National Geographic Resolution sailed west toward the Falklands immersed in fog. Birders were teased all morning with brief views of small petrels and albatrosses zipping in and out of visibility. After listening to naturalist Rob Edwards talk geology, guests headed outside. They were delighted to see that the fog had lifted, and three wandering albatrosses cruised effortlessly above the wake of the ship. It was the smaller birds that stole the show, though, with grey petrels, great shearwaters, and soft-plumaged petrels all showing off their agility in the winds. As the day progressed, we were joined by the first skuas of the passage, a sure sign that we are getting close to land.
11/14/2024
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National Geographic Explorer
Elephant Island
This morning National Geographic Explorer arrived at Antarctica after a calm crossing of the Scotia Sea from South Georgia. At 6am, our expedition leader announced that we had arrived at the iconic location of Shackleton’s epic Elephant Island. The majority of adventurous souls on board headed for the bow or bridge to see Point Wild. For Shackleton’s men this was the first time in sixteen months they had been on land. After the Endurance sank, they spent 5.5 months camping on the ice and seven days in their rowboats to Cape Valentine. Realizing that beach was no safe-haven, Frank Wild took one of the lifeboats to seek a safer camp and found Point Wild, which was a miserable place. From the bow we could see the monument of Captain Pardo, commander of the Yelcho, which rescued the 22 men after Shackleton found help on South Georgia. A blustery day (gusts of 40 knots) around the island did not allow for a Zodiac cruise but we continued around the coast of Elephant Island and checked out Cape Valentine and Cape Lookout before heading across the Bransfield Strait to the Antarctic Peninsula.