Happy Sunday

25-2-2024

Brandsfield Strait

Photo: Charlotte bay

Sunday breakfast with croissants! Now that is a nice wake up! After a long night sleep an easy morning. Yesterday we set of early at 0400 and sailed most of the way to Deception Island, the caldera and first South Shetland stop. After a nice landing with even a little dip in the geothermal warmed water we got out before the winds would catch up with us. Having left the sunshine coast the holidays are over. South Shetland is a different place all together. We were happy to have gotten underway because by the time we had the second anchor in there was a full gale blowing out side.

Yankee harbor our new home for the night is an all weather anchorage with plenty of mud. Sealers and whalers used it in days gone by. It proved hard enough to get into in the dark with a gale on your tale. The lee shore was going to be a problem for the day after… The landing we did is a nice and relaxed one. There is space enough to wonder around with out disturbing any wild live! A boiler pot and remains of a hut are al that is left of the days people hunted whales and seals in the area. The chain of Islands is largely discovered by these sailors and kept a secret because of their natural bounty.

When we left at 1500 the gale had moderated. A nasty sea was slussing in the tiny entrance though. We set a reefed mizzen staysail and second jib and sailed right out. The bay was full of confused seas so with a little help of the Scania we got out. Currently we are doing 8 to 9 knots and are happy as can be. Underway for Elephant Island, our last stop in the Antarctic!

All is well

Gijs

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