Following on from my last post, the weather did indeed turn rough and within an hour the ship was ploughing through heavy seas, shaking and banging. This continued for 3 or 4 hours, but by the time we went to bed it had calmed down.
Day 5
Another clear day, with calm seas. We have upped our speed to 18 kts to ensure we make it to Ushuaia tomorrow afternoon. Captain said yesterday that he had been going slow to conserve fuel, but particularly with the rough patch last night he has had to readjust his plans. It is important to get to Ushuaia on time to complete final arrangements and more importantly, to pick up our Ice Pilot.
It seems to be a trend with all cruise companies to have a brunch, doing way with both breakfast and lunch. Well, that doesn't suit us, either as a buffet or waiting until 10.30 to have something to eat. So in protest we have had room service breakfast again, and although it is a little chilly to sit outside (10 degrees), it was very comfortable on the big table in the cabin.
After the obligatory coffee we went up to Deck 10 and did our mile - it was remarkably pleasant up there. We have just realised that we've been cheated as the mile is a nautical mile, further than a standard mile, so we are better than we thought!
Later in the afternoon the sun was shining brightly and it was warm enough to sit out on the balcony and finish off the bottle of Tannat I'd bought in Montevideo. We were enthralled watching the sea birds flying around the ship - we have subsequently found out that they were sub Antarctic albatrosses and petrals. We did spot a whale/dolphin or something which spouted and jumped out of the water.
Day 6
We are still not waking up until after 8.30, so a bit of a rush to get organised to get to breakfast before the MDR closes at 9.30. We are sailing up the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia and unfortunately it is quite murky but at least the sea is calm (as we are in the channel).
The channel separates Angentina from Chile to the south. In fact the whole geography of the area is quite a revelation, as Ushuaia is actually on an island separated from the rest of mainland South America and Chile completely surrounds it. Having said that, Ushuaia is still considered the "End of the World".
Oh dear, the ship obviously has issues with norovirus and other illnesses as we got a letter from the Captain once again setting out hygiene precautions and the implementation of new measures to combat the potential spread of sickness. No self service up in the buffet (which is usual), but also in MDR, no salt & pepper, breads, butter, preserves, milk jugs, sugar. It certainly makes for more work for the dining staff, but hey we would much rather stay healthy.
We are due to berth at 2.00 PM and the Captain announced that we were ahead if time and he hoped to arrive early. Obviously he tempted fate as the wind through the channel suddenly gusted up to 60+ kts and that coincided with our attempts to go out on Deck 10 to take photos. Literally just about blown off our feet, so retreated and headed off to lunch. We did however sight our first whale on the way up the channel.
As we disembarked we saw the bulk of a ship berthed opposite us - the Star Princess. It made our ship look really, really small (& special). We had nothing planned and intended to walk town but on our way along the wharf we came across a tour company offering a tour (including train) to the end of the world for USD100.
The ship had the same trip for USD219! So yes, of course we signed up. A minibus of 9 with private guide is better than 40+. Many others thought the same, as they sold 3 mini bus loads (some had slightly more guests than ours!).
We drove through town for some 12 km to the railway station and took the narrow guage railway (traditional steam engine) to the national park, where we disembarked and then vanned to the end of the of the world (well at least the end of the road). A couple of other photo opportunity stops and back to town around 7.30.
To fill in the gaps - at the turn of the century nobody wanted to live in Ushuaia, so they established a penal colony - now where have I heard of that before? 2nd time offenders (stealing chickens etc) were sent down here.
The authorities had the prisoners build a railway line from the centre of Ushuaia (where the naval base is now) out to the end of the world. They built it as they went, so it took a long time. The prisoners cut down trees to make the railway and also provide timber for the prison back in town.
The track we travelled on is just a small part of the original line, which was pulled up years ago, particularly after the 1949 earthquake. In any event, it had fallen into disrepair and was unused until the idea of tourism came to light. They now run probably 6-8 either steam or diesel mini trains on the remaining 8 kms.
The national park is "huge" but as with NZ, only a small part is open to the public - and yes, we had to pay a fee to enter the park. There are surprisingly on 3 types of trees (all birch) and almost no wildlife. Considering the climate in the winter, this is not surprising.
The scenery however was great and particularly at the end of the road, with Chile being both just over the "hill" to the west and also across the channel. We were surprised that the temperature was a relatively balmy 8 degrees (although possibly warmer in the park), dropping to 4 degrees back at the port.
Ushuaia is not a wealthy district and pretty clearly the Navy plays a major role in the area. It was also clear that there has been no town planning, with housing spread out haphazardly.
There are large blocks of social housing which are clad in corrugated iron - really! At least town afforded me the opportunity to change some more USD into local currency for our later excursions back in Buenos Aires. We set sail at 11.00 PM across Dake Passage and Antarctica at last.
Enjoying hearing all your experiences m ship sounds great.
ReplyDeleteHave fun S xx