Yesterday we gave a presentation at the Seattle Boat Show on our trip around the world. We described some of the techniques we used to make the trip more safe and comfortable for longer passages and at the dock, ranging from watch-keeping and fuel management to living on a 60Hz boat in 50Hz countries. And…
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Keith’s Perspective on Punta Salinas, Isla San Francisco and Costa Baja/Le point de vue de Keith sur Punta Salinas, Isla San Francisco et Costa Baja
I enjoyed my time at Punta Salinas. It has salt flats that used to be salt mines; they were fun to explore. We went on the salt flats, which felt like snow and ice. But there were other salt flats … Continue reading →
Feb. 4 – San Juan, PR
Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport. – Unknown
This was our first time to fly in three years. I’m happy to say everything went smoothly. It’s nice to fly in the morning, the airport is less crowded and our plane was waiting for us. The only thing that could have gone smoother was our car rental. Oh my we won’t use Payless in San Juan again. All I can say is I’m glad we stayed close to the airport this evening.
We spent our first night in Puerto Rico in a posh neighborhood of Carolina called Isla Verde. This award-winning beach area is popular among visitors, because it’s close to the airport and full of fancy beach resorts. Isla Verde has golden-sand shores that are framed with tall palm trees, hotels, restaurants, and shops. It might be a great place for some to spend their whole holiday, but we look forward to getting out of the city and seeing more of the real Puerto Rico.
After checking into our apartment we went for a walk on the beach. It was nice to enjoy a rum drink and pizza with our toes in the sand.
It was a little cloudy this evening, but we still enjoyed waking on the beach.
And having dinner with a view at Ocean Breeze.
The view from our balcony this evening.
Feb. 4 – San Juan, PR
Of all the books in the world, the best stories are found between the pages of a passport. – Unknown
This was our first time to fly in three years. I’m happy to say everything went smoothly. It’s nice to fly in the morning, the airport is less crowded and our plane was waiting for us. The only thing that could have gone smoother was our car rental. Oh my we won’t use Payless in San Juan again. All I can say is I’m glad we stayed close to the airport this evening.
Punta Salinas on Isla San Jose to Isla San Francisco
Sunrise on Saturday, January 28. The island in the middle of the photo is Isla San Francisco. This morning, the wind was light and the anchorage was totally calm. Ahhhhh. We were so happy to have a break from the … Continue reading →
Puerto Rico Adventure
“Travel makes you realize that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn.” — Nyssa P. Chopra
It’s been three years since we’ve taken a winter adventure…three LONG years. It seems fitting that we’re going back to Puerto Rico exactly three years after our last trip. The world seemed to come to a standstill after we returned in 2020. I hope we never have to experience such a thing in our life’s again.
During our first visit to PR we spent 18 days circling the whole island. Checking out all the local and visitor favorite places. This time we’ll spend two weeks moving a little slower. We’re going to spend our first week at a beach house in Aguadilla, which is on the west coast. It’ll be our home base while we enjoy the local beaches and do a little hiking. The second week we’ll go inland and explore the mountainous region around Jayuya for three days and then go back to Old San Juan for three days. We truly loved our first trip to Puerto Rico and look forward to exploring the region a little more.
Puerto Rico Adventure
“Travel makes you realize that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn.” — Nyssa P. Chopra
It’s been three years since we’ve taken a winter adventure…three LONG years. It seems fitting that we’re going back to Puerto Rico exactly three years after our last trip. The world seemed to come to a standstill after we returned in 2020. I hope we never have to experience such a thing in our life’s again.
Grand Americas Part 8 – Chilean Fjords Part 2
Sunday, January 31, 2023 – Enroute to Punta Arenas
We were supposed to cruise Chilean Fjords today, but the Captain announced there was a failure of one of the two gyrocompasses and he was unwilling to enter the fjord system with only one. In addition, the satellite internet had a hardware failure, so we were without internet. The swells were running at 3 meters, so the ride was relatively bouncy, with a lot of pitching motion the entire day.
Monday, February 1, 2023 – Chilean Fjords and El Brujo Glacier
After cruising offshore overnight, early in the morning we turned back into the Chilean Fjords, heading down Samiento Channel, the principal north/south channel in the Fjord system. The ship then headed for El Brujo Glacier, arriving at 0830. We stayed for about one hour and saw one calving incident as the Captain slowly rotated the ship so everyone could get a view. Heading back away from the glacier face the ship then continued south down Samiento Channel towards our next destination, Punta Arenas, located about halfway through the Straits of Magellan.
