Ushuaia, Argentina and Antarctica Feb 1- 7

 

If I remember correctly in our last posting I left us at sea having been driven out of the Straights of Magellan by Krill after leaving Punta Arenas, Chile.  Our next port of call was Ushuaia which we cruised to by entering the Beagle Channel.  The Channel owes it’s name to the HMS Beagle which sailed the channel on hydrographic surveys notably with a young naturalist named Charles Darwin on board.  The Beagle Channel was the first place we saw glaciers.

Side note.  You can enlarge a picture by double clicking on it.

This glacier has a huge fresh water fall from melting ice.  Note the lighter color of the water around the base.  This is caused by the difference between fresh water and the salt water of the Pacific not mixing.  As the water flows down the channel the salt water dilutes the fresh and the waters mix.

A clearer look at the water line.  You will see this again when we are in the Amazon and two rivers meet with different chemical compositions.

We saw several glaciers as we sailed south.  This is an example of a retreating glacier up the valley it formed.

Another glacier flow.  Note how these glaciers form in valleys between the mountain tops.  In Antarctica you will see that the ice sheet forms over the mountains, sometimes as much as 2 miles over.  You will not see these types of formations.

Do you remember the last time you saw Noreen sitting in shorts in the desert under a giant palm tree?  Well, here is Noreen in our current weather in Ushuaia.

Ushuaia also claims to be the southern most city in the world and I agree.  While there a settlements further south no other major cities exist.  There are farming and fishing industries however Artic tourism is a key industry.  These ships take passengers on two week explorations of the Antarctic region with landings and animal encounters. They are about 1/2 the size of our ship or smaller.  Note the zodiac boats for transportation.  This is the primary way to get around in Antarctica for short distances, ~3 miles or less.  You’ll see them again when the Palmer Research Station people come aboard our ship.

For a city this far south and off the main path there is a lot of vehicle traffic and town commerce.

Of course a taxi stand

Even in the “City at the End of the World” Noreen managed to find a friendly face.

This is how Noreen looks when she is cold and ready to go back to the ship and I am dawdling.

The airport was directly across the bay from our ship.

Fishing boats loading to go to sea.

And the Navy is always present in our ports.

Now the plot thickens.  We developed a fault in the ship fire detection system.  The part was in Norway and the technician in France.  They met in Buenos Aires and flew down to Ushuaia on February 1^st.  (It really is becoming a small world).  But Mother Nature stepped in (again) and the winds were to high to land at the Ushuaia airport and they had to return to BA.  So now we were a day late.  We were scheduled to leave that evening but didn’t leave until late in the afternoon of February 2^nd.  That meant that by the time we exited the Beagle Channel and turned south we would pass Cape Horn and enter the Drake Passage at night. The Drake Passage is named after Sir Francis Drake who rediscovered it in 1577.  This passage, only 500 miles wide is the shortest crossing from Antarctica to the other continents.  The waters of the passage are known to be the roughest in the world.. For us it was a rough passage but not as bad as it could have been.  The rule was one hand for you and one hand for the ship, meaning always be holding on to something as you moved about.

On that night the waves and wind twisted the ship in such a manner that the stresses caused these windows in the dinning room to shatter.  It is safety glass so it just spider lined out.  There are several others around the dinning room that look the same.

Plates and glasses are not placed on the table until needed.  They are stored on the floor.

And the sick sacs were out in strategic locations.

About 1:30 PM on February 3^rd we passed through the Antarctic Conversion Zone where there is a significant and quick drop in air and sea temperature.   It started to snow soon after.  The water was so cold that the snow didn’t melt on it.  This is a line of snow sitting on the water.

Then there is was, “ICEBERGE, RIGHT AHEAD!!”  Well actually about 3 miles off to port but I had to use that famous line from Titanic once.  Our first iceberg. About as big as our ship.

Noreen with the start of Antarctic land mass on the morning of February 4^th. For the two days we were here our closest point to the Antarctic Circle was about 90 miles.

As we got further south it got colder.  This is our “outdoor gal” watching penguins and bergs from the warmth of our room over our balcony.

Chinstrap Penguins feeding as we pass.

Brown Research Station run by Argentina

Leopard seal resting on the an ice flow.

More penguins feeding. They travel in groups and swim underwater with occasional jumps.  I have about 100 shots of nothing but water trying to catch them in the air.  I have no idea what people did when they used 35mm film.

For those with a map on February 3, 4 & 5, we sailed through the Bismarck Straights, through the Lemarie Channel into Paradise Bay.  Then into the Garland Straight, past Wiencke Island and into Andvord Bay.  Then back to Palmer Station by way of the Neumayer Channel.  Then is was along the Bransfield Strait, Weddell Sea, Hope Bay and Elephant Island.  I think that is about right.

This is a  shot of the ships position at 11:30 AM on the 4^th.  The arrow is a bit north of Paradise Bay.

Some views.   The shoreline, little bumps on the rock are penguins.

With this growler (berg the size of a piano) you can see the additional mass under water, usually ~80%.

Shoreline covered in ice fog that came and went all day.

Best shot I got of a whale.  There were several that swan by the ship but I could never get a fluke or profile.

Chilean Research Station

The Chilean Research station is located in a penguin colony.

Wind and waves shape icebergs.

Inhospitable terrain.  The next two pictures were taken within a short timeframe.  Note the rapid change in weather.

 

This is the zodiac from Palmer Station coming to pick-up the scientists who came aboard to give us information briefings (and get fresh vegetables and fruit as a reward).  We had the pleasure of having lunch with Cat, a young PhD candidate from Brown University in Marine Microbiology.  A very interesting discussion. Yes, that is an iceberg just wandering past in the background. 

Speaking of icebergs, we sailed into the Weddell Sea, birthplace of the largest icebergs.  This iceberg is 1.2 miles long and 100’s of feet high.  Think about the underwater mass.

We sailed into a channel and had to turn around in the ships length due to ice blockage.  This panorama shows the opening we entered through and had to leave by.

We then sailed into an ice field and had to slow way down.  From our balcony.

The morning of February 5^th found snow on the decks.  Many of the Pilipino and Indonesian crew had never seen snow.  Using their experience and skill, they made a snow fish not a snowman.  I’m trying to get a picture of it.

 

We headed north toward Elephant Island.  The island is famous for the place that Shackleton left most of his crew after being stranded and sailed to South Georgia Island for help.  My fellow BLC colleagues may remember the Boeing love affair with Shackleton’s leadership style we had in the early 2000s.  We were scheduled to arrive about 2200 hrs. (10:00 PM) while it was still light (long days short nights down here).  However, we sailed into fog and icebergs again and had to slow down.  Thus we didn’t arrive until after dark.  A disappointment as I was looking forward to seeing this place I have spoken about in the past.  Maybe on our next trip down here……

I could post another couple hundred pictures.  We hope you enjoyed this brief highlight trip through Antarctica.  We’ll see you again in the Falkland Islands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Number of Ports and Those Darn Krill

It is a bright, sunny and really windy January 31^st 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 27^th.  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 28^th.  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 28^th 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 29^th  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 30^th 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 31^st 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 10^th in Buenos Aires.  We’ll see what develops.

Hope you enjoyed this.  Keep your comments and questions coming,