Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands was a deep-water port, specializing in ship repairs, especially for those traveling through the Straits of Magellan. Rough water and storms found at the tip of the continent forced many ships into the harbor. Later, the area became a base for whaling. The first American whaling vessels anchored at New Island around 1774, and over time many New England ships came to this port. Nearby Coffin Island is named after the well known Coffin family of Nantucket. The colonies of penguins and albatross on the island provided a large source of food in the form of eggs. Records left by whalers confirm that large number of geese were taken for food, and fresh water was plentiful. The Falklands became a domain for whalers who used the islands as shelter from the worst of the southern Atlantic Ocean weather.