When we wake up at 7 AM the wind is blowing at 40-45 knots. This way a landing at Cooper Bay will be unlikely. That would be a pity as Cooper Bay has a large colony of macaroni penguins. So far we've only seen a wounded macaroni at Gold Harbour and if we'll miss this landing we can only hope to see a few on Hannah Point in the South Shetlands.
As an alternative for the moment we'll sail to Drygalski Fjord. Drygalski Fjord is the southernmost fjord at the northern side of South Georgia. Depending on the weather we may have a zodiac cruise through Larsen Harbour. When the weather will improve we may also have a second chance in Cooper Bay this afternoon. On our way towards Drygalski Fjord we pass a few large icebergs, some higher than the ship.
The wind still increases and it's cold outside. But the scenery is splendid sailing between the high cliffs on either side of the fjord. We pass the Salomon Glacier (right), Larsen Harbour (left), Philippi Glacier (halfway on our left) and finally reach the Jenkins and Risting Glaciers at the fjord's end. Reaching the lee of the Risting Glacier the wind abates.
The captain brings the Polar Star pretty close to the terminal face of the glacier. It's icy surfaces towers high above us. The fresh water run-off causes an upwelling of nutrient rich water and many birds fly around fishing.
The water has a beautiful turquoise color caused by very fine particles (rock flower) in the water. Every now and then a thunderous sound breaks the silence around us indicating a chunk of ice breaking from the glacier's face.
After a while we leave again. When we're a few hundred meters distance from
the glacier's face a large chunk of ice falls down at the very spot we were
floating a few minutes ago.
Arriving at the entrance of Drygalski Fjord the weather is still bad. Instead of a zodiac ride in Larsen harbour or a second try at Cooper Bay we're heading south. With the rugged peaks disappearing in the distance we say goodbye to South Georgia.
During the afternoon several lectures are being held. Doug tells us about the different kinds of penguins we'll encounter in the Peninsula and Art Ford delivers a talk on volcanism in the Antarctic. Again we miss Edward Rooks' drawing class. We take a nap instead.
We're waked by five minke whales in front of the ship. We reduce speed and follow them for a while. This isn't easy. It's unpredictable where they'll surface again after a dive and when they resurface they dive again quickly. It's hard to make a picture of them.
Sailing South the number of icebergs increases and we pass many large ones. Over the hours the weather has improved considerably and the sunset this evening is a feast of gorgeous colors.
