CIRCUMNAVIGATION OF SOUTH GEORGIA SPONSORD BY TEMPLAR FILMS.

An Island of Heaven or Hell

Web sites:

www.templarfilmssouthgeorgia.com

www.nigeldenniskayaks.com

www.pelagic.co.uk

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Expedition members:

Jim Rowlinson – Expedition Manager.                                 

Hadas Feldman                                  

Peter Bray

Jeff Allen

Nigel Dennis.

Jim Rowlinson:

My thanks go out to Jim for contributing so much to planning and obtaining sponsorship.

THE TEAM

Hadas:

Hadas was a welcome member of the team living and working professionally as a kayaking instructor in Israel. She always made us laugh and is a tremendous asset to keeping moral up. A strong paddler with a determination to complete the objective and her love for kayaking is obvious. You seldom see someone so enthusiastic about being outside and experiencing the outdoors. Hadas spent whenever she could taking photographs and then spent her free time deleting the digital shots that were not up to her expectations. As the expedition progressed every one at some time became the focus of jokes and ribbing but Hadas appeared never to take things personally and always gave as good as she got becoming one of the lads.

Peter:  

First of all, my thanks to Peter for asking me to join him on this expedition. Although we have now received sponsorship if Peter had not been prepared to fund the expedition in the early days this expedition would have never happened.

This expedition must have been a new experience for Pete as he usually paddles solo but to his credit nothing was ever to much work and often Pete would be the last helping the support crew even when he must have been suffering from the cold. Pete had a place for everything packing his kayak knowing exactly where every piece of equipment was and why. I would often end up borrowing or sharing his mug, using his torch etc as unfortunately I am not as well organized. Pete seamed to have one speed always paddling at the same rate with the ability to just keep going. I think Pete became our fur seal trouble shooter often being the first to land and securing a safe section of the beach for the rest of us to follow. Seldom did the fur seals get the better of Pete but when they did it provided much amusement for the rest of us who were usually still safely sat in our kayaks. 

Geoff:

Geoff is a strong paddler who has the ability to paddle hard into wind. Both Peter and Geoff had taken Cornish flags to fly on the rear deck of their kayaks mounted on a thin fibreglass pole.

Even in the strong gusts Geoff would still have the flag flying. At times the flag became a focus point sticking up high amongst the swells and waves. Often Geoff and Peter would be the first to land on the small beaches, Geoff acting as Petes right hand man watching for fur seals who were prepared to attach from behind. Once on the beach Geoff would quickly break out the cooker, water and pans. By the end of the trip he could gauge exactly how much water was needed pouring it into our freez dried food packs and hot drinks even when the team requirements changed. Geoff and Hadas worked well together, they were the only two who had actually been on an expedition together, paddling around Japan and the confidence that they had in each other showed.

As for me, I joined this team wondering how we would get on? Peter and I had paddled in Spain crossing the Gibraltar Straights to Africa but apart from that we hadn’t really paddled together. Would their be too many leaders? As we have all led expeditions in our own right. As the expedition progressed this proved not to be a problem and the team pulled together and worked well. In the early days, Peter and Geoff would relentlessly take the piss out of each other, this inevitably ended up with one or the other getting upset resulting in the odd argument, but neither of them allowed this to become a serious problem and it would not be long before the banta would flow again. I joked putting this down to the squaddey mentality. Hadas and I would fondly refer to them as “the boys”. Once the expedition started both Peter and Geoff worked together and the team worked well, the period of cabin fever was over.

Although peter was the expedition leader, as in all expeditions the role of leadership actually changes, each and every member of the team had their turn and all contributed valuable impute when needed.  

This must be one of the longest lead inn travelling times I have ever spent getting to the expedition start point. Flying to Santiago, Pont Aranus, The Faulklands and from there chartering a Yacht for a 900 mile sea crossing to South Georgia. We have been travelling for nearly two weeks!

News arrived whilst we were in the Falklands that a team of three Kiwies had completed the first circumnavigation Of South Georgia. Although disappointed that we were no longer to attempt a first, it has taken nothing away from the severity or excitement of the expedition to follow. If anything it has put pressure on us to make sure we complete the trip. Whatever we think or say the expedition will only be completed if weather permits.

We set sail from the Falklands on the Pelagic Australis a 22.5m yacht built by Southern African Shipyards Ltd. She’s a beautifully built aluminium yacht with a retractable keel. A go any wear yacht, built of Aluminium and designed by Tony Castrol and Skip Novack. Skip has used all his hard earned experience whilst pioneering chartered sailing expeditions in the waters of Antarctica in order to refine the design, making it an ideal expedition yacht. The retractable keel will enable us to enter small anchorages allowing the yacht greater safety. The max draft being 3.9m with the keel down and 1.2 m with the keel up. The interior is comfortable but furnished in such a way that we could still walk around the yacht in wet kit etc

Weather information

Weather information comes into the support yacht via Sky eye. Sky eye picks up the cloud images from passing sat alights. The gribs (Symbols showing wind direction and strength) are sent via a weather interoperating service. The gribs are then superimposed over the satellite picture. The satellite pictures are set at the same scale as the grids. You need to make sure that both the photographs and the grids are aligned correctly in order to get an accurate weather picture. This gave us a very good insight into the weather systems allowing us to make our own weather predictions but we never attempted to predict the weather for a longer period than two or three days.

13^th November 2005

We depart the Falklands 51deg 40’ South 57deg 45’ west for South Georgia. (53deg South) I can’t believe that I live on the exact same line of Latitude in the north as South Georgia in the south! Here the Island is virtually totally frozen. Thank heavens for the Gulf stream in the North!!

The ropes are cast off and we leave Stanley in a force seven. During the first 24 hrs we experience 45 to 50 knots of wind across the deck and 10 to 12 meter seas. This type of sustained bad weather sailing is a first for me. I manage to stay up for five or six hours but then make a retreat for my bunk. If I lie down I feel fine. I found that I even had to eat my food lying down as sometimes it comes straight back up if I eat sitting up. I manage short visits to the bridge just to check if help is needed and force myself to do my watches. Outside is not an option as the wind is bitter and the seas are rough, at one point we even had to shut the skylight in the bridge roof as blue water passed over the yacht.

The crew of the Pelagic consist of the skipper Stephen Wilkins, Joanna Royle 1^st Mate         and Magnus Day sailing as crew. All have chosen a life of sailing, day’s and day’s at sea but rewarded for them with a fulfilling lifestyle. With a crew that has been around the world and who work so well as a team, you can feel we are in safe hands. This is important as we are definitely on our own without the luxury of any form of quick rescue. 

I have four main worries about the expedition:

• The swells and hostile coast line on the Southern side of the Island.
• The abundance of wild life competing for beach space.
• The Katabatic winds on the North coast funnelling down off the glaciers.
• How would expedition members get on?

The compatibility of expedition members had been questioned by third parties prior to departing the UK. So as we set off I wondered weather or not the team would gell. Although we have had our moments, as the expedition commences the team has started to work well, taking advantage of the considerable experience to be found within the group. All are determined to succeed and have enough experience to cope with most situations.

 

15^th November 2005

Our first sighting of Ice bergs at 52deg South. Excitement on board but concern for the night watches. We would not want another Titanic on our hands. We opt to keep an eye on the radar throughout the night. The larger ice bergs will show on the radar but some lie too low in the water. We split into two watches and throughout the voyage a four hour on and four hour off system is adopted. With Steve our skipper covering two hours of each watch.

Hadas has been lucky, sat on one side of the shelter deck aft of the cabin a wave hit the yacht causing a huge lurch. Hadas was thrown from one side to the other, hitting the side of her head hard on the steelwork. She now has a large dark swelling on her left cheek bone and a black eye. We must remember accidents can be costly so far from civilisation.

16^th November 2005

150 Kn miles to go. Its time to stop planning, talking, and start preparing mentally for the paddle that follows. This morning I went through possible landings for the kayaks and potential anchorages for the Pelagic. Working on an average of 20 nautical miles per day the expedition will take 10 paddling day’s. (Point to point) This will however include at least two days of approx 35 – 37 nautical miles.  The longer day’s would be necessary to reach safe landings on the South Coast.

For the first time all expedition members are moving about the yacht with a purpose. An air of excitement has arrived.

