Log Entry No 1 - 2nd April 08. (Discoverer)

FROM THE CAPTAINS CABIN

Dolphins explore Discoverer.

As the austral weather turns distinctly autumnal, its time for Discoverer to head north to sunny climes; next stop Rio!!! However before then it’s a pleasure to watch a new crew starting to gel as they prepare to face the challenge of a 2000 mile passage.

Before that there is the all important pre departure preparation and of course an opportunity to explore the Falkland Islands, not only its stunning scenery and wildlife but also as we approach the 26th anniversary of the Argentinean invasion (2 April 1982) to remember and pay respects to those who fought for the liberation of the islands. Appropriately we have visited both the British and Argentine cemeteries and walked the battlefields of Goose Green and Mount Harriet.

Its also time for us to say a final farewell to The Islands that have been home to both BAAE and LTTA for the last 4 months. We therefore hosted an informal drinks party to thank all of those from the military and civil communities whose good will, skill and time has made this all possible. Our heartfelt thanks to all of them.

On a personal note, I now leave Discoverer in the hands of Dave Meeker (skipper) and Dick Whitehouse (mate and senior Officer on board). Good luck to you both and of course the entire crew in this next leg.

Dick Pattison
Project officer

VIEW FROM THE FOREDECK:

Today the new crew for leg seven was due to meet at Upavon. Some of the team had travelled down the previous evening due to the distance they had to travel. By 10:00 am on Thursday morning we had all arrived and where whisked upstairs to the press room to meet each other. I was personally quite nervous, what would I think of the others? What would they think of me? My worries were soon put to rest when jokes and stories from different people were told. Woody was the first to have the group in a fit of laughter as he told us of his events the previous evening. We went on to have our pictures taken and give a brief press interview ready for our local newspapers. With all of this out of the way we decided it would be a good idea to visit the cinema and watch a film. Most of the guys had seen Rambo so they opted to watch semi-pro, while the remaining few watched Rambo for the first time.

It seemed Rambo was shorter than expected so we were left with lots of time and nothing to do! The only option was to watch another film so we joined the group and watched semi-pro. We left the cinema in high spirits and began the short journey to Brize Norton. It is a small terminal with not much in the way of entertainment and to add injury it seemed we had a long wait before we could board. However this gave us an opportunity to spend more time finding out a bit more about each other. Eventually we got on out flight and set off for the Falklands. It was an eighteen hour flight that felt more like a week.

San Carlos Water (Site).

We had finally arrived at our destination and everyone was relived to use this time to stretch out our legs and let out a loud sigh of relief. We were promptly greeted by Richard Paterson who gave us a warm welcome to the Island and the expedition. We made our way to the accommodation where the previous legs team gave us a guided tour of the camp. The group was put into two different rooms; we quickly made ourselves at home and found our way to the nearest bar where we began an evening of drinking and laughter. We had not long met but already the group had bonded and felt comfortable around each other.

The first couple of days got off to a relatively slow start with no official programme to go by. This actually made a pleasant change for us; we are all fresh out of training and have had a strict programme which we have had to follow. Now we have been given some independence and left to find our own entertainment. The barracks don’t offer a great deal in the way of entertainment but they do have an excellent range of sports facilities. We decided to make the most of these and set about organising some activities. Hockey was first on the events list and got off to a great start with sticks being swung far higher then any rule book allows! Football was the next game to be played, im not sure we have any Wayne Rooney’s in the group but we do seem to have a good laugh whilst playing. With a steady stream of sporting activities under way our next task was to visit the yacht we would be sailing and help fix some damages caused during the last leg. This proved to be really good fun, the majority of the team haven’t sailed so it gave them the chance to get used to the yacht and various features on it. There was even time to learn some new knots and names of different parts of the yacht. It seems ever since we went down to the harbour people haven’t stopped practicing the bowline knot. It was a particularly special day for Sophie, she has been talking about how desperate she was to see some dolphins in the wild. To our amazement whilst fitting a new guard rail three porpoise dolphins were playing around the yacht, an excellent chance for pictures.

Monday started off with the usual sporting programme followed up by a hot shower and a quick scoff. We then set off in a cramped land rover to find Goose Green where Richard was going to give us a battle field tour. The journey was long and quite uncomfortable but as Richard quickly pointed out during the Falklands conflict of 1982 there were no roads and the soldiers who fought there had to manage in far worse conditions. We eventually reached Goose Green and we went to the war memorial where Lt Col H Jones was buried. It was a time where we all split off and explored the graves and reflected on the lives of the men who died. Once visitor books and pictures had been taken we walked the actual battle field where 2 Para engaged the enemy. This for me was of particular interest as I trained to be a Para and am now joining 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery. Poems where also read in remembrance of those who gave their lives.

San Carlos Memorial.

The next day we made our way to Port Stanley where over half the population of the island live. It was still a moderately small town in comparison with the average UK town. Despite its size it has all the shops and attractions that you need to live comfortably in, including a bar called “The Globe” which came highly recommended from Richard. We managed to find time to fit in a swift pint or two and found the local people where incredibly friendly. Again Stanley was of particular interest to me as my great Grandfather died there during the Second World War. He was in the Navy as a Lieut-Commander working as a Telegraphist. I was able to find his grave and pay my respects. I am the first of my family to have visited the island so I managed to take some pictures to bring home and show my family.

We are now all looking forward to the next couple of days when we take part in some adventure training and team building in preparation for the sailing next week.

James Palk