After rounding Cape Horn, the ascent towards Europe really starts from this Falklands archipelago. Though the winds were strong on the outward journey along these South American coasts, though the gaps are still tight between some of the competitors, it's in this climb up the South and North Atlantic that the race will finally come down to earth.
Falklands or Falklands, it must be said that these islands discovered by Amerigo Vespucci at the beginning of the 16th century were in turn Spanish, English, christened Sebald by a Dutchman, then Falkland Island by an Englishman in 1690, then Falkland Island by an Englishman in 1690, then Falkland Islands by fishermen from Saint-Malo who had taken the habit of stopping off in this archipelago during their seal or whale fishing campaign. They were for a time colonised by the Spanish, then by the French on the initiative of Bougainville in the 18th century, the English settled there while the French occupied the island and Spain claimed sovereignty. Argentina took possession of the island in 1820, taken over in 1833 by England who defended it hard against a German squadron during the First World War, sinking 4 of the 5 ships of the Keiserliche Marine squadron. Things seem to calm down until April 1982 (only 30 years ago!) with the invasion of the archipelago by Argentina. Three months of deadly war ensued that it would take too long to recount here. Still, it is at this time that the lighthouse at Cape Pembroke, the easternmost cape of the archipelago, is taken out of service.
A first lighthouse, a simple wooden post painted in red and white, was erected in 1840, replaced by a metal turret in the same colours in 1854. In 1906, Trinity House, the equivalent of the French lighthouse and beacon service, decided to replace this tower with a masonry structure that was lit in 1907.
Classified as a historical monument, now regularly maintained while waiting to be completely restored, this lighthouse can be visited.
