Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

Last night we slept our way to Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Founded in 1843, it's the largest community in this archipelago deep in the South Atlantic. It boasts 2,460 residents, with the entire population of the Falkland Islands being only 3,398.

From yesterday’s Current, we learned that Stanley is considered a deep water port, specializing early on in ship repairs before the construction of the Panama Canal. It was a major repair stop for ships traveling through the Magellan Straits, as the rough waters and intense storms forced many ships here for repairs. The ship repair industry helped drive the economy of Port Stanley. Later it became a base for whaling and sealing in the South Atlantic and Antarctica.

Once again, we had no excursion planned but we did want to get off the ship for a few hours and sight see for a bit. We tendered in and our first stop was the visitor center. I was able to get postcards, Christmas ornaments and currency. We also bought caps to cover our heads (it was beyond windy!) and bus tickets for a trip out to Gypsy Cove to see the penguins.

It was perhaps a 15 minute bus ride followed by a gentle climb on foot up to the lookout point. We could see the penguins and of course I snapped quite a few photos. After the drive back to town, we walked down to the Whalebone Arch (made from the jawbones of two blue whales from the South Shetland Islands in 1922) and also made a quick visit to nearby Christ Church Cathedral, the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world. A photo of the church is printed on their local currency. We also found a grocery store and surprise, surprise, Ronnie found some Dr Peppers! It was also fun seeing many of the British products we bought during our time in the Cotswolds.

The sea was very choppy as we tendered back to the ship. The waves were so strong it took several tries for the tender captain to successfully side up to the dock. It was a nice outing but we were hungry and ready to return to the ship. After lunch I took a 2 hour nap. All in all a very good day, especially after we found the caps and got our heads warm!

I’m going to try to upload a 10 second video to hopefully give you some idea of just HOW windy it was!

 

view of Stanley coming in from our ship

 

inside the tender

masked up in anticipation of smell

 

We were told by someone at breakfast who had seen the penguins "up close and personal" that they smelled really bad. In anticipation of that, we decided the masks might be a good idea. However, we were never close enough to them to need masks. But they did help us stay warm! 

The Falklands are home to many different species of wildlife. The Steamer Ducks are only found in the Falklands. These ducks live in pairs and together the male and female defend the territory. The male has a bright orange bill and the female a yellow-green bill. The father (left) is "lookout" and the mother and chicks are on the right. It looked like they were sitting in mud!

Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck

We did see the Breeding Magellanic Penguins on the beach (so cute!) and in the grassy areas but only from a distance. These penguins are locally known as the "jackass" penguins because of their distinctive braying call. They nest in burrows that can be dug as deep as 6.5 feet into the peat soil. After spending the winter feeding along the coast of South America, they lay 2 eggs each by early November and they fledge their chicks in February. They eat squid, fish and small crustaceans. 

 

they changed their minds about going in when they saw the seal!

small colony of Magellan Penguins

some looked pretty rough due to molting

Gypsy Cove, Port Stanley

another view

craggy rocks, white sand and very clear water

more craggy rocks

Oceania sister ships in dock - Insignia and Marina

WWII gun used to defend Stanley Harbor

diddle dee shrub

Most of Gypsy Cove is covered by dwarf shrub including plants like diddle dee (Empetrum rubrum). During the summer months, these plants produce bright red berries which provide an important food source for birds and insects. Locals also pick the berries to make jam but a lot of sugar is needed because the berries are said to be quite bitter.

Christ Church Cathedral

inscription under Whalebone Arch

Whalebone Arch

Christ Church Cathedral (back view)

iconic British phone booth