Can you introduce yourself and explain your role during the voyage to South Georgia?
My name is Eric and I’m planned to be the captain on our first trip of the coming season to South Georgia and Antarctica. As captain I’ll have overall responsibility to make sure that we’ll have a safe and successful voyage. Safety is not an accident and successful means that we’ll be able to provide everyone with a proper Antarctic adventure, while causing as little damage to ship and environment as possible. Together with the expedition leader, we’ll determine which places to visit. There is a general plan to start with, but this will always be adapted during the voyage based on weather and ice conditions.
How many voyages to South Georgia have you been a part of, and what makes this destination special to you?
I’m not a hundred percent sure how many times I’ve been to South Georgia, but since we used to go there only once per season and only in later years started to go twice per season, I think I have been there between 10 and 15 times. Since my first visit I have always regarded this island as being one of the ultimate places to visit (if you are into polar destinations), with majestic landscapes, secluded bays, amazing wildlife and also amazing numbers of wildlife. The whole island is basically one big nature sanctuary.
What were the most striking sights and experiences during the voyage to South Georgia?
I’m not sure what sights would be most striking to anyone going a first time. There are probably many, from the clear air and sometimes strong winds, to the landscapes and wildlife. If you can call it an indication: I’ve been sailing Antarctic waters since 2003 and I still consider the whole region one of the best places to go and have an adventure.
What kinds of wildlife can guests expect to see in South Georgia?
The number of species is probably less than in the tropic jungle, but the numbers of individual animals you’ll see close together is great, if not enormous. You’ll at least meet different types of albatross, petrels, penguins, seals, whales and dolphins.
Do you have any memorable encounters with wildlife that stood out?
Since the end of the whaling efforts, the number of animals on South Georgia has been growing and we’ve had a few times where we’ve had to cancel a landing and revert to doing a zodiac cruise. Cancelling landings sometimes happens due to weather conditions, but those times we couldn’t land because there was no room on the beach. It was absolutely packed with King Penguins, Fur Seals, Weddell Seals, Giant Petrels, Elephant Seals and what not. Since it is a nature sanctuary and we are not allowed to come within a few meters of wildlife, it was just impossible to get ashore and move around, so we had to resort to watch this spectacle while cruising along the beach by zodiac. Even then we were surrounded by fur seal pups in the water.
South Georgia is known for its historical significance, especially regarding the expeditions of Ernest Shackleton. How was this history incorporated into the voyage?
The historic significance of South Georgia is brought to your attention through lectures about the whaling and sealing that took place from this island and the effect it had on the whale and seal population. We’ll visit some of the remnants of these whaling and sealing stations, which are basically left to slowly erode away. Every year there is a little bit less of it to see. We can’t actually go close to, or inside of building remnants, not only because of the risk of collapse, but because the South Georgia government does not allow it. We’ll also try to hike the last part of Shackleton’s traverse of the island to reach the Stromness whaling station and tell you all about the what happened to Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition. In Grytviken, we’ll have a chance to visit the museum.
What were some of the unique challenges of voyaging to South Georgia?
The challenges of arriving to South Georgia come from the type of vessel you use to get there. It always involves a voyage across what I would call the Southern Ocean, with all its conditions and weather patterns you can expect of it. Generally not as bad as what you would think having read only romanticized books about the subject, but sometimes pretty spectacular. You can do it on anything between a small yacht sailed by yourself and a cruise ship with a full complement of crew. On the yacht that will be a true adventure not for the fainthearted and on the cruise ship, you can spend the time watching videos from your bed, just like at home. Europa is somewhat in the middle. You’ll still have the experience of hands-on sailing to South Georgia like on the yacht and you’ll also have a full complement of crew to support you and take care of the more nasty bits of such a voyage, like cleaning toilets in big waves. If you think watching a video from your bed is a challenge and an adventure, then you should take the cruise ship.
What advice would you give to someone considering a voyage to South Georgia?
I would give the advice to keep an open mind and don’t think too much of what the brochure says. An Antarctic voyage is just as much about the voyage as about the destination. I always see people diving down below with a book (or a video) between actual physical destinations, while not see anything of the transitions in between. For many, an Antarctic voyage is a lifetime experience. Don’t waste it by sticking to your familiar behaviour at home.
Oh, and take plenty of storage for pictures and video.