Grytviken and a World First!!!
South Georgia Island
for a gallery of images of the island.South Georgia Island
We’ve done it!!
On Oct 31 at 4.30pm, the ϳԹ Philosophy team secured another well earned place in Antarctic and South Georgian history by completing the first ever circumnavigation of South Georgia by sea kayak.
An extraordinary adventure!!!
On our final leg we were treated to the rare sort of day South Georgia is capable of conjuring up, a window of clear skies and little or no wind. We kayaked out of Ocean Harbour past the rusting hulk of the whaling ship Barnard and up the coast to take lunch at another abandoned whaling station Godthul on a beach strewn with bleached bones. Rounding the final headland we reunited with the Northanger which escorted us across Cumberland Bay, with clear views of the Allardyce Range, and its many unclimbed peaks.
At our journeys end, the BAS Station at King Edward Point, the dozen or so locals had gathered on the beach and turned on a generous celebration, with homemade banners, champagne, NZ flag and Kiwi national anthem by saxophone carrying across the water to us as we arrived. It was a wonderful welcome and we celebrated into the night with them enjoying their warmth and hospitality.
Today we visited the gravesite of Sir Ernest Shackleton, toasting him and the spirit of adventure.
It is not often we succeed at a long held dream and we have a great sense of reward at present. Despite the grim cold, the sometimes bleakness, and the frequent times of anguish, South Georgia balanced our journey with stunning views of an uncommon place, with extraordinary wildlife encounters, and we have had an adventure experience that we will hold dear forever.
Before joining us on the final run home, the Northanger had a fantastic anchorage in Larsen Harbour at the bottom of the island where the crew enjoyed some great walks and adventurous skiing.
Over the next few days we will have the time to have a closer look at some of the highlights of South Georgia. More skiing, hiking, and wildlife encounters are planned before we sail for the Falklands.
It has been an absoutely fantastic journey to date and would never have happened without the shared vision, goal and spirit of our sponsors and supporters. Our equipment has been tested to the limit and we know we have the best there is to offer. We will continue with updates reflecting on our journey and posting images on the Web site as we have yet to complete our film work in South Georgia.
The Team.
For more on ϳԹ Philosophy and their adventure around South Georgia Island go to .