Jan. 10 At Sea

A cruise is something you do in the Mediterranean or Caribbean, an expedition cruise is what you do in South America and Antarctica. On an expedition cruise, you can expect the unexpected.

The first unexpected came this morning when the captain announced an itinerary change. Instead of some leisurely cruising through the fjords and past some glaciers, we are heading at full speed to Punta Arenas. A low front has developed west of us and is headed our way at 40 miles an hour. It is the lowest pressure system that the captain has seen in this area since he started this route over 2 years ago. After the stop in Punta Arenas, the 2 Chilean pilots onboard will find a fjord or spot behind an island where we can ride out the storm on Sunday. We will drop anchor and face into the wind and be safe. 



The above photo shows the expected intensity of the storm. Green is calm, red is bad, purple is hold on tight and white is good luck! Anything under 960 millibars is considered hurricane force. 

The captain has a very dry sense of humour. Someone asked if there would be an open bar during our day at anchor. He stated that yes, the bar would be open and that the charging machines would be too. He was also asked about the possibility of seasickness. He stated that some people would get seasick. He had heard that eating a green apple was a good preventative option. He rather preferred eating spaghetti as it comes up more easily  

After the captain’s briefing, Ed, the cruise and travel director gave a talk on Punta Arenas. We do not have a shore excursion organized so it was interesting to hear what was in walking distance. 

Our third session of the morning was presented by one of the Antarctica Expedition team. Graeme Ayres heads a team of 3 New Zealanders specializing in marine biology, geology and all things Antarctic. He spoke today about his background and his father’s and his connection to Sir Edmund Hilary.

Deck 3, the Promenade deck, provides a somewhat sheltered opportunity for walking around the ship. Three laps equals a mile. On other ships, the walking track is on the upper decks, with more laps required to reach a mile and also much windier. 

Tonight we are going to the Pinnacle Grill for the first of 4 specialty dinners that we have booked. It is a steak and seafood restaurant that we are looking forward to experiencing. 

We have just entered a channel and the water is much calmer than the Pacific Ocean. It will be smoother sailing now as we head to Punta Arenas arriving around 1 pm tomorrow. 


Sunset 10:14 pm

Comments

  1. Jerry FabianJanuary 11, 2025 at 1:56 PM

    Hopefully you'll have better luck sailing around Cape Horn!

    ReplyDelete

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