Clearing formalities at around 09.00 it was time to leave the big smoke and sail for pastures new. From Stanley the plan was to head South down the Eastern side of East Falkland visiting locations on the main island along Bleaker Island and Sea Lion Island. Thereafter, Punta Arenas Chile.
Plans don’t always go to plan. The first scheduled stop was to be Bertha’s Beach but, due to the high seas running, it was deemed not to be feasible to land on the beach so, plan B. Bertha’s Beach is effectively an isthmus of low lying dunes with the beach on the open ocean side and a sheltered harbour behind. Unfortunately the harbour is a Royal Navy base and special permission is required to land there, this was duly sought. Eventually we were given permission to anchor in the relatively sheltered entrance to the harbour and then use our Zodiacs to land on the sheltered back side of the Isthmus, a trip of 30 to 40 minutes each way. As it was already late afternoon it was decided to have an early dinner onboard then go ashore for the evening.
It was actually quite a treat to be onshore on another of the beautiful beaches for sunset. The lighting conditions were wonderful and there were a lot of natural sculptures in the san formed by wind and waves. Very few penguins but some small waders feeding on the edge of the surf, quite a refreshing change from the normal penguin and albatross fests.
After re-joining the ship we relocated to a new more secure anchorage where we rode out the night before moving on to Bleaker Island, a low lying island that still supports the owners through farming activities supplemented by the tourist dollar. Another straight forward landing onto a sandy beach where we were met by the owners who gave the guides advice on where best to walk. Doing a loop through an area of Tussock we passed Rockhopper and Rock Cormorant colonies on some low cliffs and then on to a large King Cormorant colony on the gentler slopes.
After anchoring off Bleaker next morning saw us heading out for Bulls Point on the main East Island. From the beach where we landed a circular walk took in a further beach where Sea Lions were to be seen then on up to the top of some shallow cliffs giving access to Rockhopper and Rock Cormorant colonies. When walking up to the cliff we were hit by a short sharp rainstorm with attendant rainbow and good lighting across the cliffs in its aftermath.
As today was 5th December in the Dutch tradition Christmas gifts are given. To mark this occasion we were to have a Pink Elephant event in the evening. Over the previous couple of weeks we had all been labouring away to produce an anonymous gifts, these gifts were duly wrapped and placed in a sack. Names were drawn and the ‘lucky’ person got to select a gift and open it in front of all. However, when your name was drawn you did not have to take a gift but could elect to steal one that had already been revealed. Any one gift could only be stolen twice so the second thief became the permanent owner. The person who’s gift had been stolen then had the option of selecting a further gift or stealing another but they couldn’t steal back the one that they had just lost. This led to a very entertaining evening and there were some well crafted imaginative gifts to be had.
The plan from here had been to sail to Sea Lion Island which was to be our last port of call in The Falkland Islands. Unfortunately this plan was scuppered by two vagrancies of the weather, firstly it was considered that the sea state was probably to wild to make the landing but, more importantly, if we were to stay around the Falklands for the additional day required for this visit we would be arriving at the entrance to the Straights of Magellan when gale force winds were being forecast, not a good prospect. Accordingly next morning (6th Dec) we would set sail for Chile with the aim of being at a safe anchorage before the storm struck.
For the next 3 days, due to the fact that we were heading more or less directly into the prevailing wind, we were motor sailing with just jib and stay sails set to help stabilise the vessel. The conditions on this leg were predominately rough with snow and rain squalls blowing through and big seas running with us shipping a considerable number of waves leading to several very damp watches. On the 9th we arrived into the Straights early in the morning and proceeded into the passage in fine weather but with increasing stronger winds. Arriving at the anchorage where we were to pick up the pilot the next day we duly dropped both anchors in an attempt to hold position. This ‘sheltered anchorage’ turned out to be anything but sheltered with us taking the full force of the wind and waves resulting in the anchors dragging and having to run the engines a full ahead to hold station and prevent further dragging of the anchors. Fortunately, during the next day the winds moderated and we were able to take the pilot required for straights on board at about 16.00 when we then sailed for Punta Arenas under motor. With the wind and currents now actually with us we ran through the night making up to 12Kn and arrived at the Punta Arenas anchorage at 03.30 0n the 11th where we would remain until we went alongside next morning, effectively the end of the trip. To celebrate or arrival we had a BBQ on deck in the evening with all Permeant and Voyage Crew in attendance.
Thursday 12th saw us move into the town jetty where we cleared Chilean formalities and could then go ashore before coming back on board for our last night on The Europa.
So the last of the first episode of my Southern journeys but there will be one more blog on The Bark Europa where I’ll try to sum up my thoughts and feelings about the experience.
