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I started this post while in this city at the bottom of the world and I am now completing it as we sit, alongside the dock, in Punta Arenas, Chile.
The weather across Drake’s passage was uneventful, in fact it was the best crossing I have experienced, apart from some fog; I’ll take fog any day, the weather in this stretch of water is fickle, one hour it can be as calm as a mill-pond, the next a roaring gale.
An unexpected treat after leaving King George Island astern was encountering 2 enormous icebergs.
Landfall was off Cape Horn on the 4th and, having embarked 2 mandatory Chilean pilots, we made a circumnavigation of the island, (yes, Cape Horn is on an island), accompanied by numerous albatross.
The ‘Horn’ in the distance
A large Pilot boat, actually a Chilean Navy vessel.
2 photos of the ‘Horn’
Albatross, gliding over the Ocean, I have never seen one ever ‘flap’ its wings, (except when taking off from the water)
Our circumnavigation of the island
Having completed that, we headed north-east, making for the Beagle Channel, (named by HMS Beagle, with Charles Darwin on board, in 1833). Then a 6-hour passage towards Ushuaia itself.
Our track towards the Beagle Channel from Cape Horn
(The northern side of the channel is Argentina, while the southern is Chilean). We stopped briefly at Puerto Williams for a Customs and Immigration clearance and resumed our travels towards our destination.
Approaching Puerto Williams
In the Beagle Channel
Puerto Williams
Where there were penguins on a sandbar
Approaching Ushuaia we were informed that our berth was still occupied; one of the (many) Expedition ships was expected to sail at 6 pm. however that passed and still no sign of movement, it wasn’t until after 7 pm that we docked. We docking in the evening instead of the following morning. Guests (and crew) had not had their feet on dry land since Montevideo, 10 days ago. Had we docked the following morning, we were scheduled to sail at 2 pm, a very short port time.
Ushuaia in the distance
The dock, with the foothills of the Andes as a backdrop
A fishing trawler, unloading her catch
And now some time-lapse and video.
Having departed Ushuaia, we took a route towards Punta Arenas which took as through some of Chile’s numerous channels, (or ‘Canals’ as the Chileans call them) and I’m going to post some of the more scenic sights.
