2024 WORLD CRUISE
2024 WORLD CRUISE – BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS
SILVERSEA Silver Whisperer – January 15 – May 26.
132 Nights. 66 Ports, 15 Countries.
Tag: South Georgia
Thursday, February 10, 2022 – Photo of the Day – South Georgia, Grytviken
THURSDAY, 10 FEBRUARY 2022 SOUTH GEORGIA – GRYTVIKEN
Arrival: 7:30AM All Aboard: 12:30PM Departure: 1:00PM
TODAY’S WEATHER Cloudy High: 40°F 4°C Low: 35°F 2°C
DRESS CODE: CASUAL
For Ladies: DRESSES OR BLOUSES AND PANTS
For Gentlemen: SPORT SHIRTS AND SLACKS
No shorts or flip-flop-type footwear after 6:00 PM in indoor venues
South Georgia Islands
South Georgia is an island in the southern Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around 1,400 kilometres east of the Falkland Islands. Capt. James Cook visited and claimed South Georgia for Britain in 1775.
Charcoal-black mountains ladled with snow giant glaciers and thriving wildlife combine to make South Georgia one of the great natural islands. Adventure to these far flung lands where the animals are in charge and humans come a distant second.
We witnessed a cacophony of calling birds, natural set pieces like elephant seals clashing and thrashing and crowds of colourful king penguins stretching out as far as the eye can see.
An overseas territory of the UK, this isolated subantarctic island once formed a remote whaling centre at Grytviken where we saw the abandon ships, buildings, docks, and other remains of the former whaling stations. Today whales are free to cruise the icy waters uninhibited.
KING PENGUINS
King penguins are the second largest of the penguin species
(after the Emperor penguin), on average they are around 15kg
(33lb) and 95cm (3.1ft) high. Like many penguins, fully grown
but unfledged chicks can appear to be larger than the adult
birds.
King penguins have colourful feathers around their necks
and heads, this makes them the brightest of all the species of
penguin, there is an estimated world population of 2 million
breeding pairs with some estimates up to 3.2 million. King penguins live on sub-Antarctic islands dotted around the continent from about 46° to 55° South where they form huge colonies on slopes with a nearby beach for access to the sea.
Today’s Schedule
7:30 Silver Whisper at anchor off South Georgia – Zodiac to Grytviken
We proceeded to the disembaration deck to board our Zodiac
12:30 ALL ABOARD! LAST ZODIAC
3:00 Enrichment Lecture with Christoph Bialek (Botany)
Today’s Topic: Tundra and polar deserts – What grows in Antarctica (including South Georgia)?
4:00 Briefing for tomorrow Shore Activities with Steffan Danino (Expedition Leader)
9:45 Showtime! Silversea proudly presents Piano Showman, Chris Hamilton
Chris Hamilton presents some of the world’s most loved music including Andrew Lloyd Webber and Debussy culminating in a finale which impressed the audience!
Our Zodiac Tour of Grytviken, South Georgia Island
Unfortunately due to our ship having some COVID cases still onboard we were not allowed to go ashore in Grytviken. However the tour by Zodiac may have been better becasue we covered longer distances and were able to see more than if were ashore.
Although we could not go ashore, our Zodiac tour was better becasue we could travel further and see more than if we were onshore. The trip into the harbor was across morror-like seas. Our Zodiac driver was able to get us close to see the penguins and seals from an “in the water” viewpoint. The approach was awe inspiring steep cliffs, followed by green tundra and vegetation, topped by snow covered mountain peak and glaciers.
We were greeted by many penguins and seals posting on shore and slipping in and out of the sea. There was a lot of vocalizations from barking, singing, grunting, and calls from Mom seals to call their young pups for a feeding. Tne new fur seals were 2 – 3 months old and acted like young teenage humans with lots of energy, horseplay, constant motion, or grownups at Mardi Gras or a Superbowl. King Penguins stretched out their necks, pointer them straight up, and began singing. Since Valentine’s Day is in a few days, we saw penguins preening and courting each other, and seals kissing.
Grytviken looked like a deserted ghost town of an abandoned whaling center with run aground rusting whaling ships, delapidated piers, rusting factories, and storage tanks. Once a major whaling center started by the Norweigians in 1904 and abandon in the mid 1960s. Behind the deserted whaling center are a few new buildings of research facilities and dormrooms for 10 – 12 researchers.
PIANO SHOWMAN, CHRIS HAMILTON
TONIGHT’S SHOW AT 9:45PM
Chris began playing the piano at the age of four. After winning several national competitions, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, London. He read Law at Oxford University and worked as a lawyer in the City of London and New York. In 2000 Chris decided to concentrate fully on performing and attended Guildford School of Acting.
Since leaving there he has appeared in many shows and has performed in cabaret all over the world from the House of Commons to Bangkok.
He has performed as a headliner on all the major cruise
lines and won the prestigious Silversea Guest Entertainer of the Year 2017.
Chris is a keen writer and his first musical, Over The Threshold, for which he wrote the music, lyrics and book was critically acclaimed and won the MTM Award for Best Music leading to a sell out transfer in London’s West End and a production in Vienna. t
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