I feared that Stephen would be far too famous and busy to help me . I knew of his traverses of South Georgia in Shackleton ’ s footsteps , made after his Everest achievements , and was surprised and delighted when he accepted .
onal Passion
sea kayak , adding a further constraint to choosing a suitable departure .
Finally , at my sixth attempt , I departed on the 17th of February , 2022 , and made the Heathrow connection via Buenos Aires for the Ushuaia flight to join Le Boréal . We had amazing wildlife sightings and great hiking in South Georgia . My sea kayaking in the Antarctic Ocean was rewarded by the breathtaking sight of a humpback whale diving under 10m away !
The writing process began on board . During the long hours crossing the Drake Passage I typed up what I ’ d learned from first-rate lectures , and over mealtimes I recruited volunteers to read drafts of my book . They confirmed their own difficulties in finding out what they needed , reinforcing my belief that there was a gap in the market . And on the 5th of March we stood at Shackleton ’ s graveside , exactly 100 years after he was buried there , on the same day that the spectacular Endurance wreck was discovered at a depth of 3,008m .
My friends at OWPG played a big part in the book ’ s evolution . Chiz ’ s photos had already ➤
I feared that Stephen would be far too famous and busy to help me . I knew of his traverses of South Georgia in Shackleton ’ s footsteps , made after his Everest achievements , and was surprised and delighted when he accepted .
As a total novice to sea kayaking , Jacquetta ’ s first session in Antarctica was blessed with the dramatic sight of a humpback whale diving just 10m from her kayak . © MartinSchneiter , dreamstime . com
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