Jan. 25 Punta Del Este Uruguay

Punta del Este sits on a peninsula in Uruguay where the Rio de la Plata meets the Atlantic Ocean. The other side of the river is Argentina, but at its widest the Rio de la Plata is 220 km wide. It has a very long delta.

Punta del Este was our last tender port. We had to anchor quite a way out as there are many sand bars in the mouth of the delta. The ship was required to use local tenders along with the ship tenders. When it was our turn to disembark for our excursion, we were sent to a local tender. The boat held 147 passengers maximum and the crew were determined to get that many passengers on board. It might hold 147 Uruguayians, but very difficult to get that many Americans on. Where they wanted to have 5 people on a bench, often only 4 were able to cram in. It took a long time to board everyone and get everyone seated. We were on the top open deck under a canopy. I soon noticed that there were no life jackets in sight and with the swells and the rocking of the boat, I was very glad to make it safely to shore. 

Punta del Este is the beach vacation spot for Uruguay and the areas around Buenos Aires. It is a stunning view sailing into the harbour with miles of white condos lining the shore. The town has a population of 13,000 registered inhabitants but the population soars to over 280,000 in the summer. There are miles of beautiful beaches and they were jam packed with colourful beach umbrellas. 

Our excursion was to an olive farm about 40 minutes outside of Punta del Este. The guide first showed us some of the sights close to the pier, like the lighthouse from where you can see water in 4 directions but it is not on an island. It is its location on the peninsula that gives the illusion of being on an island. 

We also drove past the famous La Mano, the drowning hand coming out of the sand. The Chilean sculptor had been denied permission to create a work of art along the boardwalk with other more famous sculptors. So he decided to go across to the beach and create La Mano, as a warning about the rough waters along the beach. The sculpture has received world wide attention with visitors flocking to get photographs, while the sculptures across the road are largely ignored. 



Our excursion was to Olivas de las Animas, an olive orchard 40 minutes outside the town. Ten years ago, they planted 10,000 small olive trees and today produce around 5000 litres of olive oil. The owner, Martín, explained the different harvesting methods they have tried as well as showed us the milling process. Any waste from the milling is reprocessed and through a series of drying and lagoons, everything is recycled. 


After the explanation, we boarded a wagon pulled by a tractor to go to Martin’s home where we sampled the oils along with cheese, meat, bread and wine at long tables set up on the covered patio. 

When we returned to the port, we walked along the marina where we admired the ocean going yachts. We timed our return to the ship to avoid the tender we had taken in the morning. 

We did some leisurely drifting and sailing at 7 knots to get to our next port of call, Montevideo, which was 30 nautical miles away. There was a spectacular sunset viewing from our cabin balcony tonight.


Sunset 7;54 pm

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