Yesterday we experienced yet another miracle of South Georgia, thanks to Darrel’s good planning and smiles from the weather gods. Aurora and Darrel weighed anchor at Larsen Harbor at 4:3o am, first light, navigating us out and around the bottom tip of SG. By 6, we are on the fabled and storm battered southwest side of the island, with light winds. Icebergs in all manner of crystalline shapes are lit up, one after another, by the rising sun. We weave our way through and spot Cape Disappointment – where Capt. James Cook found out he had not discovered Antarctica, but “only” another island. We were hardly saddened however. The skys are blue, the winds are soft, the island’s chain of mountains, culminating in Mt Paget at 3000m, are glowing in sunlight. We watch one after another peak, and the intervening glaciers, march by. The clarity is such that we can see nearly the full 100 mile long island at once. This view, this weather, are only experienced here maybe 1/2 dozen times a year – and we are blessed to be in the right place at the right time.
Late afternoon we turn into King Haaken Bay, where Shackleton finally landed at Cave Cove, after 16 days crossing the screaming southern ocean from Elephant Island. We are reliving his journey, admittedly in much more comfortable style. Later we land at Peggoty Bluff and follow the first steps of Shackleton, Worsley and Crean’s crossing of the island. We can see their track across glaciers and snowfields to the Razorback in the light of a glorious sunset. Accompanied by the now familiar symphony of elephant seals and seabirds, we finish another beyond amazing day here. Justine’s gin and tonics with ancient glacier ice again cap the day.