The transit to Carcass Island from New Island took over 3 hours. The island has only two full time residents – the McGills. At their hotel we would have a late afternoon tea with cakes.
On the island we hoped to see Magellanic penguins as well flightless steamer ducks.
Our expedition voyage on Hurtigruten’s MS Fram would take us from Ushuaia to Antarctica, to South Georgia, around the Falklands and then onto Montevideo.
Thursday March 9th was our second day in the Falklands. In the late afternoon we visited Carcass Island which is off the coast of East Island.
Carcass Island
This was another landing where there was no limit on the number of passengers allowed onshore. Just as our morning landing this landing was a wet landing on a jetty. The ride from Fram over was very bumpy and the spray came over all our heads several times.
At the top of the jetty one of the waiting Land Rovers had carcasses in the back (later meals on Fram perhaps?). After dumping our life jackets we walked along the track between high bushes. To our right down a steep slope was the sea and a small group of penguins. These were Magellanic penguins – our first.
There were small birds in the bushes and we stopped for a while to watch them.
Walking along the path we could see the outbuildings of the settlement and a couple of boats anchored just off the shore.
The promised feast was laid out in the dining area of the hotel and by the time we arrived the party was in full swing.
The cakes were delicious and the mug of tea very welcome after our boat ride in.
Exploring around Carcass Island settlement
After the cakes we left and went out of the hotel across a couple slippy wooden bridges to watch caracara birds hovering around the fences. The windsock gave us all an indication of just how strong the wind was that afternoon.
It was quite chilly in the biting wind. Here I am with the hotel in the background.
The beach below us had lots of interesting wildlife as wells as mounds of sea weed and kelp.
Walking back to the jetty, alongside the beach, we passed a caracara bird picking at a dead bird juts above the high water mark.
The beach had plenty of other birds too.
As we walked back along the path we spotted a nest of the Magellanic penguins on the island.
Next we came back to where the penguins were down the steep slope. Now one of the expedition team was down there making sure that passengers stayed a reasonable distance from them. Going down wasn’t too bad and I did manage to get closer to the moulting penguins.
From the shore line I could see the queue of passengers at the jetty waiting for the Polar Circle boats.
Back at the jetty the boat trips back were going slowly, as by now the swell was quite high. Just getting into the Polar Circle boats was quite a task.
We were to be the last to board which meant that we’d be at the bow. Two Canadians offered to take our places so we moved further down the boat away from the bow.
The ride back to Fram
As soon as we left the shelter of the jetty it was clear that this trip was going to be very different to all our other trips.
Immediately there was a huge bump and a wave of spray and water came over the port side and drenched me over on the starboard side. As the Able Seamen increased speed we were riding up and into the waves. All of us were getting covered in spray and water in equal measure.
Our Canadian friends were filming the trip on their GoPro. After a few minutes we had all given up any pretence of keeping dry and all of us (and I believe the Able Seaman) were hooping and hollering as we enjoyed the ride up the waves followed by deluge of water as came back down.
Luckily my camera was in my waterproof bag but my iPhone was only in my jacket pocket. I was lucky that the life jacket protected the pocket and its zip on my chest and the iPhone survived. Definitely would recommend safer places to keep smartphones in the future.
Fram provided some shelter from the swell and for once the bio-hazard procedure was a breeze as literally every item of clothing had been thoroughly washed by the sea. I was soaked inside too as the water had soaked down my neck into my thermal top and then spread across my whole body.
We squelched our way back to the cabin and took long hot showers. The cabin was strewn with wet clothes when we went for our buffet dinner. All the cakes combined with the rough ride back combined to make my appetite minimal for once on this voyage.
At 9.15 pm we had the briefing for our last landing of the voyage. This was to be at Saunders Island.
Crew show in the Observation Lounge
There was then a mad dash upstairs to the Observation Lounge as at 10 pm there was to be the crew’s show for passengers. What great singing and dancing! All their practicing had been fitted in between landings and meals and all their other duties.
After the show finished those of us left joined the crew to dance to Saturday Night Fever.
Party time!