Topic: Falkland Islands- what a detachment! (Read 112790 times)

sailorboy61 · « **Reply #250 on:** November 22, 2012, 04:07:59 pm »

Ah the cage at wideawake - some things don't change!

raflaunches · « **Reply #251 on:** November 22, 2012, 04:18:59 pm »

More pics

Landing at Volunteer Point was made via the Sikorsky S53 helicopter (Sea King) as there is no road leading to the area. Volunteer Point is the furthest easterly point on the Falkland Islands and is exposed to the wind and snow-
it was the only place I have seen frozen sea water.

The first penguins we met were the Gentoo colony which are easily identified by their orange bills.

Quote from: sailorboy61 on November 22, 2012, 04:07:59 pm

Ah the cage at wideawake - some things don't change!

Yes we are told we are not allowed to disappear from the cage, I know some tried but were quickly returned!

Arrow5 · « **Reply #252 on:** November 22, 2012, 04:33:04 pm »

Hooray

Penquin pictures !!! Welcome home.

w3bby · « **Reply #253 on:** November 22, 2012, 04:56:35 pm »

Welcome back

Quote from: raflaunches on November 22, 2012, 04:18:59 pm

Yes we are told we are not allowed to disappear from the cage, I know some tried but were quickly returned!

We weren't caged first time down, we spent some time running around the place and having a swim, very pleasant after running round and round Canberra. Second time I don't remember being caged but that was MANY moons ago.... Penguin pictures, I have a few of those as well

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #254 on:** November 22, 2012, 05:10:52 pm »

[ Welcome Home 1312Flt VASS! ]

raflaunches · « **Reply #255 on:** November 22, 2012, 05:20:11 pm »

Some more Gentoos...

The mighty King Penguins walking up the beach, with the Gentoos it looked like a Mexican stand-off with the 'Kings' acting like they owned the beach!

The first King Penguin chick we met at the King colony, they are certainly brave little birds with some attitude!

raflaunches · « **Reply #256 on:** November 22, 2012, 05:23:47 pm »

Thank you all, its nice to be back but now I am suffering from a touch of jet lag and alcohol withdrawal!

I'll try to upload as many pictures as possible in one evening but I am still unpacking my bags and opening all my mail that arrived whilst I was away. There is a lot and some important stuff to respond to especially my driving licence!
More pics to come soon...

Stormbringer · « **Reply #257 on:** November 22, 2012, 06:02:52 pm »

welcome back

Netleyned · « **Reply #258 on:** November 22, 2012, 06:13:10 pm »

Welcome back
Do Crabair still have rear facing seats?
Get some decent beer down the neck, have a good kip and all will be well

Ned

raflaunches · « **Reply #259 on:** November 22, 2012, 06:52:57 pm »

Hi Ned

Unfortunately so, the VC-10 still has the rear facing seats whilst the Hercules has side ways fitting jump seats for all the squadies! Beer is on its way, hopefully...

In the mean time here are some more pictures...

Volunteer Point beach with its white sands...

A Two Banded Plover

One of the many strange sights on the beach, a giant jellyfish (we presume

)

The info board at Volunteer Point

With its warnings about Skuas!!!

raflaunches · « **Reply #260 on:** November 22, 2012, 07:17:18 pm »

The view from my room when the snow melted, don't let the blue skies fool you it was still very, very cold outside!

A solitary Hercules in the cold with some fantastic cloud formations over the mountains.

What MPA is named after, Mount Pleasant peak.

The old air bridge jet of Titan Airways, Boeing 767-300 G-POWD

The famous Penguin chuff boards, in this picture my pengu is at Ascension Island.

raflaunches · « **Reply #261 on:** November 22, 2012, 07:42:12 pm »

Last batch for this evening...

RAF sense of humour...

One of the fishing vessels based at Port Stanley when we flew over Stanley on return from Volunteer Point.

Stanley from the air.

The mighty Queen of the Skies, The Vickers VC-10.

And finally, the SS Lady Elizabeth, the most intact wreck on the islands, it was rumoured that the SAS or SBS operated from the wreck during the Falkland war in 1982.

