Landfall Tomorrow

As Chuck mentions in his audio update, the team eagerly await making landfall tomorrow, probably around 10 AM local time (GMT -3). Everyone has enjoyed the open ocean Plancius voyage, especially the 2-4 lectures per day and on deck mountaineering skill classes, but what could be more exciting than South Georgia Island?!

Tomorrow the Shack Trackers (South Georgia Island Crossing Team) will load up the zodiac landing boats, and take to their historic trail. The rest of the party will explore the island via zodiac tours and beach hikes, and return to the Plancius at night.

As you've heard from the past two audio updates, the temperature dropped abruptly in the last 24 hours. This abrupt change marked the team's crossing of the Antarctic Convergence.

Antarctic Convergence

The Antarctic Convergence encircles the globe in a meandering line that roughly follows 55 degrees south latitude. The relatively warmer sub-Antarctic waters mix with frigid Antarctic waters, as the name suggests, at the convergence. This intermingling of disparately heated waters causes local weather variations like fog, and also results in a high nutrient content environment that sustains higher than average plant life and attracts higher than average animal traffic.

Thanks again for following along. Remember that we love to field questions from our followers--everything from local history to what our team members are eating and wearing on the trail. Check back tomorrow for the first dispatch from the island!