Leith Harbour (also known as Leith Whaling Station) was the largest land-based whaling station on the northeast coast of South Georgia. It operated from 1909 to 1965 and was a self-contained working town at its peak, housing up to 500 men, complete with bunkhouses, workshops, a bakery, and a cinema. It processed ~50,000 whales for oil and fertilizer.

Stromness is an abandoned whaling station on the northern coast of South Georgia Island. It was the destination of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s rescue journey in 1916. Exhausted and lacking a map, he and his men descended through the valley and encountered a frozen waterfall. Not realizing an easier path existed around it, they lowered themselves straight down the ice using their last bit of rope before arriving at the whaling station. These falls now bear his name, and we hiked a 3-mile round trip over rocky terrain to see them.

When Shackleton arrived at the station, he knocked on the door of the white building shown below to seek assistance. It is the only structure that has been restored within the otherwise dilapidated whaling station.

Fortuna Bay is a picturesque, glacier-fed inlet measuring 3 miles long and 1 mile wide. It was named after the Fortuna, an early 20th-century vessel from the Norwegian-Argentine whaling expedition that established the nearby station at Grytviken. It holds significant historical value as a key landmark on the final leg of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s legendary 1916 rescue trek across the island to Stromness.

Salisbury Plain is a broad, glacial outwash plain located within the Bay of Isles. Formed by the retreat of the flanking Grace and Lucas Glaciers, it represents one of the largest open, flat spaces on the island. The area is globally renowned for hosting South Georgia’s second-largest breeding colony of king penguins, with populations reaching up to 250,000 individual birds during peak periods.

Right Whale Bay is a 1.5-mile-wide bay located along the rugged northern coast of South Georgia Island. Named after the southern right whales that historically and currently frequent its waters. The bay is a pristine sub-Antarctic wildlife sanctuary, famously hosting a massive hillside colony of roughly 25,000 breeding pairs of king penguins. Its black sand and gravel beaches are also densely populated by thousands of breeding Antarctic fur seals, alongside smaller numbers of wallowing elephant seals.

Shag Rocks are a cluster of six remote, jagged sub-Antarctic islets. They rise abruptly out of the open, wild expanses of the Southern Ocean. They are situated roughly 150 miles west of South Georgia Island and about 620 miles east of the Falkland Islands, sitting directly atop the underwater Scotia Ridge.

After two days at sea, it was quite unexpected to see these rocks seemingly materialize out of the fog. A close look at each photo below reveals a staggering number of birds thrilled to have this mid-ocean sanctuary.

Today we crossed the Antarctic Convergence (Antarctic Polar Front). It forms a distinct ecological, hydrological, and climatic ring around the southern polar region, dividing marine life and water temperatures sharply. While at sea, we are attending a number of presentations about the birds, dolphins, whales, geology, and history of the area. Ocean conditions have been favorable relative to our first day at sea, and we are adjusting to life on the water.

We set sail for the South Georgia Islands this afternoon. We are starting this open-ocean crossing ahead of schedule to take advantage of favorable conditions. This will mean less time in the Falklands and more time in South Georgia, which is an additional bonus in my mind. According to a reverse image search, the bird pictured above is a southern fulmar. I photographed it from the aft deck while on whale watch. I spotted over a dozen spouts, all distant, and by the time I could bring my camera to a shooting position, all that could be captured was a small plume of water. I hope to do better in the coming days. Still it was exciting to see evidence of so many whales in the area.

This morning we put ashore in Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, where approximately 3,000 citizens reside, accounting for nearly 80% of the territory’s population. The image above is a panorama of the waterfront and is best viewed by clicking on it and then zooming in.

Christ Church Cathedral is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world. Adjacent to the cathedral is the Whalebone Arch, constructed in 1933 from the jawbones of two blue whales to commemorate the centenary of continuous British administration in the Falklands.

We also visited the Falkland Islands Museum and National Trust, which provides a comprehensive overview of the area’s history, climate, geology, and wildlife. It also provides a full account of a 74-day undeclared conflict between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands. It was moving to see how many places in the Falklands are now named after fallen soldiers from the conflict.

When we returned to our ship just before lunch, we noticed that the chairs on our balcony had been lashed to the railing. This does not bode well for our next open-water crossing, since this precaution was not deemed necessary on our last crossing, which was rough enough to render the vast majority of passengers extremely seasick.

West Point Island is a privately owned island located off the northwest tip of West Falkland. It is approximately 6 square miles and features dramatic sandstone cliffs and rolling green terrain. It is famous for hosting large, mixed-breeding colonies of Black-browed Albatrosses and Southern Rockhopper Penguins. It was our second shore excursion of the day, and we climbed to Devil’s Nose to observe the bird life there.

Saunders Island is the fourth-largest island in the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), located northwest of West Falkland. It spans approximately 50 square miles and operates primarily as a family-owned sheep farm. It is home to 4 species of penguins and was the first shore expedition of our Antarctica voyage.

The Gentoo Penguin

The King Penguin and adolescents.

The Rockhopper Penguin.

The final species is the Magellanic Penguin. I chose not to spend my time photographing these fellows because I already have an extensive collection from my trip with Kyle to Isla Magdalena.

Our expedition will make four open-ocean crossings during our journey. Chile to the Falkland Islands, to the South Georgia Islands, to the Antarctic Peninsula, and finally to Argentina. Today is generally one of the calmest but not so for us. Currents and winds have conspired to create absolutely miserable conditions aboard this ship, with it gyrating on every axis in 15-foot swells. Despite taking seasickness pills, I have made urgent visits to the nearest bathroom six times today and have been miserable all day. Jeanine, by contrast, seems to be among 10% of the passengers who do not seem to be suffering any ill effects.

I did manage to spend some time on the fan tail where I photographed a couple of Southern Giant Petrols. Not too shabby given I was barfing before and after.