El Brujo Glacier Calving
El Brujo Glacier
Shipwreck in Samiento Channel
Tuesday, February 2, 2023 – Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas is the largest city south of the 46th Parallel, with a population of 131,000 in the municipality. The city is an important logistical center for lumber, oil from Tierro del Fuego, a large Duty Free center, and for support to Antarctic expeditions. The city’s main boulevards are wide and tree lined. Our ship did not depart until 2100, so we had plenty of time to explore and make last minute purchases we may have forgotten for the upcoming Antarctic visit.
The weather across the Drake Passage is predicted to be sloppy, so at the last moment the Captain announced we would divert to Ushuaia and anchor for the evening to sneak across to Antarctica in calmer weather. Unfortunately, that will cut our time short by one day in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Condor Sculpture In Punta Arenas
Magellan Statue in Plaza des Armas
Typical Street scene in Punta Arenas
Wednesday, February 3, 2023 Glacier Alley and Ushuaia
The ship entered the north arm of Beagle Channel, known as Glacier Alley at about 0900, since at least 7 glaciers line the north side of the channel in a space of only 10 NM. The wind was blowing and there was a lot of rain, but there were enough gaps in the squalls everyone good a good view of the glaciers. By 1100 we had passed the last glacier and headed directly for Ushuaia, where the anchor was dropped at 1500. The wind and rain prevented tender operation initially and we never were cleared for tender operations, so we are at anchor until we leave at 2400. The Drake Passage is expected to be rough, so the ship has handed out sea sickness medication to everyone.
Glacier Alley
This was a tidewater glacier in 2015
Glacier Alley
Rainbow in Beagle Channel
Grand Americas Part 8 – Chilean Fjords Part 2
Sunday, January 31, 2023 – Enroute to Punta Arenas
We were supposed to cruise Chilean Fjords today, but the Captain announced there was a failure of one of the two gyrocompasses and he was unwilling to enter the fjord system with only one. In addition, the satellite internet had a hardware failure, so we were without internet. The swells were running at 3 meters, so the ride was relatively bouncy, with a lot of pitching motion the entire day.
Monday, February 1, 2023 – Chilean Fjords and El Brujo Glacier
After cruising offshore overnight, early in the morning we turned back into the Chilean Fjords, heading down Samiento Channel, the principal north/south channel in the Fjord system. The ship then headed for El Brujo Glacier, arriving at 0830. We stayed for about one hour and saw one calving incident as the Captain slowly rotated the ship so everyone could get a view. Heading back away from the glacier face the ship then continued south down Samiento Channel towards our next destination, Punta Arenas, located about halfway through the Straits of Magellan.
El Brujo Glacier Calving
El Brujo Glacier
Shipwreck in Samiento Channel
Tuesday, February 2, 2023 – Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas is the largest city south of the 46th Parallel, with a population of 131,000 in the municipality. The city is an important logistical center for lumber, oil from Tierro del Fuego, a large Duty Free center, and for support to Antarctic expeditions. The city’s main boulevards are wide and tree lined. Our ship did not depart until 2100, so we had plenty of time to explore and make last minute purchases we may have forgotten for the upcoming Antarctic visit.
The weather across the Drake Passage is predicted to be sloppy, so at the last moment the Captain announced we would divert to Ushuaia and anchor for the evening to sneak across to Antarctica in calmer weather. Unfortunately, that will cut our time short by one day in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Condor Sculpture In Punta Arenas
Magellan Statue in Plaza des Armas
Typical Street scene in Punta Arenas
Wednesday, February 3, 2023 Glacier Alley and Ushuaia
The ship entered the north arm of Beagle Channel, known as Glacier Alley at about 0900, since at least 7 glaciers line the north side of the channel in a space of only 10 NM. The wind was blowing and there was a lot of rain, but there were enough gaps in the squalls everyone good a good view of the glaciers. By 1100 we had passed the last glacier and headed directly for Ushuaia, where the anchor was dropped at 1500. The wind and rain prevented tender operation initially and we never were cleared for tender operations, so we are at anchor until we leave at 2400. The Drake Passage is expected to be rough, so the ship has handed out sea sickness medication to everyone.
Glacier Alley
This was a tidewater glacier in 2015
Glacier Alley
Rainbow in Beagle Channel
San Evaristo to Punta Salinas on Isla San Jose
Sunrise on Friday, January 27 We were pleased to see that the wind had calmed down significantly. However, it still at about 16-knots sustained, so it was still windy. The four boats had all agreed to go to Punta Salinas … Continue reading →
