The name says it all. From a dramatic but hidden entry through Neptunes Bellows to storm conditions with zero visibility and winds gusting to 59knots preventing anchoring everything about this place is extreme. A world of black and white.

Remnants of man’s incursion to this seemingly ‘end of the world’ as they chased the riches of whaling through to huddling penguins and seals acknowledging our presence. This is the most extreme place I’ve ever visited.

Swirling snow creating a white world with the ship barely visible as she rides at anchor in Whalers Bay just added to the sense of isolation. A level of isolation that strangely makes one feel unbelievably alive. To visit such a place on a square rigged tall ship seems a most fitting reward after sailing the Drake Passage.

Not just sitting in a viewing lounge with a cocktail but actually experiencing the various moods of the south and then to be rewarded with the experience that is Deception Island is a privilege I will cherish forever.
Will the next landfall be as rewarding? One can but hope.

On board Europa as we sail away from Deception Island.