KING EDWARD COVE/GRYTVIKEN

 

54^o16'S 36^o30'W

Chart 3589, Plan of King Edward Cove

King Edward Cove is in Cumberland East Bay, about half way along the NE coast of South Georgia. The administrative centre is at King Edward Point at the entrance to the cove. At the head of the bay is the disused whaling station of Grytviken.

Being the administrative centre of the island, King Edward Cove should be the first stop in South Georgia. The Marine Officer will call once the boat is secured and deal with the formalities.Yachts normally berthed at Grytviken alongside one of the wooden docks, which were in a poor state of repair. The best place, however, was alongside the old whale catcher, Petrel, at the S end of the whaling station; in the summer of 1994-95, she was holed and resting on the bottom. This berth was used by Tim and Pauline Carr on Curlew for several years, summer and winter. 

Tie up alongside with the bow facing offshore and take a breast line ashore to the wooden jetty to the N. This will enable you to haul off Petrel in the case of an E wind and to ride out a blow in relative comfort. There is a depth of 3m, amidships, alongside Petrel.

The second choice was to tie up in the bight of the old plan, between the two piers and alongside the N one. Tie up facing E (offshore) and take a breast rope ashore to the S jetty (in poor condition), again to enable you to pull off in an E wind.

A third option is to tie up alongside either of the two wooden wharves which have approximately 3m depth. It is advisable to set an anchor offshore, either to pull the boat off the pier in an E'ly or to assist in leaving the jetty in an E blow ,when it may well be untenable alongside.

The wharf at King Edward Point has a depth alongside of 6m, but it is inadvisable to remain there except in settled weather. Even with a wind out of the E, the swell makes it uncomfortable for a yacht. During E'ly winds, a sheltered anchorage will be found in the bight of King Edward Point, in a depth of 8m, clear of the kelp.

There is an excellent museum in the old Manager's House at Grytviken. It has a small shop selling postcards and souvenirs.

Water is obtainable from the stream inland of Petrel, with a grassy bank giving easy access. The big guano shed alongside the stream provides a good place to dry laundry. Water can also be obtained from a pipe near the shore, close to the Museum.

King Edward Point has a post office. Mail is delivered by air at intervals of approximately two weeks. This is air-dropped into the Cove by an RAF aeroplane, sent from the Falklands. Surface mail and outgoing mail is sent via the supply ship at intervals of about two months. Incoming airmail should normally take around one month from Great Britain. South Georgia stamps with the King Edward Point frank are regarded as collectors' items.

There were no other facilities on South Georgia.  However, now that very many more yachts are visiting the island, there may be different choices for tying up and more facilities.

The pecked line, on the sketch chart shows some good walks from Grytviken.

Sir Ernest Shackleton died of a heart attack on board the Quest at Grytviken, in 1922. The conspicuous white cross above King Edward Point is his Memorial. He is buried in the graveyard to the S of Grytviken.

KING EDWARD COVE, LOOKING N TOWARDS GRYTVIKEN

MAIVIKEN AND CUMBERLAND WEST BAY

 

CUMBERLAND WEST BAY

This is a large bay, with three glaciers at its head, namely the Neumayer, Geike and Lyell Glaciers. Small pieces of ice are often observed drifting out of the bay, most of which come from the Neumayer Glacier, the largest of the three.

MAIVIKEN

54^o14'S 36^o30'W

Chart 3589, Maiviken 

Situated at the southern entrance to Cumberland West Bay, Maiviken is a sheltered anchorage. The best protection is to be found in the N part of the bay.

Anchor N of George Rock, in 4m, where it will be possible to find a patch that is clear of kelp.

On the two occasions that this anchorage was used by Badger, no swell or ice was encountered.

It is possible to pass either side of George Rock. The W passage is wider, but has more kelp than the one to the E.

Half way down the W shore, in Alert Cove, there is an old sealers' cave a short way back from the shingle beach.

A refuge cave with emergency supplies was situated in the SE corner of the bay, when we visited. This was stocked and used by the garrison at King Edward Point. It is a 2 mile walk from the cave to Grytviken along the Bore Valley.

