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Neko Harbor – First Antarctic Peninsula Landing

By on January 21, 2016 in Spirit
December 31 – Neko Harbour, 64.50S,62.33W

Just when we thought the vistas could not get better, we woke up surrounded by glaciers in Neko Harbour, which were active. We could hear the thunderous crack and then see the splash into the water. We landed on a sandy beach below a hill, technically our first landing on the Antarctic Peninsula itself.  There was a Gentoo Penguin rookery here, both close to the water and stretching up the side of a hill. We were able to hike up the hill, an elevation gain of about 300 feet. The sun had disappeared and it was snowing, sometimes heavy. It was fun just watching the Gentoo’s going up and down the penguin highways from the water to their nests. There were lots of Gentoo chicks, often two in the nest, but only one will typically survive.

Neko Harbour landing site

Taking a bath

All refreshed

Neko Harbour glaciers

Departing Neko Harbour about 1700, we went a short distance to Paradise Bay where the ship drifted on still waters as we celebrated the arrival of a new year.  The still waters were only interrupted by the sounds of the humpback whales feeding around the ship.  The ship was decorated and there were festive meals and lots of champagne. We had dinner in Restaurant 2 with the Schoonmakers, which has a small plate fixed tasting menu, just perfect. After dinner there was a celebration in the Grand Salon, with music, dancing and ringing in the New Year, with a stuffed penguin in diapers as the guest.  At midnight it was still light!

View from the top of the hill

Champagne waiting in our suite

Humpback whales feeding while we drifted

Gill’s and Schoonmaker’s in Restaurant 2 on New Years Eve

Putting diapers on the Penguin for New Years Eve

Cuverville Island

By on January 21, 2016 in Spirit
December 30 – Cuverville Island – 64.41S,62.38W

On our second day in Antarctic Waters we stopped at Cuverville Island, which is a protected sanctuary for Gentoo Penguins. Patrick went on an early kayak tour and Miriam went on a zodiac tour and then ashore with her color group,  Due to international restrictions in Antarctica, only a maximum of 100 people are allowed ashore at any one time, so we were divided up into groups which rotated daily as to which group went ashore first.  Ships with more than 500 passengers are not allowed ashore at all.  
The Gentoo chicks were just hatching, with some only a few hours old. Patrick  saw Leopard Seals, Crabeater Seals and even some Weddell seals on his kayaking trip, before also going on a zodiac tour and then going ashore.

Miriam was lucky to see a humpback whale up close on the zodiac tour.
The day culminated with the “Caviar on Ice” event poolside as we headed down Errara Channel to Neumayer Strait to our next possible harbor, Neko Harbor on Andvord Bay, situated on the west coast of Graham Land.  Both orcas and humpback whales entertained us, with the ship stopping at times for photos.  We ended up dining at the Patio Grill on the pool deck just so we would miss as little as possible.

The narrow strait we navigated was so visually stunning, one could use up a lot of film, since every turn brought new stunning vistas of snow, mountains, ice and sea. With daylight stretching into daylight at 65 degrees south, it was hard to actually close the drapes and get some sleep.  Seabourn even issued eyeshades in the suites to try and help. However, every time we thought we were past the best parts, a new vista would open up and then the cameras would come back out.

Cuverville Island and the surrounding waters are popular with expeditions, since we saw several other ships in the area.

 Miriam’s Zodiac Tour

Crabeater Seals
Up close to Humpbacks

Going for a dive

Bergs with vertical lines have already flipped at least once

Really angular shapes

This berg later rolled over

 We did not anchor here, the Seabourn Quest just drifted in the calm waters.

A lot of ice for the zodiacs to navigate getting to shore

Seabourn Quest in the ice

 Ashore on Cuverville Island with the Gentoo Penguins.

