Our course across Drake Passage has us making landfall in the South Shetland Islands, sailing between Snow Island and Smith Island (Boyd Passage) en route to Deception Island in the Bransfield Strait. Despite sailing close to Snow Island, we are enveloped in a heavy fog reducing visibility to approx 100 metres. Smith Island to the south has sea cliffs rising 2000 metres vertically out of the ocean - YES - that's only 300 metres less than the highest mountain in Australia! But we see nothing in this fog, including no icebergs so far. Our first hint of land is a welcoming visit from a small wallow of seals who are out to sea fishing, until the outline of Deception Island finally appears from out of the fog. We sail into and anchor in the sunken caldera of this live volcano, in the dull light of Antarctic night. We have a few hours sleep and then go ashore for the day to explore the black sandy beaches, smouldering with active sulphur fumeroles; and the debri from the abandoned whaling station that was violently strewn around Whalers Bay in the last major eruptions of this volcano in 1967, 1969 & 1970. The eight of us have the whole island to ourselves and enjoy stretching our legs after crossing Drake Passage.
No comments:
Post a Comment