MAIVIKEN LOOKING N, WITH GEORGE ROCK ASTERN OF ‘BADGER’

CARLITA BAY (CUMBERLAND WEST BAY)

 

54^o14'S 36^o39'W

Chart 3589, Approaches to Stromness and Cumberland Bays

Carlita Bay is shown as Horseshoe Bay on old charts.  During the whaling era, the Postman delivered the mail to the stations in Stromness Bay by rowing across Cumberland West Bay from Maiviken to Carlita Bay, and then walking over the col to Husvik and on to the other two stations. At one time, there was a Postman's refuge hut, but this has now gone. Instead there is a newer hut, built by BAS in the early 60's. It was used as a refuge hut by the Garrison and is stocked with emergency supplies. When we visited in 1995, the hut had been damaged by storms with the floor, walls and roof all having been displaced from one another. Unless it is repaired, it will probably not last long.

At the time of our visit, the beach hosted a large number of elephant seals, who, as usual, paid us very little attention.

The approach to Carlita Bay might well necessitate a certain amount of dodging around ice calved from the Neumayer Glacier.

Anchorage was found off the hut, in 4m, mud with no kelp. The bay is well sheltered from the W through N to NE. On the occasion of Badger's visit, there was quite a lot of ice in the anchorage and if this is the case, it would not be advisable to leave a yacht unattended or to anchor overnight in this bay.

From Carlita Bay, it is a fairly easy 2½ to 3 hour walk to Husvik. A good view of the Neumayer Glacier can be obtained by climbing the hill to the W of the bay.

Neumayer Bay and The Three Brothers, Cumberland West Bay

CARLITA BAY, LOOKING E

JASON HARBOUR (CUMBERLAND WEST BAY)

 

54^o12'S 36^o35'W

Chart 3589, Jason Harbour

Badger visited Jason Harbour with the intention of anchoring in the Boat Harbour, but it was found to be completely filled with ice. The possibility of bringing up near Hut Point was also investigated, but depths of 18m were found, close up to the beach.

Apparently, the Boat Harbour is usually clear of ice.

JASON HARBOUR

ALLEN BAY (CUMBERLAND WEST BAY)

54^o11'S 36^o32'W

Chart 3589, Approaches to Stromness and Cumberland Bays

An anchorage was found in the cove at the W side of this bay, in 6.5m in a clear patch among the kelp. It is sheltered from the SW through W to N.

When we entered, the cove was almost ice free, but a few hours later, a bergy bit drifted in and threatened Badger's tranquillity. An alternative anchorage in Maiviken was chosen for the night.

ALLEN BAY, LOOKING S

HUSVIK HARBOUR (STROMNESS BAY)

Stromness Bay is the next bay N of Cumberland Bay. It has three arms with a whaling station at the head of each bay.

HUSVIK HARBOUR

54^o11'S 36^o42'W

Chart 3589, Approaches to Leith, Stromness and Husvik Harbours

The southernmost arm of Stromness Bay contains Husvik Harbour. The centre of the bay is a mass of kelp with the Bar Rocks marking the S end. The main channel to the S of the Bar Rocks is the more straightforward. There is also a passage along the N shore, but there is some kelp here.

Suitable depths for anchoring will be found at the head of the bay. In 1995, the wooden pier was in a very poor state, but it was possible to go alongside the N side. About midway along, there was a length of dock with an extra plank to make fending off possible. Prudence would dictate laying out an anchor to the N, in order to be able to pull away from the jetty in winds from this quadrant. The S side of the pier has a railway line; walking along this was the safest way to get ashore, but be very careful when using the jetty because it has many loose, missing and rotten planks. When visited, a couple of terns were nesting on the dock. A very sharp lookout should be kept if there are obviously agitated birds about, because neither the egg nor the chick would be easily seen.

The remains of a whaling station are in the usual ruined and vandalised state. 

Of particular interest is the old whale catcher, Karrakatta, high and dry on the beach: she was used as a steam plant for many years.

BAS used to have a summer-only field station at Husvik, with four staff.  They lived in the house at the S end of the factory. If this staion is still operating, it would be courteous to contact them to avoid interfering with any of their projects or experiments, when ashore. Depending on their workload, offers of hospitality would probably be much appreciated.

Good walking can be enjoyed in the area. 

A three-hour walk, S up the Olsen Valley, takes you to Carlita Bay or the Neumayer Glacier. 

It is possible to walk up the Karrakatta Valley and over to Fortuna Bay, as well as round to Stromness and Leith Harbours.