The chick is barely visible under the parent, little gray head

Gentoo Penguin

The penguins are remarkably agile in the snow

The orange beak is a Gentoo identifier

Coming back from a swim

Gentoo nests

Skuas waiting for a meal, eggs or chicks
Gentoo Penguins on a runway

Heading down for a both
Bathing in the clear water
Gentoo Penguin
Tending eggs on the nests

 Cruising after leaving Cuverville Island.

Stunning vistas

Pod of southern orca – more brown than black

Orca

Orca

Humpback Sounding

Zaandam scenic cruising

The Antarctic Peninsula
Approaching Cuverville Island

Stunning scenery on a sunny day

 Patrick’s first Zodiac Adventure.

Taking the kayaks ashore

The fleet of zodiacs circling

Patrick headed out for the first kayaking trip
Kayaking among the ice floes

The peaks along the Antarctic Peninsula

Crabeater Seal
Leopard Seals

Another view of Leopard Seal

 Caviar on Ice

Caviar on Ice

 Cruising Errera Channel

The Silversea Explorer approaching

Heading down Errera Channel

The views just kept getting better
Dinner poolside at the Patio Grill
Errera Channel
Neumayer Strait

Half Moon Island

By on January 20, 2016 in Spirit
December 29 – First Day in Antarctica

At 0330 the ship’s horn blew loudly and we stopped at King George Island to pick up a scientist they had left two weeks before. The ship then went to Half Moon Island, which is in the lee of Livingston Island and anchored about 0700, in light snow. The temperature was about -4 C. By 0815 the first passengers were on the beach. The snow increased for a while, but then we ended up with partly cloudy skies by the time we boarded the zodiacs at 1100. We were able to see Chinstrap Penguins, a few Gentoo Penguins, Gulls, Arctic Terns and a few Weddell Seals before returning to the ship at 1230. Unlike the Magellanic Penguins of Punta Arenas, these penguins build nests of pebbles raised above the ground to provide drainage.  The rock formations on the island were covered with the colored lichens that provided relief from the stark black and white of the landscape under the cloudy skies.  The winds remained calm the entire time we were anchored. As the skies cleared the views of the glaciers on Livingston Island continued to improve.

The Chinstrap Penguins had just begun to hatch, and we were fortunate to see a few chicks covered in gray down.

After everyone was on board about 1630, the Seabourn Quest raised anchor and set a course for Cuverville Island, passing close by Deception Island, an active volcano and former whaling station in the South Shetland Islands. As we continued down the Palmer Archipelago the shoreline of the Antarctic Peninsula loomed on our left, right out of our suite windows.
Approaching Half Moon Island

Our first shore landing with the Seabourn Quest

The Chinstrap Penguins scattered on the hillsides

Another view of the Seabourn Quest at anchor

Guarding the egg

Miriam with her camera at the ready

Trudging to the beach for fishing and a bath

The rock formations are really rugged

This penguin is guarding an empty egg

While thisone stands guard over an old whaling boat

As we leave, the penguin “runways” are really evident

The red lichens on the rocks bring some color, Livingston Island glaciers in the background

Large tabular bergs standing just outside the island

The rookeries extend clear to the top of the hills

T

The chinstraps are often in pairs

But sometimes solo
Too bad we could not get the sound effects

Drake Passage

By on January 20, 2016 in Spirit
December 28 – At Sea crossing the Drake Passage

Weather conditions were good in the Drake Passage and we boomed across at full speed.  The skies cleared and we passed by our first tabular iceberg and then a second one over one mile long, still small by Antarctic standards. We could see whale spouts, but they were too far away to identify the species. By 2000 we had officially crossed into Antarctic Waters.

