South Georgia Expedition Oct 2023

South Georgia In Depth October 2023

A sailing photography journey to one of the wildest place on Earth

October 7th through November 4th, 2023
Starting and ending point: Stanley, Falkland Islands


Highlights of the trip

Discover a wildlife oasis in the Southern Ocean at the high of the breeding season –  the ultimate photographer’s paradise
Sail on board a sailing yacht with a small number of passengers, maximum 6 fellow travelers
Get overwhelm by the some of the biggest King Penguin colonies in the World
Witness the impressive display of the male breeding Elephant seals
Walk through South Georgia Whaling history and pay a visit to Sir Ernest Shackleton´s grave


Expedition introduction

This expedition is an incredibly rare opportunity to explore the seldom-visited sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia by yacht, observing the greatest density of wildlife on the planet. South Georgia boasts over 7 million penguins, 250,000 albatrosses, half of the world’s elephant seals and 95% of the world’s fur seals upon her shoreline.

It’s also the world’s most important penguin and seabird breeding site with an estimated population of 30 million birds. Awe-inspiring scenery ranges from 10,000-foot mountains and mighty glaciers to deep fjords and low-lying grasslands. Its rich history includes the rusty and ghostly remains of several whaling stations and the grave of Earnest Shackleton, who made his perilous ocean crossing from Elephant Island to South Georgia a century ago. Most cruise ships visit South Georgia for a maximum of 4 days with limited landing opportunities. 

On this expedition with Spirit of Sydney, seven lucky passengers will spend 28 days on board our 60-foot yacht, sailing to and from South Georgia and spending over 2 weeks exploring the ‘Galapagos of the Poles’. On this very personal trip, two highly experienced sailors, one captains and one crew make up the full team of nine people on board.

We aim to visit several places of interest, and spend enough time at each one to fully appreciate what the sites have to offer in a relaxed manner. Because of the variances of the weather in this rugged environment, the schedule outlined below is what may be possible, but will almost certainly not be adhered to! This is an expedition in the true sense of the word in every way. This is a 28-day expedition from October 7th, 2023 through November 4th, 2023.


Itinerary

DAY 1

The charter guests arrive at Mount Pleasant Airport and take a 40 minute bus ride to Stanley to meet Spirit of Sydney and then move on board immediately. The afternoon is spent stowing personal gear, familiarizing the team with the vessel and listening to the Captain’s ‘live aboard rules’ and safety briefings.

DAY 2 – 5

Weather permitting, the vessel would leave Stanley bound for the northwest corner of the South Georgia which is 750 miles away. In most cases this would be a fast downwind passage in the prevailing westerly winds. Passage time would be roughly four to five days. Albatross, petrels and dolphins will keep us company. Once in South Georgia, we’ll spend a little over 2 weeks exploring the incredible bays and Fjords, and taking in all the amazing wildlife. 

DAY 5 – 6

Landfall will be in Right Whale Bay. If conditions are calm, this would be a place to rest our sea legs a bit after crossing the Scotia Sea. Finn whales, orcas, humpbacks, southern right whales and blue whales can be found in the nutrient-rich waters around South Georgia. We may be blessed with extended views of them on our way to the stunning backdrop of black sandy beaches, tussock covered dunes, and the snow covered mountains of the Salisbury Plains. 

DAY 6 – 10

At the Salisbury Plains we will enjoy sights of several hundred thousand king penguins standing shoulder to shoulder together with their precious chicks that spend over 14 months on land before they are ready to swim. Then we sail onward through the Bay of Isles and land upon Prion Island which is famous for its nesting wandering albatrosses along the boardwalks. As we walk about, the chicks will be nesting, and even as babies they can be up to one meter tall! This time of year is prime time for watching the 4 ton elephant seals battling out and seeing the seal pups being born (a spectacle for everyone’s eyes and ears). This segment ends with a few days ashore Prince Olav Harbour. Then work our way along the coast to the gorgeous Fortuna Bay when the weather window is at its best. 

