Falkland Islands, 1/15/24

 Port Stanley, Falkland Islands


Authored by Laurie Hardcastle Seil

Prepare for a little slice of England in the middle of the South Atlantic when you arrive at Port Stanley, which is now officially just called Stanley. This will be a tender port where sometimes zodiacs are used as transport and it takes about 25 minutes to get to the dock. The pier is centrally located and it should be easy to walk around town from there. Nearby there will be a TI called “The Jetty Visitor Centre” which will have lots of info, maps and friendly folks to answer questions, as well as souvenirs and pre-stamped postcards. There should be taxis available for getting around town or nearby places like Gypsy Cove. I found a lot of good information on this website: https://www.falklandislands.com/plan.../visitor-information. A couple of tips for this port, make sure you wear sunscreen as it’s very easy to get burned. Another thing to note is that the currency here is the Falklands pound which equals the same as a British pound but the money designs are different. Both the Falklands and British pounds circulate through the islands but you can’t exchange Falklands currency for any other kind outside of the islands and supposedly there are no ATMs here anyway, so plan to use a credit card is my best guess.

I read that the atmosphere in Stanley is that of a small English or Scottish town, a size conducive to just walking to see the sights, driving is on the left here so be aware as you cross streets. The town was founded in 1843, named the capital in 1845, and is currently home to most of the population of this archipelago. There are two main islands, West Falkland and East Falkland, the latter is where we’ll be, plus there are hundreds of smaller islets. The port’s site has a good deep-water anchorage, and it became a popular spot for ship provisioning and repairs for ships rounding Cape Horn. This was one spot that was claimed by Europeans that did not have human inhabitants at the time. Since I knew very little about the history here, I did some digging and was surprised at the number of times sovereignty changed. The first to claim the eastern island and actually start a colony were the French in 1764. They called the islands Îles Mauoines which the Spanish or Argentines translated to Islas Malvinas; they’re still known by that name in Argentina today. About a year after the colonists from France arrived another settlement was started by the British on West Falkland. Neither of these colonies lasted long but when the British departed, they left a plaque saying they still claimed the land. Over the next few years, it was mostly whalers and sealers who hunted the South Atlantic who went to the islands as a haven from storms. Argentina was next to try to set up a settlement, but the Napoleonic wars got in the way, then they were battling for independence, so the Malvinas were somewhat forgotten. The British returned in 1834 and have stayed ever since.

The first time I remember hearing about the Falkland Islands, and I suspect it was the same for most of the rest of the world, was when an Argentine force invaded them in April 1982. The reigning military junta there needed some propping up so they were hoping to promote some patriotism with this action, plus they really didn’t think the British would retaliate, severely underestimating Margaret Thatcher’s resolve. A British expeditionary force arrived in May, battling until June 11 when the Argentine garrison in Stanley surrendered, although it took until 1995 to complete the peace talks. Interesting that the junta of General Leopoldo Galtieri toppled afterwards, becoming someone to forget, but on January 10 the islanders still celebrate Margaret Thatcher Day to remember her determined response and support.

Unfortunately for us, we were not able to visit Port Stanley, as the winds were too high for safe tendering at the latter part of the day.  The captain said he could get us off but could not get us back....so another sea day for us today, and I have chosen to get my blog up to date.... a lot more work than I originally anticipated but I think the memories will be priceless...  hope you are all enjoying our journey...

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