The berg in the background is more than 1 mile long

Glacier Alley and Ushuaia

By on January 20, 2016 in Spirit
December 27 – Glacier Alley and Ushuaia

We were up at 0500, along with most of the passengers, as we entered Glacier Alley.  The proper name is Darwin Pass and it leads to the Beagle Channel and Ushuaia. Almost all of the glaciers were on the port side, so we had a good view from our stateroom, as well as the bow. There were about six glaciers, many named after countries. The transit took only about one hour and then we joined the Beagle Channel.
Entering Glacier Alley near dawn

The wind really increased from behind us as we followed another cruise ship down the channel and made the turn around the Fin El Mundo lighthouse and into Ushuaia harbor. The docking was interesting since the captain used the other cruise ship as a lee from the wind and turned the ship around and docked stern first. We were off the ship shortly after 1100 and walked the few blocks to the main street. The local people are still militant about the Falkland Islands war and you are greeted right on the dock with signs.  Since it was Sunday, most of the shops were closed until later in the day.

Approaching Usuaia

Political statements on the dock

We have entered Argentina

Irish Pubs are everywhere

Since it was Sunday, the bells were ringing

Ushuaia is a pretty rough town, with an eclectic mix of architecture and graffiti. Returning to the ship we had lunch and then boarded buses for the short ride to the Prison at the end of the world, now a museum. The prison was active from 1904 to 1947. The prisoners cut wood and built streets in Ushuaia, hence the reason for the narrow gauge train into the forests. After time at the museum we then headed to the partially restored train for a ride of 7 kilometers into the National Park.  At the end of the line we boarded our buses for a visit to Ensenada Bay for scenery and then back to the ship, which departed at 2000.

Part of the prison is now a museum

Those stoves were the only source of heat

The steam train has been restored

Add caption

We are sure the prisoners did not get cars

At Ensenada Bay looking over the Beagle Channel, Chile in background,

First Penguins

By on January 20, 2016 in Spirit
December 26 – Punta Arenas

The Seabourn Quest docked in Punta Arenas at 0600. At 0700 we boarded a bus with about 30 other people and headed for the speedboat tour of Magdalena and Marta Islands.  We watched sea lions off of Marta Island and then landed on Magdalena Island to spend one hour with Magellanic Penguins.  The island is a preserve and there are 120,000 Magellanic Penguins breeding and living in their nests, alongside with many gulls. In general this penguins mate for life and return to the same burrows year after year.  Many of the penguin chicks were out, all fluffy and gray.  The birds ignore tourists, walking right in front of you at times.  There were also many gulls nesting, some with new chicks.

Arriving in Punta Arenas – L’Boreal is broken down alongside dock

Marta Island Stellar Sea Lions

Returning to the ship, the speedboat was chased briefly by a pod of Southern Porpoise. We returned to the ship for a quick lunch and then took the shuttle bus into town for a quick walk around the main square. Since it was siesta time many of the shops were closed.

Local goods in Punta Arenas

Statues to Magellan

Typical Church

Miriam observing the sights
Returning to the ship we rested and then went to the sailaway party before joining many others in the main restaurant for the chef’s dinner, a multi-course tasting menu with an entrée of local halibut. The evening finished up with the ship’s vocal group singing “songs of the city”.

Tomorrow early we transit “Glacier Alley” before we arrive at Ushuaia before noon.

Chilean Fjords

By on January 20, 2016 in Spirit
December 24 – Christmas Eve

About 0300 we headed out of the protected channels and back into the Southern Ocean where a full SW gale was blowing, with winds to 52 knots and seas to 8 meters. The motion was radical at times, with the entire ship enveloped in a cloud of wind blown spray.  As we continued to head south the ship gradually took the seas on the beam and the motions got somewhat better, but with occasional slams where the entire ship shuddered. All the outside decks were closed, the pools were drained, and there was little people traffic around the ship. Some of the crew were succumbing to motion sickness as were many passengers.