HUSVIK HARBOUR, LOOKING SE

   ALERT COVE, FROM THE S

STROMNESS HARBOUR (STROMNESS BAY)

 

54^o09'S 36^o42'W

Chart 3589, Approaches to Leith, Stromness and Husvik Harbours.

Stromness Harbour from Grass Island

Stromness is the site of a whaling station, which was latterly used as a ship repair facility for the whaling fleets in the area. 

In 1995, the main wharf was in a reasonable state of repair and had some newish, black rubber ship fendering in places. There is a depth of 6m alongside.

Curlew reported that they often lie between the main dock and the one to the S of it, with lines to each. It is shallow enough to anchor between the docks until the boat can be tied up.

The bottom drops away sharply from the dock to over 30m, so it would seem impractical to lay out an anchor to hold the vessel off. Although Grass Island protects the bay from the E, there is still a 1½ mile fetch, and it would probably be very uncomfortable alongside in a strong E'ly blow.

The station is of interest, but it is falling down and has been subject to vandalism. 

The Manager's Villa at the S end of the station, is where Shackleton and his companions arrived after crossing the island. A plaque to commemorate this has been placed outside the house on the land side.

There are walks to Husvik and Leith and a longer one over the col to Fortuna Bay.

The Pilot warns of very strong winds during offshore gales. A large, yellow mooring buoy maintained by the Admiralty, lies in the bay.

If obtaining water from the stream it is advisable to go well up above the tanks, which may be leaking and polluting the water.

STROMNESS HARBOUR – THE MAIN WHARF, LOOKING N

LEITH HARBOUR (STROMNESS BAY)

54^o08'S 36^o 41'W

Chart 3589, Approaches to Leith, Stromness and Husvik Harbours

This was another whaling station, but it was more famous in recent years as the site of the start of the Falklands Conflict.  In 1982, an Argentine commercial salvage operation was used to disguise the arrival of military personnel, who eventually invaded the island. 

A view of Leith Harbour from Grass Island

As a consequence of the salvage work (which was never completed) there is a huge pile of rusting machinery and parts by the main dock. Much more is scattered about making this station probably the worst eyesore on the island, which is saying a lot. 

While many of the buildings are still standing, time and vandalism have taken their usual toll.

If you intend to stay for several days, it is possible to moor in a small basin a short distance NW of the main dock. This offers good protection from the sea from all quarters. The NW corner of the basin is shoal with the remains of a small wooden boat showing at low water. The depth at the SE end is not known, but is believed to be sufficient for most yachts. NW winds can blow here with extreme violence. Some swell may be experienced in the basin.

LEITH HARBOUR, SMALL BOAT BASIN - LOOKING E

The main dock is still in reasonable condition, with heavy fendering on the SE side which has a depth of 6.5m alongside. A dense patch of kelp exists between the shore and the SE side of the jetty, which makes it advisable to approach from the NE.

A yellow mooring buoy is laid and maintained by the Admiralty, in Leith Harbour, for the use of ships.

LEITH HARBOUR, THE MAIN JETTY – LOOKING NE

GRASS ISLAND (STROMNESS BAY)

 

54^o09'S 36^o40'W

Chart 3589, Approaches to Leith, Stromness and Husvik Harbours

This island guards the entrance to Stromness Harbour. On the E side of the island is an anchorage giving good shelter from the SW through W to N, without the fierce squalls that apparently affect Stromness Harbour itself, in W'ly gales. It is, however, wide open to the E.

Anchor in about 12m in a patch clear of kelp. It is possible to land on the beach to the W of the anchorage.

The old lighthouse building on the E point of the island is still in quite good condition.

GRASS ISLAND, LOOKING S

WIRIK BAY

54^o45'S 35^o51'W

Chart 3597, South Georgia

Two miles NW of Cape Vahsel is a small bay, giving good shelter from the sea from all directions but the NE.

The bay is identified from the tussac-covered island in the middle and is about 1 mile SE of a conspicuous tussac-topped island, standing a short way off the coast.

There is an above-water rock N of the SE entrance to the bay. Pass between this rock and the E side of the island in the bay.

Anchor at the head of the bay, S of the kelp that extends from the island to the shore in about 9m, good holding.

Spread along the beach at the head of the bay are the bones of a large whale, possibly a Blue or Fin and next to one piece of backbone is a rusty harpoon head.

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WIRIK BAY, LOOKING NE