Linda Wellington shared her big adventure with club members this week. What she and husband Craig did in the holidays was to go to the Antarctic and do Ernest Shackleton’s voyage in reverse and marvel at the scenery and the wildlife.
First they flew to Buenos Aires and then to the southernmost end of the country where they boarded a Russian cruise ship which took them through the cold waters to the Falkland Islands, where the remnants of the war to throw out the Argentinian invaders in 1982 are still visible, where Margaret Thatcher is still worshipped as a saviour, and where the scenery is stark and bare and the wildlife are abundant.
Linda is very fond of the Gentoo penguin, which is an elegant creature, one of seventeen different types extant in the world.
From the Falklands the ships went on to South Georgia, a cold and windswept island but well favoured by the Wellingtons. It is the place which Shackleton and some of his crew eventually reached after abandoning their ship tracked in pack ice, reassembling on a desolate piece of land called Elephant Island.
Shackleton took six men in a lifeboat and sailed 1300 kms over 16 days from Elephant Island to South Georgia, this being the nearest bit of occupied land, and the only spot from whence any rescue of the remaining men could be attempted. The rescue was completed, but Shackleton later died on a subsequent expedition and is buried at South Georgia.
On South Georgia they saw the wandering albatross, a flying seabird second only to the southern royal albatross in wingspan. Also, lots of seals – males elephant seals can weigh up to 4000kgs, the females rather less, but both much heavier than the familiar fur seals.
The island is now predator free, after major conservation efforts which impressed them both.
This was no jolly cruise. The waves could be up to 8m in height, and there were many encounters with free floating icebergs, but the Wellingtons have returned as enthusiastic ambassadors for the Antarctic region.
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President's Message
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