Grytviken Former Whaling Station

Thursday November 2nd 2023
South Georgia - Cruise Expedition Day 11 - St Andrews Bay, Grytviken
King Penguins at St Andrews Bay

Well folks, a bit of bad news to start with - South Georgia's rodent eradication program seems to have extended to my computer equipment.  My mouse has developed a short-circuit and is overloading whichever USB port I plug it into.  I even considered bringing a spare mouse with me but in the end only came with the one.  Bad decision as it turned out.
The impact of this is that it makes photo-editing more difficult.  The touchpad is too coarse for fine editing so most of that will have to wait until I'm back in the UK.

am: St Andrews Bay. Landing prohibited but would have been impossible anyway because of high swell.  Largest colony of king penguins on South Georgia.  Many elephant seals as well. Zodiacs cruised slowly along the shore and back just off the beach.  10 passengers per boat. Photography difficult because wind coming off the shore and driving sleet constantly hitting the camera lens.  I didn't risk my new camera which stayed secure in a waterproof bag. Wind gradually increased throughout the morning and was gusting 50 -60 knots by the time we were back on board.

3 hour sail to Grytviken.
Sailed in to the former whaling station of Grytviken past King Edward Point (KEP) where the fisheries protection vessel 'Pharos SG' was berthed.  Big changes since I was stationed there from 1971 to 1973.  Almost all the buildings have been replaced, giving it a totally new appearance.  The old whaling station of Grytviken has also greatly changed.  Much of the working area was enclosed within timber frameworks coated in sheets of corrugated iron that used to flap and clank in the strong winds.  Apparently there was a lot of asbestos present as well and that has also been removed.  Two houses have been preserved - one as a shop and post office, the other as a museum and further shop selling different items. The Lutheran church has also been preserved.

The few whaling boats that were left have also suffered decay- some more than others.  I was most surprised at the jetty which has sections missing and is now totally unsafe.  In my time there, ships used to berth there, particularly the Royal Navy Ice Patrol Vessel, 'HMS Endurance' (A 171).

The staff musician, Blaise, gave a short performance of three songs in the church before we left.

Images:
Main: Grytviken former whaling station, 'Extra' King penguins in the surf at St Andrews Bay