Have had an interesting journey to Santiago Chile on route to Falkland Islands to begin my journey on Tenacious, Tall Ship built for the Disabled by the UK.  This journey places able bodied alongside disabled to work together to make the journey to South Georgia Island and then to Cape Town.

Flight to Santiago great.  Up early the next morning, 3am to catch shuttle to airport for flight to Mt. Pleasant Airport in the Falklands.  Only 3 flights a week, one form South America and two from the UK.  First in line I am so excited….only to discover flight cancelled due to weather.  OH NO!!!!  however, Latam Airlines takes care of us as it is rescheduled for the next morning.  Myself and a long line of others are moved to Boulevard Suites alongside the Marriott downtown at their expense along with transportation and food vouchers.  Awesome!

The view from my living room.  Also had giant bedroom, bath, kitchen.  Really nice.

Met another Tenacious crew member, Dave, originally a Brit but lived in Bahamas for 52 years.  Has climbed every mountain imaginable (Everest and Matterhorn included), has biked across lower part of US, has sailed on Tenacious before.

Next morning up at 2am to catch shuttle.  Met Michelle, a Brit native that has been a professional sheep shearer all over the world and now runs the meat processing plant in the Falklands.  She was a true angel getting us through an airport I hope that you never have to travel through.  Punta Arenas is an airport you never want to be stuck in.  Very few people speak english; very few people understand what you are trying to ask therefore you are taken many ways the wrong way; you think all is well until you go back downstairs to find something to eat and see your luggage still going around on the carousel and you thought it had been checked through… nope!  So you get it and go check it though to Falklands then back through security and then discover you have to go through another obstacle… customs…of course there is no hint as to what this really is or where customs is so very interesting.  Finally on plane and you fly to the military base in Mt. Pleasant.

Pictures to be updated in April.

What I saw…don’t take a picture on military base as you might have your camera confiscated.   This is a very desolate looking set of Islands.  Many sheep passed as you go through from airport to Stanley the town.  Some sheared and others waiting.  Saw  some Galloway cows…look them up.  Interesting with solid white, black , white bands around their bodies.  saw a white/ brown/ white one also!

Malvena Hotel here very nice and great food.

I walked a few miles to discover the boat:  Is it this one?

or this one?

Pretty intimidating.

My home starting in one hour (now you know why blogs getting shorter) for the next 6 weeks.

getting pictures to transfer is a task within itself.

Now, what’s happening before I have to go,

1. I am fundraising for Jubilee Sailing Trust to help raise funds to keep getting disabled on this boat and Lord Nelson.  The Jubilee Sailing Trust has been changing lives since 1978. In that year it became a registered charity through the extraordinary vision of a dedicated group of people working against the odds to make their dream a reality. Back then the idea of integrating physically disabled with non-disabled people on a tall ship was a unique concept, and yet the JST still remains to this day the only organization of its kind in the world. The JST is a world leader in social inclusion, bringing together people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to sail as a unified crew on-board two purpose built tall ships – Lord Nelson and Tenacious.https://give.everydayhero.com/uk/linda-s-sailing-adventure-on-talll-ship-tenacious is the link to go to my donation page.  Yes I added one  too many ls on tall, but you have to also to get there.
2. Every once in a while a blog will be sent out from the ship. To access it go to:
3. http://jst.org.uk/ .  Click on Sailing Adventures, then under Tall Ships click on Tenacious.
4. To see where we are, http://jst.org.uk/track-our-ships/ is the link.

I have met two more crew, both fun and interesting, Lucy (originally from Scotland and now working in New Zealand) and Andy (originally from Australia and has worked all over the world and now retired and going to be  boater!)

So far this looks like another amazing adventure and I will help make it so.

I have borrowed the below Pictures and words from Jubilee Sailing Trust to give you an idea of what could be in my future days:

They also have a compass that talks so if we have a blind crew member they can steer probably better than me!

“Focusing on what people can do rather than what they cannot really does change lives.”

Well, out until April !  Thank you for reading this and if you donate, it may end up in pounds rather than dollars so the exchange rate is a little different.  i.e. you will be paying more possibly.

Out for now, enjoy each day and make a difference. A smile for someone you don’t know can do that!