Murray Channel, Nassau Bay, Wollaston Islands, Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay

12.27.16

Remember when I mentioned in yesterday's blog that we were hoping for warmer weather, gentle wind and no rain? Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Unfortunately that gentle wind was not to be had - in fact, the wind was approximately 40 knots (47 MPH) so we had to hike with our life jackets on in case we blew into the oceans (Pacific and/or Atlantic). Personally, I think we've been eating and drinking way too much to blow away anywhere any time soon. So plenty of ballast...

We navigated through the narrow Murray Channel, across Nassau Bay, and then into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park, discovered in 1616 by the Dutch. Cape Horn is a sheer 1,394 foot promontory overlooking the Drake Passage.  When we arrived we climbed up, up and up to the monument - an albatross in flight (and we almost joined him because it was so windy).

 The first few members of our team to reach the top 

at the end of the world!

 I reached later since I was the group historian (my reason for hanging back slightly).

Then we went over to check out the lighthouse, the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and the modern Cape Horn Monument. The Chilean navy staffs and maintains the permanent lighthouse on the island. Apparently it is a plum assignment for the naval officer and his/her family. In return for their commitment of a year, they received a 2-step promotion and sizable salary. Hopefully the family is still speaking to one another when their time is up - since they are the only people in the park.

The rear view of the chapel and current lighthouse.

Current keeper of the Cape.

FitzRoy Memorial

Old lighthouse.

 Donna and Preston returning to the Zodiacs.

 Brian and Vicki heading down to the Zodiacs.

The morning sun begins to shine at the end of this incredible journey...

We had breakfast when we returned, then watched an inspiring documentary film, "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure," a tribute to the perseverance of the human spirit. Afterward we killed about an hour enjoying pisco sours, gin & tonics, champagne, wine and who knows what else, and before we knew it, it was time for another feeding - this time with a focus on Chilean food. I pretty much focused on seafood - wonderful fried calamari and a crab souffle, followed by rice pudding.

There was one more excursion to Wulaia Bay, but I decided to pass on that so I could work on the blog, complete the customer service survey, shower and pack for our departure tomorrow. Probably a good idea since we've been going since 5:30 AM today - and we still have to EAT AGAIN!

Pia Glacier and Glacier Alley

12.26.16

We sailed around the western end of Tierra del Fuego overnight and enter the Ballenero (Whaler) Channel, named by captain FitzRoy in honor of his whaling boat that was stolen by the indigenous people and never recovered.  I was dead to the world until, like almost everyone on board, we left the channel and hit the open, very choppy water at 4:13 AM. But, no problem, back to sleep for another couple of hours...

We had 2 very informative and interesting lectures this morning - one by Mauricio on the indigenous tribes and one by Nicole on the Chile/Argentinian conflicts over borders and land rights. I could not believe the quality and the existence of the photos documenting the indigenous tribes - some of whom very clearly resembled the American Navajo.

Gary and Laurie are getting us hooked on free, spicy bloody Mary's - as if it's not enough to be drinking unlimited beer, wine and champagne, but I had to slow down my consumption until we return in one piece from our first hike to the Pia Glacier. Right now it is already foggy enough outside - I don't need my mind and brain to be foggy as well.
Another excellent lunch buffet - with wonderful Asian food.  I loaded up with the sushi, fried rice and Korean BBQ pork ribs -delicious! Thus fortified we awaited our disembarkation for Pia Glacier, as we anchored at the Pia Fjord, where we once again deployed the Zodiacs for another shore excursion.(Hope it stops raining very soon).

OK, this was my shortest excursion - steady rainfall + slippery rocks + muddy terrain = another mishap NOT going to happen.  I went about 25 yards, took my photos, walked back to the shore and prayed a Zodiac would come soon. The guys took pity on me and a Mexican man and returned us to the ship. Louis, the steward for our cabin deck, took such pity on me that he unlocked my cabin door so I wouldn't have to deal with all the multiple layers I was wearing and asked me if I needed anything. I told him a hot toddy would work but he's Chilean and didn't understand me until I pantomimed a drinking motion. Then we both laughed and he continued down the hallway and I enjoyed a very long, hot shower.  Thank god that was today's only excursion...

 Pia Glacier

Some tidbits on the glaciers and global warming effects (yes people, this is SCIENCE whether you accept that it's happening or not)...

