Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Day 4- Stanley

Day 4

Last night was rough, Luckily i was rocking from head to toe, if was was left to right i would have been on the floor as sick as a dog.

Boarded the Zodoacs and headed into Stanely for what we thought was a history tour. It was dissapointing, it was more of a local tour. I certainly learnt alot about the guide, including her fastest time skinning a cow, how much the house has increased in value and de sons vital credentials. We finnished at the museum, which was very interesting. There are lots of ship wrecks. It was a snug, secluded harbour - perfect for sailing vessels to anchor.

We had a pub lunch and a few pints of cider and then wandered around the town buying souvenirs

Back to the ship for happy hour, dinner and a movie - In the freezer, David Attenborogh. Finnished up in the bar, i am really enjoying meeting all these new people, it is facinating. Eveyone has a story on why they are here. Sadly many of them planned to be here with a loved one, in many cases they had passed away with cancer so there were many people here on there own. I was happy to share this experience with them all.

I also realised today that my life has gone full cirle. I don´t have regrets in life but if i was to have one it would be about 10 years ago. I was working with the Navy but not in the branch that i applied for. I was waiting for a place with the hydrogrophers, it was a small branch so i was waiting for someone to reitire or die. I had been on HMS Endurance, the Antarctic survey ship, this is one of the many homes to the hydrogrophers and my aim was to get back down to the ice. I got tired of waiting and resigned for another job. Two days later they offered me a place and it was an extremely tough decision. I chose to leave. 10 Years later i am here, not to chip and paint, grease and scrub, but to enjoy and be shown the wonders of the Antarctic with a field of experts. This trip has had my brain running wild. Having the experience i always longed for has now opened up my sights to new beginings.

Heading for South Georgia, 2 days of rough sea.



One of the many ship wrecks. Kelp Geese out for a strole with the family.

The mines are sucked further down by the peat, they are going to be virtually impossible to clear so this land will remain a no go area.

Which way is home and how far is it......

It was a few days before remeberance Sunday and there were poppys everyewhere. I purchased mine and wore it with pride as we walked around this very historical island


Here is the mast, i will be keen to see the rest of the ship when i return.

This is a locals garden. He finds whale bones and puts them back together. Very big anti whaling message that i think we shouls all support.

Very interesting museum. There was a letter displayed from a young Argentinian soldier to a local lady. He was asking her for food and chocolate. It highlighted how badly these young men were treated.

Would be rude not to. Julie, Sara, Julie and Michael enjoying a nice pint of cider in a English pub with banger and mash. yum!


MV POLAR STAR SHIPS LOG

Friday 7th November - Stanley

Time: 12:00
Longitude: 57°51.1' W
Wind: Force 6 North West
Sea Conditions: Moderate (wave height 1.25 – 2.50m)
Pressure: 1004 mb
Temperature: 10ºC

We arrived at anchor at 08:00 off the Stanley shoreline, the skies were blue and it was clear that we would have good weather for our landing. This said, the expedition team still advised us to wear foul weather clothes for the Zodiac crossing to the harbour as a strong breeze (6 on theBeaufort scale) was creating choppy sea conditions in the bay. The Zodiac drivers did their best to avoid soaking us all on the approach but several rogue waves did give us the opportunity to test the temperature of the water.
The city of Port Stanley was established in the 1840s and now has a population of 2,200 people. Ithas a distinctly English feel; the red phone box standing outside the visitors centre and the availability of quality tea are testaments to that historic link. Two excursions had been planned for the morning, one was a three hour nature trip which was predominantly on foot and the other, a coach based guided tour of the highlights of Stanley. We had signed up to our chosen trips at the briefing yesterday and jumped on the appropriate transport when it arrived at 10am. While the trips were running,the Zodiac Drivers were busy ferrying fresh supplies from shore to the ship. The sea conditions had taken a turn for the worse and those who retuned to the Polar Star for lunch were treated to some exciting moments at the gangway thanks to gale force winds whipping across the harbour, great practise for the swells of South Georgia. The ship also loaded supplies bound for Port Lockroy on the Antarctic Peninsula which we will transport down there and deliver during our landing at the British base. Many of us chose to eat our lunch in Stanley at one of the many restaurants and pubs; with a last Zodiac time of 16:00 we had time enough to explore the city. The Expedition Staff had recommended several places of interest: the southern most Anglican Cathedral in the world with its blue whale jaw bonearch marking the entrance to the churchyard, the small yet fascinating Stanley museum, full of memorabilia about the maritime, farming and military history of the islands, and the Post Office and Philatelic bureau. It was also recommended to spare a little time to walk along the waterfront to see the historic wrecks, especially the SS Great Britain’s mizzen (back) mast left behind whilethe rest of the ship was towed back to England.

Back onboard, Happy Hour got underway at 17:30 which led into recap and briefing where questions that had arisen during the day were answered. After dinner, Episode 1 of the BBC series Life in the Freezer was shown in the observation lounge.

No comments: