The Amsterdam sailed into the waters of the Falkland Islands early this morning to very windy conditions. Actually, we were a bit surprised to see the crew drop some tender boats in the water right away. And we were not alone in this bay, as the Celebrity Eclipse had already dropped her anchors 1 ½ hours ahead of us. In fact, they had brought about 200 of their guests ashore already. That was a good sign that we would be able to get ashore.
So we skipped breakfast, and went to the exit on deck one to wait in line for the first tender. Sue and her golfing buddies were there, having got their tender tickets at 4:30 and 5:30am. No way were they going to miss their long-awaited golf day….rain or shine. So we went down to deck A and waited for the go ahead from Henk. However, instead of yes, you can go, it was no, it has been cancelled. As we all sighed and went back up the stairs, the Captain came on saying it was the decision of the Harbor Master, who deemed the shore side tender landing dock unsafe under these conditions. Actually, it was under water. If we heard correctly, the Captain said the Eclipse was in the process of gathering her passengers to get them back onboard, and when they did, we would follow them out.
So with that, we went to breakfast in the dining room. For no good reason, it seemed to take forever to get bacon and eggs. Normally, it would not matter, especially on a regular sea day, but this morning we did want to grab the good camera to get shots on the way out. Suddenly, we were moving around the Eclipse and leaving first. Gobbling up our food, we dashed outside on deck three just in time to get some really good photos of the wildlife as we sailed out. With the exception of the few fellows that had binoculars, and some camera buffs, no one saw the penguins and shags that lined the sandy beaches and covered the rugged rocks along the shore line.
The rain began to blow on the outside decks and the winds were getting incredible, so the crew came outside and gathered us all up and sent us inside. They had picked up the chair pads, and folded the lounges, tying them up along the railings. At one point, the ship began listing, and we realized things could become dangerous at any moment.
We have no idea when the Eclipse left, but they hold a lot more guests than us….2852 passengers. If those who were tendered ashore had already started their tours, they may have been stuck there a bit longer than us. Some of the comments we heard at breakfast were disappointment in missing this port. One man sadly said he had waited his whole life to come here, and it was the only reason he took this cruise. You have to read the fine print in the contract to know that any port can be cancelled at any time. As for us, this was the second time we missed it, but we have made it here three times. Not bad odds. We expect the same situation will occur when we reach Easter Island. Last year, when the tendering had to be stopped midday there, we thought there was going to be a riot. At the very least, if you had booked an HAL tour, you will get that money refunded. As for independent tours that doesn't happen, well, we are not sure how that works. It's a chance you take, we guess.
Even though we did not get ashore, here is a bit of info on Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. These remote islands, over 750 of them, have had four European countries attempt to colonize them. It wasn't until the 1800's that Britain sent a military group to farm 10 acre parcels and raise sheep. Stanley also became a stopping spot for the ships to be serviced. This lasted for 150 years.
Argentina also had occupied some of the outer islands, naming them the Malvinas. Then the Battlefield of the 1982 Falklands Conflict changed the scene. The Argentinians invaded and occupied the islands, causing England to launch a naval taskforce to re-take the islands. This war lasted 74 days, and resulted in the deaths of 900 people. The British came out with the victory, and even to this day, Argentina still think the Falklands belong to them. On our first visit here, we found many areas that had been roped off, because there was the danger of hidden land mines buried in the sand. If you take a tour to the battlefields, you will still be able to see bunkers, foxholes, discarded munitions and clothing littering the fields.
The interior of the main island houses moorlands, sheep ranches, and peat bogs. In town, you will find numerous pubs, cafes, restaurants, a few hotels, red phone booths and plenty of English tea. But the high light for us has to be the birds. That includes the several species of penguins, Falkland Island shags, upland geese, steamer ducks that are flightless, and rock cormorants. The sea birds include southern giant petrels, sooty shearwaters, and the magnificent albatross. Fur seals and elephant seals can be seen on different parts of the island. Do you know what they call elephant seals here? Blubber slugs…..very funny, but if the name fits, well OK. Killer whales can be seen around the smaller islands where the seals live. If you are lucky, a different type of dolphin like to play in the wake of the ships at times.
When Captain Jonathon came on for his 12:30pm talk, he sounded a bit disturbed. Apparently, some folks did not understand why the Celebrity guests got to shore , while we did not. He explained, although he was not required to explain, that they were being taken to a different dock, which happened not to be submerged or as dangerous. Their visit was cancelled as well. By the time we were 30 miles away from Stanley, the winds were down to 25 knots, a force 6 on the Beaufort. And the temperature was 48 degrees, a sharp decrease from leaving Montevideo two days ago. As we continue sailing south, we can expect 12 to 15 foot swells. Oh boy, that should be fun.
A new When & Where was printed, and many activities were added for the sea day. The best talk was delivered by Dr. Carey on seabirds of the Southern Ocean. While one of us was dealing with this morning photos, the other one was deep in reading the new Antarctica book full of pertinent info while in this region. His description of the birds were falling into place since we had just seen some of them this morning. After a quick lunch around 3pm, we wandered outside on deck three, staying in the bow area only. It was really cold and windy, but we were at the right place at the right time. Right on the port side forward, we spotted a massive wandering albatross with the greatest wingspan of any species. They can measure 8 to 11 feet and give the bird the skill of dynamic soaring. They are capable of covering up to 300 miles a day with little effort. Adults can live to 30 years dining on squid, fish, and even food refuse from passing ships. Albatrosses are also considered good luck….just ask any captain.
It seemed odd to be going to dinner in the bright daylight. Here it was 8pm, and the sun was still not set. It would go down closer to 9pm tonight. That was just about the time we got our entrees of swordfish and beef ribs in the form of pot roast. Both really good. And to enhance our meal, Captain Jonathon, Henk, our hotel director, and all of the crew extended the offer of sparkling wine or a soft drink during dessert tonight. We requested sodas to go, and our wine steward said that would be fine. We could not recall if we had this same offer while on the Tales of the South Pacific when we missed Niue, so perhaps this is a "grand" voyage perk only.
We did see the beginning of the entertainment tonight at 7:30pm, but we only stayed for 5 minutes. The group, Runaround Kids, were supposed to be singing rock and roll, but for the first 5 minutes or more, all we heard was jokes with punchlines we could not hear. Maybe Greg and Heo will have better luck.
Bill & Mary Ann
