January 15, 2024August 28, 2024

A Slow Slog to the Falklands

This post is part of our second once-in-a-lifetime expedition to the Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica. Click to expand this section and view the table of contents if you don’t want to read this sequentially, or you are looking for a specific part of the trip.

Two Days Tuns into Three

To avoid the worst of the winds—what we affectionately called the “purples”—the ship changed course. This detour added another day to our already two-day journey between South Georgia and the Falklands.

A man gives a presentation in a modern room, pointing to a colorful weather map displayed on a screen.

Honestly, I was perfectly content staying in the cabin. I spent hours looking through the images and video from the last 20 days, still in awe of everything we had seen and experienced. The expedition team kept everyone entertained with a series of lectures and games, which I opted to watch on the TV from the cozy comfort of our cabin.

People line dancing indoors with a woman giving instructions on a microphone.

With a break in the swell, we were invited to tour the bridge, which was pretty impressive. We missed the tour last year due to cabin quarantine.

View from a ship's bridge looking out over the ocean through large windows, with control panels in the foreground and a wooden deck below.

Tour group inside a ship's control room, listening to a uniformed officer explain the navigation equipment.

Electronic navigational chart displayed on a ship's control panel, showing a detailed maritime route with coordinates, speed, and waypoints.

We also got a behind-the-scenes look at the kitchen. There’s one guy entirely dedicated to breakfast—he’s up at 2 AM every day to prep for the 7am feeding! I was especially touched to see the allergy poster with my name and “NO ONIONS” scrawled in bold red marker. The crew went above and beyond, ensuring no cross-contamination, even with something as small as bread knives and omelette pans.

Chef giving a tour in a commercial ship kitchen, gesturing toward industrial cooking equipment while guests observe from behind a serving counter.

I just realised that I haven’t posted any photos of the food, so here’s an example.

Grilled lamb chops garnished with herbs, served with a roasted lemon and sauce on a white plate.

As we neared the Falklands, the swell picked up again, bringing with it a host of seabirds including black-browed albatross. The black-browed albatross can live up to 70 years and is known for its efficiency in flight, gliding on ocean winds without flapping, which helps it conserve energy during long journeys, traveling thousands of miles across the Southern Ocean to feeding grounds.

Albatross soaring against a bright blue sky with outstretched wings.

Albatross gliding over the ocean with wings spread wide, against a backdrop of deep blue water.

Flock of seabirds flying low over the choppy ocean waves.

Finally, after three days at sea, we arrived at Stanley Harbour—or rather, just outside of it. The winds were too strong to navigate the narrow passage into the inner harbour, so immigration and customs had to travel out to meet the ship.

Next up — The Rockhoppers and Albatross at West Point Island