We woke up to sunny day in Fortuna Bay. This is where Ernest Shackleton, Frank Worseley and Tom Crean started the last leg of their legendary crossing of South Georgia, following their unbelievable 16-day journey on the lifeboat "James Caird" from Elephant Island to King Haakon Bay. They knew that if only they could get in touch with the people of the whaling station in the next fjord, their remaining 22 men at Point Wild could have a fair chance to be rescued. We have learned that the incredible story ended well, thanks to the unconditioned help from Norwegian whalers on Strömness whaling station, and finally the Chilean ship Yelcho that brought the 22 men safely back to civilization.

This morning, 39 guests and a handful staff and crew from National Geographic Endurance had the pleasure of walking in Shackleton´s footsteps to cover the last leg from Fortuna Bay to Strömness. Those who braved the walk were blessed with magnificent weather and got a hiking experience to remember. The fur seal bulls on the beach of Strömness, however, were bit of a challenge, but the hikers were safely funneled towards the Zodiacs, thanks to the experienced guards from the staff.

After lunch, the ship relocated to Hercules Bay, a sheltered cove on the Busen Peninsula. The dead-calm weather was inviting for kayaking, which many of the guests chose to go for. Others preferred a Zodiac cruise, and everybody who went out got to see macaroni penguins up close. We also spotted a few gentoos and king penguins in addition to fur seals and elephant seals. A few light-mantled sooty albatrosses soaring over our heads were also a delight to see.

Amazing lenticular clouds framing the mountains in the evening provided a spectacular finale to our last full day of exploration on South Georgia.