South Georgia, in the remote South Atlantic, is one of the most dramatic islands in the world. Below towering icy mountains are enormous gatherings of marine animals, including millions of penguins and seals. Although once a centre for a savage whaling industry, South Georgia is now an important refuge for wildlife.
“As I stood on the ship’s deck, the air was heavy and cold and the biting wind stung my face like a whip. In every direction sea and sky seemed virtually indistinguishable, a universe of grey, fog-ridden gloom. Land may have been close at hand or a thousand miles away: there was no way to know.”
The above introduction from Kevin Schafer’s photographic exploration of South Georgia could well be the opening lines of a smuggling novel and the tone of excitement and intrigue continues throughout.
Kevin’s evocative and imaginative writing style is almost equal to his skill as a photographer, but not quite. This is not to say that the writing isn’t excellent; just that the photographs are astounding.
Chapter One ‘Doomed by Nature’ continues the adventure theme, mentioning the storm-induced shipwrecks in the seas beyond Cape Horn, the infamous latitudes known as the ‘Furious Fifties’ and the harshness of the weather in general surrounding the Antarctic. In amongst these descriptions are stunning photographs of mountains, cloud formations, sea, rivers, plants and animals. Each image seems to contain its own life; somehow, despite being still images, even the plants don’t seem static. Such is the artistic and technical skill of Kevin Schafer.
With chapters entitled ‘Doomed by Nature’, ‘Sea of Slaughter’ and ‘Death and Dynasty’, the reader might expect this book (and indeed its subject) to be all doom and gloom. In fact, the title of ‘Antarctic Sanctuary’ is more accurate than it first seems, meaning that South Georgia and its surrounds are a haven for all sorts of rare wildlife, but not so for humans; those intrepid sailors who have tried to conquer its shores in the past have been doomed to failure due to its unique weather conditions.
A paperback version of this book is also available.
