26th January - on the Shackleton, about 500 miles west of the Falklands.
After a nice few weeks at home catching
up with friends and family it was good to be heading south again,
even if that journey would take a long week.
A long flight down to Chile, best part
of a day hanging around Santiago airport then on to the Falklands. I
had a few days there so was able to get out for a few walks and see a
bit of wildlife in the bays and coves around Stanley then nearer Mare
Harbour as we stopped to fuel.
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Falklands Night Heron. Great views of a few of these near where the ship was docked in Stanley.
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| Magellanic Penguin with it's chick peeking out of a burrow, Gypsy Cove. |
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| Southern Sea Lions sleeping on a jetty in the middle of Stanley, near the tourist information. |
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| Bertha's Beach, near Mare Harbour. An excellent spot for a few hours walk and a last paddle in the sea before heading further south. |
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| Gentoos enjoying the sand, unaware that their relatives on Bird Island have more mud than they know what to do with. |
So far the seas have been calm and the ship has sped along it's way. I've been feeling great - managed every meal and been fit enough to help out with the ship's cleaning rota.
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Black-browed Albatross. I spotted the first one 45 minutes after we left Stanley and it felt like the first welcome back home.
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Next stop, Bird Island.
