[…] The world felt both infinitely large and strangely small at the same time. The horizon stretched endlessly in every direction. There was no land in sight, no other boats for miles—just the vast expanse of the ocean. It made everything else feel distant and insignificant […]

[…] All around us there was a dark threatening sky but for just a few moments the sun peaked out and lit the scene in strong sunlight. […]

[…] But just to walk that short distance in the footsteps of those great men felt a real privilege. To stand on the mountain where Shackleton stood looking down into Stromness knowing that at last they were safe and could set about rescuing the men left behind on Elephant Island. […]

[…] The pictures are as I imagined, wide shots showing the enormity of the colony and long telephoto pictures of individuals or clusters coming ashore.  It’s the detail in the water and the beautiful colours of the King Penguin that intrigued me.

We have another two weeks here before we have to start thinking of the upwind return journey so we will park those thoughts for now and enjoy the moment being in one of the best and remotest wildlife areas in the world.

[…] Each time we are lucky enough to have a fully immersive experience of Falkland waters – be it cold , still, sunny, murky -rough or mesmerising- we get the chance to dive a little bit deeper into ourselves and our connection to this landscape.

[…] A chance to dive at the Jasons is a rare and wondrous opportunity. Think brilliant blue waters, sunlight dappled kelp forests, maniac fur seals zipping every which way around you and penguin torpedos zooming past in the dinner time rush.

[...] But Shackleton suddenly remembered that there was no glacier in Stromness Bay.  So, this must be Fortuna Bay, not Stromness.  And, anyway, getting down the great icefall tumbling from where they stood looked impossible.  So, weary and disappointed, they turned back to look for a better route. [...]

[...] We were all geared up, breakfast in our bellies and about to launch the Zodiac when a violent katabatic wind came rocketing down the Heaney Glacier turning the bay into a maelstrom immediately scrubbing our landing plans. [...]

[...] South Georgia is famous for these katabatic ‘williwaws’ but these were the worst I had experienced here in thirty-five years. Our tent seemed to take the worst hammering, bending and contorting with each blast until poles snapped and spindrift started to pour through holes in the ripped fabric. [...]

[...] Even the huge icebergs littering the bay had arranged themselves to leave a clear passage of clear water – perfect for a quick Zodiac ride to the beach.  It took three ferries to get everything ashore. [...]

[...] Although the island is only 170km long, the good thing is we have no-where near exhausted its potential for these adventures.  South Georgia, this denizen of the Southern Ocean can be very difficult, unpredictable at best, most often humbling.

Our yard period in Cape Town comes to an end and it is time to sail Vinson of Antarctica back to the Falklands for the start of an exciting season.

[…] This afternoon we spotted the volcanic mountain of Tristian da Cuhna. It turns out, Celestial Navigation really works!

The students are discovering that celestial navigation, and more widely sailing across an ocean, hones patience and observation like little else. […]

Early on an expedition, weeks seem to be longer than land life ones. It’s been just two days since we left Puerto Williams, but the succession of events, fishing, hiking, barbeques on the beach, and beautiful scenery after the other one, could well seem that time here is set to pass much slower.

Five lap tops are opened and lit up on the salon table. Furrowed, no nonsense brows focus on their crib sheets. They are not to be interrupted with frivolities like what’s for dinner. Our researchers, have come to the end of our principle objective, the survey of 30 wandering albatross nesting sites on South Georgia […]

[…] It was blowing right out of the bay, a steady 30 knots, gusting 40 and Dion, who knows every single beach, rocky landing and the rest when asked what he thought about having a go said “It should be alright, between williwaws.” […]

Due to the pristine nature of Annenkov, we are led to believe we could be the last humans to set foot ashore there for the near to mid-term future. [..]

A reliable, comfortable vessel and our dedicated Vinson crew of Chris, Mariana, Justino and Tor was the secret to our success in pulling off this project against some heavily stacked odds from the wind gods Boreas and Notus. […]

[…] Facing formidable logistical challenges, requiring meticulous preparation over many months, and finding ourselves at the mercy of higher powers, the realization dawned that every small piece of information we glean from this extraordinary environment will be unparalleled, truly unprecedented, and immensely valuable.