On December 16th, 2014 we embarked on our travels to Santiago then on to Antarctica aboard the Seabourn Quest. This was our first cruise on the Quest, however we have sailed on her sister ship, the Sojourn, so she had a familiar feel. As we set off the usual feelings of excitement, anticipation, and trepidation were all rolled into one. While my wife was focusing on whether she had enough 'outfits', I was fretting over my camera equipment: "I should have bought another battery, I need more back-up, what if a camera fails?, etc." Sound familiar? Living as we do on an island I couldn't just pop down to the local B&HPhoto or Adorama to stock-up. She on the other hand had numerous clothing stores only too keen to sell her 'that special dress for the Captains' dinner'.
Because we booked somewhat late, as well as the usual stopover in Miami, we had to change planes & airlines (from American to LAN) in Lima en-route to Santiago. But, despite some concern, everything worked out fine & the taxi our hotel had organised was waiting for us on arrival. Within an hour of landing we were at our hotel. Our room was ready for us so we quickly got our heads down.......We stayed at the Su Merced, a small boutique hotel near the centre of Santiago. The room had all we needed, a big comfortable bed, a safe, and hot shower. There was a residents lounge on the top floor where coffee and tea was available. The staff were very friendly and attentive. The restaurant is independently managed, and even though they had a private function on the night of our arrival, they managed to fit us in. It was the best & least expensive dinner we had in Santiago. My only reservation concerning the hotel was that I found it a bit noisy, although that was probably because we were on the first floor. While in Santiago we enjoyed an 'offbeat' walking tour with Tours4Tips (click for website), that incorporated several local markets and the cemetery; and a full day guided tour along 'The Route of the Poets' focusing on the works and relationships between Pablo Neruda, Nicanor Parra and Vicente Huidobro, with visits to Neruda's house and the Huidobro Museum. It was 'something different' and a very enjoyable day.
Next day our arranged transportation took us to the port of Valparaiso. It is approx a 2 hour drive, a little less, if like us, you skip the wine tasting tour. The embarkation process ran like clockwork, drop bags, check-in, short bus ride, board ship. Once aboard, register, then lunch & glass of bubbly while waiting for suite to be ready - we did afterall skip the wine tasting enroute! Now, I may have an eye for a photo op, but my wife has the uncanny knack of being able to spot an interesting couple across a crowded dining room in a nanosecond. And so we came to share a table with Rod & Deborah, who informed us they were planning on getting married in Antarctica. "I have a bridesmaid's dress', blurted Gwyn to the chink of champagne glasses, and so the dye was cast. More of that later - our suite was ready.
Our suitcases were already in our suite, as were our parkas, hats & backpacks. After trying the parkas on to verify the sizing was correct, they were hung in the closet until Antarctica. We had rented boots through Seabourn but they weren't coming aboard until Ushaiua. My wife insisted that we sign up for the Spa package - providing access to the Spa deck. This turned out to be a waste of money as the outer spa deck was closed for the duration of the cruise, the sauna wasn't working properly, and I found the 'heated osteopoedic wooden beds' to be quite uncomfortable. Plus with all the activities onboard, there was very little downtime to fill in.
The sea was quite rough and the weather was a bit miserable for the first few days.
Dec 21st (Day 1): At Sea. Parka Exchange - for those who got sizing wrong. I think they should do this later in the cruise after we had all put on a pound or two! Captain's Welcome Aboard Reception. Dress Code: Formal.
Dec 22nd (Day 2): Puerto Montt. Founded in 1853 during the German colonisation of southern Chile, it is often referred to as the Salmon Capital of Chile. It is the hub of the largest salmon aquaculture industry in the World, with salmon hatcheries, fisheries and packing plants dotting the shoreline. It is also a gateway city to the Chiloe archipelago and western Patagonia. On a previous visit we arranged a private tour so this time we did a bit of shopping, and walked around the town. A day or half-day tour of the surrounding towns & countryside is recommended for anyone who hasn't been here before.