We discus possible sea states and swell direction trying to decide on potential landing places and safe anchorages for the yacht. It is easy to let your imagination run away with you. If you do then you become worried about all the what if’s. We must remember that it doesn’t matter who you are you can only paddle in certain conditions. It’s only a foolish kayaker that thinks they can out paddle the sea. In the end the sea will win. If it’s too rough for us it would be to rough for anyone. We need the weather to be on our side. Just remember an expedition is only a series of one day trips. Take every day as it comes. 

Unfortunately Jeff has pulled his back. He is now taking Ibuprofen. Although this is a necessity its eating into our supplies and as yet we have not started to paddle. Lets hope all goes well.

Joanne is cooking a Thie Red Curry. Can’t think of anything better!  

South Georgia sighted at 1800hrs. A faint dot on the horizon is all you can see, but excitement throughout the yacht.  It won’t be until midday tomorrow that we finally reach Grytviken. It will be good to get off the yacht.

SOUTH GEORGIA (A brief history)

South Georgia along with the Sandwich Islands are a British overseas territory, only settled since 1904.

Whaling spread from the Faulklands to South Georgia. As the competition for whaling intensified, the main whaling activity gradually developed closer to the Antarctic continent. Whaling finally stopped on South Georgia in 1965.

Despite international attempts to regulate the industry, it only ceased when there were no longer sufficient numbers of whales to operate economically.  Up to 1930 South Georgia and its whaling stations accounted for the death of 3000 to 5000 whales but 45,000 were caught in the surrounding waters and the Antarctic continent. When whaling companies pulled out of South Georgia they left the stations in tact as some believed that a new whaling epoch would follow, but it never came. Seventeen years after the whaling stopped the war between Argentina and Great Britain took place. The Argentineans occupied South Georgia for a short period of time. After they withdrew the British arm maintained a military presence at King Edward point for a number of years. The base was then handed over to B.A.S. (British Antarctic Survey) who now rule and regulate the Island and police fishing in that part of the Southern Ocean.

The island is perhaps better known as the island where Shackeltons great adventure ended. Often being refeard to as “Shackeltons Island.” Shackelton and his men set out with the aim of crossing Antarctica from the Weddel Sea to the Ross Sea using dogs and sledges. Unfortunately he never made it as his ship Endurance that was carrying expedition members and supplies was crushed by ice in the Weddel  Sea. Shackelton backed by his companions then made the remarkable rescue mission to South Georgia by first sailing with all his men in three ships lifeboats to Elephant Island where his men camped in their upturned boats hoping that Shackelton could raise the alarm.  Shackelton sailed on to South Georgia in the James Caird. A ships lifeboat with a make shift deck that gave the men some form of shelter. Eventually landing in Cave Cove in King Haakon Bay some 16 day’s latter. He then with two companions Worsley and Crean made a 70 mile cross mountain trek a desperate traverse in the year of 1916.   

Eventually they reached the Husvik whaling station in Stromness Bay raising the alarm that enabled the remaining men to be rescued from Elephant Island.

Shackelton then returned to South Georgia on the Quest in 1922. That night they anchored and after drink and much joking Shackelton went to bed. Latter that night he suffered a massive heart attack. His body laid to rest in the small cemetery at Grytviken after a service in the station church. Some say “Shackelton came home to die”

A fascinating Island with an exciting history.

17^th November 2005 (Leith Harbour)

Hadas wakes me at 0400hrs. The sun is rising and we are close to land. Mountains rise from the sea and glaciers with dark blue bases rise with white spikey tops lie in the valleys. The temperature is cold and the sea approx 5 deg C. The sky is red and yellow a fantastic sun rise. Peter and Geoff go back to bed. Hadas and I stay up making the most of the hot water before the yachts engines are turned off and admire the scenery. All of a sudden we get our first sight of swimming penguins. They break the surface in small groups diving in an ark.

The mountains also beckon. Unfortunately we don’t have the time or equipment to undertake some mountain assents.  

The forecast is good, so after discussions with Steve we plan to be on the water latter that afternoon. This will give us the opportunity of having a short fifteen mile paddle. An ideal opportunity to make sure we have all the equipment we need, with the option of making changes while the yacht is still close.

Just entering Grytviken and the views are astounding. We have a flat calm sea with fantastic mountains rising steeply out of the sea in every direction. We can even see the top of **************this is not a common sight as usually the mountain is obscured by mist or low cloud. The sea is an ice aqua blue, this with the glaciers and mountains provides some of the best scenery I have ever experienced.

We were on the water by 1400hrs and paddled the planed 15kn miles to Leith.

We need a team talk. The cold effects you very quickly. I stopped for a pee and it took just three to four minutes until I could not feel my fingers. We must stop every 2 hours if we can find friendly landing spots. By doing this we can control when and how we land. We can’t afford forced stops on surf beeches with dumping surf. I feel that we have underestimated the effect of the cold on our hands, my poggies are hard to put on and I could do with a better system. Peter needs to think about making some form of poggies as he is struggling with just a pair of open mitt gloves. The cold is our most serious problem.

In my opinion we need to start to look for a friendly landing after about one hour and a half of paddling as peeing eating and drinking on the water will be a problem. Putting spray decks on and taking hatch covers off is difficult as its not long before your hands get so cold making it impossible to function.   

We have no alternative but to paddle hard in the windy conditions around the Island. This means that we have to be fairly evenly matched on forward paddling speed. If you are dressed for strenuous kayaking and have to stop and weight for slower paddlers we would get very cold very quickly. 

Hadas has just cut off the waist band on her thermal trousers. Thick waist bands are not a good idea. They tend to be uncomfortable but this is not the main problem. Its the added pressure on your bladder when you are paddling that plays havoc. If you cant land and you don’t want to pie in your dry suit and if its not convenient to use a pee bottle you have to try and forget the growing requirement to pee. The last thing you want is pressure on your bladder!

Its funny we teach people to keep the front and rear deck clear of equipment as it will only get washed or ripped off in surf, yet hear I am with the front deck of the kayak covered with equipment. There are leashes to cameras, cables linking external lenses to camcorders, mape case, contact tow, pump etc etc I need to clear the deck! Today I had to make a quick landing on a shelving beach and immediately got tangled in equipment. A more serious landing would be a night mare.

We reach our first glacier. Paddling through the slush ice sounds like paddling through a dish of rice crispies. The ice comprises of pieces measuring two to three feet across surrounded by thick slush. The journey has been worth it. We paddle on and make the decision to attempt a crossing of ************** despite the possible dangers of being hit by catabatic winds. We set off and the paddling speed increases. All must have the same concerns. The wind increases to a force five. For the first time I opt to use my skeg the sea is flat and with the wind hitting us on our port side the kayaks are weather cocking slightly.

We finally reach the other side, we still can’t sea the waling station as its tucked up around a headland. This is an old disused Waling station and can be spotted from two to three miles out. Although we land on the edge of the station we decide not to walk around investigating. The old whaling stations are now falling down and are structurally unsound, they are just a mass of twisted rusty metal. Asbestos can also be seen in the tangled iron wreckage. This would have undoubtedly been used as insulation.   

I expected to see piles of old whale bones but to my surprise you hardly see any. As we paddle past its hard to imagine the working conditions and smell that must have prevailed. There is a constant odder.  This must be what’s left from the whalers after cutting open the whales, boiling the blubber, grinding the bones and making *********

In Port Stanley I had invented a tickling stick. This comprised of a fishing rod with all the eyes cut off and a piece of foam taped to the end. The idea was that should a fur seal approach the foam block could be waved around the furs whiskers. According to reports once a fur seal senses the foam with their wiskers they should in theory back off.

After being warned about fur seal attacks we have had lengthy discussions about how to treat and deal with the seals. In Stanley I went to the hospital and managed to obtain a tooth brush, Hydrogen Peroxide Solution (6%) BP and a course of antibiotics. The advice given was to scrub any wound received as a result of a fur seal bite using the tooth brush and Hydrogen Peroxide followed by the course of antibiotics. Fur seal bites are notorious for going septic very quickly.

The tickling stick works well. Everyone joked about my little invention but I have still to use it! No one wants to go anywhere without it! These are our first encounters with the fur seals. Its true they are very aggressive we will have to be careful. What will they be like further North where the population of seals are far denser?

