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Wed. 2/20
We are in the beautiful GULF OF COROVADO this morning with exceptionally good weather again. Our destination
is the tiny village of CHACABUCO almost completely surrounded by tree laden mountains. The higher ones are
snow capped and the scenery is beautiful. We tendered into town. Not much to do in the village so we walked
the quiet hilly streets in the hot sun. It was apparently siesta time for the villagers, since very few
people were about. This evening, after a comedy/magic presentation by Chris Mitchell, we proceded along
the DARWIN CHANNEL..
Thurs. 2/21
Today we are cruising the PATAGONIA CHANNELS, including one that had been recently opened to passenger
ships for the first time. Previously, this channel had been used by the Chilean navy for training purposes.
We sail slowly thru mountains of rock and forest on another great weather day. Highlights beyond the stunning
scenery - Lecture on Pizzaro, GCT cocktail party, and a very funny comedian, Richie Minervini.
Fri. 2/22
During the night, we sailed in the turbulent Pacific toward the calmer waters of the Straits of Magellan.
The morning fog has lifted enough for us to view the magnificent AMALIA GLACIER. All day we are surrounded
by forested islands and mountains, some of the higher ones snow capped. Glaciers met us here and there. It
was very cold outdoors, but the passing scenery was well worth the discomfort. A video on "Patagonia, Life
at the End of the Earth", a lecture on Magellan, and walking the windy cold decks consumed our day.
A marvelous exhibition of flamenco and tango dances given by the team DUO MIRO was the entertainment tonight.
Sat. 2/23
The Dream was docked for the entire day in the lovely city of PUNTA ARENAS, CHILE. We opted to walk about
the town, visiting the beautiful little cathedral, parks an Salesian museum that depicted some of the
history of this area and many preserved indiginous animals. We were able to spend the last of our pesos
since we will be leaving Chile during the night. This city of 97,000 may be at the "end of the world" but
is certainly more modern than one might expect, and its importance in tourism, oil production, sheep
raising etc. is growing. We finally saw a movie late in the afternoon and the evening show was a lively
musical "42nd Street".
Sun. 2/24
We are in the BEAGLE CHANNEL this morning. Starting about 6:30AM we are able to view a number of
magnificent glaciers along our route. This daunting area gives us 100 plus mph winds. A number of
hats flew by, and one lady's eyeglasses were ripped from her face by the vicious wind. We all clustered
together like penguins in whatever shelter could be found, to take pics of the snow capped fjords and
glaciers. Truly awesome. USHUAIA (pronounced oo-shway-a) is an attractive town of 50,000, the southernmost
town of the world. It is surprisingly cosmopolitan.
Incredibly sunny weather returned in the afternoon, as
we began shedding layers of clothes. We walked into town, and visited the Maritime and Prison museums.
The latter tells the story of the many prisoners (female, too) who were sent here to serve their sentences,
and eventually to colonize a growing town. Starting in 1896 with 14 convicts, it quickly escalated, and
remained a prison until 1947. The cell block remains pretty much the same as when it was an active prison.
Mon. 2/25
We have been happily blessed with good weather the past few days. We're told that this is the exception
rather than the rule in this part of the world. We circumnavigated CAPE HORN under clear skies before heading
N/E towards the Falklands. 2 talks by our maritime lecturer were the bright spots of the afternoon.
Comedian Stevie Stone entertained this evening with a very funny monologue.
Tues. 2/26
The Dream arrived on schedule at the FALKLAND ISLANDS and we were queued up to disembark. However, the
weather had other plans for us. With heaving seas and extremely strong winds, we were not able to tender
to PT. STANLEY. Another cruise ship had recently attempted tender service under less severe conditions
and was forced to leave some passengers stranded ashore. Not a pretty picture. We watched a crew member's
hard hat blow off his head while on a surveillance tender, and witnessed a dramatic rescue at sea as he
redeemed it by some fancy maneuvering. Lots of dolphins playing in the rolling sea to assuage our disappointment.
Our captain was glad to get out of the tight quarters of the harbor successfully. Heavy seas continued for
the day and the ship's schedule was altered accordingly. Extra lectures and movies were added. Great show
with comic juggler Rick Belstock in the evening.
Continue...
This trip to cruise the Straits of Magellan was made Feb. 14 - Mar. 8, 2002 by a New York State couple.
Your comments are welcome.
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