South America and Antarctica

5C cloudy with sunny intervals At 7:35 am we crossed the 60th parallel which means we officially entered the Polar Region. The temperature kept dropping throughout the day and there is a possibility of snow tomorrow. Sea days are perfect for relaxing. We are taking advantage of the library onboard and sit by a window where we can also keep an eye on what is happening outside. The geologist gave a lecture this morning called “Into the Ice”, a recounting and photos of his time in Antarctica.  His photos were breathtaking. Hopefully we will have some sunshine over the next 4 days to capture the beauty of the continent.  We also attended the Captain's briefing. The winds are getting calmer but the air is getting colder the farther south we go. He outlined the Plan A itinerary for the next 2 days which is entirely dependent on the sea ice and visibility. We will stop at Palmer Station around 7:40 am tomorrow and 8 scientists will come onboard for the day. These presentations are ve...

8C Sunrise 5:05 Our alarm was set for 4:45 am to be sure that we took in all of the circumnavigation of Cape Horn. The seas were relatively calm and the sun was trying hard to make its appearance. When we rounded Cape Horn in 2016, the weather was significantly different. The winds were so strong that I had to hook my arm around the rail on the outside deck in order to stay on my feet. Today the front bow was opening for viewing with no worries of being blown away.  We were plenty early as it took us almost an hour to get to the Horn. The bow got very crowded and it was impossible to get close enough to the rail to get a photo. We moved to our secret spot on deck 9 forward of the fitness centre. Maybe not so secret, but it is a small area that few people have found. We were sheltered most of the time from the wind that increased as we circled the horn as well as the intermittent rain.  We approached the Horn from the north and got good views of the lighthouse and the Albatross...

14C Clouds, sun and showers Ushuaia is the southern most community in the world at 55 degrees south. It is located in a bay surrounded by the Andes on the Island of Tierra del Fuego. It is bounded on the south by the Beagle Channel, the passageway between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  Because of our altered itinerary over the last few days, we arrived in Ushuaia 5 hours earlier than scheduled. Our excursion, Trekking in Ushuaia, was moved ahead by 4 hours. It was a good thing too, as it was starting to rain when we returned to port after the excursion.  Some comments on human nature. Our excursion was listed as strenuous and it amazes me how people don’t pay attention to that information. A lady in her 70’s who walks with a cane was in the group of 38. I give her credit for finishing the trek, albeit slowly and with significant assistance from one of the guides.Luckily there were enough guides with the group that the rest were not held back waiting for her.  People al...

There are nicknames for the waters in the latitudes of the lower southern hemisphere - the Roaring 40’s, the Fearsome 50’s and the Screaming 60’s. When we left Punta Arenas last night we were around 54 degrees south. With the low pressure fast approaching, the captain did not want to expose us to anything Fearsome. We spent the night sheltering behind a large island in the fjords. There were a couple of times during the night when I woke up to the howling wind and a slight movement of the ship, but certainly nothing excessive. We spent most of the day cruising through beautiful fjords covered with glaciers and waterfalls. Ships our size don’t usually traverse these waters as they go from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia without spending time sightseeing in between. Because we had rushed to Punta Arenas, we missed out on some scenic cruising at Brujo and Amalia Glaciers. There were 2 Chilean pilots on board who had intimate knowledge of the fjords and they directed the captain to some amazing sc...

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....

Sunny, 16C In a region that gets maybe 7 days of sunshine a month and only 8 hours in that day, we hit the jackpot! The sun shone gloriously from 6 am until we departed 12 hours later.  We spent time on the bow of the ship as we sailed through the fjords until we reached our destination at 10. Waterfalls, tree covered islands, massive jagged rock faces and snow capped peaks kept my camera busy. I told Lawrie that it is a good thing we are in a digital era because if I had to develop film, I would have been able to afford the cruise but not the film developing! Puerto Chacabuco is a small town of 4000 that is the passageway to visiting part of Patagonia. Our tour of Patagonia Nature in Depth began with a 15 minute drive to Aiken Del Sur Private Park. The park covers 625 acres and entry is strictly limited.  Around 100 passengers had signed up for a 2 hour walk through the forest to a waterfall. We were divided into 4 groups. Our guide was not the best of the bunch but when we c...

Today was a full day at sea as we work our way southward from San Antonio to Puerto Montt. What does one do on a sea day? First of all, you sleep in. It was a delight to have a comfortable room temperature to sleep in. The softness of the mattress and the pillows made for a perfect night’s sleep.  Of course you have to eat. Breakfast and lunch were in the buffet restaurant. We went to the dining room for the dressy night dinner and were seated at windows at the aft of the ship.  There are many opportunities to be educated while on board. There are Spanish language classes, dance lessons and informative talks about our destinations. We went to the talks about the first two ports of call, Puerto Montt and Puerto Chacabuco.  Taking a nap and reading are also great activities for a sea day. Our balcony is fairly sheltered from the wind and the comfy chairs and footstools make it easy to sit and watch the waves. The cabin even has deck chair blankets for those colder days that...