S.Atlantic : MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE: AT HOME ON NG ENDEAVOUR
Submitted by SARTMA.com (Juanita Brock) 08.04.2007 (Article Archived on 22.04.2007)

South Georgia etched its image in my consciousness since departing Godthal Bay, filled with icebergs, in March 2004. Stunning mountains with tussock at the base and capped with snow glistening in the sun rendered vivid as I planned the 2007 voyage through the Islands of the Mid Atlantic Ridge. And, while counting days, I planned photo shoots and dreamed about visiting Stormness - the first visit in 21 years.

Photos (c) J. Brock (Finn) Penguins on a stroll .

MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE:  AT HOME ON NG ENDEAVOUR

By J. Brock (FINN)

Penguins on a stroll

South Georgia etched its image in my consciousness since departing Godthal Bay, filled with icebergs, in March 2004. Stunning mountains with tussock at the base and capped with snow glistening in the sun rendered vivid as I planned the 2007 voyage through the Islands of the Mid Atlantic Ridge.  And, while counting days, I planned photo shoots and dreamed about visiting Stormness - the first visit in 21 years.

Monsignor Michael McPartland would join me as far as Tristan da Cunha. Last time I had carried the consecrated hosts and a thermos of holy water for the isolated Catholic Congregation.  This time Monsignor would bring it himself and stay on the Island through the Easter season. 

It didn’t take much persuading to convince him to arrive on Tristan refreshed and after a comfortable journey.  His previous travel to the Island had been arduous with an excessively long flight from Mount Pleasant to Punta Arenas in Chile, to Santiago, to Sao Paulo in Brazil to Johannesburg in South Africa and then to Cape Town, followed by a week’s wait to catch the Agulhas and five days at sea to Tristan.  For the same amount of money, time and a side trip to South Georgia, Monsignor would arrive at Tristan refreshed and ready to go.

Fr Peter drove me and Monsignor as well as an odd assortment of boxes, letters, small gifts and luggage to FIPASS shortly after 1:30 PM on departure day and we were off.  It was good-bye to Charlie, who suspected something was going on when people began coming to the door with items for friends and family on Tristan da Cunha, St. Helena and Ascension Island.

On boarding familiar staff and passengers alike were on hand to go over old times and past excursions on shore in South Georgia. Sven Thorell, the Radio Officer, would not be coming with us as he retired and is back home in Sweden.  However, Geoff and Penny Haydock, Jim Kelley, David Barnes and Richard White sailed on this voyage, making it more like coming to a friend’s house than a sea voyage.   Also worth mentioning are the familiar faces and kind attention given by the NG ENDEAVOUR’S crew, several of whom had made the journey in 2003 and 2004.

NG ENDEAVOUR had begun its Mid-Atlantic Ridge cruise in Ushuaia in Argentina and had been visiting Carcass and Westpoint Islands prior to her arrival in Stanley for bunkers and to take Monsignor and I away. with her.

Shag Rocks, like broken teeth, appeared on the horizon at the end of my second day at sea en-route to South Georgia.  Located 150 miles west of South Georgia, one could usually smell them  five nautical miles either way but this time it was our dinner being prepared in the galley that overpowered the musty odour of the rocks.  This fourth time passing was spectacular with the setting sun making the guano-covered rocks glow pink.  Last time there was not enough light for a photo, where the second time was in mid afternoon and made the rocks reflect a grey colour.  My first sighting of the rocks was 21 years ago at a distance from the RFA Sir Bedivere.

What made our approach to the rocks more exciting was spotting a Blue Whale as well as dolphins and shags - for which the rocks were named.  Shags are shore birds that need to make landfall after feeding at sea so they can spread their wings, allowing them to air dry.  Shag Rocks are the tip of a seamount - rich in fish, krill and other nutrients on which the Shags feed.

Never mundane, the passage to South Georgia was filled with Richard White’s lectures about seabirds as well as Shaun Powell’s talk about pinnipeds and penguins.  Jim Kelly also kept us busy with lectures about stone runs on the Falklands and the opening of the Drake Passage.  As before the onboard lectures helped me to focus on what I would be asking Emma Jones - Patrick Lurcock’s stand-in as Government Agent and Chief Fisheries Officer - in the traditional interview about the state of the South Georgia Fishery.  Patrick and Sarah had passed through Stanley at Christmastime on their annual leave to see friends and family.

For me a special highlight of the passage to South Georgia was the excellent concert given by Geoff and Penny Haydock.  They entertained us with music from Sigmund Romberg’s Student Prince, and well known favourites from Chopin, Bach, Mozart and Schubert.

Winds from the west made sea conditions good as we made headway towards South Georgia.  We arrived at Right Whale Bay after two days of excellent sailing.  And, unlike the other two times I actually managed to get ashore.