1. The Patagonia glaciers in both Argentina & Chile are melting so rapidly that they are causing a significant increase in sea level.
2. There is also an accelerated ice loss.
3. Factors involved include: rise in air temperature, decrease in precipitation, nature of Patagonia ice fields and calving glaciers that spawn icebergs directly into the ocean.

I actually watched the water and ice pouring out from underneath the Pia Glacier after we heard the rumble of a massive interior calving. One moment the water was fairly calm and the next it was rushing along the shore, swirling and rushing, and adding a significant amount of ice chunks to our disembarkation point - which forced our crews to navigate the rafts more slowly and carefully back and forth to the ship.

By about 6:15 PM we began our navigation along the Beagle Channel through Glacier Alley, where most of the impressive glaciers flowing down the Darwin Mountain Range on the north shore are named after European countries - Germany, France, Holland and Italy.  As we passed by each one, everyone would run out to the deck (it was still raining), snap a photo and hustle back to shelter while the bartenders would work their way through the Darwin Lounge with a special treat for each passenger: sauerkraut & sausages for the German glacier; champagne for the French; fried dough in powdered sugar on a stick for Holland; and pizza slices for Italy.  No matter that we were eating dinner in about 45 minutes and drinking the bar dry - it was the captain's dinner night and we were set to enjoy beef tenderloin (my choice and it was AWESOME!) or salmon or Caesar salad (which I really didn't see anyone eating quite honestly).  ***Note to my faithful readers: do NOT combine sangria with champagne - it just doesn't turn out well...

 German Glacier.

 French Glacier.

 Italian Glacier.

Holland Glacier

After our Cape Horn itinerary briefing and disembarkation instructions, we went down to the Patagonia Deck for the Captain's dinner (see above). The food was absolutely scrumptious!!!

 Incredible tenderloin!

Our most incredible waiter and my young boyfriend, Mariano!

And now, with the fat accumulating and crinkling, we head to our cabins at 10 PM with the expectation of being jolted awake once again by the wave action at approximately 4 AM and again by  the alarm at 5 AM. We will hope for warmer weather, gentle wind and no rain as we depart in our Zodiacs for the highlight of this trip, Cape Horn and the end of the world, at 6:45 AM...

Almirantazgo Sound - Ainsworth Bay - Marinelli Glacier - Tuckers Islets - Gabriel Channel

12/25/16

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

This trip is my birthday gift to myself and it is PRICELESS!

While we slept quite comfortably, our ship sailed halfway across Tierra del Fuego, through the Admiralty sound (Seno Almirantazgo).  After breakfast we had our first Zodiac excursion to Ainsworth Bay, where, under the fantastic Mauricio, we hiked through the different terrains and ecosystems to learn about the flora and fauna. Throughout the hike we saw incredible views of the fjord and Darwin Mountains, while our ship was moored near the 120-foot high Marinelli Glacier. 

The Stella Australis - our home for the next 4 days.

Marge, Laurie, Pamela and Sandy - ready for our first excursion. 

 The Zodiac prepares to land for the first excursion.

Al, Lynne, Connie, Shelley and BA are ready to rock.

 Every time we land, the life jackets are left in 3 separate piles - medium, large and XL.

 Off we go to explore the fauna and flora of Ainsworth Bay.

Mauricio, excursion team leader shows us some 

rhododendron in the forest.

 We listen in silence to the dripping water near some peat bogs.

 The Marinelli Glacier in all its amazing beauty!

On the way back to the ship - Marge, Vicki, Brian, Al and Laurie.

Marge and her dream man (complete with joystick)💕

When we returned to our starting point, we picked up our life jackets and warmed up with some hot  chocolate spiked with whiskey. I am not a whiskey drinker so I asked for just a splash. Needless to say there must have been a miscommunication and I received a generous pour - which, good or bad, I enjoyed immensely (and it really warmed my body). So, back into the Zodiacs and the ship for another feeding - which included spaghetti carbonara, my all-time favorite.  I was in heaven and didn't even need my dinner.

After lunch we headed out once again by Zodiac - this time to the Tucker Islets - to get a close-up view of the Magellan penguins. More than 4,000 penguins use Tucker as a place to nest, give birth and nurture their chicks. Among the many other bird species that frequent the area are king cormorants, oyster catchers, Chilean skuas, kelp geese, dolphin gulls, eagles and the occasional Andean condor.