Enjoying the whirlpool leaving Chiloe

The seas got a little rough

Entering the first of the Chilean Fjords
By 1000 we had made the turn into the Gulf de Penas where even from miles away we could see the waves breaking on the headland and sending spray high into the air.  At 1600 we entered the first of the Chilean Fjords. The weather is getting colder as we head south with the high today of 54 degrees, the same as the water temperature. As we headed into the fjord the wind lessened and the waves disappeared, but the cloudy conditions remained.
Later this afternoon there is a sing-along Christmas Carol event, followed by a family style dinner in the Colonnade of  roast turkey and all the fixings, which we will attend, in addition to the regular restaurant menu choices. We shared dinner with Seng and Su Ong from Malaysia, who are in the suite next to us. Following dinner was a holiday show, “Santa Claus – The Musical” to cap off the evening.  The only choice for religious services is a Catholic Mass at 11:30 PM.

Family Style Christmas Dinner

The Christmas Penguin after the show

Some gifts from the ship
As the show ended, the ship turned and headed back out into the Pacific and the motions once again became apparent. That did not seem to affect our sleep.

December 25 – Christmas Day

We awoke early to calm seas, rain and low clouds as the Seabourn Quest had re-entered the fjords while we were asleep.  Shortly after 0800 Seabourn Quest slowed as we approached El Brujo glacier and then eased forward through the floating ice until the glacier face was visible, several miles in the distance.
El Brujo Glacier
The bow deck is open for viewing

Deck 11 is also a good place for photos

This glacier looked large until we got to Antarctica
After everyone’s photos had been taken and ship was departing the glacier, Santa suddenly appeared racing towards us in a zodiac, waving to those of us left on deck. Still in the rain we continued down the Chilean Fjords as the weather gradually improved. We passed by a shipwreck and a mountain volcano that looked a lot like Mt. Rainier. As Christmas Day finally came to a close, we watched the early show, with a magician, a gala dinner with British poppers for everyone and then a harpist. We did not attend the last show since we had an early tour in Punta Arenas.

Shipwreck in the fjord

First of many seabirds
Santa Arriving by Zodiac
Chilean Version of Mt. Rainier

Embarkation at Valparaiso

By on January 19, 2016 in Spirit
December 20, 2015

After a farewell to Juan Castro at the hotel, Miriam and Patrick boarded a private van for the 2 hour drive to Valparaiso. Traffic was heavy in the middle of town, with a large Sunday market underway. Arriving at the cruise ship passenger terminal we filled out health forms and boarded busses to the ship. Final check-in took place on board with white gloved porters taking your hand luggage and escorting you to the check-in area on deck 6.  After brief formalities we headed to deck 8 for a light lunch while our suites were readied.  We chose Greek salads and grilled white fish.  Our suite was ready shortly after 2pm and we entered and were greeted by our stewardess, Kirsty, from South Africa, with champagne and appetizers. After settling in we went to the lifeboat drill and then the departure from Valparaiso.  We were followed out of the harbor by two other cruise ships, the Zaandam and the Celebrity Infinity.  We would see both ships several times over the next few days.

As the Seabourn Quest left the dock, the hills reminded us of San Francisco, minus the Coit Tower. The  Seabourn Quest headed out of the harbor and turned south for a day at sea before we arrive at Puerto Montt. With a SW swell of 2-3 meters, the gentle roll was pleasant for us, but not for everyone.

Our Sloan Classmate Juan Castro

The Hills of Valparaiso
After unpacking our bags we headed to the Observation Bar for a cocktail and then dinner in Restaurant 2, by reservation. There we met Dave and Eva Schoonmaker for the second time, having met them at the hotel in Santiago during breakfast. The menu is a fixed tasting menu and very good. After dinner we headed to The Club on Deck 5 for dancing and music before calling it a night.

Sunset our first night at sea
December 21 – At Sea

Exercise in the morning, followed by an introduction to the Expedition Team.  We had the first session with the Photographers, Pat & Rosemarie Keough.  They are from Saltspring Island. We then had to prepare for the first formal night and the Captain’s Reception followed by dinner in the main restaurant. The show started at 2145 and consisted of the vocal team of entertainers on board.

