The Seaquest

The tour visited several places other than Kidney Island, making a 25-mile loop over almost three hours. Passengers had the option of staying in the warm cabin where there were seats, hot beverages, and cookies, or we could go outside either on the bow or the stern, or even up on top of the bridge. Since there were only 12 of us, there was plenty of room and we didn't get in each other's way even when taking pictures of the most exciting sights. 
 

Passing the Veendam in Port Williams

The Seaquest left Stanley Harbor and headed northeast out through Port Williams and past Sparrow Cove. Our first stop was at Hell's Kitchen Beach where there was a large colony of gentoo penguins. The Seaquest pulled close to shore and shut off its engines to give us a good look and hear the penguins. The gentoos are characterized by a wide white stripe extending from eye to eye across the top of its head and by a bright orange beak. They grow to a standing height of about 30 inches.


 

Approaching Hell's Kitchen beach

Gentoo penguins on the beach

Swimming gentoo penguins

As we watched the gentoos on the beach, a group of them entered the water and started swimming. The guide then called our attention to another group that was far from shore and much closer to the boat. The penguins looked entirely different when they were swimming, and from a distance might have been mistaken for large ducks. Seconds later the guide pointed out a group of dolphins on our seaward side, but some distance away.

The captain revved up the engines and we continued heading northeast around Menguera Point. Suddenly there were dolphins all around us. I was on the bow and counted eight. Jane, on the stern, saw a few more back there. Four or five of them swam just inches ahead of the Seaquest, leaping out of the water in unison every 30 seconds or so. This continued for about 20 minutes until we stopped at Kidney Island. Even then they continued to play around the boat. The guide explained that these were Peale's dolphins, small dolphins found only in the waters around the foot of South America. 

Dolphin next to the boat

Dolphins riding the bow wave

Rockhoppers on Kidney Island

But now our attention was diverted. Kidney Island is a nature reserve whose wildlife includes all four of the penguin species with colonies in the Falklands: rockhopper, gentoo, magellanic, and king. It also has sea lions, albatross and petrel. But we were here just to see the rockhoppers. They have a very distinctive head with black feathers sticking up like an unruly head of hair, yellow feathers projecting out behind their eyes, and what appear from any distance to be large slanted yellow eyes. Actually, their eyes, small and red, are below these yellow "eyebrows." The penguins are fairly small, about 20 inches long.

The Seaquest stopped at the foot of a sheer cliff rising out of the water. We could see row upon row of rockhoppers near the top where there were ledges in the rock for them to stand on. There were more in and along the water. The question was, how could they climb up the sheer rock face? Watching them closely, we saw that they literally hopped up the steep rock wherever there was enough of an irregularity for them to stand on. In one place, they were actually waiting in line for their turn to follow the narrow path up.

Rockhoppers climbing cliff

Going up

Coming down

The air around the island was teeming with large birds. Our guide told us there were  sooty shearwaters, black- browed albatross and giant petrels, among others, but we'll have to take her word for it. Occasionally one would fly low within a few yards of the boat, but I couldn't tell one from another.

Then the boat headed south, passing the Cape Pembroke lighthouse, located at the most easterly point of the Falklands. The cast iron lighthouse, dating from the 1840s, has been restored after being damaged in the 1982 Falklands War. A few more dolphins swam near the boat for a short time, but these had a lot more white on their bodies. The guide explained that they were Commerson's dolphins. We also saw some seals in the water as we headed for the next beach, this one with a colony of magellanic penguins.

Sky full of albatross & sea birds

Cape Pembroke lighthouse

Commerson's dolphins

These penguins are about 27 inches tall and are distinguished by a white band running from above one eye, all the way across its throat, and then up above the other eye. I tried to count the penguins on the beach and figured there were close to 200.

Magellanic penguin colony

Magellanic penguins

Getting close up & personal

Coast as we renter Port William

Us on the Seaquest; gorse in background

Sea lion on the rocks

As we approached Stanley, the captain took us into Whalebone Cove for a look at the hulk of the Lady Elizabeth, the same ship we'd seen from the bus on our morning tour. Then we cruised the length of Stanley Harbor and back again before returning to the pier. It was 3:20.

Hulk of the Lady Elizabeth

Stanley cemetery

World War I memorial

There was a long line for the tender. A young couple let us go ahead of them so Jane, who was feeling weak, could reach a post to lean on while we waited. When the next tender came and the line finally moved, we were the last to get on board. The other couple didn't make it. As they say, no good deed goes unpunished, but we really appreciated it.

We were on board about 4:00. The long day had been too much for Jane, and she was worse again. After talking it over, I went to the excursions desk and, ten minutes before the deadline, cancelled the tour we had booked for Ushuaia, our next stop. It was going to be a similar catamaran excursion, but one taking six hours because it took two hours each way to reach the penguin colonies.

The ship sailed at 4:45. We ordered a light dinner for Jane from room service. I went to the dining room. The evening show featured Kaitlyn Carr, a Scottish singer, but we didn't go.