Hello!
A very quick update this afternoon – after anchoring in King Haakon Bay
in South Georgia, we successfully sent the traverse team and their gear
to shore, and they have set off on their adventure now. But just as
they last Zodiac of gear was returning, the weather turned – big time.
It is now snowing, and we have 40 knots of gale force wind, which is
about 45 mph or 75 kph. So, for those of us not doing the traverse, it
has become absolutely imppossible to go ashore. Instead, we will wait
six hours in the bay. The winds are too strong for our anchor to hold,
so we are circling.
If the weather clears this afternoon after lunch, we may still have a
chance to go ashore here. The main reason we are waiting 6 hours is to
await reports from the traverse team. The conditions we´re experiencing
at sea level may be blizzard like where they are climbing! We will wait
to hear from them and get the ok to depart. Otherwise, if conditions
are too severe, they may choose to return and try again tomorrow, for
their own safety. For those of the traverse team looking for the
“Shackleton Experience”, they´re certainly getting it!
As for the rest of us on the boat, beeing in this location is a lot of
fun. The bay – although windy – is beautiful, with snowy mountains and
glaciers all around. We can see Elephant Seals on shore, and watch the
fur seals watching us. The snowy conditions are fantastic!
We will hear from Pat and the traverse team soon, and will send an
update immediately.
