Our final day in Antarctic waters was highlighted by a visit to an isolated, uninhabited, snow and glacier covered rock known as Elephant Island. Quite a contrast after the magnificence of Paradise Bay, and you may be wondering (I know you are), why we would make it a point to go there? Well, two reasons. First, it’s more or less on the way to our next destination, the Falkland Islands. And second, despite its lack of otherwise significant features, Elephant Island is important for its role in one of the most dramatic events in the history of Antarctic exploration.
Bonus points if you are familiar with the name Ernest Shackleton. Sir Ernest Shackleton (knighted by King Edward VII), who had earlier lost the race to be the first man to reach the South Pole, set out in 1914 on an expedition to be the first to cross Antarctica from end to end, passing through the South Pole. His ship, the Endurance, became trapped in sea ice and ultimately broke up and sank in November, 1915. Shackleton and his crew escaped and camped on sea ice until it melted, then made their way in three life boats to Elephant Island. Out of the sea lanes and with little chance of rescue there, Shackleton and a few of his crew took one of the lifeboats and miraculously made their way 720 nautical miles to South Georgia Island, where they found a ship to return to Elephant Island and rescue the rest of the crew. Astonishingly, not a single member of Shackleton’s crew perished despite the ordeal.
With that as background, here’s how our day went. After calling it a night with the ship sailing away from Paradise Bay, we awoke Saturday to find that it had snowed during the night. However, we had a mostly sunny morning, and the light coating on the deck chairs quickly disappeared. After watching a documentary on Antarctica in the Cinema, we turned our attention to the view outside. Through the morning and into the afternoon the Serenade sailed past the Antarctic Peninsula’s outer islands and gradually less frequent icebergs.Despite the sun it was windy and cold, and Michele and I had to bundle up to watch from outside.
By around 4:30, with the clouds increasing, we were approaching Elephant Island, and the captain slowed the ship as we inched along between our destination and nearby Clarence Island. One of the reasons for slowing was the presence of blue whales, and the puffs of steamy water told us there were quite a few of them nearby. Unfortunately, they weren’t breaching, and there wasn’t anything to photograph. We also saw lots of penguins, and flocks of seabirds swooped around the ship.
However, our attention gradually turned to the island, and as we neared it became clear why Elephant Island isn’t just uninhabited, but is also uninhabitable. Rugged mountains, glacier after glacier, and blowing snow made me wonder how Shackleton and his men survived while awaiting rescue. As Michele pointed out, we couldn’t even see a flat spot where it would be possible to set up a campsite.
Our captain was quite an expert on Shackleton’s expedition, and as we rounded the island he described the ill-fated voyage in great detail, ultimately pointing out the exact spot where the explorer and his crew made landfall in their lifeboats. To me it just looked like another of the island’s glaciers, and I wondered how much relief Shackleton and his men actually felt at reaching solid ground.
We didn’t stay long, and there was no place to put us ashore even if we had wanted to. So, having seen the historic site, and with the captain announcing that there was a drop in barometric pressure, we abandoned Elephant Island and set off for the Falklands, which we will reach on Monday. Interestingly, at Elephant Island we once again caught sight of the Celebrity Eclipse, the fourth time we have done so on this segment, and we’ll see her one more time, as she is following us to the Falklands before returning to Buenos Aires. We, on the other hand, will head to Ushuaia after our stop at Port Stanley, before starting up the west side of South America.
Our day ended with a clever show by an illusionist in the main theater, and then it was off to bed. Tomorrow is a sea day, and when we arrive in Port Stanley on Monday it will have been a week since we set foot on dry land. It’s expected to be cold and windy, with a healthy chance of rain, so we’ll need to bundle up and bring rain gear, but I’ve always wanted to visit the Falklands, so I don’t mind. I’ll be back with a full report, so watch for the link on Facebook.
Speaking of the links to my blog posts, feel free to share them with anyone who you think might be interested. My Facebook posts are only visible to my friends, but I’m happy to share the blog posts with anyone who might be interested in hearing about all the places we’re visiting.
We woke up to snow on Saturday. The sun came out and it quickly melted despite the cold temperature.
This is a small iceberg that the crew brought aboard in Paradise Bay. Pretty cool.
This documentary showed several times during the day, which was good because when we came out there was quite a line for the next showing.
Land ho. Elephant Island ahead. Starting to cloud up, and very cold out.
Two other islands nearby. The larger is Clarence Island.
Any doubt that these islands are uninhabitable?
Elephant Island, with a small iceberg in the foreground.
Another section of Elephant Island. Can’t imagine where Shackleton’s crew camped for months awaiting rescue.
We had to really bundle up because of the cold and wind.
According to the captain this is the exact spot where Shackleton and his crew came ashore. I wouldn’t think a glacier would be a very good campsite.
Starting to leave Elephant Island for the Falklands. We arrive there on Monday.
I had a great spot on the deck all to myself. I’m really glad we brought our binoculars. This is exactly the kind of place where they shine.
We went to a pretty neat show by an illusionist at 10:00, then off to bed. Sea day tomorrow.
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