There is very little information on tidal flows and currents available so we were pleased to experience an easterly tidal flow. The flow was approx one knot and assisted us for most of the day.

18^th November 2005  (Ending Prince Olafe)

Today has been a hard day. We set out in force 5 head winds. I was not sure how far we would get but we just plugged on. The coast comprises of rocky cliff and ice with some sheltered landing areas. Any possible landing area is usually occupied with male fur seals standing guard over their territory.

We landed for lunch at Fortune Bay, the wildlife was phenomenal. We sat in colonies of Macaroney and King penguins. They inhabit the thick tussock grass that covers the foot hills of the mountains surrounding the coast.  

If you approach the penguin colonies just sit down at the edge of the colony the penguins actually waddle up to see you, they are very inquisitive birds. The king penguins are about 30 inches high with golden yellow and black heads. The Macaronis are smaller and have yellow feathered eye brows and red beaks.

The Fear seals have again been very territorial. Peter and I manoeuvre together with paddles as prodding sticks. We feel like Jedi warriors. Each bull fur seal has its own territory and we have to wind our way through them, keeping alert needing eyes in the back of your head as the seals will also attach from behind. We chose to traverse high above the seals through a small snow field across to the edge of the penguin colony.

We carried on climbing to the top of the hill. This enabled us to inspect the coast ahead. The wind had now become a force five probably gusting six (head wind). The sea was thick with fairly heavy white caps braking out to sea. With luck we could kept as close to the coast as possible. This appeared to offer some shelter. Our fears wear that we would run into strong winds blowing down of the glacier and mountain pass. Fortunately the wind only picked up to a force five plus from the side.

Geoff has decide to be known as the on water camera man. He was learning as we went. His remote camera had fallen off its stand, Hadas had stopped to help, fitting the camera head back on. This was the first time Hadas had had to expose her hands on the water. She was surprised how quickly she had lost the feeling in her fingers.

We landed at the end of a long day. The fur seal population was increasing and they were getting noticeably more aggressive. We stuck together fighting our way through the seals. It was now obvious that the tickling stick would not be adequate. Instead we opted for the paddles as a sharp prod was now needed to stop them attacking as against a ruffling of there whiskers. We met the Pelagic crew and the seven of us walked in a group. The crew had opted to use walking sticks as there prodding sticks. On three occasions I actually had to prod seals quite aggressively in order to stop them attacking.

  

None of us are sleeping well, I can only assume that this is a combination of being overtired caused by the five day sailing passage and the four hour on and four hour off watches. The result of the watch system meant that we were not getting our normal quota of sleep and just knapping where possible. The extended daylight hours are also affecting us.

Hadas has had a headache all night and is probably dehydrated. We will have to try and regulate our liquid intake. The problem is that we can’t just land for a pee! Its hard to have a pee at sea with dry suits and thermals on and the landings at the moment can be two to three hours apart.

So far despite the strong winds we are on schedule but we are expecting the weather to change and get windy and very cold from the South. This will possibly force us off the water for one or two days.

The kayaks are doing well but the black course sand does tend to make the skegs jam.  Before we left we each drilled a small hole through the bottom of the skeg blade tying small rope loops. These are now proving invaluable as it make it easy when we try and clear the sand etc out of the skeg box. This has to be done after we launch down the steep dumping beaches.

19^th November 2005

On the water by 0900hrs, a latter start. The visibility was bad and the chances of having to paddle on compass bearings high, before we left I had plotted our course taking us through the Bay of Isles, planning to stop briefly on a rocky spit at Albatross Island. As it turned out the sea mist was down all day, and so was the temperature. Our feet felt like blocks of ice, so much so that when you first landed we stumble around with no feeling in our feet. Geoff actually lost a shoe while paddling today and he could not feel weather it was on or not, he actually had to take his spray deck off to look. 

I think the thick plastic souls on our shoes actually retain the cold. Anything tight around your feet also makes your feet cold, the metal foot rest don’t help either. We would be far better off with custom bulkheads and two inch foam pads.

Temperature control is becoming an art. If we were to dress for being in the water then you would severely overheat when paddling, especially plugging into these strong head winds. For me wearing layers is by far the best option. With layers you can decide how many to wear depending on the wind direction and temperature. I will be putting on an extra layer on my legs for the colder weather on the south coast.

Geoff commented on how his compass rose is bottoming out and catching on the housing. This is the difference between a Northern and Southern hemisphere compass. The Southern compass is weighted differently as the Northern compass in the Southern hemisphere is pulled down. This is known as the Southern dip and is caused by the magnet properties at the pole.

As we paddled along today I found myself spotting lines of Penguin feathers in the water. Ironically the feathers were indicating the faint eddy lines as foam would do back home. The feathers prove to be a problem for the support yacht. They clog the filters up on the salt water inlet pipes causing the engine to overheat.

The first half of the day went well as we had little wind. We paddled through the mist on a bearing of 288 mag to Albertross Island and then 305 mag back to the main land. In the afternoon the wind began to build from the East giving us a following sea. Hadas in the Greenlander was able to race ahead as in these conditions it surfs quickly and in smaller sea’s than the explorers. The Greenlander surfs in a force three to four wear the Explorer needs a four plus unless you also have a swell. The Explore is however more user friendly in the stronger winds.

As we paddled towards Right Whale Bay the wind had picked up to a force 5 / 6. We spot the Pelagic on the horizon and radio giving them a bearing of 055deg from us to them. We carried on surfing down the coast in a following sea and wind. The wind was now gusting force seven. We managed to find a small sheltered cove just before Cragey Point large enough for the Pelagic to enter. This provided us with calmer waters. Again hands suffer and we started to get very cold weighting for the Pelagic. Support yachts are fine but in these waters they have to be ahead of you and ready to rendezvous if that’s the plan. Weighting even for half an hour is not good as this means getting very cold. In this location we are trying to shelter and the last thing we want to do is paddle out to sea in the rough waters just to keep warm whilst we weight.    

We are averaging about twenty two nautical miles per day. We are all used to doing longer mileages but the temperature saps your energy making you even more susceptible to the cold. On top of that for safety reasons we are generally a little more conservative than when kayaking in warmer waters. All in all this has been a good day with the objectives achieved even though its been a cold one.

This expedition will certainly add to our library of experiences, I learn so much about myself and the environment in these situations. For me this is one of the main attractions of expeditioning.

The weather is closing in so we need to round Bird Island tomorrow pushing onto the South coast. This will put us in an ideal position to use the expected cold Southerly winds to run down the South cost.   

Tonight I rang my daughter on the satellite phone only to find out that she had been beaten up whilst walking in Fuengirola on the Spanish coast. She was with friends but all were overpowered by a Morrocan gang of girls. Lizz ended up being treated in hospital. Fortunately she will be fine but being so far away has made me feel helpless.

We finally met up with the Pelagic and used for the first time Mates improvised lifting strop to hoist the kayaks up onto the yacht. This is basically a sling either end of a pole. First you lower the yaghts inflatable and secure it bow and stern to the yacht. Then you paddle into the front sling alongside the inflatable. With Mat in the inflatable to take the paddle you can quickly role out of the kayak and over the sponson. The rear sling is slipped over the stern and the kayak is hoisted out with help from Joanne on the yachts winch. The system works well, but we can’t rely on the support boat for rescue in rough water as it would be impossible to board.

We dropped back along the coast to Rosita Harbour. This is a large bay with a smaller bay within. Skip has been hear before. He helms the yacht through a thick kelp bed and into the smaller inner bay. We drop anchor and secure the yacht. The thick kelp running across the entrance of the bay helps stop the waves and swell.

 

20^th November 2005

Both Skip and Mat make anchor watches during the night, one at 0100hrs and the other at 0400hrs. Mat leaves a note “Anchore holding wind from NE / E Estimated 30 knots. 0730hrs and its still windy. Unless it drops then we won’t be on the water today. As predicted the kelp is keeping the worst of the swell away, and its proving to be a safe anchorage.

The barometer has dropped from 1002 to 983 and its not looking good. Never mind, a rest day will be good. We are also in an excellent position to take advantage of rounding the next headland on the North West corner of the Island. This will enable us to pass through Bird Island Sound. Psychologically rounding a headland and paddling onto a new shore always builds moral and excitement. We are all hopping that we can complete the South coast as quickly as possible. For me this is the crux of the circumnavigation.

