Sailing to the Falklands

March 30-31, 2015 by Bob

Summary of the last two days – open ocean sailing.

The weather yesterday was atypical for the South Atlantic – blue skies, no rain, and a wind that died down so low that The Ocean Tramp could only get up four knots.  We trimmed the sails, and motored at six knots for a half day.  All aboard were thankful for some time on deck without spray, and with the ability to look through our cameras and binoculars without swinging wildly about watching the target speed through our field of focus.

By late afternoon, the wind freshened. With engine silenced, we were soon making over seven knots, a speed that all watches held through the night. The wind picked up even more, and we made good headway toward Port Stanley.

The beautiful monotony of the open ocean has been seasoned with sightings of Commerson’s dolphins, Peale’s dolphins, various petrels, Gentoo penguins, and some intimate views of Wandering Albatrosses. At thirteen feet, the Wandering Albatross sports the greatest wingspan of any bird on earth.

As we approached Port Stanley, ocean life increased. A southern sei whale and two fin whales welcomed us to the port entrance. Gentoo penguins dove on either side of the boat porposing through the waves seemingly just for the fun of it.  We arrived at seven, and an immigration officer came aboard to stamp our passports and welcome us to the Falklands. The visitor information sheet he handed to all of us warned us to stay out of marked minefields, and to avoid displaying Argentine flags, or wearing Argentine military uniforms. We were all thankful we had brought our civilian clothes.

The thought crossed our minds that running ashore might be productive, but after four days on the high seas, we are all happy to be freed of night watches and grateful to sleep a full night on stationary bunks.  We ate a light dinner, toasted the captain and the Ocean Tramp, and all hit our bunks early.