The inspiration for the Beyond Endurance Shackleton South Georgia Expedition is the heroic story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914 Antarctic Expedition, which culminated in the crossing of the inhospitable island of South Georgia, to raise the alarm and rescue his stranded crew.

 

Having completed the sail to and from South Georgia and retraced the steps of Shackleton, Crean and Worsley across the island, our admiration has grown for these men and their achievements of 92 years ago. Tired, undernourished, ill-equipped but determined, they completed a remarkable feat of endurance.

 

It is difficult to even imagine what it must have been like in what was basically a converted rowing boat. The constant immense swell, spray and bitter cold, combined with a lack of food and water must have tested even the toughest of men. On our return voyage journey from South Georgia we achieved the sail in 7 days against Shackleton’s 16 and we were all immensely grateful to reach dry land.

 

On the traverse itself we were blessed, like Shackleton, with favourable weather conditions. We carried camping and cooking equipment plus necessary food and survival gear, necessitating the dragging of heavy pulks. Shackleton went with a primus stove and little else. We can only marvel at the three men achieving the traverse in some 36 hours of non-stop travel.

 

The Shackleton story inspired us all to start this expedition and, having retraced part of their route, we can only finish by saying that their achievements were truly “Beyond Endurance�.

 

Should you wish to view our full account of this expedition please use the menu buttons on the right.

 

Finally the team would like to thank all our sponsors, friends and particularly family for their incredible support during the remarkable expedition.