Cape Horn and Tierra del Fuego Cruise
Early in the morning, the ship reached Cape Horn. We
had been told in a briefing the previous night that we might or might not be
able to disembark depending on sea conditions, winds and the height of the
waves on the beach, since the landing entailed us and the rubber zodiacs safely
negotiating the beach and the makeshift wharf. Cape Horn is famous for
its huge, stormy seas and shipwrecks.
The morning looked good; the sea and winds were fairly calm.
So we all gathered to go ashore. While awaiting our turn for zodiac
transport, the sun disappeared, the clouds enveloped us, the wind started to
blow, and it started sleeting. Never mind, we still disembarked the ship.
Our greeting party along the way was a sea lion, following us and popping
his head up curiously, wondering who or what had invaded his lonely territory.
As we reached the shore, we noticed the bartenders had donned wet suits
and were standing in the icy water guiding the zodiac to its landing point.
And the sun was once again shining.
The pattern of sun and sleet or rain was to be repeated over and over while we were in the area. The first order of business upon reaching the shore was to climb 157 steps to a plateau where we continued onward and upward in the direction of a monument to the albatross. The monument is only partially there, owing to a storm with winds so high that half of it blew away. There is also a lighthouse in which a keeper and his family live. We were surprised to learn that after about an hour or so of motoring the previous night, we had left the jurisdiction of Argentina, and the waters and islands we were now traversing belonged to Chile. So, the lighthouse keeper was a member of the Chilean Navy. One can only imagine a more isolated, solitary existence looking out into an empty ocean where the Atlantic and Pacific meet and the next southerly landmass is Antarctica. The closest South American land consists of small, rocky uninhabited islands with vegetation growing low and clinging to the earth in order to anchor itself against the wind that whips around the bottom of the world.
Throughout the next days of the cruise we settled into a
comfortable existence of shore excursions with walks and hikes. We viewed
islands with distinct wild flowers and vegetation. Glaciers were numerous
and are connected to the Southern ice field. Snow capped mountains,
waterfalls, and rocky cliffs surrounded us as we traveled through fjords of
great beauty.
I should mention that the ship itself was very enjoyable. Cabins were spacious, modern, clean and very comfortable. The cuisine was attractively presented and quite good. We learned a lot of the history, geology, and biology of Tierra del Fuego, the Straits of Magellan and Cape Horn from presentations given on board. Overall, we had a great time and would recommend this cruise line, Australis, to anyone interested in a similar experience.
Tomorrow we dock in Punta Arenas, Chile, and fly to
Santiago, where we will finish our adventure.
