| Ship's Diary |
| During her time at sea, HMS Endurance will be sending back regular diaries to keep us all up to date with what is happening on this deployment. Use the links below to read extracts from the diary. |
| Mar Del Plata |
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Greetings from all onboard the mighty ENDURANCE. The highlight of the ships activity since the last message has undoubtedly been the visit to Argentina’s Blackpool.
The passage north was uneventful with the sea remaining calm and the Ships Company engaged in various tasks; including upper deck work to ensure the ship was presentable for our arrival in Mar del Plata. One noticeable change on the passage north was the increase in temperature; circuit training could now be conducted on the flight deck as opposed to one of the storage areas. Furthermore people were now spending more time on the upper deck in the natural warmth instead of in their cabins. The days before the arrival saw people preparing in different ways; volunteers were making arrangements for the cocktail party to be hosted on the night of our arrival, the football team were polishing their boots to a high sheen, and the Unit Personal Office were making preparations for the impending deluge of cheques and requests for differing amounts of Peso’s. On the morning of our arrival land could be sighted and the ships company where eager with anticipation. ENDURANCE came alongside and the fine, well-presented crew were greeted by an extremely warm welcome; a Naval brass band no less! However, it wasn’t champagne and caviar straightaway, Captain Karsten received guests onboard including the Defence Attaché and Ambassador and the aforementioned foreign exchange was underway with currency being placed into the sweaty palms of eager sailors.
Being in Argentina was a perfect opportunity to get hold of some stores for the next leg of the deployment. Selected members of the crew were soon bringing on the local delicacies in a morning of hard labour. Fresh and frozen provisions were being brought aboard in the heat of the South American sun, a few split bananas later and the work was complete. More adventurous sailors visited the local beach or tried their hand at the golf course. The wardroom paid a visit to a farm run by Anglo Argentines the Cameron’s. There is a tradition of hospitality here: several generations of ENDURANCE officers have stayed at the Cameron’s. At the end of the six days ENDURANCE had had a hugely successful visit and reaffirmed its ties with the Argentine Navy and the Mar del Plata community.
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