Stanley, Falkland Islands
This morning ends our voyage to the Forgotten Islands of the Atlantic Ridge. We arrived at Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, at 0600. Our travels, which began 36 days ago in Cadiz, Spain, have taken us, in the words of Expedition Leader Matt Drennan, on a “good old-fashioned sea voyage.” We have sailed 8170 nautical miles since our departure, or about 16,000 km. The distance is about one-third of the circumference of the Earth. We have covered over 90° of latitude and have experienced most of the major wind belts of the world. Beginning in the northern hemisphere Westerlies, we traveled through the “horse latitudes” to the Northeast Trades, crossed the doldrums north of the Equator after leaving the Cape Verde Islands and sailed into the Southeast Trades as we visited Ascension Island and St. Helena. We then crossed the southern hemisphere horse latitudes and entered the West Wind Drift in the “roaring forties” south of Tristan de Cunha. From there we crossed into the “furious fifties” as we sailed to South Georgia. These winds all availed us fine sailing weather, in spite of a force eight gale for a day or so in the roaring forties. The crossing from South Georgia to the Falklands was the smoothest that any of us, and a number of us are veterans of many of these crossings, could remember. The weather in the Falklands has also been most favorable. We accomplished all the landings ashore that we had planned, throughout the voyage, and have stopped at some very remarkable places, most of them visited by only a few fortunate travelers. It has been an altogether fine voyage and Endeavour, pictured here at Westpoint Island in the Falklands, has been a most seaworthy and comfortable home for all of us. It was truly an unforgettable voyage to the Forgotten Islands of the Atlantic Ridge.
This morning ends our voyage to the Forgotten Islands of the Atlantic Ridge. We arrived at Stanley, capital of the Falkland Islands, at 0600. Our travels, which began 36 days ago in Cadiz, Spain, have taken us, in the words of Expedition Leader Matt Drennan, on a “good old-fashioned sea voyage.” We have sailed 8170 nautical miles since our departure, or about 16,000 km. The distance is about one-third of the circumference of the Earth. We have covered over 90° of latitude and have experienced most of the major wind belts of the world. Beginning in the northern hemisphere Westerlies, we traveled through the “horse latitudes” to the Northeast Trades, crossed the doldrums north of the Equator after leaving the Cape Verde Islands and sailed into the Southeast Trades as we visited Ascension Island and St. Helena. We then crossed the southern hemisphere horse latitudes and entered the West Wind Drift in the “roaring forties” south of Tristan de Cunha. From there we crossed into the “furious fifties” as we sailed to South Georgia. These winds all availed us fine sailing weather, in spite of a force eight gale for a day or so in the roaring forties. The crossing from South Georgia to the Falklands was the smoothest that any of us, and a number of us are veterans of many of these crossings, could remember. The weather in the Falklands has also been most favorable. We accomplished all the landings ashore that we had planned, throughout the voyage, and have stopped at some very remarkable places, most of them visited by only a few fortunate travelers. It has been an altogether fine voyage and Endeavour, pictured here at Westpoint Island in the Falklands, has been a most seaworthy and comfortable home for all of us. It was truly an unforgettable voyage to the Forgotten Islands of the Atlantic Ridge.
