Home → Triplogs & photo galleries → Antarctic 2013/14 → FI, SG, SSI, Antarctica 2013/11/01-23 → Gallery 4: Antarctica and South Shetland Islands

Gallery 4: Antarctica

Due to the ice, the South Orkney Islands were not an option, so the South Shetlands were the next place we reached after four days sailing from the South Sandwich Islands. The nearest place and our first stopp was Point Wild on Elephant Island. Again, we were lucky with the weather and we could jump into the Zodiacs to have a close look at the famous place where 22 men from Shackleton’s Endurance got marooned for more than 4 months in 1916 until their Boss returned after his legendary open boat journey with the James Caird to South Georgia and his crossing of the island to rescue his men. Point Wild is an amazing place, but we were happy our time there measured in hours and not in months, so after having been waved off by some friendly Humpback whales, we sailed southwestwards to the South Shetlands proper.

Our late afternoon landing was Penguin Island, a lovely little island and again a tricky one unless the weather is calm. It was calm, so we enjoyed great views over the fresh volcanic crater and the nearby ice fields of King George Island, before an adventurous trip back to the ship as a field of brash ice (pieces of glacier ice) had drifted in towards our landing site, blocking it mostly and making it hard work for the Zodiac drivers and the guides on shore to get everybody off the island. Safe bet spirits on board where good after that adventure!

In the Antarctic Peninsula, we lost most of one day due to quite extreme weather, but in the late afternoon it cleared up and the curtain rose to expose great views of stunning Antarctic landscapes around Wilhelmina Bay. The next day started with a little disappointment, as we had to abort an early morning landing at Almirante Brown Station in Paradise Bay due to ice fields quickly drifting towards the shore. But then this really turned out to be our day. A good landing in Neko Harbour, a stunning cruise through sunny, great Neumayer Channel and a lovely afternoon with lots of wildlife, scenery and history at and around Port Lockroy. What else could one ask for? One good day, that’s what you need.

A visit to Whalers Bay in Deception Island rounded our Antarctic days off. A surprisingly calm Drake Passage and some good views of the famous Cape Horn finally brought a good voyage to a good end.

I have managed to get 360 degree panorama images also in many of the places we visited in the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Soon, they will be displayed in my selection of Antarctic panoramas on this website.