Jan 25 - JASON HARBOUR & GODTHUL

Our first day in South Georgia was outstanding! The weather was wonderful - broken clouds with sun - and the temperature reached into the 50s. The crew were laughing that they never see weather this good.

We landed at Jason Harbor which was named after a boat that visited this place in the 1800s. It was a bay surrounded by snow covered peaks and it was teeming with life. Penguins and seals and elephants seals and birds in great numbers. This was a cruising day which allowed us to see as much as possible as quickly as possible. We had Paul as our zodiac driver and he was a wealth of knowledge.

We started with a run close to a building which was used as a post office in centuries past. The whaling stations which were north of this bay would bring their mail down to this building and it would then get picked up and taken to Grytviken for forwarding. In bad storms it could also be used for shelter. On the beach in front of the building was a ton of king penguins and seals frolicking in the ocean.

There were all forms of albatross and cormorant and duck and pipit in the areas. This was a sheltered bay where the animals could easily swim out to eat their fill of fish and krill and come back to shelter. This was a deep bay so the risk of Orca coming in was small. Orcas are the only predator for seals and penguins.

We cruised from place to place watching for more seals and penguins and birds. Are guides have been here before so the know where specific birds might be found. You spend your time taking pictures and videos but also just sitting and watching all the life around you. We finally had to head back to the ship so we could move to another spot to visit.

In the afternoon we had hoped to visit Grytviken which is the oldest whaling station in South Georgia and also where Shackleton's grave is located. As we approached it was clear that the conditions were bad and getting worse. We talked to the staff at the museum and they agreed that 40 knot winds gusting to 70 were not workable.

Instead we headed for Godthul Bay which was nearby but much more sheltered. The conditions were good so we headed out for a landing that included a climb up a short hill. There were again all kinds of penguins and seals on the beach and into the tassac grass. Dianne decided the landing looked too tough so Jack headed out. The landing was smooth and the beach very narrow so we headed up the hill to get a better view. The climb was through the falls tassac grass mounds up a small stream. You had to walk in the stream and between the mounds to make it up the slope. It finally opened up to a wide hillside with grass and at the top was a very nice view. There were petral birds with chicks at the top and our ornithologist Fabrice was happy to educate us on the life cycle of these fairly large birds. They often have two chicks so reproduce quickly. The chicks grow quickly and soon leave the nest to fly across the ocean. We finished our walk and headed back down to the beach and back to the ship.

Another glorious day!