We must make the most of the rest day and since we are also with the support yacht we will try and dry out the Radios and charge the camera batteries. We have now lost two out of the four radios. The radios were supposed to be waterproof and they have been kept on the deck of the kayaks. I never understand why manufacturers state that radios are waterproof when some of them are obviously not. If all the radios go down we will have problems contacting the yacht, we must be careful. After the expedition I learnt that when buying a radio it must be labelled as being submersible.

Overnight we have lost a carcase of a sheep that was tied onto the stern of the yacht. This is the accepted way of storing fresh meet. In this climate it is possible to hang the meet for at least a month.  This is bad news really as we can’t just pop to the shops for fresh supplies. Who tied the knot?

This far South there is a hole in the Ozone layer. The hole opens and closes depending on atmospheric conditions. Although the hole is apparently closed at the moment the Ozone layer is thinner than you would normally find further North. Consequently even though the sea mist was down yesterday, Geoff’s lips have swollen and burnt.

1100hrs and the barometer is now 978 mill bars

2120hrs and the barometer is now 979.

 

21^st November 2005

Up early, in the hope that the wind has dropped, it hasn’t. We decide to go back to bed in the hope that the wind will drop latter in the morning. The barometric pressure log reads as follows:

0630hrs           976

0700hrs           978

0800hrs           976

We all have burnt chapped lips so from now on we need to be careful and apply our lip cream on a regular base.

We still have quite a swell running. This in its self is not a problem but we have a 20 kn head / onshore wind. There are no easy landings for the next 14 miles. We set off in the knowledge that if the weather persists, or gets worse, we can always run back to Right Whale Bay.

Looking at the satellite weather pictures we seam to have a low pressure system coming in and the centre of the low looks like it will pass to the South of us. If so this could give us a following wind down the south coast. What a bonus that would be. On the other hand if we don’t manage to round the top of the Island we could get stuck on the north coast.

Back on board after a short but very windy / gusty day. We have paddled from Cragey point into Right Whale Bay. (Approx 2 miles) We had a long swell and gusts of wind between 30 to 45knots plus forcing us to abandon all plans of reaching Elsenhul.           .

As we paddled one of us would call the gusts, we would all head towards the wind whilst the gusts hit. At one point there was so much spray being kicked up by the wind, I could hardly see in front of my kayak. Keeping your speed up and bracing into the wind was the key. On one occasion I had no alternative but to brace on the downwind side of the kayak allowing the kayak to pivot around the paddle and be blown directly down wind. It was impossible to paddle at all! I have no idea how strong this gust would have been as fortunately I have not had to experience these conditions that often. We were being blown towards the cliffs. How long would the wind continue to blow? Unless the gusts drop we could easily find ourselves in a pretty desperate situation as we approach the shore. The cliffs are steep offering no sheltered landings. Geoff and I were paddling close together, so to were Hadas and Peter. Peter’s tethered flair got washed off his deck. He let go of his paddle with one hand to pick it up and was immediately blown over. Apparently Hadas shouted but Geoff and I heard nothing. Pete fortunately rolled up, despite having to role on his bad side. This was fortunate as in these conditions its hard enough to look after yourself never mind rescuing others. This short day is disappointing but we can’t afford to be caught out. With the swell crashing on the shore there is very often no wear to run. We will have to be patient.    

 

22^nd November 2005

Still stuck in Right Whale Bay. Last night the gusts hit 57knots. We are starting to get concerned about the low that is continuing to form. It is forecast to blow a consistent 45 to 50 knots, first from the N West then East and quickly changing to the S East. If this forecast happens it will make finding a safe mooring for the yacht difficult.

0900hrs           971

0930hrs           970

2000hrs           970

2130hrs           971

Today has been another bad weather day. We spent time exploring the glacial valley. The fur seals are thicker in the North West. As we get closer to the matting season the bulls on the beach are becoming far more aggressive. You can’t go for a walk by yourself or without protection. The smaller more timid seals seam to be on higher ground or set back off the beach. I am only assuming that the prime position for the male fur seals is along the foreshore.

A seal came for me today, I was forced to retreat quickly. It kept coming, in my hast I stumbled over a rock. As I fell backwards I swung a dinghy oar that I was carrying. The oar snapped across the seals head, fortunately this must have made the seal think twice as it immediately stopped in its tracks giving up the chase.

Latter in the day we established that the seals seam to be weary of noise especially when you hit a piece of timber with a stick. They also don’t like sand or small stones being kicked up in their face. For the rest of the walk Geoff would use both halves of the broken oar making as much noise as he could. The seals parted as we walked towards them, it was working, they didn’t like the noise.

We are hoping for a better day tomorrow and we plan to be up at five am for an early start.

 

23^rd November 2005

Still in the same place! We expected the wind to drop but it hasn’t. We have been having gusts of wind up to 56knots. Its now 1200hrs and the barometer is finally rising (982). We hope to have a weather window tomorrow but the latest is to expect 70 knots of wind from the East. We have decided that we will need to get off the water tomorrow by 1600hrs.This time it’s the yacht that will need our help. We will have to go back to where the anchorage is known and put out two to three bow and stern lines as well as the anchor. The bow and stern lines are attached to belay point ashore by way of slings, this stops the yacht swinging and you can’t drag the anchor. Its 1533hrs and the barometer is still rising 986.

We have decided to lift the anchor and move in the hope that we can get a better idea of the wind strength. Our decision to paddle or not could well be clouded as we are moored in the centre of a glacial valley. This will be channelling the wind and possibly giving us a false impression. We are still getting gusts of 43 Knots

We finally get dropped off and start to paddle at 1700hrs covering some  **********              miles. This had to be done in one hope taking 4 ½ hrs. Crossing from headland to headland the longest crossing was approx 8 miles and the wind was blowing 25 to 30 knots on a quarterly head wind. Today was a hard day for me. For some reason my backrest had moved so for the whole day I had no support. Normally this would not be a problem but pushing into wind is always a grunt. I always power forwards pushing on the footrests with my feet with every stroke. This is harder without a backrest as you need to grip the kayak with your legs as apposed to the back rest stopping you being pushed back off the seat.

Its strange to be paddling in relatively uncharted waters. We met the Polagic and followed it back into Elsehul. Passing through a reef area I could see Joe climbing the mast in order to spot for rocks. Latter Steve (Skip) was drawing up the rock layout and passage through for future reference. All the crew keep logs and notes on possible anchorages for the future. The barometer has risen quickly it will be interesting to see if the wind picks up. 2300hrs 993.

I am looking forwards to my sleeping bag so much.

 

24^th November 2005

Up at 0600hrs and on the water for 0730hrs. A pleasant day for a change!  Due to bad weather coming in we plan to be off the water by 1400hrs and we don’t expect to be able to paddle tomorrow.

We paddled out to the entrance of Bird sound with a following wind and sun. As we dropped down through the sound we immediately saw the James Clark Ross. (The B.A.S. supply vessel) and large ice bergs off the Southern coast. Hadas stops to get something out of her day hatch. The water is calm, for sum reason she finds herself upside down. Hadas is out of her kayak! We are all surprised and Peter quickly rescues. Hadas is cold. Normally the water in Israel can be anything up to 75 deg and the last thing you would be wearing is a dry suite. The shock of the cold water had stopped Hadas thinking and her dry suit caused her to slide in the seat as she tried to role. I felt sorry for Hadas as her pride was obviously hurt. She was quiet for the rest of the day. Its not a problem as a swim could happen to us all sooner or latter.

 We rounded a headland looking for a place to pull in. We found a small beach but it had at least seven fear seals on it. The seals also had recent pups. The problem with landing on these small beaches is that the Fur seals are effectively trapped by other bull seals just ahead of them who are determined to keep their territory.  If they do try to leave their area then they have to fight neighbouring seals who are defending their territory. Hadas decided not to land and the three of us kept to the side of the little rocky inlet, a quick stop before a 10 mile sea crossing. The support yacht had it’s own problems today. Whilst sailing along it hit a rock hard, breaking a winch. The lifting keel shot backwards and Jim who was hanging out his washing nearly got thrown overboard. As the yacht jolted, the heavy bridge sea door slammed shut crushing Magnus’s fingers. His finger split but fortunately did not brake. He now has them bandaged up, Joe had offered to stitch the wound but Mags had refused.

