We awoke this morning to find the Caledonian Star "rocking and rolling" in a Drake Passage special. Nevertheless, we made good speed all the way from the Falklands, and were closing in on Elephant Island's north coast by late morning. We made our landfall at Point Wild, the tiny spit of land where Shackleton left 22 of his Endurance expedition comrades for four months during the winter of 1916, while he went in search of help on South Georgia.
We had hoped to do a Zodiac cruise, but the large swells from the stormy southern ocean made it a "no-go." Captain Skog impressed us all by putting the ship in nice and close to give us a great view. We then moved 11 kilometers along the coast to Cape Valentine, where Shackleton and his men had made their first landfall. The Captain brilliantly maneuvered the ship into a position where we had a good view through the fog and rain.
We then headed off for Cape Lookout at the south end of Elephant Island, where we enjoyed the dramatic scenery from the decks of the Caledonian Star, while a Zodiac with staff was lowered so the photograph could be taken.
