Sailing with Ernest to the Falklands

I felt quite well prepared for my "sea legs" experience test, we'd already had a briefing on board in Monte harbour about tablets and patches. So there i was dosed up and patched up like a sick toddler. I must say i've impressed myself, and for those who have dived with me i aint no sailor. I'm still a little unsure if its the tablets, patches, mind over matter or that its as flat as a pond, that i feel ok? Either way i'm glad to be keeping all my food to myself and not sharing it with the toilet bowl or my fellow sailors.

My time on Ernest so far has been compiled of getting up, eating, doing a little chefing work in the galley, eating again, taking photos and sleeping. However the biggest achievement for me so far has been learning how to use my laptop thanks to my seadog companions.

The sail down to the Falklands has been remarkably smooth, with the exception of a very small swell, that probably, i was the only one that felt, therefore rendering me back to bed for a couple of hours.

On arrival to the Falklands (1st December 06) we all mucked in to help unload some of Ernest's cargo containers, or rather, we watched the bloody big crane unload, while we sipped warming mugs of tea in the crisp Falkland air. It wasn't all sipping tea, oh no, there were boxes upon boxes upon crates upon crates of fruit and vegetables that had to be loaded onboard, all segregated out to their final homes, Signy, KEP and then finally Halley.

There was a couple of nice welcomes arriving in the Falklands, Mare harbour plays resident to a few dolphins and what seemed to be a lone seal.

We arrived on the friday with pretty much a short shore leave, barely enough time to see the local pub. Though on the saturday we managed a good look around, taking in such sights as Stanley the capital, Gypsy Cove, an idelic paradise of white sandy beach, turquiose waters and penguins, Mount Tumbledown, where the British fought off the Argentinians and the coastal ruggedness of the lighthouse at Cape Pembroke. There was just enough time to visit Bertha's beach where a colony of Gentoo penguins have nested side by side with the locals-sheep.