Deception Island and the Iceberg Graveyard
We departed the South Shetland Islands and motored through the night to make our next landings at Deception Island. Many of the Voyage Crew were especially looking forward to this famous stop.
The island is the remnant caldera of a giant volcano. It is a ring with one narrow entrance which made it a natural harbour for whaling operations. There have been many smaller eruptions as recent as 1969.
The weather was cooperative again. It was clear, calm, and not so cold. As we made our way towards the entrance, there was an enormous colony of chinstrap penguins with nests from the water’s edge all the way up to the top of the island’s rim. These small birds will make trips to and from the water to feed and take food to their young several times a day one small hop at a time.
Once through the entrance, called Neptune’s Bellows, we head to the right and drop anchor in Whaler’s Bay with Captain Moritz coming within 30m of the beach before calmly giving the order to “Let Go” the anchor.
Once ashore we take a small hike up to a saddle in the island’s wall called Neptune’s Window. It is said that on a clear day, you can see the Antarctica peninsula. After coming down from the Window, the Voyage Crew explored the ruined buildings remaining after a mudslide swept through the area as part of the 1969 eruption. The rusted tanks and blubber boilers along with some rotting small boats and even a few whale bones created a quiet and reflective atmosphere as we all thought of a sadder time in this beautiful area.
After lunch, we moved to the other side of the caldera and anchored in Telephone Bay where we took a challenging hike to the top and around the rim of one of the several smaller volcanic vents. Then it was time to pull anchor and head back to sea.
Europa anchored in a bay of Trinity Island on the morning of the 7th for a small straight between Trinity and Spert Islands that some call the Iceberg Graveyard. Here, the ocean currents direct icebergs in where they stack up and run aground. The crew takes to the boats for a tour of the most beautiful art museum we have ever seen. It is breathtaking and each person comes back with smiles and hundreds of pictures. This is only the third day of exploring and we are all in awe of this magical place.