The yacht ended up on an approx 45 deg angle perched on a rock. (Just one of the problems of sailing in uncharted waters!) The depth gage had gone from 30m to 2m without warning.

Its good to be kayaking on the South coast and the weather is good despite the forecast. The temperature however has dropped and its even colder. Our feet turn to blokes of ice within 30mins of paddling. It will be interesting to see how we acclimatise and if so how quickly.

Its 2030hrs and the barometer now reads 991.

 

25^th / 26thNovember

Two good days. Why has the weather been so good to us? Who knows but we must make the most of it. On the 25^th we started with a force three headwind. This slowed our progress but fortunately the wind dropped and we were able to finish at *********

Due to the amount of wildlife on the beach we set up camp forming a large square with the kayaks. This allowed us to fit our two three man tents within the enclosure and hopefully keep our fury friends out. As we went to sleep you could hear the snow beating down on the tents. The seals were fighting every now and again and the Elephant seals grunted. During the night I could hear a seal trying to climb onto the kayak that ran along the side of Jeff and Hadases tent. I was glad their tent separated us from the seal and felt safe in the knowledge that they would have to deal with the problem first I fell asleep quickly. As we woke the camp site was white, I spent time taking photographs, this involved climbing the steep hill behind us through the Tussock grass. Care is needed because the Fur seals climb high and lie sleeping between the clumps of grass, they are hard to see.   We had a leisurely start enjoying the experiences of South Georgia.

We crossed a bay and started to paddle past another large glacier forcing our way through pack ice once gain. 

Today I quoted that this island can be “Heaven or Hell” Today the wind is calm and the seas are flat and it’s a heavenly place. With wind and cloud it very quickly turns into a very unpleasant place.

We stopped to have a meal in the middle of the day as the planned Mars bar and energy bars are not enough. The meal helps and we paddle on.

Paddling the South Coast has been fantastic. We pass glacier after glacier. Loud cracks like thunder can be heard seconds before huge areas of ice carve of the front of the glacier falling into the sea. The broken ice is now thick and we pick our way through one kayak behind the other forcing a channel. After two days of this the keel strip on my kayak was starting to wear (after three it had worn through in places.) We paddle hard in order to separate the ice, occasionally you find yourself perched high on the ice as the bow of the kayak rises up onto the ice instead of pushing the lumps to one side. The ice extends a good mile out to sea. We opt to stay close to land as to miss this scenery would be a crime.

Today we have experienced a drop in the fur seal density. As the density drops they are becoming less aggressive.

Peter and Jeff saw a whale today this was our third sighting since we left the Falklands. I am a little disappointed as I expected to see more. We have been told that the whales are increasing in numbers in the Antarctic waters but few are see around the Island. Some think that the current generation of whale still remembers the whaling days and give the Island a wide berth.

We arranged to meet the Pelagic at the end of the day. Unfortunately we have to site weighting for approximately 45 minutes. The frustration of using a support vessel is building! Peter is getting noticeable more and more agitated. We joke trying to defuse the situation. Jim on board has had words with Steve and tension on board is mounting. The crew are caught between trying to accommodate us and doing what Steve wants to do.  Steve is keen on finding new anchorages along this coast, he is compiling information in the hope of writing a local pilot to the area. When we finally get on board there is a definite atmosphere.

An early start is needed tomorrow as we need to get off the South Coast as soon as possible this luck cannot continue for long. We must make the most of this break in the weather.

 

27^th November 2005

We pass an old yacht that now lies wrecked on the beach a reminder of the hostile waters. Many areas on the chart are inaccurate and sailing in uncharted waters slows their progress. We forget that they are also having a fairly major expedition of heir own.

The pack ice is carving off the glaciers, its thick and heavy to cope with. For seven miles we picked our way through the ice. One would go first forcing a passage through the ice and the rest would follow, by now this was a well rehearsed practice.

Towards the end of the day I spotted orange wellies walking on the shore in a small cove. We turned and paddled towards the cove, it was the pelagic crew exploring the coast in their thermal boots. We stopped for a Mars bar and quick pee. To my surprise the wreck of a yacht lie in the bay. It was The Great America formally known as the Livery Dole. They say changing the name of a boat changes its luck. I have always wondered how much truth their could be in this saying. Apparently the yacht was rounding Cape Horn when it was abandoned in heavy seas on Nov 22^nd 1990. The vessel capsized, the crew then abandoned the vessel. The vessel righted its self when another large wave hit her and the yacht then sailed and drifted until smashed to pieces on the South Georgia coast.

 

28^th November 2005

Up at 0530 and the weather is still holding.

I am tired of cold feet so I opt to experiment and wear my wellies with two pairs of thermal socks under the dry suit. They are far more comfortable and being able to move your feet inside the boot helps the blood circulate.

The mountain scenery is spectacular rising straight up covered in thick snow and ice.

We are finally settling into expedition mode. We are up early and paddling three or four 2hr hops. It normally takes me two weeks to get into expedition mode. I then find myself getting fitter and stronger. It’s a pity the trip will soon be over.

As we paddled across the front of a glacier the off shore wind picked up to approx 25 knots. The temperature drops by a good five degrees, we are finally approaching Cape Disappointment. This headland gets its name as in *********         rounded the headland thinking it was Cape Horn off the tip of South America. 

The dry suits are proving to be a gods send without them we would be suffering.

The team are now in high spirits as we near the end of the expedition.

My tows now never return to normal, They tingle all through the evening and hurt when exposed to the cold. I am assuming I have had frost nip.

29^th November 2005

Up at 0530hrs All night you could hear the wind blowing through the yachts rigging. All the spars vibrate down through the hull, I toss and turn unable to sleep. Looking out to the horizon the clouds are still moving quickly. I volunteered to get up and take a weather check. If its going to be a hard grunt into wind then I should let people sleep and set off latter as we have only been averaging five hours sleep per night.

We set off as the weather started to settle. It defiantly would appear that the weather is more stable in the morning than the evening.

As we approach ********   the wind increases. We can see the wind across the water whipping around the headland in front. I stop to put on my hat before the headland as once we round and hit the wind it will not be possible to stop. We gather, Jeff is not feeling too well so we have decided to finish at camp nine in the hope that Jeff will feel better tomorrow.

As we round the headland the full brunt of the wind hits us. A four mile fetch has allowed a rough sea to build. We dig deep, I wonder if this is wise or possible. At least we can turn and run back if needed. We slowly start to split, Hadas and I paddle together. I try to catch a glimpse of Peter and Jeff. Lets hope we all make it as in these conditions we would not be able to carry out an effective rescue. We opt to take a relatively wide course around the headland. The kayaks are now leaving the water as we paddle over the steeper waves. I look to the rock wondering if any of us would be able to swim ashore if needed. No it’s not an option. Hadas and I are now approx one hundred meters ahead of Peter, I can see that he is probably the same distance again  from Jeff. Hadas shouts shall we weight? I thought for a moment checking behind me and decide that we should push on as if anyone does get into trouble we would be in a better position to try and raise help ashore than out hear. I think we would all be blown quite quickly out to sea should we stop paddling. We carry on and try to find a place to land as the conditions had reached a point that you could all only look after No 1. My notes on the chart told me that we had a possible landing just around the corner. If Jeff could not make it he would have to turn and run back down wind, provided we could all stay upright we could follow and hopefully stand a chance of returning to the last headland rounding the corner into sheltered waters. It reminds me of the time we paddle three miles out to see before a force seven eight hit in order to ****** Someone had marked the landing, but I can’t remember who had given us the information. Maybe it was Tim Gunn, “thanks”. Peter and I had talked about the landing prior to setting off around the headland. In the distance we could see a possible landing, it was protected by a cliffy outcrop. We landed on the steep dumping beach and pulled the kayaks up high. It was good to see Peter and Jeff approaching. All landed safely, welcome to Royal bay. We were surprised to find drift wood in abundance all within thirty feet of us. This was the only wood we had seen! The wind was bitter. Without talking we worked quickly, two of us set about building a fire and the others erected a tent for shelter.  Someone mention restrictions on lighting fires, we all agreed that this was a survival situation and we thought that BAS would probably not object. That evening I looked at my chart and on it I had written the word windy underlined in pencil. This had been done weeks before departure in the UK. Later we were to learn that Royal Bay has the reputation of being one of the windiest places on South Georgia.

