New Island is one of the outer islands in the Falklands and it is more than usually difficult to get to.  It’s long and thin with high cliffs on its western coastline, inland hills and gentle slopes to the eastern shore.  There is very little flat land, which means that the only airstrip is short and FIGAS’s sturdy Islanders can only land or take off in quite a restricted wind range.  Just like Goldilock’s porridge the wind has to be just right for landing and take off. Oh yes and there can only be 3 passengers at a time, instead of the plane’s normal capacity of 7.

As a result of the wind restrictions the advice to anyone who wants to visit is – be prepared to be delayed and be prepared to be stuck!  Don’t have anything critical planned – like an international flight – for 5 days after you’re supposed to leave. 

Despite the difficulty factor of arriving and leaving, New Island is generally agreed to be a great place to visit.  It’s very beautiful, the walking is excellent and wildlife is abundant, some of the island has been managed for nature since 1972 and the whole island became a nature reserve in 2006 and it is now run by Falklands Conservation.  It has an international designation as an Important Bird Area with large populations of breeding Black-Browed Albatross, Prions and Rockhoppers – and lots of other bird life such as Gentoos, Magellanics and Imperial Cormorants.  There are also Southern Sealions and Falklands Fur Seals.

So a plan was hatched before Christmas, to visit with 2 friends.  A booking was made for a 3 night stay in February – arriving on a Friday and leaving on the Monday – in theory.  As the date got closer we started watching the weather, it became clear that we wouldn’t be going on Friday, but we might go on Saturday or Sunday – and that the return flight might be Tuesday or Wednesday.  Unfortunately, despite keeping the week clear of important commitments, one of us found that important meetings had just been set up and had to be attended – so then there were two. 

Nevermind, the weather looked fair for a Saturday flight.  I packed as lightly as I could on Friday night (the weight limit is 14kg, which is a challenge with an increasing amount of camera kit) and went out.  I returned to a message from my second friend saying that to her horror and disappointment she had caught a sickness bug off her children and wouldn’t be able to come after all.  So then there was one.

I got up bright and early on Saturday morning and pitched up at FIGAS for 9am checkin, only to find that the times had changed during the evening, and checkin was now scheduled for 11am.  Nevermind!  I went home (it only takes 10 minutes) made some coffee and had a very relaxed couple of hours.

Back to FIGAS.  Checked in and waited.  We waited quite a long time – it transpired that there was not enough wind currently at New Island but it was forecast to increase. It was just like waiting to go sailing on days when there is too much wind or not enough.  Hours spent waiting on the pontoons wondering whether we’d get to go out at all or in this case fly.

I met a couple of scientists who were travelling to New Island to work (the birds living near the settlement have been the subject of ongoing research for many years).  I also met a family group travelling to Fox Bay on West Falkland to see Till Cove.  During the 40th anniversary year names of the British forces who died in the 1982 war were given to unnamed places across the Falklands.  This family were coming to see Till Cove, named after their father and husband who had died on HMS Sheffield.  The mother and one of the daughters had been to the Falklands several times and I had met them in November 2022, when they visited as part of that anniversary year’s veterans trip.  It was lovely to see them and we chatted as we waited.  FIGAS were using two planes to fly to Fox Bay and then on to New Island – to split the passengers, the luggage and the freight.

Then I  had a chat with the lady running checkin.  She told me she loved visiting New Island but she hated it in terms of organising flights – particularly because people don’t really appreciate just how quickly conditions can change. Recently there was a training flight for one of the newer pilots.  They got out to New Island, all was well, the wind was just right as they entered the harbour – but it died by the time they got to the airstrip (100s of meters later?) and they just had to turn around and fly the hour back to Stanley.

The next update was that there was now felt to be enough wind to go … but they’d just had a call from the hospital and might need to use one of the planes to do a medical flight, so they were calling up a third pilot.

And then I was off – hurray – but still slightly concerned about the story of last minute wind changes thwarting plans at the final moment.  I need not have worried.  We arrived at Fox Bay, dropped off half of the family group and took off again for New Island, a further 25 minutes away.  It was a beautiful, sunny day and the colours of the sea and the clarity of the shallow water was amazing.  Soon we could see New Island and then we were there, touched down and got out.  I had arrived.