My Antarctica, South Georgia, and Falklands expedition on Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle continued with a busy first sea day; a day that I believe is highly underrated as part of an expedition experience. It is when one is briefed on what an expedition is, attends safety and environmental videos and lectures, and gets you familiar with your gear (you know, the jackets – which you keep – and the muck boots – which are borrowed – that need to be exchanged because they don’t fit correctly), where the mud room is located, and getting your sea legs. In other words, you get your head in the game! (Unlike my New York Jets, who have their heads somewhere else. Ugh.)
That said, as I mentioned before, being on an expedition rather than a cruise, one has to be flexible as itineraries are estimates, and as much as there will be the disappointment of missing X, there will be the thrill of an unexpected Y. If you embrace the adventure of it all, it not only relaxes you, it embraces you.
Now working on Plan E, the next day, after a delicious breakfast in the Rockhopper (alternative, no additional cost) Restaurant
we arrived at what was to be our only landing due to the continued weather issues: Carcass Island in the Falklands. It is what I have come to expect from a first landing. It was an easy one, as folks get used to boarding and getting off zodiacs, walking around with muck boots and layered jackets, figuring out those new cameras, etc. And then embracing the environment. Oh, did I mention the first Penguins?!
Aurora’s Expedition Team offered up a few options, noting that much of the Falklands are sheep farms that coexist with amazing wildlife. One was a hike up a hill (which I wasn’t here for exercise…more on that later!), another was to head to the farmhouse for tea and biscuits (I eat enough on the ship, and it isn’t really the cultural experience I hadn’t had before), and the third was to just “Be.” That is exactly what I did: never leaving the beach and bog areas that were filled with birdlife…and not just Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins.
I identified 19 different bird species. While I know not everyone is, err um, “for the birds”, I most definitely am. But is it not just to identify the birds, but to really see the varied micro-environments such as sandy beach, rocky beach, bog (where Magellanic penguins burrow), tussock grass, rocky uplands, etc. I experienced all of these wandering within yards of the landing site.
The one surprising thing I saw was Gentoo penguins nesting in mud rather than pebble nests. Yes, I did see them poking in the mud seeking out stones, but without much success. I guess ya’ gotta do what ya gotta do. Oh, and the mix of penguin guano and mud is going to get really smelly in no time!
Upon my return, it was time for a cold beer (there is a selection of 12!) and then the return of the Hamburger Test in the Rockhopper Restaurant. It earned a solid A! A large, perfectly cooked, and juicy, burger with plenty of lettuce, ripe tomatoes, and onion on a nicely toasted bun, that was well presented with hot, crisp, French fries.
Just as I was about to have a second beer when there was an announcement: Plan F! We were going to attempt a second landing at Saunders Island, the Falklands, because the storm front was approaching slower than anticipated. This is where Aurora Expeditions excels. The winds were blowing at 25 knots (about 30 mph) – that is blowing, not gusting, which was much higher – but the captain and expedition team were going to make it happen!
After a short zodiac ride, we arrived at a truly windswept beach where I saw a pair of Falklands Steamer Ducks…and four 4x4s heading up the hill, taking some of the guests to a small Black Browed Albatross nesting site. For me, and most others, it was a one-kilometer uphill hike with those 25-knot winds right in my face, so it seemed a lot longer and a solid workout!
One thing I have learned is that you shouldn’t just look forward as there can be some amazing views behind you…and there was!
To be honest, with the winds blowing so hard, safety concerns kept me from getting a better view of the birds, as getting blown off a cliff on Day 3 of my expedition didn’t seem like the thing to do. In fact, the albatross also didn’t seem too interested in flying off the cliff, which I had seen previously on New Island, the Falklands. Oh well.
About a kilometer past the albatross was a colony of Rockhopper penguins, who also were hunkered down.
Hidden in plain sight within the colony were nesting Imperial Cormorants (also called Shags). They were the only birds that were interested in flying, apart from one Skua, which I found interesting since they don’t seem terribly flight-worthy.
And there was one Macaroni penguin hidden as well, taking the highest point in the colony. Why? Nobody knows. But it is not the first time I have seen a wayward Macaroni penguin. (It reminds me of Robin Williams’s character in Happy Feet.)
After walking back to the Black Browed Albatross colony, I did grab a ride back to the beach, where I saw a single Magellanic penguin just waddling along. Oh, the life of a penguin!
I then hopped into a waiting zodiac for a ride back to Sylvia Earle, feeling more like I had a four-mile uphill hike than a 2.5-mile one due to the winds, but also knowing that today was an A+ of a day!
Back on board, during our briefing, it was explained that our next port, Stanley, was not going to happen because the new harbormasters decided to place a 30-knot wind limit on when ships can dock, and the winds were clearly going to at least that, so there was an option of giving it a try and then being hit with some pretty big seas as a storm front that seems to be following us catches up or missing those high seas and head straight for South Georgia. You got it: Plan G!
As I mentioned, South Georgia is my expected highlight of this expedition, so getting there even sooner (remember we were supposed to sail to Antarctica first) is a bonus for me!
That evening, I had a delicious lamb chop dinner at the Rockhopper and then settled to watch the first half of the movie Shackleton, which was complete with popcorn and a couple of Glenfiddich whiskies.
Next up: What I do know is that there is a Sea Day. Other than that, who knows!?