Cape Lookout, Elephant Island, was shrouded in fog early this morning, there were rollicking waves, it was snowing, the wind was howling – typical Antarctic weather for us to experience, after previous glorious days of sunshine. Very choppy seas, so the Captain lifted anchor to sail to another part of the isalnd – Point Wild, where Shackleton’s Endurance expedition had camped (and so we had a better chance of keeping our breakfast down as well)…..see that square rock to the left of the photo? That was the small area on which they camped!

Elephant Island was made famous by Shackleton’s 1914-1917 Endurance Expedition.

After being grounded in ice for 281 days, the Endurance was eventually crushed by the pack ice and sank, with the 28 men onboard using life boats and ice floes to drift north towards land. 3 months later, they saw the inhospitable cliffs and mountains of Elephant Island and landed here. 22 crew camped for 137 days under upturned boats on low lying Point Wild…while Shackleton and 5 others went for help in a small lifeboat to South Georgia, 700 nautical miles away. The camping party survived on seal blubber and penguins until their rescue. AMAZING.