To the Falkland Islands: albatross, petrels & dolphins

Jan 30, Ushuaia: 54o48'S/068o18'W

We could see the Ocean Diamond tied up at the dock early this morning.  Final packing was completed & bags have been taken away to next be seen in our cabin.

It's a gorgeous day here - unseasonably warm with little wind. It will be nice if this continues for the next few days while we make our way to the Falkland Islands.

Jan 31, At Sea:  53o30'S/063o27'W

It's always nice to see familiar faces, and it was great to get a big hug from Woody, our Expedition Leader, as I stepped onto the ship, and then from Annie later in the day.  I’ve sailed with a couple of other expedition crew on previous trips. Timure in the Arctic and Bob Headland on the amazing Antarctic semi-circumnavigation.

This is a big ship compared to the others I’ve been on, Antarctic and Arctic, so I’m still finding my around. And with a full complement of passengers – 180 – the briefing sessions are full. I'm curbing my lack of enthusiasm for the numbers.

We completed our mandatory life boat drill and then watched as the lines were taken from the bollards, and the ship gently eased away from the wharf. Then we were into the Beagle Channel, watching Ushuaia disappear from sight and thinking about what lies ahead.

One of the joys of this type of travel is the people – I’m meeting wonderfully interesting people, and can tell that the crew are great as well.

This morning I was on the Bridge by 7:30am, and saw glorious Royal Albatross, Black-Browed Albatross and Petrel, gliding around the ship catching the updraft from the wake. Fortunately our “birding” guide was up there too, along with other crew, and they were telling me what each of these were. Hopefully over the next few weeks I’ll get better at identifying them myself!

Just a short while ago my writing was interrupted by a pod of dolphin playing off the starboard side. And now it's become slightly foggy. All wonderful!

This is what this part of the journey is all about – watching from a deck or the bridge, or receiving a call from the crew and racing outside with binocs and cameras. You never really know what you might see - but we do know that sightings will get better and better.

This is all so great! I can only hope that these smooth seas continue for a while longer, although I also know that this is unlikely.

Looking forward to our landings on the Falkland Islands over the couple of days!