Stanley, Falkland Islands
Early this morning, the National Geographic Explorer arrived at Stanley Harbour in gale-force northerly winds. The conditions were such that there were real concerns about bringing the ship alongside safely, but Captain Leif Skog rendered all such concerns invalid as he masterfully kissed the dock so gingerly that none onboard the ship not already awake were even awakened by the maneuver. As the day began to unfold, we were safely resting against the dock. Let the wind howl as it may…
And howl it did. Our morning tour of Stanley provided us with a glimpse of local life here in the capital city of this Overseas Territory administered by the United Kingdom. Guests toured the sights and museums, shopped at local stores, and perhaps even ventured into one of the pubs for a bit of colour and humour accompanied by fish and chips for lunch (washed down of course with a pint of bitter). All of these activities were accompanied by the incessant wind, a common companion as it turned out for the entire day.
Our afternoon highlights included the chance to visit Stanley Growers, the hydroponics operation that will supply the ship with much of her fresh produce for our upcoming voyage to South Georgia. Still others chose to brave the wind and hike the edge of Gypsy Cove, ever vigilant for Magellanic penguins, Peale’s dolphins, rock shags, and long-tailed meadowlarks (all of whom graced us with their presence on the hike). The wind shrieked, it roared, it even knocked us from our feet, but in the end we persevered and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon ashore.
The early evening brought our departure from Stanley, with perhaps an even more masterful ship handing display to bring the National Geographic Explorer off the dock where the wind had her pinned. We are now safely headed out to open sea, to new adventures, and to our next destination; South Georgia. So stay tuned dear reader as more excitement is in store…
