The Falkland Islands have been a haven for ships for several centuries, with large sailing ships of the 1800s and 1900s sailing around Cape Horn frequenting to undertake repairs or even just hoping to reach The Falklands before their ship foundered. This historical perspective may have set us up to see a set of rugged islands in windy stormy conditions, but only half of this was true: the weather was perfect! But, you don’t have to look far to see the Falklands are a windy set of islands that see more than their fair share of bad weather. Perhaps this is why the islanders have made sure their capital city (around 2,000 people) is so colourful.
Today guests were given mostly free rein to explore Stanley, from buying stashes of beautifully soft Falkland sheep wool and delicious British chocolate, to spotting wildlife around the coast. It didn’t take much spotting – Commerson’s dolphins and sea lions were lolling around the coast pretty regularly. The more adventurous of the group even snuck in a quick pint at the pub.
“What were the divers doing?” I hear several people say. Well, we snuck off early in search of some dolphins. Unfortunately, the Commerson’s dolphins were nowhere to be seen, but we were greeted briefly by two Peale’s dolphins before we were left alone to finish the dive on a shallow sandy seabed with several crabs and isopods.
