An early start in Santiago and a three hour plane ride set us down in Punto Arenas at the very bottom of Chile, on the Magellan Strait.

We were treated to a feast at a local farm but with over a hundred guests it was a noisy affair. After lunch I headed outside to the fire, somewhat sheltered from the brutal wind and cosied up with some of the many very friendly dogs.

This was followed by a brief bus tour of the small town. All delaying tactics whilst the change over happens on board.

However by 3pm we had been checked in and installed on board.

The ship has a maximum capacity of 250 guests but we only have 120 passengers. There are 108 crew including the expedition team who are very knowledgeable on all aspects of wildlife, geography, history, cloud formations, plus the experience to keep a boat load of people of different ages and abilities safe, entertained and allow them to see what they have come to see. All this with constantly changing weather conditions.

Due to high wind and swell we end up leaving port almost 12 hours late. So there’s a quite night by the dock before the fun begins.

We have 2 and a half sea days and it gets gradually rougher. We reach the Falklands for our first afternoon excursion on shore which involves dressing up in many layers. It’s about 2 degrees and windy. How many layers is unknown at this point, as we have a bit of an uphill hike to a colony of nesting Albatross and rockhopper penguins which interestingly live side by side. The area is packed with black browned albatross on their chimney pit style nests. Too early on the season for any chicks but a very cool start to the trip.

The incredibly dense flowering of the gorse is pungently coconutty.

Most of us are far too hot on the uphill section but learn for next time.

We have to carry our life jacket at all times and go through a bio security check at the beginning of each landing then back through the boot scrubber on the way back on board

The second day of the Falklands we land at the main Port of Stanley but I am feeling pretty rough so only make the first excursion of a brief nature walk. Dunk is left to his own devices for a n afternoon trip into Stanley to sample the local pubs and museum. He makes many friends in town and scraps on to the last bus back to the ship.

We set sail for South Georgia that evening in very bumpy seas and I spend most of the next day asleep.