Falkland Islands

After passing through the Strait of Magellan we sailed northeast to the Falkland Islands, just missing a storm with 8-12 meter seas. The winds in this part of the world are impressive and this storm exacerbated that tendancy resulting in winds over 110 mph. Locals told us about a couple who was camping during the storm and sought refuge in a shipping container. The strong winds blew the shipping container down a hillside, severely injuring the couple inside. They were evacuated to Santiago, Chile and survived.



The nearly 800 islands of the archipelago (almost 5000 square miles) have a population of only 3000 people and over a half million sheep. The local economy also relies on fisheries and tourism. The windblown, rolling, semiarid, treeless landscape has a peculiar beauty as you can see on the photo. We toured Stanley, the capital, which has a rustic British feel and the Stanley museum was particularly interesting, with the Falklcands War of 1982 figuring prominently in local history.Read more