DRYGALSKI FJORD & Cooper Bay, Gold Harbor, South Georgia

-GONDWANALAND - a different place and time
-A STRANGE WIND BREWING

Cooper Bay, Blue Skies

Landing site on Cooper Bay

As we sailed out of the Drygalski a fierce wind stirred up all around us. The climate in South Georgia is classified as polar and the weather is variable and can be harsh. It was alarming to say the least.
Apparently, mountain winds blow straight up the western side and the straight down the eastern side of the island and as we watched the wind we were able to witness what that meant. Waves crashed on the gravelly shoreline and were blown straight up into the air. It was quite a display.
We quickly left the area and attempted a stop at Gold Harbor, northwest of Cooper Bay. Almost as soon as we had arrived a huge swell prevented us from being able to launch the Zodiacs and our Captain made it clear to everyone that he did not feel comfortable with the safety factor. He announced his regret at disappointing all of us but it was his reasons were obvious as the skies darkened the ocean swirled around us. We would be overnighting in Cumberland Bay, a safe and protected bay.

DRYGALSKI FJORD

We arrived this morning at Drygalski Fjord located at the southern tip of South Georgia. We began the day by cruising through the glaciated channel which is 1 mile wide and 7 miles long. It was once part of the ancient seafloor rock on one side and the remnants of the Gondwanaland supercontinent on the other. According to geologists and other scientists about 600 million years ago, Gondwanaland incorporated what is now known as present day South America, Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, India, Australia, and Antarctica. Gondwana was the southern half of this supercontinent that made up Pangea which was a single great landmass that began to break up about 180 million years ago. It looked as stark and pre-historic as it sounds and every bit as unfathomable to our modern minds.