We spent most of 5 January crossing very high seas: 10 meters (30 feet); the bridge of the Austral
is open, so we could watch some of the action from there. Additionally, there was excellent bird watching from the back of the ship.
Sunday, January 5
New Island, Falklands landing, about 8:00 pm
New Island has a history that extends back to the 1770s and is now mostly a wildlife refuge. Rockhopper penguins, imperial shags, nesting black-browed albatross.
Monday, January 6
Grave Cove landing, about 9:30 am
A breathtaking plain, with thousand+ pairs of breeding Gentoo penguins, some Magellanic penguins, many caracara birds patrolling for eggs, geese, and in the surf beyond, Commerson's dolphins.
In the afternoon, a landowner Lady came to tell us about sheep farming on West Falkland Island.We were scheduled for landing at Saunders and alternativley Settlement Cove / Port Egmont (1776), but both were cancelled--after the expedition team treid it--owing to the continuing high wind/surf, and we sailed for South Geogria
On the evening of the 6th, we enjoyed the captain's reception and dinner. (It later turned out that Patrick Marchesseau, the captain, had been hero of a Somali pirate incident: see International Herald Tribune / New York Times, 15 April 2008.)
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