Stanly in the Falkland Islands is an elusive port. We got to Port Stanly (they have since dropped the “Port.”) in in 2015 and did the almost obligatory penguin tour with a little time left to wander the islands’ capital. In 2015 I had planned an excursion to Goose Green to see the wreck of the Vicar of Bray, which was being used as part of a jetty. (See post from 2020.) But we could not tender in because of the wind. There were plans to raise the ship and being her either to San Francisco or London because she was the last remaining ship that plied between New York and San Francisco during the gold rush. She wrecked in the Falklands in in 1880. Since our attempt, her timbers collapsed and here is nothing to see above water. One Falklander told me there’s a jetty built right over her. Failing to see her I wanted to at least get a commemorative £2 coin or stamp of the ship.

When we got up it was miserable with wind and rain but the forecast for later in the day was for improving weather. We had a leisurely breakfast and waited until the tender lines were gone. We went ashore at about 11 AM and called at the bank and the post office. The post office had the stamps I wanted for the discovery of the wreck of Shackleton’s Endurance and the Antarctic stamps I was looking for, (see the last post) but nothing for Vicar of Bray. They told me to visit Phil at the “Collectables” shop near the museum.

Phil is a delight. I held a silver £2 Vicar of Bray coin in my hand. Being pure silver it cost £75 (almost US$100). I was hoping to buy the more reasonably priced nickel coin but Phil didn’t have one. He did have some first day covers of the Vicar of Bray stamp.

Phil asked me if I knew the words to the old English Broadside song “Vicar of Bray.” Of course I did. It is about a vicar who changes faith and politics to meet the convenience of the time and to ensure job security.

“And this be law I shall maintain, until my dying day sir
That whatsoever king shall reign, I’ll still be the Vicar of Bray Sir.”

The Final line is;

“And George my legal king shall be, until the times do alter.“

The original political flip flop song. (There is a 1937 movie made from the song, starring Stanley Holloway, of all people. Apparently, he had no problems getting to the church on time — with the right message.)

Phil said that that song could apply to many Falklanders. Up until a few months ago Elon Musk was a hero for bringing reliable satellite connections, internet, streaming and the like through Starlink. But since the US Election Falklanders have “changed their tune.” (Just as the Vicar of Bray.)

Argentine President Javier Milei attended Trump’s inauguration. He was known for wielding a chain saw to demonstrate how he was cutting Argentine Social Service spending. He gifted that Chain Saw to Elon Musk. It’s the one Musk waved around at the CPAC conference. Musk is in negotiations with President Milei for the rights to exploit lithium deposits in Argentina for Tesla batteries. According to Phil this makes Falklanders nervous. Some are concerned Trump and Musk may sell out the Falklands for lithium. Trump’s track record with NATO allies does not give them confidence. Phil chuckles and asks, “Conspiracy Theory?”
There is more on the line with the Falklands than there was in 1982. Then the Falklands economy was based on sheep and postage stamps. Since then, they have developed a strong fishing industry and there’s oil exploration in the region. They still sell postage stamps and eat mutton.

Visiting Phil got us to the Museum, which was a delight. There were exhibits on ships, life in the Falklands and on fishing. I was so interested in their presentation on fishing by-catch and Individual Transferable Quotas (In Alaska Individual Fishing Quotas) that I asked the museum keeper questions. She directed me to a woman in fisheries and we had a nice discussion of trawlers, by-catch, IFQs/ITQs and how both of our jurisdictions handled them. This is more inside fish politics than you want to hear about, but it made for a delightful afternoon.

One museum artifact that caught my attention was an old cash register that was based on “old money.” Pounds, Shillings and Pence, abbreviated £SD. It said £SD right on the cash register. Twenty shillings to the pound, 12 pence to the shilling. Since College I have been amused by Brit currency being LSD. I thought you had to be on the stuff to be able calculate chage in that ancient non decimal currency. (The UK went decimal in the early 70s.) I remember asking my grandfather when I was a kid and he showed me a big penny from his childhood with Queen Victoria’s head on it, how they ever got pounds out of £ and pence out of ‘d’. He didn’t know but looking at the cash register it dawned on me. In pre-Revolutionary France the Livre (Pound in French, from the Latin “libra”) was the currency. It was divided into 20 Sol (from the Latin Solidus or “solid”.) Twenty solid coin of silver made a pound. The Sol was divided into 12 denars, from the Latin “denarius,” the original Roman coin.

I knew that the Serbian and Arabic Dinars came from that Roman coin, as did the Spanish Denaro. But it never registered that LSD came to Britain from the Rome by way of the Normans. Museums teach you things and this museum answered a question I asked my grandfather more than 70 years ago. Sometimes you need to travel to find answers and sometimes it takes a while to get that answer. I’ll have to tell him when I see him in several more years.

On our way back to the dock we stopped at Christ Church Cathedral, with its arch outside made from blue whale jaw bones. The church is the “Southernmost Anglican Cathedral in the World.” It has more the feel of a small town parish.

The stained-glass windows drew my attention because they looked very much like the windows in the parish in New Jersey, also named Christ Church, where I was raised. I wonder if they came in a kit.

Following church, it was tea and scones at the Water Hotel. Then to the tender and sail out. The fog was gone.