Position   51:41.52S 057:49.19W

Welcome to Port Stanley.  We have been here a couple of days now, during which time we have sorted the boat out after the trip, and are starting to go through some of the things that need doing before we depart.  Since we have been here, we have had very cold weather, and 4 blizzards.  The snow doesn’t hang around long though, as it quickly gets blown away again.

Since arriving I have learned that the Penguins have gone as it is too cold for them (I thought they liked the snow) so I have been on a mission to try and find any stragglers, who have not left yet.  Today, Ken and I went up to Gypsy Cove which is about 3 miles from Stanley.  The cove is beautiful, with glorious fine white sand, and turquoise water, and you would be very tempted to run and dip your tow in.  We weren’t tempted for 2 reasons, the first being the cold, but secondly, and more importantly the mines.  Most of the coastline in the local area was mined by argentine forces, and insufficient information was kept about their location.  Since then, many people have been killed trying to sort them out, and so now areas are just cordoned off, and marked with big signs.  It is such a shame, as the area is so beautiful.

Port Stanley itself is more British than Britain, with the Victory Bar sporting about 300 union jacks hanging from the ceiling, a darts board, pool table, and all the usual stuff you would expect in your local pub.  The Globe Pub is popular with the soldiers based on the island, and the walls come equipped with Rifles, machine guns, and anti tank weapons, all deactivated I hope.  The final pub on the Stanley tour is Dinos, which is a disco bar, where everyone ends up at closing. All of the above shut at 1100 pm, and so there is little in the way of late entertainment.  Last night after Dinos closed everyone piled into taxis and cars and made their way to a local house where there was going to be a house party.  This appears to be the way things are done here, but it just seems strange inviting the near total contents of a pub round to your place to drink your beer, but that is exactly what happened.  I had a good chat with lots of different people, many of which had moved to the Falklands from the UK, and the conversations ran on late into the night.

The RYA course is coming along slowly, and congratulations have to go out to Ken who passed his chartwork paper whilst at anchor in Caleta Martial near Cape Horn, so he must be one of the Southern most candidates ever.  Apart from that there is little else to report for now,

Ian Jinks on Pelagic signing out