After leaving Antarctica
on the 1st of February, we were told that we could expect to encounter
very rough seas. The captain had looked
at the charts and the storm along the coast of South America was absolutely
unavoidable. So while he raced to get
the ship as far on the way as possible before the storm hit, we began to pack
things away and batten down the proverbial hatches. Our room has never looked so picked up, with
anything of concern stashed into drawers, suitcases, cabinets, or anywhere that
would prevent it from crashing to the floor.
Sleeping that night was
interesting! One might envision a baby’s
cradle high up in a tree on a very windy day as we rolled from side to side and
pitched up and down. As we staggered
toward the dining room in the morning (think fun house with those crazily
slanted floors), I announced that I refused to take the stairs. Riding back up
in the elevator with us after breakfast was an officer who said he told his
“boys” never to take the stairs in weather like this, even if only
going up or down one level. I felt
vindicated considering his ship experience!
Because of the weather
conditions and the notoriety of Cape Horn, we had to be satisfied to know that
we are passing about 25 miles away as the planned scenic cruising isn’t
possible. Passengers received a
certificate for having sailed in Cape Horn waters. Cape Horn is not named (as I had originally
thought) because the cape was shaped like a horn, but for the city of Hoorn in
the Netherlands. The certificate says,
“…the waters around the Cape are particularly hazardous, owing to strong winds,
large waves, strong currents and icebergs; these dangers have made it notorious
as a sailor’s graveyard…” I guess you
could say we are having the privilege of experiencing the “best” (?) of Cape
Horn first-hand! This is truly a sailing
adventure. So we’re tucking in and
enjoying it despite the rocky seas!
Besides, if you’re reading this, it means that these waters have not
become our graveyard and that we’ve had the privilege of experiencing the Cape
in its true form!
Capt. Mercer kept
everyone very well informed as we progressed through the rough waters. Because of the precautions taken, the trip
wasn’t nearly as bad as we’d expected, and as promised, the seas calmed and the
winds died and we had smooth sailing after 4:00 PM when we entered the Beagle
Channel south of Ushuaia. The ship had
gone the full speed ahead to get as much sea behind us as possible so that put
us into Ushuaia earlier than we’d anticipated.
Ushuaia is the
southernmost city in the world. Although
a Chilean town claims to be farther south, the population is such that it can’t
be considered a city, which means that Ushuaia, boasting a population of 50,000
inhabitants, can claim that title.
Everywhere we looked, we saw signs that claimed that Ushuaia was the
“end of the world”.
Ushuaia, the capital of
the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego, is located in the well-known region
of Patagonia which covers both Argentina and Chile. The region gets its name from Magellan’s
claim that the people who lived there had very big feet. Because it is the closest city to the
Antarctic Peninsula, Ushuaia is considered the “Gateway to Antarctica”. Indeed, we saw evidence of ships that were
most likely being readied for a trip to the white continent. With its sub polar climate, the weather is
quite variable in Ushuaia so we were very happy to have sunny weather for the
vast majority of our day there!
Our shore excursion, Drive to Tierra del Fuego National Park,
took us through Ushuaia to the nearby park.
The scenic drive afforded lovely views of the beginning (or ending,
depending upon one’s perspective) of the Andes Mountain range. We passed by the southernmost golf course in
the world with a backdrop of U-shaped valleys carved by glaciers. Those who chose to play a round received a
certificate for golfing at the links of Ushuaia.
Some of the wildlife in
the national park was quite visible, while others may not have made physical
appearances but had left evidence of their presence. Although we saw no beavers (which are not
indigenous so have no natural enemies), we passed areas where trees had been
felled as if a forest fire had taken them down, but it was the beavers who had
done the damage. We passed lake after
lake and river after river that contained beaver dams or lodges. Also introduced to the Patagonian area were
the rabbits which were so proliferate that it wasn’t uncommon to see four or
five sitting on lawns or bounding across landscapes. Many trees “boasted” huge holes in their
trunks, the result of the native Great Patagonian (or Magellanic) Woodpecker, which
can be as large as 18 inches. These
birds, unlike the beavers, are indigenous animals. Black-necked swans dotted the lake,
gracefully swimming in the shadows of snow-capped mountains. Upland geese, which are monogamous and mourn
with the death of their mate, could be spotted near the lakeshores, as well as
a pintail duck that was sitting atop a beaver dam. We even spotted a red fox that was more the
size of a large coyote. Overall, we were
fascinated by the animals that we saw!
One of our stops was at
the terminus of the Pan American Highway, which begins in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska,
some 17,848 kilometers north. We made a
few other stops in the park in areas that afforded us lovely views of lakes and
mountains. What an amazing place!
Back in Ushuaia, we
finally welcomed the opportunity to do some shopping and enjoyed strolling
around town before returning to the ship.
We were originally
scheduled to set sail at 1:00, but this was postponed to 2:30 to allow the ship
time to completely refuel. As always,
Capt Mercer came on just before sailing with an update. We received some most unwelcome news: In Capt. Mercer’s own words, there is a
“monstrous” storm in the Pacific Ocean, and after contacting the home office in
Seattle, they decided that it would be best to wait a day and change course in
some way. With reports of gale-force
winds and 40-foot waves, we fully agreed that we wanted to miss it! Even the crew was groaning at the thought of
such wild seas; thus we will spend an extra day in Punta Arenas. As a result, we know that we will miss a port
in the South Pacific, though we don’t yet know which it will be. (Our bet is that it will be Easter Island
because that’s the iffiest port on our schedule after the Falklands, where we
had the amazing fortune to be able to land, but of course this is just a
guess. I would be delighted to be proven
wrong!)
Veteran world travelers
know that with an around-the-world cruise one can expect changes in itinerary
and course. Over the past few days,
we’ve learned that we must go with the flow and anticipate that there will be
delights as well as disappointments.
It’s all part of the adventure!
As we sailed from
Ushuaia we had the opportunity to hear a talk given by three of the scientists
who had spent the Antarctic summer at Palmer Station. It was fascinating to hear of their research
during their time there; the camaraderie and mutual respect was very obvious. As I listened, I couldn’t help but think in
particular of a few of my colleagues who particularly enjoy aspects of science –
Stephanie, Kim, Georgia and Megan. The
station studies many different fields of science, including geology, astronomy,
and marine biology. I could actually
picture each of them jumping in and working hard with these scientists.
BT
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