VP8 Falkland YL event 17th to 31st January 2009.

Saturday 17th January and the Yls from around the world stepped down from the plane to be met by Bob VP8LP.

There were Chantal PA3GQG (VP8YLH), Nicki M5YLO (VP8YLE), Liz M0ACL (VP8YLB), Ruth IT9ESZ (VP8YLI), Victoria SV2KBS (VP8YLG) and myself Unni LA6RHA (VP8YLD).

Unfortunately Mio JR3MVF and Jeanie WA6UVF lost their connection flight in Santiago and had to return home to their respective countries.

After settling into Shorty’s motel we walked down to Bob and Janet (VP8AIB) qth. There we met upon the rest of the VP8Yls, Nancy VP8GM, Bernadette VP8DJJ, Myriam VP8DQ and Celia VP8VC.

Victoria was staying with Bob and Janet and was already on the radio when we others arrived. The pile ups were huge already and we hadn’t been there many hours.

We had some nice hours together all of us with lovely food and drinks and a lot of photos taken and much talk and laughter.

We had scheduled put up at Bob’s qth and at the hut not far out of centre of Stanley. Some of the yls had their HF rig with them so we had 2 radios out at the hut and then Bob’s one.

From the first qso and onto the following two weeks we had huge pile ups and so many nice contacts. Almost everyone thanked us for doing this YL event and for making our hobby known in such a great way.

In the middle of the first week Chantal with OM Jos , myself and my friend Kicki (who is not a radioamateur) left for a wildlife sanctury on an island called “Sea Lion Island”. Only 25 minutes with a small plane seated for 8. We left from the domestic airport and since this was a small plane, not only our luggage had to be weighed in, but everyone of us had to step on the scale. Luckily the result was only shown to the check in lady…..hihi.

Chantal VP8YLH taking photos of   gentue pinguins. Unni VP8YLD infront of memorial of HMS Sheffield. Right Rockhoppers having a sheep on visit.     

The two days at Sea Lion Island was just fabolous, we saw gentue pinguins, king pinguins, rockhoppers pinguin, sea lions, elephant seals and lots and lots of different birds. We were taken on a two hours drive around and then we went about on our own.  The lodge was really nice and the food there was exellent.

Back again on Falkland main, we started back again on the radio and taking our shift. The radio was on almost 24-7 and not much sleep, but a lot of fun.

We did have some time to go down to centre of Port Stanley which on certain days were filled up by tourist coming off the cruise ship from or to the Antartica.

At the end of the first week, Chantal and Jos left us to go back to Netherland. We then had to change the schedule so we could fill up all the hours. The pile up was just as huge as the first week, and it looked like many of the hams wanted to have all the yls call in their log.

Unfortunately I was infected by the flue so last week my coughing stopped me from taking all the shifts.

But in the middle of the second week we decided that we, meaning the International yls, had to take a sightseeing to see more of the Falklands. So we hired a driver and all 5 of us pluss my friend Kicki (who had a passion for golf and who had been out several time at Stanley’s golf course) went along.

We stopped at different places amongst other looking at the mine fields which are still there from the Falkland war in 1982. Also we visited the memorial graveyard in San Carlos and also Goose Green were there were near to a 100 people kept in captivity by the Argentins in a small house for a months. We stopped there for lunch.


The sign for Goose Green                                 San Carlos Cemetary for the fallen English in Falkland war 1982     The VP8 international Yls on tour.

Going back we saw a lot of sheeps, but the main income for Falkland must I think, be tourist after seeing how the streets were crowded with them when the cruise ships were in.

The streets in Port Stanley are steep as the town itself lies in a very steep hill and with the very very strong wind which always blows, taking youself around can be tough.

As the second week progressed we were logging in qso after qso’s and soon we had over 25 000 qso’s, we worked all states, worked all zones and about 154 countries. Even Greenland and Iceland was down in the log.

Liz Liz M0ACL (VP8YLB) is a keen scout leader in UK and visited the Scouts in Stanley. Myself being in the Norwegian National Guard for 15 years, visited the Falkland Defense Force and held a presentation about our Defense Force and also how we used casualty make-up in the military exercises. The evening was ended by me being invited for a drink in FDF bar in their quarters.

On Friday our last day before departing home, we had a nice get together with everyone again and also some OM hams. Ruth made an Italian dish which tasted lovely and I did as I had promised, made up Victoria SV2KBS and Bob VP8LP in casualty make-up. We had great fun with this.

                                                            
                            Our hosts on Falkland Islands.  Janet VP8AIB and Bob VP8LP with the NRRL flag - a gift from the Norwegian Radio Relee Legue.

Saturday we were picked up by the bus and onto the MPA (Mount Pleasant Airport) which is military, so much check up to get through the checkpoint. Arriving in Santiago we stayed over and next morning we left for Europe and some for Argentina and some stayed on in Santiago for some days. Unfortunately the snow that paralyzed United Kingdom also made us 10 hours delay in Madrid. Me stranded at a hotel in London and Tuesday 3^rd February I had to wait in que for 3 hours and another 6 hours waiting before I could enter the flight to Oslo and finally 6 o’clock in the evening – 4 days after leaving Falkland I was back and I can promise you I was a happy ham. Both due to a great 14 days on Falkland Islands  and also for being home after so much delays.

Unni LA6RHA/VP8YLD
February 6^th 2009