30-01-2026 // 53°35′S 59°06′W// COG 200°, SOG 8 kn
Finally, the moment was there: departure.
Half the crew had been in place for days, but the weather had delayed the arrival of the airplane. Now, at last, everyone — and all their luggage — was on board. After one final good night’s sleep, we headed out through the Narrows, bound for new horizons.
When time is tight, a delay like this is more than a nuisance. However… these places do not fall into order simply because the rest of the world does. They are wild, and they demand a different approach.
The locals had last seen a supply ship on the 4th of December — and I did not hear a single complaint. Stanley Growers, a small horticultural business, supports the local population with fresh vegetables. They manage to grow produce year-round using polytunnels and heated greenhouses. Nine months of growing tomatoes in this climate — impressive! Most of the heat is generated using waste oil, making the operation remarkably sustainable.
After our safety briefing, we set sail, and half an hour later we executed our first gybe. We shot off like a cork in the lee of the land. Northwest winds of 20 knots are forecast for the next two days. A high-pressure system to the east should give us a strong and promising start.
Humpback whales and Peale’s dolphins welcomed us back into the arena. With a south-westerly, we should make enough westing to comfortably pick up the winds from that quarter. The east-setting current in the Drake Passage won’t help, but it has been factored in.
Whatever will be, may come.
We are free again — free of time pressure, free of agendas. Free to watch the moon set and the sun rise. Free.
We are now ten miles north of Burdwood Bank, a shallow submarine plateau about 100 nautical miles south of the Falklands. The bank causes significant upwelling, where nutrient-rich deep water rises to the surface, supporting high primary productivity and acting as a natural fertilizer for the seabed. For this reason, the area is protected, keeping the food chain safe from human interference.
In these conditions, passing so close poses no problem — but when gales pass through, it can be a dangerous place indeed. Not so today. Eyes open for activity.
All is well,
Gijs