DAY 10 – 11

At Fortuna Bay, we head to Whistle Stop where Sir Ernest Shackleton stopped to listen for the sound of the worker’s whistle from the nearby Whaling Station during his heroic journey across South Georgia to Stromness. This was the first time in over two years that Sir Shackleton heard a sound from the outside world after his epic Antarctic voyage set sail in the year 1916. If the weather is suitable, those who wish will disembark and trace the final 5 km of the famous Shackleton Traverse from Whistle Stop to the Stromness Whaling Station.

DAY 11 – 14

From the Stromness Whaling Station, a few days would be spent in King Edward Point which is a short walk from Grytviken, the premier shore based whaling facility on South Georgia which was abandoned in the 60’s. 

Visiting the whaling station which has now been incorporated into the South Georgia Museum is a full day. There is also a Post Office, Customs/Immigration check-in, and the hallowed location where Shackleton was laid to rest.Long walks behind the station, overland treks are also a possibility. 

DAY 15 – 16

From Grytviken, we would sail to the snout of the Nordenskjold Glacier in Cumberland Bay East. Continually discharging ice into the bay, this is the largest of the glaciers on South Georgia. Later, an afternoon run down the coast brings us to Cobblers Cove, a natural harbour with a dramatic entrance. Gentoo Penguins may be nesting on the slopes above the cove, while Macaroni Penguins can be found up over a pass back to the north (an hour walk inland). We would spend the night at Cobblers Cove. It is a great place to sit with the sooty albatross, which is one of the only places in the world this can be done. This is a good storm anchorage, so it would also be used as a fall back in case of adverse weather while further down the coast.

DAY 17 – 19

Weather and surf conditions permitting, we would attempt the beach landing at Prince Andrew Bay a few hours steaming from Cobblers Cove. Behind the beach is the world’s largest rookery of King Penguins on the Island. 

In order reach the main part of the colony we would have to trek to the snout of a glacier in order to cross the river flowing from it down to the sea. It is a spectacular wildlife venue on a fine day.

Further south along the coast lies Gold Harbour which is one of the most spectacular scenic anchorages on the island. Again the landing is on an open shoreline (weather dependent and if successful) we would spend the day on the beach. Both Prince Andrew Bay and Gold Harbour offer the possibility of viewing harems of Elephant Seals with the competing bulls (September – October cruises only). If we haven’t had the overwhelming feeling that you are walking within a wildlife documentary by now, our days ashore here will surely convince you. South Georgia has the highest bio-mass of animals on Earth and St. Andrews Bay is the most concentrated area of this phenomenon within South Georgia.

DAY 20 – 22

These days will be spent in the Bay of Islands area. Here we would have an opportunity to go ashore at the Salisbury Plain for a hike in an area located at the mouths of the Grace and Lucas Glaciers. This area is well-known for its enormous population of King Penguins (+100,000). 

Weather permitting, we would also land on Prion Island, which has one of the highest concentrations of nesting Great Wandering Albatross in the world. Our visit would be limited to a half day (the maximum allowed per visit by the government’s management plan for this sensitive area).

DAYS 23 – 27

About this time we would need to be on standby for the return to Stanley. By day 23, if there was a favourable weather window (considering the return is against the prevailing wind) we would be obliged to take the opportunity, in order to make sure that we arrive on time for the guests to make the plane on the Saturday, with at least a day to spare. 

We will undoubtedly begin to see the first signs of the infamous Fur Seals swimming southward along the boat – the captain’s first signal to head back to the Falklands. Nearly hunted to local extinction in the late 19th century, they now migrate to South Georgia in numbers nearing 5 million. In the following weeks, these Fur Seals will land upon South Georgia’s shores forming a formidable barrier that nearly halts all landings along her coastline.

DAY 28

Passage back to Stanley, arriving no later than the night of DAY 28.Guests plan to take the flight the day after disembarkation, heading out from Mount Pleasant Airport back to Punta Arenas with a direct connection to Santiago on Saturday.

We look forward to sailing with you!