South Shetland Islands

13th February 2018 South Shetland Islands. Landings at FORT POINT andYANKEE HARBOURHeaving anchor at about 06:00h in the morning, Europa motors the shortway from her anchorage at Barrientos Island towards Fort Point. Althoughfacing strong W-ly winds, at breakfast time she was already looking fora suitable anchorage on the NE side of the rocky point. By that time wefind ourselves surrounded by the splendour of Greenwich Island highmountains and glaciers, while the overcast weather seem to open up forus at our arrival and blue skies peek through the low clouds.Fort Point got its name after the resemblance that the conspicuousjagged spires of basalt (reaching over 100 meters in height) dominatingthe landscape as with an actual fort. This formation is linked by a low700m long isthmus to the calving glaciers of Greenwich Island. The wholeplace is quite exposed to the whims of the Bransfield Strait, but todaylooked like a perfect day for a landfall here. Despite the gusting windsthe shoreline was relatively calm, allowing for safe zodiac operations.Setting foot ashore, this time the welcome committee counts with heapsof Fur seals. Although those seals species were virtually exterminatedby the sealers, they did return to the islands where they were hunted,and their numbers are recovering. About 95% of them breed in SouthGeorgia Island, and the rest in smaller colonies around the SouthShetlands. Why then so many are around the Antarctic areas at this timeof the year? What we see now are just big bulls or some non-breeders,that migrate to Antarctica and now are having a rest in these quietwaters after they finish their stressful reproduction cycle. Here theyrecover from the fasting period they just had, trying to put togetherharems and fighting with the other males. Females are still on theirbreeding grounds nursing their pups.The feeling of wildness given by all the wildlife around framed on theimposing scenery is awe-inspiring. The breathtaking landscape is home toChinstrap and Gentoo penguin rookeries and several Elephant seals areseen snoozing along the coast. The shoreline is festooned by bergy bitsand brash ice, coming from calvings of the neighboring glacier front.After a delightful morning time with the penguins and walking along theboulder beach, we head towards the imposing ice cliffs of this glacier.Here is one of the unusual spots where we can approach a verticalcalving glacier just walking along the beach itself. Swell breakingalong the shore moves cobbles and boulders as the pieces of ice crashagainst them rumbling while an occasional calving echoes in thedistance, resembling a canon shot.Countless pictures are taken before we hike uphill through snow slopestowards a neighboring “nunatak”, meaning a cliff which the island’sglacier has eroded as it was flowing around it. Now it stands like anisland amid the field of ice. Some of us walked up the ring shapedcorridor created between the granite pointy hill and the ice itself,formed by the heat retained on the dark rocks that melts the ice aroundthem. The view from up there is extraordinary with the whole Fort Pointarea at our feet. Soon we make our way back to the landing spot, wherethe zodiacs are ready to pick us up. Fort Point is a place of brutalunspoiled beauty, not frequently visited.As lunch is served, we start our 11nm way towards the spot where we planthe afternoon activities, Yankee Harbor, on the Southern shores ofGreenwich Island.While finishing our meal, Europa motors her way into this enclosed bay,through the narrow entrance between a low glacial moraine and the icecliffs of Glacier Bluff.The site owns its name to the fact that is was intensively used by USAsealers who were after the pelts of the Antarctic Fur Seal and theblubber of the Southern Elephant Seals around the 1820s.The most famous sealer of all times, James Weddell, also visited thisbay on 22nd December 1821. As a witness of those old times, a single trypot lies at the beach, used to render the seal blubber into the preciousoil.The landing took place next to the tip of the glacial moraine thatdominates the area. It is formed by boulders and rocks that have allbeen smoothened by the erosion of the sea and ice. Amongst them we couldalso find a few patches of Antarctic Hairgrass - one of the only twospecies of vascular Antarctic plants.Numerous Fur seals lie scattered all over, several Gentoo penguinswander around and Skuas look for a meal as we walk along.The afternoon cold and rainy conditions made many of us return to theship after an hour and a half, being picked up close to a Gentoo penguinrookery, while a few others decided to stay longer, walking furtheralong the beach. There, another spectacular glacier was waiting for us.Making our way to its front we enjoy an open book of glaciologicalfeatures. Heavy melting of its surface drains to the sea on streams,while big swell crashes against the dripping icy cliffs. We could evenset foot on the glacier itself on our way back.Just 35nm separates Yankee Harbour from our next destination, thevolcanic caldera of Deception Island, where we plan tomorrow’sactivities. That allowed us to have a quiet diner at anchor, followed bya photography talk by Daniel and Frits photo workshop, where ourpictures taken so far where discussed and tips given to improve ourskills. At this point it is time to select pictures of the DrakeCrossing, considered the first part of our trip and opening page for thefinal multimedia project proposed by our photography team.