Sacramento Bight is an open
bight
The word is derived from Old English ''byht'' (“bend, angle, corner; bay, bight”). In modern English, bight may refer to:
* Bight (geography), recess of a coast, bay, or other curved feature
* Bight (knot), a curved section, slack part, or loo ...
, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) wide, between
Calf Head and
Cape Harcourt
Cape Harcourt () is a headland on the eastern extremity of Harcourt Island on the north coast of South Georgia, forming the north side of the entrance to Royal Bay
Royal Bay is a bay, wide and indenting , entered between Cape Charlotte and ...
on the north coast of
South Georgia
South Georgia ( es, Isla San Pedro) is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. Stretching in the east ...
. The name "
Pinguin-Bay" was given by the German group of the
International Polar Year Investigations
The International Polar Years (IPY) are collaborative, international efforts with intensive research focus on the polar regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian naval officer, motivated the endeavor in 1875, but died before it first occurred ...
, 1882–83, to a small
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...
within the
bight
The word is derived from Old English ''byht'' (“bend, angle, corner; bay, bight”). In modern English, bight may refer to:
* Bight (geography), recess of a coast, bay, or other curved feature
* Bight (knot), a curved section, slack part, or loo ...
now described. The SGS, 1951–52, reported that a name is not necessary for this
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...
, and that the bight, which is known to whalers and sealers as
Sacramento Bay, does require a name. In order to indicate the correct nature of the feature, and at the same time to conform to local usage, the name Sacramento Bight is approved.
Bays of South Georgia
Bights (geography)
{{SouthGeorgia-geo-stub