 

After the expedition we talked about rounding this headland. Jeff felt that we had not discussed this enough especially as he was not feeling well. I agree that perhaps we should have stopped prior to rounding the headland. I think we were probably in expedition mode. If we had decided to camp before the headland we might not be able to get out through the surf if the wind changed direction. We could have retreated approx 1 mile or so but that is something that you tend not to consider when pushing hard. This was the only time on the expedition where I think others could criticise our decision making.  

On the positive side we were now in the ideal position to keep any eye on the wind and sea state and make an informed decision on when to attempt the next crossing.     .

30^th November 2005.

A long day with fifty percent of the paddling being into wind. I woke at 0430hrs and the wind was still blowing hard. A quick look out of the tent and then I promptly fell back to sleep. We would be lucky to get on the water at all! The next I new Hadas was shouting in the tent that the wind had dropped. It was about 0600hrs. We were packed and on the water by 0630hrs. Would the wind hold as we crossed Royal Bay? The last thing we wanted would be for the wind to pick up as this was a deep glacial bay. This is an important crossing. Fortunately we only had a force four for about twenty minutes. Although the first three hours of paddling were relatively wind free it was not long before we had head winds again. As we paddled the gusts hit 30 knots plus. Every time we relax and start to enjoy the paddle on this North Cost the wind kicks in just to remind us who was in charge. Not for the first time did we joke about it may have been better paddling clockwise instead of the devils way ie anti clockwise. In hind sight we did have a slight tidal flow with us for most of the North Coast so anti clockwise was probably the better choice.  

The temperature began to drop and the snow started to fall. The rest of the day was a slog. The head winds gusted 35 knots and more. At one point when rounding a headland we were actually standing still for a long time despite paddling hard. 

Unfortunately when paddling in these waters you need strength and dogged determination to paddle into the strong head winds together with the bottle to battle around headlands not knowing if you have a good landing on the other side. I don’t think you have the option of weighting for perfect weather as the mountains are high and the slightest wind gets accelerated and bends around headlands. The wind also channels down the glaciers and valleys. The onshore winds on the South Coast will have helped as this would minimise the strong Catabatic winds. 

We stopped for a hour and debated weather to go on or stop for the night. I was for going on as the end was in sight. It would be better to continue than risk getting trapped on this coast, all agreed. It will be a tough two to three hours to the finish. We must push on! Who knows what the weather will do tomorrow?

We grunted on with limited visibility only being able to see the immediate headland through the wind driven snow and mist. As we rounded the last headland the wind was gusting 35 to 40 knots. Would we make the finish? We followed the coast for a short time then cut off into what was almost a white out. Fortunately as we paddled further from the shore the wind dropped a little allowing us to make progress as we paddled on our bearing. To the right we could just make out the Pelagic. She was trying to make eye contact with us as they were not shore weather or not we would have had to turn back. I rafted up with Jeff and got the radio out of the dry bag. All of this had to be done quickly whilst I could still feel my fingers. Fumbling for buttons with dead fingers is not easy.  The Pelagic was surprised to hear that we were actually ahead of them. They had had their own problems finding their way through ice and shallow waters even though they were a mile and a half out to sea. Again none of these shallows were marked on the chart.

We finally crossed and rounded the last headland, the lights from the BAS station could be seen through the mist. It was now dusk, the snow was still falling and the wind still blowing. These were the first lights we had seen since we had left. As we paddled past the base it was dark. From the shore we suddenly heard shouts and whoops, we had been spotted. As we approached the base, hand held flairs were let off and a saxophone bellowed out over the water. What a welcome we had done it! As we hit the pebble beach amongst the Elephant seals a welcome party stood. Champaign, beer, photographs and congratulations. Most of the bases population had come to meet us. We stood talking glad to have completed, the pain was over.

Unbelievable, we are now all sat in a sauna with beers in hand. We next have to report to the base bar. What a shame!

On this last day we had paddled for approx 14.5hrs and covered some 32 N miles. A hard day! We had paddled at an average of                      per hour.

The following day Jeff sends back an update for the web page, it reads as follows:

“Leaving Coopers Bay we paddled northwards. We reached Cape Charlotte and got hit by katabatic winds. These were the worst winds any of us had been caught in before and we were forced to make an emergency landing on a small beach on the south side of Royal Bay. At 0630 hours the following morning we packed away our tents and set off on what we hoped would be our final day. Starting to cross Royal Bay in light winds, but confused seas, we continued on, staying close to shore due to signs of wind, in the cloud formations forming overhead. As the day wore on the wind did increase and the temperature dropped, gusts in excess of 30-35 knots battered us with regularity. By late evening we rounded Barff Point and started to cross Cumberland Bay, a snow blizzard set in, freezing winds could not however diminish the smiles on our faces, as we followed our compasses, steadily approaching the finish line. At 2200 hours local time we crossed the line to a very warm welcome from the crew of Pelagic Australis, BAS personnel, staff of the South Georgia museum and the few locals of this most amazing Island.

Our thanks go out to our sponsors, supporters, families and friends who have all helped to make this amazing adventure possible.”

 

Location- Latitude-        54 degrees 16 minutes 98 seconds south.

                Longitude-     36 degrees 29 minutes 79 seconds west.

 

Whilst packing up I went to remove my compass from the kayak and the fluid within the bowl of the compass had gone quite grey to the point that it would have been difficult to read the compass in bad visibility. What had caused this to happen? Was it the UV the cold who knows?  The compass fluid almost returned to normal but only some three weeks latter.

Our proposed plan in the main had worked. Although we have all paddled long hard days in the past, I think it was probably wise to cut the planned mileage down by a third, this was mainly due to the cold. The continued cold defiantly saps your energy.

We have now been sat in Grytviken for the last three day’s weighting for a break in the weather so we can head for the Faulklands. The wind hitting 65 knots on the key. The barometer has fallen to 955 mill bars. The longer we stay the more I appreciate what we have been able to achieve.

During our four day weight we undertake some small hikes and visit the old whaling station, museum and graveyard. It was at the museum that Jeff and I sat talking to Tim and Pauline. They as so many people at the base have achieved so much. Tim and Pauline Carr and Curlew their 100 year old, 28 foot cutter, comprise one of the worlds most celebrated blue-water sailing teams. For thirty years they crisscrossed the worlds oceans, circumnavigating the globe and sailing from the Arctic Circle to the mainland of Antarctica. The couple have received the highest accolades for seamanship from cruising clubs the world over. They finally finished up sailing to South Georgia and living on Curlew until the yacht was finally sent to the National museum in Falmouth. Tim and Pauline now continue to live on South Georgia and are curators of the South Georgian Whaling museum in Grytviken.

As we sat in their house over coffee and home made biscuits, we discussed the Elephant seals and how they dive to 1850 feet, live at 600 ft Cumming up for air every 1hr to 1½ hrs. How the Fur seals are increasing by 10% per year current population 4.5 million.

What an honour to be in such well achieved but modest company. If you want to know more about South Georgia read their book Antarctic Oasis. (ISBN 0-393-04605-2)

Templar Films South Georgia Final Update.

9 December 2005: 

 

We arrived back in Port Stanley at 2230 local time. 4 days and 7 hours of sailing from Grytviken to Port Stanley, an exceptionally fast time by all accounts.

 

 The first successful British expedition to circumnavigate the Island of South Georgia, setting the fastest time on record.

 

 A total of 13 days and eight hours.

 

The challenge to paddle around South Georgia has been considered by many to be the ultimate challenge to any sea kayaker, comparisons between it and K2 to the climbing world have been bandied about, but South Georgia is truly unique and stands alone in the challenges that it does present, it certainly didn’t disappoint us. We had the best and the worst that mother nature had to offer, when the going was good we made as much progress as we could, forcing ourselves to extend the limits at times to which you would not normally consider reasonable, over and above the norm. When the weather was really bad we had no option, paddling wasn’t possible. The hardest thing to judge were those gaps in-between, seeing a weather system form overhead and wind increase from a force 2/3 to a full force 9 in the space of minutes was at times very frightening, especially when you were half way across a five mile open crossing. All of the usual safety nets kayakers back home take for granted, VHF, Coastguard, RNLI even mobile phones were none existent and we knew that down here we were on our own, a self contained unit having to work as a team and being able to trust collectively in the decision making process meant so much more when making daily goals. Although we had to have a support vessel to satisfy the license, the only time we saw it was when the weather was sound, if things turned foul they needed to head for cover as much as we did, what a seventy foot yacht considers appropriate shelter is well removed from what a kayaker would consider to be appropriate.

