Bristol Island and Grindle Rock — South Sandwich Islands

A closer look at the ice cliffs along the shoreline of Bristol Island — South Sandwich Islands.

Ice cliffs and an iceberg — Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands.

The three rocks ... L to R: Grindle, Wilson, and Freezeland — Bristol Island, SSI.

Grindle Rock — Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands.

Wilson Rock — Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands.

A closer look at the icebergs near Wilson Rock — Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands.

Freezland Rock — Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands.

Is that a blue iceberg near Freezland Rock? — Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands.

Slide from Allan's intro to the SSI ... showing the 2016 eruption of Mt Sourabaya.

RWSE Day 9: Bristol Island

February 19, South Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 32 °F

By late morning, we were on approach to Bristol Island … the second largest of the South Sandwich Islands … and one of three in the Central Islands Group.

Although the skies had cleared up nicely, and the sun was out, Bristol Island was enveloped by low-lying clouds. Though a bit misty, we could see the ice cliffs along the shoreline. Bristol Island has three volcanoes … all of which were lost in the clouds. Mt Sourabaya is probably the most well-known as it erupted continuously for several weeks starting in April 2016. I found it interesting that this mountain is named for a whaling factory ship that witnessed an eruption of the mountain in 1935.

There were plenty of icebergs to keep us entertained as we cruised slowly by the island … and a few small landmasses that were formed by coastal erosion offered better views of themselves than Bristol Island.

The three named islets are Grindle Rock, Wilson Rock, and Freezland Rock. Of these, Freezland is of particular importance as it was the first landmass in the SSI to be seen by a human. It is, in fact, named for the man who first sighted it on Captain Cook’s 1775 expedition … a Dutch Able Seaman aboard HMS Resolution. Freezland is also the tallest at ~980 feet above sea level. Grindle and Wilson have only been charted more recently … in 1930 … and are named for the Permanent Undersecretary of State for the Colonies at that time and his deputy. That all three rocks were almost entirely snow/ice free made for a stark contrast against the island and the icebergs grounded in their vicinity.

As lunch time approached, Ortelius speeded up again, heading for the final group of the SSI Islands … where we were still hoping for an off-ship activity.Read more