Port Stanley, Falklands

Wednesday, February 16th
The day dawned with sun, warm temperature and calm winds!!!!!  We are going to make it to shore.  I’ve anticipated this day for a long time.  We’re going to the PENGUINS!!!!!
The tender ride was long but smooth.

We had a tour to Volunteer Point arranged with Patrick Watts.  He is a very interesting fellow.  He was a radio announcer when the Falklands were invaded by  Argentina in 1982.  The soldiers captured the radio station and I had heard his broadcast with the soldiers holding a gun to his head…That took a lot of guts on his part.   Our driver was Steve.  He is originally from England but has been on the island for over 25 years.   He is an engineer by education, runs the printing business on the island and “moonlights” as a 4x4 driver for Patrick.
The road to Volunteer Point was gravel part way and that was the smooth part!!!!!!  The rest was really…really OFF ROAD!!!!!  We had a bathroom stop before we went off road..that was really a pretty good idea.
 
The last 10 miles of the trip was off road…I have never experienced anything like this before.  All of the 4x4’s travel in a convoy.  There are a lot of times that one or more vehicles need to be pulled out of the muck.  It was a lot of fun but I don’t think I would rush out to do it again.
Volunteer Point was really amazing and well worth the trip.  There are 3 varieties of penguins that in residence.  There is the largest King penguin colony in the Falkland Islands, also Gentoo and Magellanic penguins.  The pictures can not adequately describe what we saw…it was truly breathtaking…….
Here are a few images of the King Penguins…..

  

Gentoo Penguins

Magellanic penguins we only saw at a distance.  I believe we will see more of them at our stops in Ushuaia and in Puerto Madryn.

Then it was back to Port Stanley for the tender ride back to the Infinity.

 
All in all, it was a wonderful day.  Tomorrow is a sea day on our way to Antarctica.  So far, we have been very lucky with the weather.  Hopefully, our luck will continue.