Day four in South Georgia and the weather is playing tricks on us. Not that this behaviour is unexpected in this part of the world but it certainly makes it hard to prepare for the day’s activities.
The morning broke foggy and wet as we bobbed in the unprotected swell nearly halfway down the northern coast of South Georgia. Ocean Harbour beckoned to our west, inviting us onto her protected shores despite the torrent of wind and spume off-shore. While the corroding remains of the old coal vessel Bayard didn’t instil much more confidence than the driving rain, we were satisfied with the still conditions and prepared for a wet day ashore. Insulated and water-proofed to the max we made landfall just in time for the clouds to break and the day to moult into a bright, beautiful specimen, ripe with a fresh dusting of snow, vibrant green moss beds, shimmering waters, and a rich cultural story at our feet.
It has been over 100 years since Norwegian whalers introduced reindeer to the small, isolated island of South Georgia. For 95 of those years this introduced species has devastated the flora of the island and, in no place more so than Ocean Harbour (where three stags and seven hinds were first set free as a future source of meat for its inhabitants). Our morning took us through the remains of the early whaling station as well as Ocean Harbour’s picturesque valley, fresh with vibrant green vegetation, rising from the bleached remains of the recently culled reindeer herds. For the past five years the South Georgia government has been working to return the island to its pre-whaling balance and, as of this year, has successfully removed the invasive reindeer and rat populations throughout the island.
As the weather continued to improve we approached a very exposed stretch of beach famous for thwarting landing efforts. St. Andrew’s Bay, situated a few miles south of Ocean Harbour on South Georgia’s central coast is also famous for hosting the planet’s largest king penguin colony. Over 150,000 breeding pairs spread out along these sandy shores, rivalling the backdrop of 8,000ft glaciated peaks stretching from horizon to horizon. Accompanying the over-arching whistle of king penguin chicks and the trumpet of their parents were the barks of young elephant seals and the resonate down-throttle of their inattentive patriarchs. For hours we strolled the shimmering beaches amongst sleeping seals and wandered into the surrounding hills amongst moulting king penguins.
A blue sky and prominent sun warmed our cheeks as the day wore on while the overwhelming spectacle of this island had the same effect on our mood.
