Elephant Island is a very rugged and isolated island that is mostly covered with ice and is located far off the eastern end of the South Shetland Islands chain. It is often windswept and pounded by waves, and those were the conditions we had today. The approach was often difficult, but with Captain Skog, the ship in got in fairly close to view a couple important historic sites.

Elephant Island played a major role in the famous Shackleton saga of the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1916. Their expedition ship ENDURANCE was beset by the pack ice in the Weddell Sea in January, 1915, and they were trapped for more than nine months until late October, at which time the ship was crushed and destroyed. The men then lived on sea ice for nearly six months until they were able to launch their three salvaged life boats and sail up to Elephant Island. They made landfall at the eastern-most part of the island in late April at a place called Cape Valentine, but Shackleton quickly realized it was not suitable for a long-term encampment. They soon moved to a better place farther west along the northern shore that they named Point Wild. This is the site where most of the men over-wintered in 1916, and it was from here that Shackleton and five companions set off in the renovated life boat JAMES CAIRD to sail nearly 800 miles in very rough seas for 16 days to reach South Georgia and eventually effect a rescue four months later of the 22 men left behind at Point Wild.

The M.S. ENDEAVOUR reached Elephant Island shortly after midday. We managed to sail in close to Cape Valentine (at the eastern end) for a look at the first Shackleton landing site. I know why they thought it wasn't going to a good place to overwinter! Then, we sailed around to Point Wild on the north coast. The weather had been clear, but as we went out and around to approach Point Wild, the clouds and rain rolled in. As we got closer and closer, we thought we would never see the site, but as if by magic the clouds lifted and Captain Skog put us almost on the beach.  Unfortunately, the original rocky beach where the 22 men lived has been nearly eroded away and landings here are very difficult even in the best of conditions. Today Point Wild is populated by chinstrap penguins and leopard seals, and these critters along with small shellfish were what the men lived on.