It is a bright, sunny and really windy January 31st as we pull out of Punta Arenas, Chile. More on that later, let’s go back where we left off.
On the 25th we approached and anchored off of Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile. This is the largest of the three islands that make up the Chilean Juan Fernandez archipelago. These islands were formed by lava flows and are very severe in their terrain. The existence of endemic plants and animals on the islands resulted in the designation as World Biosphere Reserves in 1977. In 1704, Alexander Selkirk was marooned on the main island after disagreeing with his Captain on the seaworthiness of their ship. He was left with a musket, gunpowder, carpenter’s tools, a knife and a bible. Some say the only reason he survived was there were wild goats on the island. Rescued in 1708 after four years, four months of isolation, his story was widely circulated. Eventually it reached the imagination of English author Daniel Defoe and served as the basis for his book Robinson Crusoe. Originally known as Mas a Tierra the name was formally changed to Robinson Crusoe Island (Isla Robinson Crusoe) by Chile in 1966. The new name really helps tourism.
Unfortunately only the first few tenders were able to land as the seas picked up and cancelled any further transfer. We were lucky to safely get those ashore back to the ship. This is a picture of the village, San Juan Bautista, on the island. There is a permanent population of around 600 people. That is an overcast haze you see. It was raining on and off all day.
Some shots around the island. You can see how inhospitable it is for landing except in the village area.
Panorama of the island.
I guess we’ll have to wait until our next swing through this part of the world to see the cave where Alex lived. I spoke to a fellow traveler who has been here three times and hasn’t made it ashore yet.
Side note. By now Noreen’s cold was fully developed and I was starting. In Castro Noreen stayed on the ship and I took a quick walk around.
After a day at sea we arrived at Castro, Isla Chiloe, Chile on January 27th. Castro is the third oldest continuously inhabited city in Chile. Castro is known for the palafitos (colorful stilt houses) perched along the waters edge around town. Castor’s most visible landmark is the bright orchre (church) Iglesia de San Francisco. Built in 1906, it was repainted in vivid grape and orange color for the visit of Pope John Paulo in 1987.
The town is very built on steep hills surrounding the bay as you can see from these shots.
Violate parking rules anywhere in the world and you get the “boot.”
You can also find the guard dog rest area anywhere in the world.
A local market. We were there on a Sunday and this was the only thing I found open.
The area is known for clams and oysters.
For Mark T. I told you that passengers bring bikes on board for use at the ports. The only bike I’ve seen on this cruise so far is this one.
You can see the tidal change in this photo. The sail boat is aground until the tide comes in.
We tendered in this port. Our tender had a mechanic working ion the engine as we returned to the ship. The engine quit twice as we approached the ship. Looks like he is trying a little prayer.
Our next port was Puerto Chacabuco, Chile on January 28th. This is a small but important port for the region. It is also the gateway to the Laguna San Rafael national Park and Patagonian forests. I took a quick walk around the town.
I carry a lot of NASA material with me to give to schools and kids as we travel about. I stopped by this school and dropped a load of pictures, books, and mission stickers off for the kids.
Our ship anchored in the bay. You can see we have started cruising in Fjords.
I must say that there is a lot more to see in these ports than we are showing. Since we are both down with colds we are staying close to “home.” However, there are many tours going out to major cities such as Santiago, natural wonders, wildlife viewing, and other adventures.
The next few days were made different by Krill. Krill are tiny shrimp, less than 1/2”, that flourish in the Humboldt Current. They flow in huge schools and are a favorite food of whales. However, they also clog water intake filters on ships and can cause engines and generators to overheat. On January 28th were we supposed to cruise through the Chilean Fjords as we headed South. However, after clogging our diesel engine cooling intakes the Krill forced us out of the fjords and 20 miles off shore. On the 29th we were to turn into the Straights of Magellan but as we approached the Krill got so bad we had to shut down our starboard engine and turn back to sea. We didn’t enter the Straights until the 30th further South. It certainly reminded us that despite our technical sophistication Mother Nature still decides what happens when we wander into her domain.
On January 31st we arrived in Punta Arenas, our last port in Chile. Noreen and I were both in the recovery mode from our colds and decided to stay on the ship. That and the fact that the winds was blowing a sustained 53 MPH with consistent gusts to 76 MPH. In the winter the winds die down but during the summer this is a normal day. It vies with Ushuaia, Argentina for the southern most city in the world (We’re in Ushuaia tomorrow). The city has a colorful past as a major stop for ships going around the Horn in the days of clippers until the Panama Canal. It is also known as a major penguin breeding and roosting area.
The dock workers need protection during their breaks.
Looking toward the town, another container port for docking.
The wind was so strong and on our ships beam that we needed a tug to push against the wind for the entire time we were in port. This was in addition to our bow thruster and main engines holding the ship to the dock.
The Lido Deck was battened down and deserted.
Tomorrow we are heading for the “End of the World.” We’ll be cruising through Cape Horn, Drake Passage and Antarctica for the next 6 days and then to Stanley, Falkland Islands. I don’t expect to have internet bandwidth to post until February 10th in Buenos Aires. We’ll see what develops.
Hope you enjoyed this. Keep your comments and questions coming,
No comments:
Post a Comment