Grytviken, South Georgia

Grytviken is built on a substantial area of sheltered, flat land and has a supply of fresh water. Although it was the largest settlement on South Georgia, the island's administration was based at the nearby British Antarctic Survey research at King Edward Point. The whaling station closed in December 1966 when dwindling whale stocks made it uneconomical. Grytviken no longer has permanent residents but occasionally accommodates researchers and British administrative and military personnel. It is also temporarily inhabited during summer months by a few staff who manage the South Georgia Museum. The settlement has become a popular attraction for Antarctic cruise lines, with many tourists visiting the final resting place of Sir Ernest Schackleton and Frank Wild in Grytviken's graveyard.

We had a Special Operations Boat excursion at 11:00 AM. After breakfast, we headed to the the Aula's foyer. We checked in and waited sweating significantly as we were wearing many layers because we anticipated significant windchill during our ride on the SOB.

We headed down to the hanger and boarded the SOB. Stephanie, our guide for our trip, gave us a safety briefing. We made our way around the bay receiving information about the rock formations, the glaciers and animals of the region.

We had a very enjoyable and comfortable ride. The seats of the SOB have hydraulic suspension.

Due to the amount of wildlife in the area, we were not allowed to experience the speed capability of the SOB.

We left our outer layers in the stateroom before heading to the World Cafe for lunch.

After lunch, we put on our gear once again and headed down to the Landing area for our Zodiac ride ashore.

The old rusty whale station structures were quite the juxtaposition to the teaming wildlife in the water and ashore.

We walked to the cemetery to see Schackleton's grave. On the way, we were taking photos. I was doing my usual squatting to get down on the level of the animals. One of the Expedition team came running over yelling at me not to squat. I said I was not kneeling which we were told not to do. She said if the officials saw me squatting they would end the landing. We were never told not to squat! I am a rule follower and would not have squatted if I was told not to squat. I guess the reasoning is that one could fall (touching the ground with anything other than your boots is a no no). Being yelled at really put a pall on the rest of the day.

We saw a ton of fur seals, elephant seals and King Penquins. The baby fur seals reminded us of playful puppies. Some would come up to us and "bark" at us with a ton of bravado until you turned towards them and they would run away.

I visited the church. It was a Lutheran church. Shackleton's funeral was held in this church. The church had a surprisingly large library.

I found Bob in the gift shop attached to the Post Office.

We made a quick walk through the museum before heading back to the ship via a zodiac.

We had dinner in the Restaurant with Chuck and Catherine. We met Chuck while taking photos on deck. It was a divine meeting as the 4 of us have a lot in common.

During dinner, hundreds of whales surrounded the ship. The Captain stopped the ship and we floated for about an hour just watching whales spouting and showing their tails. You could say that we had dinner and a show.Read more