West Point Island

Issue Date: 31 October 2002







West Point Island

This issue is the second in the series depicting Islands of the Falklands. The four stamps and the First Day cover in this issue were produced from artworks by Tony Chater a well known artist and author.

Introduction to the West Point Island.

West Point Island (1255 Hectares) lies off the most northwesterly point of West Falkland from which it is separated by a narrow and strongly tidal sea passage known as the Woolly Gut.

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the island was known as Albatross Island amongst the itinerant sealing community who frequented the area at the time. In 1879 West Point was first set up and run as a sheep farm by Arthur Felton, the great uncle of the present owner, Roddy Napier, who lives there with his wife Lily.

This island is well known for it's wildlife and dramatic scenery including the highest sea cliffs in the archipelago. The highest point is Cliff Mountain (370 metres).

With the declining state of the world's wool markets, tourism has become the most important economic factor on West Point in recent years. The first cruise ship to come to the Falklands outside Stanley was the Navarino which was anchored at West Point in February 1968. These days a variety of cruise vessels visit each year, during the Summer months, bringing thousands of visitors from all over the world. They come not only to look at the large number of Rockhopper penguins and Black-browed Albatross but also to get a taste of what it is like to live on your very own island.

The Napier's are representative of a traditional and independent way of life which is fast disappearing in the Islands. They grow their own vegetables, keep chickens and, each morning, milk the cows.

Stores and supplies are delivered every six weeks by the local coastal vessel M.V. Tamar F.I. Mail, airfreight and visitors come and go by Government-owned light aircraft using a small grass airstrip close to the Napier's homestead.

45p Value - West Point Settlement

West point farm settlement is tucked away under a hill on the eastern side of the island in the sheltered cove of West Point Harbour. This picturesque hamlet is a charming blend of the old and the new. The water comes from a natural spring and electrical power is supplied by a state-of-the-art wind turbine. Some of the buildings are over 125 years old in contrast to the modern landing ramp for ship-bourne tourists which was built in the year 2000. In 1879, when Arthur Felton first settled here, he lived in a small stone hut which had been built during the sealing era. The remains can still be seen. At first he had enough money only for one new building and this was to be the sheep shearing shed. It is still in use today. Part of the delightfully rambling house in which Roddy and Lily Napier live today dates back to 1880.

45p Value - Rockhopper Penguin
(Eudyptes chrysocome)

The Rockhopper penguin has a circumpolar distribution in the subantarctic zone and occurs in the three distinct races. It is the third most numerous of all the penguin species and, globally, the Falklands provide one of the most important nesting area with around 35 different, densely packed colonies including a substantial one on West Point. "Rockies" return from their winter pelagic wanderings to their traditional cliff-top breeding colonies in early October. They often share the same areas with Black-0browed Albatrosses and King Cormorants. The main egg-laying period is in early November and the colonies are a hive of activity throughout the summer. The chicks fledge and go to sea in early February. Adult birds arrive back at the colony to perform the annual moult at the end of the summer. By late April in most years all the birds have returned to sea and the colonies are deserted.

40p Value - Feltons Flower
(Calandrinia feltonii

Feltons flower is an extremely rare and endemic annual which apparently became very restricted with the advent of sheep in the Falklands during the 19th century. It's very survival was due to the fact that it wewasultivated by Arthur Felton in the settlement gardens at West Point. To this day the beautiful magenta blossoms of this plant ca be seen flowering in the same gardens during December and January.

40p Value - Black-browed Albatross
(Diomedia melanophris)

The black-browed albatross is the most common of the worlds Albatrosses and is found circumpolarly in the southern oceans. Seventy-five percent of the world's total breeding population nest in the Falkland Islands and around 15,000 pairs do so annually on the cliffs of West Point Island. This medium sized albatross, locally known as the Mollymauk, returns each year, usually to the same nesting colony where it was born, in early to mid September. The first eggs are laid by the end of that month and the breeding cycle finishes seven months later, in early May, when the last chick leaves their pedestal shaped nests and go to sea. Black-browed Albatrosses spend the Winter months away from land feeding mainly on squid and krill. Juveniles do not return to breed until they are about seven years old. Like most pelagic seabirds they are long-lived and some birds ringed on West Point by Roddy Napier have survived for over thirty years. In addition to being supreme aviators these Albatrosses are also surprisingly able divers.



Technical Details

Designer: Tony Chater
Borders & Layout: CASB Studio
Printer: The House Of Questa.
Process: Lithography
Stamp Size: 30.56 x 38.00mm
Pane: 24 (2 x 12)
Perforation Gauge: 14 per 2cms
Watermark: Crown Agents
Release Date: 30.10.02
Values: 40p, 40p, 45p, 45p.





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