctic Survey (they have research station here) – meet Rod, Hugh, Paula & have dinner with both Rod & Hugh – Rod is the postman & Hugh is the director in charge of operations
FF – (FUN-fact) – Tussock grass forms a stool with a dense crown of leaves growing to 3 ft in diameter and over 6 feet high.
More FF – South Georgia is about 100 miles long and (1 to 24 miles) wide with no permanent residents. It has over 160 glaciers and half of the island is covered with ice and permanent snow.
FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 8 – South Georgia
March 12, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 8 – South Georgia
The ABC’s of Islands
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Gold Harbor, South Georgia
- B – 6:00 – wakeup call over PA
- 6:25 – cappuccino & yogurt w/granola – need more than fruit
- 7:45 – in no hurry, depart on last Zodiac
- 1st expedition –7:00 to 10:30 – St. Andrews Bay – largest king penguin colony in South Georgia (over 200,000) & largest elephant seal beach
- A – mountain tops covered w/glaciers peaking through fog shrouded base @ waterline
- B – 2 rivers to cross w/no bridge to get to edge of colony – expedition team forms a human rope to help us maneuver the slippery rocks & fast moving water
- C – my feet stay dry
- A – penguins line the beach & glacier rivers
- A – they are very inquisitive, not skittish around people
- A – there are reindeer (but since they are non-native are being killed, as are the rats)
- 12:00 – typical lunch
- 1:00 – take nap
- 2nd expedition – 2:00 to 6:00 – Gold Harbor – one of South Georgia’s most beautiful sites – ice fields & glaciers run into valleys – backdrop of towering snow covered peaks
Elephant Seal
- A – amphitheatre of hanging glaciers & vertical cliffs rise straight out of sea
- A – impressive white cliffs on the bay w/exceptional abundance of seabirds & seals
- A – kings, gentoos & elephant seals jostle for space on beach
Reindeer on St. Andrew’s Bay
- C – 10++ AAA rating for day!
- 4:00 – tea
- 6:15 – happy hour
- 6:45 – recap & briefing from expedition team
- 8:00 – dinner w/7 shipmates – mostly Brits – great conversation of religion & politics
- 9:45 – more Alfredo music & songs
FF – (FUN-fact) – The wandering albatross has the biggest wing span of any bird at 10 to 12 feet.
More FF – The huge icebergs have drifted from Antarctica and often are grounded in the shallow waters near shore.
Gold Harbor
FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 7 – South Georgia
March 11, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 7 – South Georgia
The ABC’s of Islands
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Hercules Bay
Day 38 – Friday, March 8 – South Georgia Islands – foggy, rainy morning followed by clearing skies – high 41 – sunrise 6:08 – sunset 7:11
- B – 5:30 – wakeup call over PA (need to start early because high winds are common @ 10 am)
- 1st expedition – 6:30 to 9:30 – Salisbury Plain – filled w/birds & seals as far as the eye can see – 2nd largest king penguin colony @ 80,000 – see lots of baby chicks sitting on the parents feet under a fold of skin – hundreds of fur seals & pups frolicking on the beach and in the glacier streams coming from the mountains – 10 ++ AAA rating
- B – load in the zodiac & huge wave soaks us as we are taking off
- 2nd expedition –10:30 to 11:30 – Prion Island – walk up planking surrounded by thick tufts of tussoc grass & rocks w/fur seals perched everywhere you look that match the rocks – top platform has view of nesting albatross – beach landing has Gentoos & 2 King Penguins (site limited to only 50 people at any time, so 2nd group comes @ 11:30)
- 3rd expedition – 4:00 to 5:15 – Hercules Bay – zodiac only tour – see icebergs, Macaroni penguins, waterfall, birds
Salisbury Plain
- 5:30 – happy hour
- 6:45 – recap & briefing from expedition team
- 7:15 – more happy hour before typical dinner
- 9:30 – more good music & songs in Panorama lounge
FF – (FUN-fact) – King penguins stand at 2 to 3 feet high and take over a year to raise their chicks. There are over 450,000 breeding pairs.
More FF – Our ship was hit by a rogue wave on January 12th that blew out the bridge window. Captain Adam has a huge scar over his right eye. He said, “It came out of nowhere from an odd position” when I asked him if he saw it coming. Hopefully that will be the only one. The weather had been very nice, even sun, no wind and calm seas. But there is a storm a brewing so we’re told for Monday.
Prion Island Seal Pups
FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 6 – At Sea
March 11, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 6 – At Sea
The ABC’s of Islands
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Day 37 – Thursday, March 7 – At Sea – foggy, misty rain – high 37
- 7:45 – wake up – order room service cappuccino
- B – arrives luke warm
- A – typical relaxing sea day – never bored
- 1:30 –arrive shag rocks – shrouded in fog – rock formation sticking up out of the ocean in the middle of nowhere
- 5:00 – School: Cryosphere: Where the world is frozen (part 1) – about ice & glaciers – a little TMI, too scientific
- 6:15 – recap & briefing from expedition team
- 7:00 – first time Silversea guests cocktail reception
- 8:00 – dinner
- 9:30 – Alfredo on the piano with Eva and Joy (bar staff) singing their favorite songs.
FF – (FUN-fact) – Only 3% of all the water in the world is fresh, 97% is saltwater, and 70% of the fresh water is from glaciers.
More FF – Silversea is owned by an Italian man and the ships are all named after Rolls Royce’s. Silver Shadow, Silver Spirit, Silver Cloud, Silver Wind & Silver Whisper.
King Penguins
FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 5 – At Sea
March 10, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Ushuaia, Argentina to Cape Town, South Africa – Silversea Cruise – Day 5 – At Sea
The ABC’s of Islands
A = Awesome
B = Bummer
C = Celebration
Magellanic Penguins
Day 36 – Wednesday, March 6 – At Sea – cloudy – 50’s
- 7:30 – wake up
- 7:45 – attempt to get hot cappuccino before restaurant opens
- 8:00 – it finally arrives (room service is faster)
- B – internet problems – I keep getting dropped
- 9:30 – typical breakfast
- 11:00 – bio security check – everything we wore or took to the Falkland Islands must be thoroughly cleaned and inspected to insure we don’t introduce any plants or seeds on South Georgia
Gentoos on Saunder’s Island, Falklands
- 12:30 – typical lunch
- C – Spa day – 2:15 to 4:00 – pedicure, manicure
- A – 4:00 – tea & team trivia – I actually know some geography answers because of my FUN-facts!
- 5:00 – deep tissue massage
- C –7:15 – happy hour & surprise birthday party planning meeting – 14 yr old girl w/father on our trip – arrange for balloons
- 7:45 – round up 13 other passengers to carry balloons, yell surprise & sing her happy birthday – she was surprised &really appreciated it!
- 9:45 – Grappa tasting – 3 different types that taste like diesel – only the one aged in oak is barely drinkable
- B – time change – lose an hour
FF – (FUN-fact) – Krill are a shrimp like crustacean and are a group of 80 different species. It is food for baleen whales, seabirds (especially penguins) squid, fish and Crabeater seals. Without krill, the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean would collapse.
King Penguins