A yacht such as Pelagic Australis can always head for open water, for us we had to take exceptional care when undertaking crossings, always looking for changes in the clouds, looking at the surface of the sea and reading the flow of water becomes second nature, if it hadn’t we may well have suffered for the mistake and this could have been a different update today.

 

We realize that there have been technical problems with our web site and updates, for which we apologize, especially to our sponsors, this will be rectified upon our return to the U.K.

 

We will also establish a photo page, including all expedition members thoughts and feelings on our expedition to South Georgia , during the month of January.

Photo

The crate ready for departure.

 

Kayak South Georgia

The total route completed

Stage 1 – November 17^th 2005

• Departed Grykviken - 54°16”.844 South 036^° 29”. 570 West

Rounded;

• Jason Islands 54°11”.393 South 036° 29”.570 West
• 54°08”.997 South 036° 34”.105 West

• Arrived Leith - 54°08.45 South 036°41.1 West

Stage 2 – November 18^th 2005

• Departed Leith

      Rounded;

• 54° 08.632 South 036°38.500 West
• 54° 07.410 South 036° 37.314 West
• 54° 02.781 South 036° 59.896 West – Cape Constance

• Arrived Prince Olav - 54° 03.553 South 037°09.062 West

Stage 3 – November 19^th

• Departed Prince Olva

Rounded;

• 54°02.700 South 037°05.520 West
• 54°02. 294 South 037°08.021 West
• 53° 58.974 South 037° 22.049 West – Cape Buller

• Arrived east side of Craigie Point - 54°00. 72 South 037°36.73 West

Stage 4 – November 21st

• Depart Craigie Point

Rounded;

• 54°00.110 South 037°38.847 West

• Arrived Right Whale Bay - 54° 00.57 South 037° 41.40 West

(Short day due to high head winds)

Stage 5 – November 23^rd

• Depart Right Whale Bay

Rounded;

• 53° 59.014 South 037° 40.244 West – Nameless Point
• 53° 58.204 South 037° 43.430 West – Cape North
• 54° 00.192 South 037°58.083 West

• Arrived 54° 01.637 South 037° 57.788 West - Elsehull

Stage 6 – November 24^th

• Depart Elsehull

Rounded;

• 54° 00.678 South 037°58.639 West
• 54° 00.273 South 038° 01.000 West

(Kayaked down Bird Sound – in between Bird Island and main land)

 

• 54° 00.800 South 038°01.626 West
• 54°03.843 South 038° 01.883 West – Cape Paryadin

• Arrived 54° 07.917 South 037° 44.122 West – Saddle Island

Stage 7 – November 25^th

• Depart Saddle Island

Rounded;

• 54°10.415 South 037° 41.677 West – Klutschak Point
• 54°17.418 South 037°22. 294 West – East of Cape Nunez

• Arrived 54° 15.232 South 037° 14.348 West – Holmestrand

Stage 8 – November 26^th

• Depart Holmestrand

Rounded;

• 54° 19 South 037°06.05 West – Aspasia Point
• 54°27.05 South 036°49.02 West – Cape Darnley

• Arrived 54°31.05 South 036°38.00 West – Dueloz Head

(Kayaked in between Annenkov Island and main land)

 

Stage 9 – November 27^th

• Departed Dueloz Head
• Arrived 54° 49.262 South 036° 12.202 West – Trollhul

Stage 10 – November 28^th

• Departed Trollhull

Rounded;

• 54° 54”.06 S 036° 06.66 W Cape Disspapintment
• 54° 52”.32 S 035°57.36 W Rumbolds Point

• Arrived Copper Island 54° 47.95 S 035°49.02 W

Stage 11 – November 29^th

• Depart Cooper Island

Rounded;

• 54° 46.20 S 035° 46. 80 W Cape Vohsel

• Arrived 54° 32. 81 S 035° 52.64 W Cape Charlotte

Stage 12 – November 30^th

• Departed Cape Charlotte

Rounded;

• 54° 17.110 S 036° 14.741 W Cape George
• 54° 14. 988 S 036° 20.06 W Skerries
• 54° 14.348 S 036° 23.86 W Barff Point

• Completed 54° 16.98 S 036° 29.79 W Grytviken

 

South Georgia presents sea kayakers with a number of problems. Quickly changing weather causing strong gusty winds and the cold. The wind picks up very quickly and don’t be fooled into thinking that if the wind is blowing from the South you will be sheltered on the North Coast. You wont! The Island is very narrow with high mountains and plummeting valleys and glaciers that run down to the sea. You need to be very careful as in off shore winds you will get catobatic winds running off the glaciers. These can be very local reaching in excess of 40 knots even on a calm day. Caused by cold heavy air running down the mountains and glaciers and out to sea. The high mountains also cause the wind to wrap around the coast making sure that at some point you will always have strong head winds. These winds can very localized, so you really need to push on paddling hard through these areas into calmer waters even if its only for a short period. On the odd occasion we paddled into an area where we had strong following winds then immediate head winds. The wind was simply flowing around the mountain in both directions.

There are plenty of landings to be found on the North Coast but be prepared you might have to paddle some committing coast between landings. I found myself studying the coast as we paddled so if we had to turn and run at least you had some idea of a landing. When choosing a landing you need to think about possibly having to launch the following day into a swell. A lot of the beaches are steep causing the waves to dump.

The South Coast although calm when we completed it is a different kettle of fish. In a reasonable swell landings would be further apart and you would need to be prepared to paddle 20 mile stretches between possible landings, fortunately their are landings though. On this coast the charts are not as accurate and there is inefficient detail in order to make a sound judgment as to weather or not you can land. Although you might have an idea of a possible landing you can never quite be sure. Due to the slush ice falling off the front of the glaciers you need to allow a min of three days to kayak the South Coast even in very good weather. Once you have rounded Cape Disappointment the you have a good choice of landings once again.

My advice would be not to underestimate the cold. Hands, Feet and your head need careful consideration, plan for the cold. Even some thing as simple as loosing your hat will become very serious.

For hands I found poggies were the best form of protection. They need to be designed in such a way that drafts are excluded especially where they wrap around the shaft and you need to be able to slip your hands in and out of the poggies quickly. Although I did not experiment you may find the need for a thin windproof type mitt or glove to be worn under the poggies. This would help when you need to take your hands out of the poggies to take pictures or get into your day hatch etc once you have taken your hands out of the poggies the cold hits fast.

I am now a firm believer in willies. They need to fit well around the legs and gaskets that pulled up over your calf muscles would be a good idea. You need to have room around your feet even when wearing two pairs of thermal socks. Any form of tight boot around your foot will defiantly make your feet get cold quickly. Being able to wiggle your toes helps a lot. Having enough room so boots can be worn will be a problem for people who have large feet. For this reason I decided to develop an Explorer big foot.

The hat needs to be windproof and preferably also waterproof and warm, covering the ears and easy to put on and off. As the hat quickly becomes your first form of temperature control, removing it as and when you start to overheat.

Unfortunately you need to dress for paddling and not swimming. In my opinion using the theory that you should always dress in case you swim is not an option and thinking you could always role if you got too hot in this climate would be a stupid idea. This gives you the problem of getting very cold very quickly as soon as you land. You need to have some form of over cag that can be put on quickly. You also need windproof mitts. I found myself putting a pair of outer mountain mitts on. (Without linings) These went on straight away then a storm cag over the buoyancy aid etc. The ChilCheater storm cag worked well. Give some thought as to where you will keep these. I kept mine in the day hatch so they could be immediately reached on landing. Peter kept his in a dry bag just behind the seat, using it as a back rest. I am not sure what the best option is but bear in mind that sometimes it is almost impossible to remove hatch covers with very cold hands.

None of us used back rests as this is valuable space and a good place for spar clothes or a tent inner or outer.