More to come tomorrow... a lot more...

Stavros · « **Reply #262 on:** November 22, 2012, 10:21:42 pm »

Croeso Adraf.....Welcome home Brill pics keep them comming

Stav

chingdevil · « **Reply #263 on:** November 22, 2012, 10:45:07 pm »

Welcome back Nick, great to see you arrived safe and sound. The pictures are great keep them coming

Brian

Wetwater · « **Reply #264 on:** November 22, 2012, 10:58:32 pm »

Hear Hear and ditto.

Great stuff.

Alan.

Martin (Admin) · « **Reply #265 on:** November 22, 2012, 11:23:18 pm »

RAFlaunches aka 1312Flt VASS aka Nick aka the Man himself!

raflaunches · « **Reply #266 on:** November 25, 2012, 04:23:03 pm »

Hi everyone

Sorry I didn't carry on uploading my pictures, I have not been very well I think its called 'a stinking cold'! I am feeling better today so I will continue with some pictures of Port Stanley.

The white painted rocks on the hill side opposite Stanley, near the old Military Harbour, which spell out the guardships names from the 1890s to the present day.

The Catholic Church with the famous whalebone arch, the only other town in the world with a whalebone arch is Whitby in Yorkshire which Stanley is twinned with!

View from Ross Road looking up towards the West Store and the Victory Pub.

The houses along Ross Road.

The 'Pod'... (no, I don't know why its called the pod either!)

Some of the oldest terrace houses in Stanley.

regiment · « **Reply #267 on:** November 25, 2012, 04:40:15 pm »

the houses and roads look very clean and tidy. pride more than some british have

raflaunches · « **Reply #268 on:** November 26, 2012, 11:08:01 am »

More pictures form Stanley

The mizzen mast from the SS Great Britain, which sits on Victory Green

The view across Victory Green showing the 19th Century cannons and the 20th Century mountings for the saluting guns

The only six trees in Stanley!!!

The last East Indiaman and in the best condition (supposedly), the SS Jhelum.

The 1914 Memorial to the Battles of Coronel and the Falkland Islands

richald · « **Reply #269 on:** November 26, 2012, 11:49:52 am »

raflaunches

Welcome Back to the UK!

Many thanks for all your posts and photos from the Falklands
I've viewed them all with great interest.

Unfotunately the Argentinians are stirring things up again . . .

It wasn't you that upset them this time was it?

From the Daily Mail . . .

/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2238033/Foreign-Office-fury-Argentina-allows-thugs-smash-Falklands-tour-office-U-S-travel-firm-cancels-holidays.html

Britain has accused Argentina of trying to ‘strangle’ the Falklands economy after it
failed to stop a violent raid on a shipping office which handles cruises to the islands.

Two cruise ships cancelled scheduled stops at the islands last week, apparently as
the result of the ransacking of the shipping agent’s office in Buenos Aires.

Police were nowhere to be seen as masked thugs wielding clubs smashed plate glass windows,
scrawled graffiti and upturned dustbins in the Argentinian capital. No arrests were made.

Richard

Bryan Young · « **Reply #270 on:** November 26, 2012, 02:57:08 pm »

Nick,
The first time I set eyes on the red roofed terrace the hose furthest from the camera had the tail of a rocket stuck in it! And I still think those stone houses at the end of Ross Road by the same architect that designed many of the Uks railway buildings.
Stanley has sure grown since my last visit. As far as your comment about the trees is concerned, I was under the impression that a lot of experimentation was being done with tree planting on West Falkland. Perhaps it came to nothing.
Love the pics. Brings back a lot of memories. Regards. BY.

raflaunches · « **Reply #271 on:** November 28, 2012, 01:32:01 pm »

Hi everyone

Sorry I didn't continue last night I was doing something that I have not done for 4 months, boat modelling, I got rather carried away and by the time I finished it was almost 1030pm and I had cut my finger open on the stanley knife!

Here are some more pictures of Stanley and the local area, below is Surf Bay beach where the Argentine invasion started from, they rolled ashore in AMTRACs on this amazing beach.