We left our anchorage in Berkeley Sound before sunrise, heading towards our first stop in the Falkland Islands at Stanley.  In the faint light proceeding sunup from the bridge, we could see 1000's of Sooty Shearwaters heading out to sea from their nesting colonies. Their characteristic forms slipped by just above the water’s surface in loosely organized flocks, the purple-black water shimmering in the predawn light.  Just as the sun crested the horizon, the green flash, only visible under ideal conditions, revealed itself to all those whose eyes were trained on the rising orb.  As the dawn’s light shown more and more, signs of life were visible:  distant whale blows back lit by daybreak, Blue-eyed shags making their way to sea, 100's of Magellanic Penguins on the opposite beach, and Falkland Steamer Ducks charging over the water as we approached.  By all accounts it was a beautiful start to our first full day in The Falklands. 

Stanley being the largest and most populated city on the islands, it's fitting to begin our visit here.  Many options for our day were made available both in the morning and afternoon.  From the morning activities, most guests chose to take a tour of the area which featured many of the highlights found in Stanley.  A smaller group chose to set out into the countryside and visit the Long Island Farm.  This family owned and operated farm is some 23,000 acres and has supported the Watson's since 1980 when they purchased it.  With over 3,000 sheep, and 70 head of cattle as well as 30 horses and 6 working sheep dogs there's lots to be done and learned from the Watson's way of life.  A demonstration on how they harvest the peat from the land to heat their home, prepare domestic water and cook their food was our first insight to life on this remote patch of land.  Next a brief demonstration of how the working sheep dogs, border collies, handle and herd a small flock of sheep into the sheering pens.  How very impressive to witness just how man and animal can work together to handle the livestock.  Lastly we split up into 2 groups, one group first watched how a sheep is sheared in a traditional manner while the other half enjoyed the fine hospitality of the family who served cakes, biscuits, tea and coffee in the toasty warm surroundings from the peat fueled cook stove. Sadly we had to bid farewell to the Watsons and their lovely homestead to return to the ship, so we could commence with the second half of the day.   

For the afternoon both of the above described options were made available as well as two other activities to round out the experience here.  First about 30 guests chose to explore the island by taking a hike on Mount William, an historic site where a large battle took place during the Falklands War on June 13th & 14th 1982, whereby British and Scottish Marines took positions held by Argentine forces in one of the bloodiest battles of the war.  Hiking across the tundra-like, peat landscape with the dwarf plants, windswept terrain and up the 200 meter “mountain” made for an excellent excursion here on East Falkland Island.  Lastly a small group of folks ventured just a short distance from the pier to visit the Stanley Growers Hydroponics Gardens.  This facility is the primary source of fresh produce year round for the Falklands.  The owner Tim Miller gave an informative tour of the facilities.  For a small community of only 2,500 people, Stanley has much to offer and everyone got to experience a little bit of everything here.