The Kokatat dry suits worked well. The suits were made of Gortex with pee zips. If I was going to order a suite for this climate again I would include a full bum zip as per the female suits as well as the pee zip. This would save stripping off when needs must. The only other addition I would make would be a Val crowed ankle cuff as per on the suits as standard but starting from just below the knee. This would help create a good seal when wearing wellies. A method of wearing spray decks with braces would also be a good improvement. This would enable you to have a relatively loos tube on the spray deck and I am sure Kokatate could include these features on request.

Before we started we made collars of fuel pipe approx 13mm (½ inch) in diameter. I used a small piece of aluminium tube as a plug. This would also act as a sleeve for broken tent poles. The collar keeps the rubber neck seal away from the neck but still allows you to release the neck as needed.

THE GURNEY HOME.

For me the gurney to and from South Georgia on the Pelagic was not one of my best experiences. This has no reflection on the yacht, as in bad weather I would rather be on no other.

We divide ourselves into two shifts. Each shift has a four hour watch. Continued probably three hour naps with high winds and big seas I find quite wearing. Life on board soon settles down and revolves around keeping watch and sleeping. The main problem being pack ice and ice burgs. Although we don’t experience a lot of ice there is enough to keep you on your toes.

The body seems to shut down and sleeping becomes our main occupation. The sailing is truly an expedition in its self. The Southern Ocean is not a place of calm for long. Forty five knots of wind across the deck is fairly common. As the wind increases and the sea’s rise theirs no wear to run. We all have to continue and jobs have to be done. The wheelhouse becomes our sanctuary as we dash out to reef the main or change a for sail, its windy and very cold. 

One of the only certainties when sailing in these waters is that the wind is coming!!

RUNNING AGROUND

The pelagic was navigating waters close to the shore looking for new anchorages. Joanna was on the helm and Jim was hanging some laundry of the stern of the yacht. All of a sudden the yacht hit an unmarked rock. The depth gauge had been showing 30m of water and the chart showed no dangers.  The yacht stopped and Jim frightened for his life stopped two foot above the water with the yacht on its side. The farce had been that great that it ripped a pulley block that lifted the keel clean out of the forward cabin area. This was the first and more serious grounding of the day. The second was on an underwater glacier Moran. As normal the safety of a support yacht in these waters is often harder to guarantee than the kayakers.  

Our watch barometers do not stay on showing the reading permanently. It would be a good idea to have a barometer mounted in such a way that it could be read at all times and the readings permanently on. Again this would save taking your hands out of the poggies or pressing small buttons with gloves on.

As I paddled I could remember having these same thoughts when we were last in these cold windy waters. Our poggies could do with rubber gaskets that fit around the shaft. This would stop the icy wind from making your little finger and thumb go very cold.  

The dry suit seals are rubbing so we hate made coolers with ½ inch plastic stiff piping with a bung that allows you to secure the collar around your neck. This sits over the neck gasket so you can pull the gasket away from your neck by stretching the gasket over the collar.  This also helps ventilate the suite.

My thoughts and thanks go out to the people who we leave at home and in work. I can’t help feeling selfish but for me its an inbuilt desire to explore and set personal goals. In recent years I have had a rough time in business and my personal life has suffered. I now have a new partner “Tara” and I hope this is the start of a new chapter.

I have a wire skeg on this trip with the slide control positioned so it can be adjusted while paddling without taking your hands out of the poggies. This has been a big bonus.

Lotil cream manufactured by Fenton pharmaceutical works well as its affective on rough weathered hands but not greasy. The cream is also good for chaffing wear garments rub while paddling. Peter rates this cream highly after using it on his Trans Atlantic crossing.

Today 19^th November I have decided to modify the deck of an explorer introducing the Explorer Big Foot. This will enable winter footwear in a standard size Explorer.

KOKATATE

Peter and Jeff have been paddling in the one piece Polartec thermal suits under their dry suits. I chose to wear mine after paddling. They initially cause chaffing due to the ridges on the seams. Both are now using the suits inside out without chaffing problems. The only problem being that the fly zip is now on the inside of the suite and difficult to undo.  

The Kokatat dry suits worked well and were ideal for the expedition. If I was going to order a suite for this expedition again especially in the cold windy environment, I would include a full bum zip as per the female suits as well as the pee zip. This would save stripping off when needs must. The only other additions I would make would be a Valcrowed ankle cuff as per on the suits as standard but starting from just below the knee. This would help create a good seal when wearing wellies. Despite experimenting with different footwear I found that wellies with thermal socks allowed feet to move. The result was warmer feet. A method of wearing spray decks with braces would also be a good improvement. This would enable you to have a relatively loos tube on the spray deck.

CHIL CHEATER

Hadas and I are using the Chil Cheater thermal trousers. Both of us have found the waist bands to thick. These have been cut off and this makes them far more comfortable. Thick waist bands also cause problems when you still have an hours paddle left with no wear to land and you need a pee, the thick band increases the pressure on your bladder.

Finally I am getting my paddle clothing sorted. I have settled on the three layers.1^st a thin thermal top. Then a Chill Cheater long sleeved top with arms. The third for the cold days being an armless body warmer. This I find provides my trunk with the extra warmth but still keeps my arms relatively free. Don’t forget this is all under a dry suite.

My legs need less protection, but again the layer system works best for me. On sunny days I am wearing just a thin long johns with a pair of Ronhill running tracksuit bottoms on top for the colder day’s.   

Bouyancy aid. The buoyancy aid is very comfortable and provides good freedom of movement. I would however make the following recommendations. Small D rings need to be fitted to all pockets. (At least one two would be good) At the moment there is little to tether items of equipment to. ie hand held compass, radio, camera etc It would also be easy to include a small pocket on the inside of the buoyancy aid for a hand held compass. The kokatate buoyancy aid also has this feature.

KEEN OUTDOOR WATER SHOES.

Unfortunately these shoes have been impossible to keep on you feet whilst kayaking. They need to come higher up the heal.

BOOK

Paddling between beds of kelp and the shore offers shelter from the rough seas.

FACTS TO BUILD IN

Is there a connection between being left foot forward for example when sweeping the floor and rolling on the left.

CAMERA EQUIPMENT

One of our problems being the wide camera lens. It would be good to have a 40 lens as its very hard to get as close enough to the subject when filming from the kayak.

The built camera is fitted to a socket on the end of an arm that extends. This is fine but the only way of securing the camera is by using cable ties. My other problem is that the horizon needs continual adjustment. The only way this can be done is by looking at the camcorder monitor. This means having the monitor on the deck of a kayak situated in such a way that it can be seen. From a kayakers perspective it would be fantastic if we could secure just a screen t the deck but have the recorder stored below deck. We could design a more practical system but this would be best done with kayak modification

An Idea?

Alec Hazell  Giselle Botha

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AUSTRALIS (Expedition support vessel)

Roger Wallis,

Lakes Entrance,

Victoria,

Australia

www.ocean-expeditions.com

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Tel: +61 3 51552814

Skipper of the Pelagic

Stephen Wilkins

ARG National:

02901 1549 1353

Aust: 61 (0) 419 521 928

ARG International:

54 92901 491353

UK: 44 (0) 777 359 0622

www.pelagic.co.uk

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Jo Royal

Mobile: +447803131589

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Ocean Yachtmaster commercially Endorsed

Alistdair K Wilson-Gough,  (Managing Director)

42 Berkeley Square, London W1J 5AW

Tel: 020 7318 0313

Mob: 07957 758 133

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80 hrs paddling approx 220,000 paddle strokes. 

WILDLIFE

Macaroni Penguins (the yellow eye browed penguins)

Pelagic means below the waterline. (check)

South Georgia teams with wildlife because it lies within the Antarctic Convergence. Its geographical position also puts it well north of the peninsular so the wildlife still get the rich feeding grounds that include the krill that so much feeds on but also the slightly warmer climate.

BAS have been give the main base at Grytviken and have established an impressive community of scientists carrying out research and who also control the fishing industry.  This has also enabled the military to be pulled out but still leaves a British presence on the Island. The Island is virtually self sufficient and even governs itself by ways of a committee who undertake all policy decisions.

The long strands of seaweed (known as kelp) was a problem in high winds. Above 25 knots of wind the kelp starts to get picked up of the water by the wind and if your unlucky will catch your toggle or get glow up and your bow goes under the strand. The strands can be thirty foot in length or more. This happened to Hadas and she had no alternative but to pull the whole strand up over her kayak. No easy task when your also trying to skull for support!

The highest mountain Mt Paget 2934 m.