Report and photos of the visit of the Silversea cruise ship Silver Explorer to the Tristan Islands on 23rd-24th March 2016

Visit of the Silversea cruise ship Silver Explorer March 2015

Silver Explorer 23rd - 24th March
Silversea's Silver Explorer made a welcome return to Tristan during a 23 day cruise from the main Tierra del Fuego port of Ushuaia and continued to Tristan via the Falkland Islands, and South Georgia. After visiting Tristan the ship continued to Cape Town.

Report from Dawn Repetto
and photos from Shirley Squibb

Left: The Silver Explorer
off Tristan on Monday 23rd March

The Silver Explorer arrived at Tristan on Monday 23rd March at 7:30am. We were all apprehensive as weather predictions did not look good but thank fully although weather was NW, it was calm enough for visitors to make a landing and spend the morning ashore. Tours of the Settlement, Volcano and Patches started at 9:30am. With only 57 visitors the majority was soon off enjoying the scenes of Tristan. Although they had to be back to the ship by 1:00pm they made the most of shopping and writing postcards as well.

Visitors, our Island Administrator and his wife Hasene, and local guides all boarded the ship at 1pm where she steamed off to Nightingale. Again weather was in our favour and a successful landing was made there.

Although the ship allowed an extra day weather had deteriorated by morning and so the Silver Explorer left for Cape Town. We look forward to seeing her back in 2016.

1st Zodiac arrives in Calshot Harbour
Tristan immigration team led by Inspector Conrad Glass
leave Calshot Harbour
First passengers arrive
Left: Dawn Repetto welcomes visitors as they step ashore
Above: Visitors walking ashore on the Harbour Road
Visitors shopping for souvenirs in the Post Office and Tourism Centre

Departure from Calshot Harbour

Left: Administrator Alex Mitham
and his wife Hasene
as they leave the harbour
to join the Silver Explorer's passengers
for their onward passage to Cape Town.