 Lowering the Zodiacs for the afternoon excursion.

 Penguins on Tuckers Islets. The young ones have the black band across their chests.

No one would play with this guy.

https://youtu.be/Y_U9hO2OFlc

https://youtu.be/G4uIjTAaegA

When we returned to the Australis we were treated to a tour of the bridge with Mauricio. In addition to showing us the electronics, he detailed our itinerary on the large topographic map on the bridge. About 2/3 of the way through his talk an alarm sounded on the radio and we heard that there had been a 7.7 earthquake in Chiloae Island - about 960 miles from our location.  Of course there was some concern regarding a resulting tsunami, but thankfully that did not happen.

The day ended with presentation entitled "Glaciology in Patagonia" followed by a delicious dinner - which I didn't even need after my pasta afternoon:)

Puerto Natales to Punta Arenas

12/24/16

After breakfast we were on our way to a Fitzroy Island estancia (sheep ranch) owned and operated by the Fernandez family. Apparently Mr. Fernandez emigrated from Scotland to Fitzroy Island and started to work as a mail carrier on a bicycle with dreams of owning and operating a fleet of buses to encourage travelers to visit the area. He saved and saved and even sacrificed his honeymoon expense (don't worry, his wife agreed) so they could use that money to buy 3 more buses.  Today he owns over 60 buses, including the one that has been transporting us for many days.

Paula, one of the daughters, took us to the barn and stable - which was packed with so much stuff I was surprised anyone could move inside. After watching a sheep dipping outside, we came inside to watch a shearing with just scissors not the electric clippers. When we finished all the demonstrations it was time for a BBQ of roasted lamb and assorted vegetables - fantastic lunch! 

 The barn/stable...talk about hoarding...

Sheep dipping...https://youtu.be/nFb1LnzXUpQ

Sheep shearing...

https://youtu.be/xghy9Lgs1pE

https://youtu.be/I_jNaL69i1w

https://youtu.be/gF_4AEvXrio

 Sheep shearing with hand-held clippers 

the old-fashioned way.

Our lamb is just about ready...

Chopping up the lamb...https://youtu.be/QFafykaX81Y

Keeping the fresh lamb nice and hot while being served.

Lunchtime entertainment...https://youtu.be/Z0LRJwsmEDg

Paula made sure that we met Sheena - previously a domesticated pet puma when she and the girls were young - but lacking in house training and now housed outside in a spacious cage. Sheena is the only puma on the island and is kept safe from predators who could take advantage of her inability to survive in the wild.

We also spotted a rhea dad with his children on our way to the estancia...

Our final stop was Punta Arenas, a bustling port of about 133,000 people overlooking the Strait of Magellan, founded in 1848 by Chilean pioneers and capital of the Magellanic and Chilean Antarctica Region. We headed to the pier to board the Expedition Cruise Ship, M/V Stella Australis. Our ship holds approximately 180 passengers from 30 countries - TRULY AMAZING!

At 8 PM, just before our Christmas Eve welcome dinner, our ship departed for one of the most remote corners of planet Earth as we crossed the strait of Magellan and entered the labyrinth of channels that define the extreme southern tip of Patagonia. We are so excited to experience everything that awaits us - weather permitting!

Overland to Puerto Natales

12/23/16

Our first stop on the way to Puerto Natales was the administrative office of the welcome center so we could get our passports stamped with the Torres del Paine stamp. Then Cota used a really cool relief map of the National Park to show us once again where we hiked over the last 2 days and where we would hike this morning before heading to Puerto Natales.

Our final hike through the National Park was about 4 miles long, and I am proud to say that I finished it without incident and apologize in advance for the large amount of photos - but there were just so many Kodak moments...

 Two major fires, caused by campers using stoves in the fragile ecosystem, 

destroyed several thousands of acres. Today there is no camping along the trail 

and heavy fines for those who do not follow the rules.

The horns of the Paine Massif.

Here's part of our group as we begin.

Nicole and Cota.

We even see an avalanche...

https://youtu.be/NirJ9sSHjfQ

and our last stop ... one more waterfall...

https://youtu.be/Y72-3QaXQrQ

Hotel Costaustralis in Puerto Natales.

This sculpture represents a man and a woman 
caught in the ever-present Patagonian winds.