Arrival in The Falklands
In Travemunde until May 2020
Nick Pochin
Fri 23 Jan 2009 22:21
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position 51:41.38S 57:51.41W
April the 1st 1982:I was playing cards in a ski
resort in Austria when a German told me that Great Britain was at war with
America! Showing usual British aplomb I said "really is it my deal?" I found out
later that it was the start of the Falklands war. During the next 10 weeks I
stayed up most nights watching television coverage and awed at the bravery and
courage of our armed forces. The task force fighting gales across nine thousand
miles through some of the most treacherous seas in the World before landing in
San Carlos, yomping across with the Marines, fighting in Goose Green with
the Para's and in two short weeks recapturing the Islands.Every night we counted
them all out and counted them all in!
Never in my wildest dreams (or nightmares) did I
ever think that I would sail from the UK to The Falklands and see it all for
myself.
January the 23rd 2009 and some 27 years later I
dropped Festina Lente's anchor in Port Stanley.
The last leg of our journey to take us from the
UK around South America and to Vancouver was from Mar del Plata to Stanley,
a distance of 850nm through the roaring 40s to 51 South. We were lucky with the
weather with the wind never above force 7 and we took 5 days
We will rest up for a few days and carry out
repairs and maintenance, wait for a weather window to cross to the Beagle
Channel and to Ushuaia in Argentina.
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