2925_26 Oosterdam, Stanley, Falkland Islands, UK...

What a spectacular day!  The weather, the scenery, the penguins…we cannot say enough about everything! With the weather prediction, there was no question about making it to the Falkland Islands today. I was out front early this morning and the wind was close to gale force but it cleared nicely. Our friend Maritza accompanied us on the tour to Volunteer Point. We took the tender to the pier in Stanley where we met Adventure Falklands’ owner Shaun Jaffery and our driver David. The ride to get to Volunteer Point has been shortened due the new road in the making, even so, the off-roading is still pretty rough…crossing grassy tracks, streams, and soft ground offers a true taste of the islands' challenging terrain and unique landscapes. The ride is well worth it when you arrive and see the numbers of King, Magellanic and Gentoo penguins. I went to the beach straight away to try and catch a raft of marching penguins and was in luck again today. I hiked back up to the King Penguins rookery…boy with thousands of Kings they sure stand out. We just had the best day at Volunteer Point and were able to see the penguins in solitude before the crowds arrived. The scenery on the return trip to Stanley is even more spectacular when the sun is shining. David added a tour to the east end of Stanley to see the ship wrecks near the airport. Marooned in the bay just outside of Stanley, the Lady Elizabeth shipwreck, half tilted on her side, is a pretty impressive sight. Before returning to the ship, David took us off roading again overlooking Yorke Bay and Gypsy Cove with a great opportunity to get a photo of the Oosterdam. We had a great day probably one of the best weather ever in the Falklands…