Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

Port Stanley, Falkland Islands 1/16/16

The weather gods smiled on us today, big time! We awoke this morning to find the Zaandam anchored in the outer harbor of Port Stanley with brilliant sunshine, blue skies and flat seas. This made boarding the tenders and riding the 15 or 20 minutes to the pier a snap. Lucky us. This was the first nice day in the Falklands after over a week of freakish weather for mid-summer, rain, sleet, hail and cold. The six ships ahead of us on this route weren't able to stop because of the conditions.

The Falklands have a civilian population of 2,500, three quarters of whom live in Stanley. There are another 2,000 stationed at the British base on the islands. The houses are perched on the sloping hillside (not very high) overlooking the harbor. They're mostly white but have brightly colored roofs--red, blue, green, orange, yellow--which made them look as if made of Legos. There's one main street with schools, shops, churches, post office and pubs. They use the Falkland pound, today worth about US$ 1.60. Children go to school until age 16 when they take comprehensive exams. Score well and the Falklands government pays for your further education in the UK whether university or vocational school. There is no crime or unemployment. Most of the land is privately owned and used for sheep, cattle and tourism. A UK  oil company and Mobil Oil have been exploring for oil offshore and supposedly have found a lot, but with the price of oil so low right now, who knows when they'll actually drill.

We took a three hour tour to Bluff Cove Lagoon, the breeding grounds for Gentoo and King penguins. First we boarded minibuses, 16 in each of three vehicles, for the twenty minute ride over first paved, then gravel then dirt roads to a large gravel parking area on the outskirts of the Bluff Cove Farm. Then we transferred to Land Rovers, four per car and off we went overland, well, actually over rutted peat to the coast. As our driver Barry said, "This is what Land Rovers are meant to do." Holy moley, what a ride. The four of us had death grips on whatever looked attached to the vehicle as we bounced up and down and all around.

And then we arrived at the cove, a big, wide sandy beach with waves rolling in from the open sea. And above the waterline at least a quarter mile from the water, penguins! Hundreds of fluffy  Gentoo chicks were impatiently waiting for their parents to return with lunch. They jostled each other, flopped on the ground and generally acted like the bored teenagers they are. There are over 1,000 breeding pairs of Gentoos as well as a growing colony of King penguins. The Kings were still sitting on their eggs, although one chick had just hatched and was beginning to peek out from under the front flap of the adult bird. We wandered about, cameras clicking like mad, chatting with the three rangers there to answer our questions and make sure we stayed outside of the flags marking the penguins' territory. Unlike the Magellenic species, the Gentoos and Kings barely make a dent in the ground for their nests.

After penguin time we ambled down to the Sea Cabbage cafe for a cream tea featuring an endless array of baked goods (delicious) made and served by some local ladies along with a cuppa, all served on china. After that it was next door to the little Bluff Cove Museum and shop for some penguin-themed souvenirs as well as yarn spun from the resident 4,000 sheep.

Our driver Barry is a retired shepherd, born and raised here. They now have electricity (30% from six wind turbines, the rest from diesel) but Barry said back in the day they harvested peat, 150 square meters per family per year, for fuel. The men would cut it, dry it, turn it and dry it some more and then haul it to their homes. The peat stoves had to be tended 24 hours a day. I don't think Barry much misses those good old days. All the ranching back then was done on horseback. He seemed to enjoy driving the Land Rover. All the drivers were ever so colorful. One showed me the list of dates and ships expected between October and the end of March...42.

Not only were we spectacularly lucky with today's gorgeous weather (65, sunny and dry) but we were the only ship in port so we didn't have to share the place. On some days two big ships were expected, dumping 5,000 visitors ashore.

I forgot to mention that there are no native trees in the Falklands, just grasses and a lot of rocks left over from the ice ages. It looks very wind-swept and barren, but there's enough vegetation to support the sheep and cattle. There are lovely trees and gardens around the houses, all carefully tended and nurtured.

We lifted anchor about 4:30 pm and now are heading 630 nautical miles south to Admiralty Bay in the protected Antarctic zone where a number of rules and regulations will control our activity. We will take aboard an ice pilot to guide us through the bergs. This is also Jim's last day to wear shorts. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 30s, cloudy with the occasional snow shower. Time to break out the Cuddleduds, scarves, hats and gloves. Ever so glad I decided to bring my heavy, lined long jacket. Tonight we're dining in the Pinnacle Grill where they're recreating the decor and the cholesterol-be-damned French cuisine of the Le Cirque restaurant, the favorite New York haunt of the movers and shakers in the 70s.