Dec 23rd (Day 3): Castro. Dating from 1567, Castro is the third oldest city in Chile. Devastated by the 1960 earthquake, the city is characterised by its surviving 'palafitos', stilted waterfront houses with elaborately carved shingles, and the landmark Iglesia San Francisco, an ironclad wooden church which replaced the original Franciscan structure destroyed by fire in 1902. A national monument, its banana yellow exterior and violet towers contrast sharply with the more sombre burnished-wood interior, and traditional (grisly) catholic renderings of the crucifixion.
Dec 24th (Day 4): Cruising the Chilean Fjords. Lectures on “Seabirds of the Southern Ocean” and “The Whales of the Southern Ocean“. Christmas carols in the Club. Dec 25th (Day 5): Christmas Day. Weather cold & damp. Lecture “Seeing the Light” (photographically speaking), and photography workshop. Santa hats in abundance. Some guests had brought decorations from home and the ship was all decked out for the occasion.
Dec 26th (Day 6) Punta Arenas (“Sandy Point“). Largest city in Patagonia, and capital of Chile’s southernmost region, Magallanes and Antarctica Chileana. Arguably the best place to buy woollen clothing, the once thriving woollen industry is evidenced by large Francophile mansions of onetime wool barons. Although a long walk, the cemetery is well worth a visit, as is the central Plaza Munoz Gamero, with it’s elaborate monument. Back onboard, the main dining room had the Chef’s Dinner - which we weren’t going to have, but changed our minds at last minute & glad that we did. It was excellent.
Dec 27th (Day 7) Up at 6 am to view glaciers. There are 5 - named after countries, in order North to South: Holanda, Italia, Francia, Alemania, Romanche. After breakfast talk on Penguins at 9:00am. Very interesting. Had lunch on deck even though it was freezing: Cauliflower soup and Plaice & chips followed by coffee icecream and Mango mousse. Arrived Ushaiua in afternoon, had a walk around, bought couple of t-shirts. Boy, do they hate the British in Ushaiua!! Falklands War memorials & 'Brits out' signs abound. Leaving Ushaiua marked the start of the Antarctic Experience as we set out across the dreaded Drake Passage. Got our boots which fit perfectly - thus avoided the infamous Boot Exchange! Entertainment was Sean - Canadian singer/impersonator.
Dec 28th (Day 8) 7 am intermediate photography seminar - watched in bed. After breakfast there was a Mandatory Briefing covering the do’s & don’ts while in Antarctica (mainly Don’ts!) followed by bio-cleaning of outerwear/bags that would be taken ashore in Antarctica (new stuff was OK). Second photo session after lunch, then Boots to cages ready for our first landing. 6:30 pm Mandatory Debriefing for tomorrow (more don’ts!) and order of tours. As only 100 can land at a time, we are split into colour coded groups. White (us) are first out at 8:00am. While in Antarctica paper cups or napkins are not allowed on deck in case they blow overboard (since everything has a Seabourn logo, it’s a dead giveaway). The Drake Passage proved to be a non -event (although I admit to feeling somewhat queasy) and we made a fast (18kt) crossing, shaving a day off the scheduled time, even with a detour to take in our first iceberg - a tabular 'berg estimated at 2 miles across - we named it Katya after a lady from Sao Poalo whose birthday it happened to be. We had dinner in the Colonade - Aussie themed. Grilled Barramundi was delicious & invoked memories of our stay at the Daintree Rainforest Ecolodge.
