On April first we were all free to go to the visitor center near the dock and to explore the town. All of us except Fede. There is always some maintenance or construction project on the boat, demanding Fede’s time. We oriented ourselves to Stanley, and planned our itineraries for the next 3 days here. Thursday, April 2 was the thirty-third anniversary of Argentina’s invasion of the Falklands. The cemetery in which Argentine soldiers are buried lies across Stanley channel.
The Argentinos on the trip along with Amelia, paid their respects at the cemetery, while Gary, Michael, and I enlisted a local guide, Nobby Clark, to take us to Volunteer Point to see king, Gentoo, and Magellanic penguins. Liz and Giff spent the day exploring Stanley on foot.
On Friday, Michael and Gaia went to a penguin colony with a different guide, while Nobby served as tour guide to Liz and Giff. Giff is using this trip to shoot video footage in various places Magellan visited, as well as locations where Darwin spent time. Darwin was on the Falklands twice, and Nobby, a fifth-generation Falklander who knows the islands as well as anyone, took them to all the right places. Friday night, the thirty-and-under crowd went dancing, while Gary and I patronized Deano’s, a local pub. After all, a conscientious visitor to a foreign country should be obligated to experience the local culture.
On Saturday, Gary and I joined Nobby again for the long drive to Cape Bougainville to see rockhopper and macaroni penguins. Others played in town, and were taken to a penguin colony by Emma, a charming young Brit who is working for a bit in the Falklands. Also on Saturday, Fede briefly divorced himself from the Ocean Tramp and took a walk through town and to the local museum. The same crowd went dancing again while those of us in the senior circuit hit our bunks early. Also on Saturday, we lost three passengers who joined the weekly flight to the mainland. Giff and Liz returned to Punta Arenas to shoot more film in the Chilean fjords, and Michael headed back to Norway.
On Sunday, we waited for the immigration agent to come to the boat and stamp all of our passports. He was due around 11:00, but showed up an hour and a half after that. It was yet another example to show that this international sailing business cannot be planed on too tight a schedule. All in all we had a great time in the Falklands.
When quizzed about favorite experiences, the Ocean Tramp travellers mentioned the cemetery visit, the walk on Surf Beach and penguin colony visit courtesy of Emma, the wildlife, the landscape, and the history of this small port town. But to a person, we all enjoyed walking around an interesting town filled with friendly people.
Bob’s travel tip of the day – There is a small shack at Volunteer Point, a few hundred yards from the penguin colonies. It features an indoor table on which you can eat your lunch out of the wind and sign a guest book. I signed the book and noticed that three people who had signed above me wrote in the comments section something like: “Cute penguins, but too cold and windy.” We are 500 miles from Cape Horn, and 800 miles of open ocean lie between Antarctica and the Falklands. Do your homework and learn about the climate of the place you’re visiting.