We have left Argentina for one of the last bits of the once far-reaching British Empire—the Falklands. The winds were strong as we left South America, but then dissipated by the afternoon to breezes. The winds helped to push us away from the continent and on east towards the low flung hills of the Falklands. These islands have been the source of much bickering among the French, English, and Argentines over the centuries. This culminated in the Falkland conflict of 1982. We have heard the Argentine version of events and soon we will hear the Falklanders take on what happened.
Our day at sea began with introductions to the ships natural history staff. Later on in the morning there was a photography talk to get us all on the same page with our cameras, followed by breakout sessions for the different groups on board. After lunch there was a talk on seabirds of the world. This led us to the aft deck where we learned how to use our binoculars and cameras to capture, either in our mind’s eye or on a memory card, the majestic flying birds of the Southern Ocean. Giant petrels, pintado petrels, and black-browed albatross were seen following the ship, a behavior they have learned over the centuries as ships are a source of food and locomotion when the winds drop. In the later afternoon an introductory presentation was done on the Falklands and the many sights to be seen both biologically and culturally.
Cocktail hour contained some information for the coming days and was followed by a wonderful dinner as the sun dropped below the puffy clouds.