Dec 29th (Day 9) First sight of the White Continent - not really, just the western peninsula. A “Brochure Day” 4 deg C and clear blue skies. Large iceberg to our port side. First landing is Half Moon Island containing a Chinstrap rookery, with the peaks of Livingstone Island rising to the east - apparently we are very lucky to see them as most times they are obscured by cloud. Loads of chinstraps and one lone Macaroni whose GPS was obviously faulty. Several Weddell seals and a lone Fur seal. The expedition staff had everything running like clockwork - an announcement 15 minutes before your time so you can get ready, then a call to go to the disembarkation room, where a staff member pulls a life jacket over your head & fastens the straps, then to the ‘Boot Cage” to change into your boots, (there was even a staff member on hand to put your slippers/boat shoes in the cage ready for your return), down the stairs to the zodiacs & off. Once you hit land the driver gives you a time for the return zodiac. An advance team of expedition staff members has already marked the safe/permitted route and with a reminder to give way to the inhabitants and watch for penguin highways, you are on your own for 90 minutes. Our 8:00am group was back aboard at 10am. And yes, penguin poop is sticky, stinky stuff. Off to the spa for a nap, followed by lunch on the patio. Saw first humpbacks passing by & tried to capture the sun/shadows on the mountains. A truly awesome first day in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Dec 30th (Day 10) Our wedding anniversary. Turned out to be a day at sea as a medical emergency the prior evening caused us to divert to a Chilean base on South Shetlands for a medivac. So ‘lost’ the day gained crossing the Drake. Spotted 3-5 humpback whales & stayed with two off the bow for about an hour. Around 6-7pm there were dozens of humpbacks off both sides. Quite a long way off but a spectacular sight nonetheless. Had dinner in Restaurant 2.
Dec 31st (Day 11) Paradise Island. A 5:00 am start - for some, but as we were first last time, our group is last on this landing - we go out at 10. Today we enjoy a zodiac tour followed by a landing. We are landing at an unoccupied Argentinian base. The Argentinians lay claim to Antarctica in same way as Falklands - they are said to visit each ‘base’ once a year to repaint the flag on the roof & then leave! There are Gentoo penguins, but highlight is the view from the top of the hill - & the slide down. We are the last to leave. Day started cloudy (at 6am) but brightened up later. Following the landing we cruised the Lamaire Channel to our most southerly point 67 deg Sth, beyond which the ice was too thick for us to navigate.
Almost forgot that it was New Years Eve . Had dinner in the Restaurant the saw the New Year in the Grand Salon.
January 1st (Day 12) Back to Paradise Lake this time to visit a working Chilean base and gentoo rookery. Interesting to see accommodations and a leucistic penguin. Saw whales in pm and great scenery.
January 2nd (Day 13) Yankee Harbour. Wet landing (Seabourn style) on a pebble beach. Knee pad came in useful while photographing the 3 to 4 day old chicks, skua's and small group of seals basking in sun. Some passengers went in for a dip. Sunshine in pm.
January 3rd (Day 14) Hope Bay ‘Esperanza’. 'Another' Argentinian base. No landing but fantastic zodiac ride among icebergs and along the shoreline. Loads of Adelie penguins.
January 4th (Day 15). At sea, but remember that wedding? Today is the day. Yours truly was Best Man & Gwyn got to wear her bridesmaid dress. Phillip the Hotel Director officiated & Rod & Deborah made a lovely couple. There were 40 or so guests in attendance & the chef created a special menu. A couple of the guests wrote poems to mark the occasion so yours truly quickly penned a ditty to read after the meal. It was truly a memorable occasion.
Day 16 at Sea.
January 6th (Day 17) South Georgia. Scheduled landing at Cooper Bay cancelled due to rough seas/wind. Cruised fjord waiting for wind to calm, but didn’t happen. Groups reduced to 3, we were reassigned to Red group.
January 7th (Day 18) Grytviken old whalers station, post office & museum. Shackleton’s grave. Really interesting place but allotted time ashore not long enough to explore it all.
January 8th (Day 19) Salisbury Plain, wet landing. Huge king penguin colony. Weather miserable but amazing sight. Estimated 50-60,000 pairs. Fluffy chicks ’oakum boys’ that hadn’t yet molted. Name from boys that used to caulk timbers on wooden ships with oakum. A great way to end our time in the Antarctic region.
Days 20, 21 & 22 at sea enroute to Montevideo. Spent time watching for albatross off the stern.
January 12th (Day 23) Montevideo. Had been two years earlier so didn't rush to go in early. Took bus in & walked around a different part of city to last time. Bought some jewelry off street stall & walked balk to the ship.
January 13th (Day 24) Disembarkation in Buenos Aries. Had late night flight so arranged full day gaucho tour & airport transfer through Seabourn. Pouring with rain. Had ‘typical’ Argentinian barbeque & when sun came out display of gaucho horsemanship. Filled the day in, but probably would not repeat.