December 22 – Puerto Montt

The ship arrived just before 1000 and we headed ashore by tender in the rain. Boarding busses we headed out of Puerto Montt to Puerto Varas and then followed the Petrohue River to it’s origin in the Emerald Lake (local name is Todo de los Santos). The lake lies at the base of several volcanoes.  Signs of the recent eruptions were still very evident, with ash deposits everywhere,

Cruising in the rain on the Emerald Lake

Part of the Petrohue River
Boarding a tour boat we headed out into the lake in heavy rain with a partial view of the volcanoes.  Stopping partway down the river we viewed the waterfalls and then back to Puerto Varas for lunch and some shopping before finally returning to the ship at nearly 1900. The ship departed Puerto Montt at 2000.

Artisan Market at Puerto Varas

Local boats – Puerto Varas

Ibis watching us at lunch through the window in the rain
We had dinner in the Colonnade, joining another couple from Texas. We were exhausted, so skipped the show.

The crew is beginning to get the ship decorated for Christmas, with trees and gingerbread houses in several locations. We have poinsettias in our cabin, along with the decorations that Miriam had in her luggage.

December 23 – Castro, Isla Chiloe

Castro is an Unesco site with 16 historic churches.  We anchored behind the Celebity Infinity and later the Zaandam also arrived and anchored.  We did not opt for the church tour and ran out of time to explore any of them.  We had a very early departure for the Chiloe National Park on the windward side of the island, a drive of about 90 minutes. Once at the park, the weather alternated between sun and rain as we went on a several kilometer nature walk through the rain forest. Some of the walk was on a boardwalk, but much was a muddy trail due to the rain.  This was the same area in which Charles Darwin landed during the voyage of the Beagle.
Same Area as Darwin explored

Looking across the lake

The boardwalk Trail, some was just mud
The size of the vegetation was incredible
We had a heavy snack before returning to the ship about 1330, just in time for some cleanup and a light lunch on-board at the Patio Grill consisting of local grilled seafood. There was a sailaway party at 1600 with Belgian Waffles, crepes and sweet pancakes, all with local jams and jellies, as we headed back out of the harbor and wound our way through the islands on the east side of Chiloe and then out into the open ocean.

One of the 16 Unesco Churches in Castro

Pole houses along the water like in Ketchikan
Cruising out of Castro to the open sea

There are massive aquaculture operations all over
After the sail-away party there was a “block party” where everyone on your deck gathered to share drinks, appetizers and meet each other and the crew allocated to your deck. We then went to the main restaurant for a delicious dinner which included lamb, scallops and other delectables. The entertainment this evening was a harpist, really good.

Some of the Christmas Decorations

The main spiral staircase all decorated
Tomorrow we begin our cruise through the Chilean Fjords as we celebrate Christmas Eve on the Seabourn Quest. The weather is not cooperating, with windy rainy conditions expected.

Getting to Santiago

By on December 20, 2015 in Spirit

Blog Post 2 – Bellevue to Santiago, Chile

December 17

Leaving Bellevue at 1445, we joined the crowded traffic on I-405 headed north early during the holiday season. Patrick’s sister, Julie went with us to bring back our car from Vancouver airport.  With three of us in the car, the new express lanes (free with three) sped up the travel significantly and we arrived at the border in only 2 hours and 30 minutes, even with a stop for coffee in Burlington.  Clearing into Canada was a breeze, with virtually no lines at the border. The coffee stop turned out to be a bad choice since we soon ran into a massive traffic jam of merging traffic trying to go northbound through the Massey tunnel in rainy weather under the Fraser River. Not being aware of the routine, we never seemed to be in the correct lane as the traffic all pushed forward, jockeying for position and an advantage.  We spent more than an hour going only 2 miles. Even so, we arrived at the Fairmont hotel at the airport shortly after 1830.  Checking into very nice rooms and getting rid of the coffee, we then gathered in the Global Lounge for a very well cooked and presented dinner. We indulged in appetizers like duck fat cooked French Fries and crab cakes with a ginger/lime aioli.  Entrees included Sable Fish in a miso/sake broth, grilled prawns on a cauliflower risotto, and grilled organic pork chops.  We capped off the evening with Irish Coffee’s before retiring to get ready  for the long flight the next day.

