Grytviken & Stromness
Throughout the night the National Geographic Explorer steamed up and down in the entrance to Cumberland Sound battling gale force winds, unable to find a sheltered and safe anchorage. During our early breakfast, Captain Dieckmann brought us into the harbor at Grytviken and dropped the hook between the British Antarctic Survey and Fisheries bases on King Edward Point and the abandoned whaling station. Strong winds continued gusting to 50 knots but they did not deter any of us from making a landing by the old whaler’s cemetery and drinking a toast to the great Ernest Shackleton who died and was buried here in 1922.
From the cemetery we were able to walk around the head of the bay through the remains of the whaling station (that operated from 1904 until 1964) to the well-kept Lutheran church and wonderful museum that was established in 1992 in the manager’s residence. The informative museum displays are devoted to the social and natural histories of the island. There is also a shop there whose proceeds go to the maintenance and improvements of the museum.
During lunch our ship left Cumberland Sound and headed northwest along the coast toward Fortuna Bay. It was our intention to hike the final few miles of the route Shackleton took when he crossed South Georgia. He needed to reach the whaling station at Stromness during his ill-fated Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1916. Unfortunately, hurricane force winds precluded our chance to walk from Fortuna. Instead we went directly to Stromness to survey conditions there. Although we were still experiencing gusts over 60 knots, we made a landing and many of us hiked up the broad valley to the waterfall that Shackleton had to descend.
When we were all back aboard our ship turned north-eastward. We had now begun our four day passage across the great empty expanse of the South Atlantic toward our next destination, remote Tristan de Cunha.
Throughout the night the National Geographic Explorer steamed up and down in the entrance to Cumberland Sound battling gale force winds, unable to find a sheltered and safe anchorage. During our early breakfast, Captain Dieckmann brought us into the harbor at Grytviken and dropped the hook between the British Antarctic Survey and Fisheries bases on King Edward Point and the abandoned whaling station. Strong winds continued gusting to 50 knots but they did not deter any of us from making a landing by the old whaler’s cemetery and drinking a toast to the great Ernest Shackleton who died and was buried here in 1922.
From the cemetery we were able to walk around the head of the bay through the remains of the whaling station (that operated from 1904 until 1964) to the well-kept Lutheran church and wonderful museum that was established in 1992 in the manager’s residence. The informative museum displays are devoted to the social and natural histories of the island. There is also a shop there whose proceeds go to the maintenance and improvements of the museum.
During lunch our ship left Cumberland Sound and headed northwest along the coast toward Fortuna Bay. It was our intention to hike the final few miles of the route Shackleton took when he crossed South Georgia. He needed to reach the whaling station at Stromness during his ill-fated Trans-Antarctic Expedition in 1916. Unfortunately, hurricane force winds precluded our chance to walk from Fortuna. Instead we went directly to Stromness to survey conditions there. Although we were still experiencing gusts over 60 knots, we made a landing and many of us hiked up the broad valley to the waterfall that Shackleton had to descend.
When we were all back aboard our ship turned north-eastward. We had now begun our four day passage across the great empty expanse of the South Atlantic toward our next destination, remote Tristan de Cunha.