December 18

We all met for a light breakfast before Julie headed back to Bellevue. Checking out of the hotel about 1000 we walked the short distance to the American Airlines check in area, checked our luggage to Santiago and then cleared security and US Customs, using our Nexus passes to speed up the process. After a wait, we boarded the Boeing 737-800 aircraft and departed close to on-time. Taking off to the east, we had a little turbulence as we climbed through the overcast into clear skies and our cruising altitude of 35,000 feet.  The flight time to Dallas is only 3 ½ hours, so the crew predicts an on-time arrival.
As we flew east and south we saw snow blanketing the landscape and a beautiful sunset to the southwest before the twinkle of lights around the snow covered fields became visible.
Landing in Dallas we made our way the American Airlines Admiral’s  Club and were pleasantly surprised to find out we qualified for pre-flight dining in the lounge.  The dining was simple, but we were comfortable.  We began to feel nervous about our seat assignments and headed to the gate where we were told we were being downgraded with no compensation to economy.  We discovered that the airline believed we were on award tickets, not full fare, and after showing our receipt were moved back into business class. We also made some panicked calls to Seabourn, but it was too late for them to intervene.  However, we  sweated bullets until the door was closed, while watching the drama’s unfolding around us with people leaving the aircraft and the gate agent trying to do the best thing for everyone, after he was handed the overbooking problem.

Once we were airborne, the Boeing 787-8 began to reveal it’s advantages. And also some unexpected features.  The screens were too far away for Miriam to reach and the beds do not allow the footrest to come up independent of a recline, so some of the comfort features were lost on us. We were still better off than being back in economy class.

We are now over the Gulf of Mexico approaching the Yucatan Peninsula and are just finishing our main course which we had pre-ordered.  Life is once again good!

December 19, 2015

We did not make up any time overnight and landed in Santiago one hour late. To add insult to injury, there were no gates available so we sat on the tarmac for another 30 minutes before disembarking and joining the throngs clearing immigration.  We fully expected our luggage to already be out, but when we were met by the Seabourn representative we could not find our bags among the priority bags already unloaded. After another 20 minutes our bags finally arrived and we headed out through Customs where we found we could not import some  packaged nuts. However, when the agent looked at them, they let them go.

The drive into the hotel was fine, traffic was light on a Saturday and our room was ready. After a quick shower we called Juan Castro, one of Patrick’s Sloan classmates and we then went to his house for lunch.  We met his wife, two daughters and youngest son.  It had been 29 years since we had seen each other and we spent several hours catching up over a delicious lunch that they had prepared of fresh Southern King Crab, prawns, salads and fresh fruit.

Returning to the hotel,we took a siesta until after 1900.   We then went with Juan to the Manquehue Club, an athletic and social facility.  After a light dinner we headed to the Central Park with Juan and caught the last hour of the annual free Christmas concert.  There were thousands of people of all ages spread on on the grass or in chairs.  The concert ended about 2200 and we returned to the hotel for a decent rest before boarding the ship tomorrow afternoon.

December 20 – Embarkation Day

We began with a delicious breakfast buffet in the hotel’s open air restaurant.  After a walk around the neighborhood we took our luggage down to the lobby and prepared for the drive to Valparaiso.

 

Southbound for the Holidays

By on December 16, 2015 in Spirit

December 16, 2015Since completing our 3000 nautical mile voyage to SE Alaska our first order of business was to have Spirit hauled out and annual maintenance performed, including fresh bottom paint, replacing the Amartech shaft seal, tuning the propell…