Via Australis - to the Horn! Feb 18 to 22

We arrived in Punta Arenas, scrambled our way out of the limited space we had in the taxi and went to check in at the cruise line’s offices downtown.  Whilst we checked in, the driver unloaded all of our cases and bits-and-bobs scattered around the vehicle.  We killed an hour or so in this wind-swept town before going to the city quay to board.

In preparation for the cruise

The Via Australis (our ship) takes just over 100 passengers and represents the top end of cruising to view the numerous glaciers and Fjords on the Southern tip of Chile; i.e. Tierra del Fuego and its many accompanying islands, including Cape Horn – the southerly most piece of land on the planet before reaching the Antarctic.

The Via Australis

We got underway fairly promptly, unpacked and James went to check his blood.  There was an immediate realisation that his testing kit had been left in the taxi….a series of expletives ensued!  The ship’s doctor was contacted and a blood testing kit found in the medical store – but it did not appear to work.  After a day, we discovered that the chief engineer was also diabetic and he kindly lent James his kit, so all was well.  In the meantime, we used the ship’s satellite phone to contact Cecile, who works for Harry, and she handled the ferrying of James’s kit from somewhere in Punta Arenas (Chile) to our next location (Calefate - Argentina) brilliantly.  As luck would have it, a client was going to the Awasi from Calefate and the driver returning.  Thank you Cecile!

The cruise itself was a mixed bag, partly due to the other passengers, but mainly because of the weather.  The latter was predominantly overcast and the photo opportunities were sadly lacking given the absence of contrast of the glaciers against the sky – similar to flat light on the ski slopes. 

Another retreating glaci

Regarding the passengers, we were definitely at the younger end of the age spectrum and I can’t honestly say that there were many kindred spirits.  We all had to sit at the same table every day and we were placed with three Germans with whom we had less than nothing in common.  What to do? – we couldn’t sit there for the next 12 meals just chatting to each other!  Initial engagement was tough, but gradually we made progress.  By the end, we found them, for various reasons, to be pretty entertaining: an undercover policeman (who looked just like Vin Diesel in every aspect), a male hospital nurse and a car air-conditioning engineer/designer.  

Don't mention ze var!

They had booked the cruise 3 HOURS before embarkation and paid only a third of what we had paid – clever them!  They were more intent on being at the bar than in attending any of the lectures, and no doubt drank the value of their tickets – boys on tour!

The bar

To begin with, mealtime was like feeding time at the zoo, with nearly everyone flocking to the buffet the second it opened.  James took one look and retired for 15 minutes.  People gradually realised that the food was not going to run out, so tended to space their arrival at the trough.  

More food!

All-in-all, the food wasn’t too bad.  On-board entertainment included a slightly inebriated Karaoke evening (James did not excel and ruined the duet with Philippa), a bingo session (where Philippa erroneously called “bingo” and hilariously had to sing a song as a forfeit) and a fashion show, where Jemima was chosen as one of the models and performed with panache.

The budding model

The shore trips undertaken and on-board lectures were interesting, covering both the history of the local tribes (now extinct), Darwin, Fitzroy (Captain of the Beagle), glaciology and the nature of Magellanic forests.  

Waiting to disembark on a field trip

There was also a must-see film about Sir Ernest Shackleton’s fated 1914 expedition to the Antarctic.  What he achieved has to be one of the greatest feats of survival and leadership in the history of man.  So when you next see Jemima, please ask her about the three types of Nautofagus tree, what a terminal moraine is and what Shackleton did!

Penguin colony

Skuas

Local life - Rock Cormorant?

shore party

Ainsworth Bay - one of our stopping points

Infront of Pia Glacier

Our cruise took us to various glacial bays.....

At anchor off the Pia glacier

At Cape Horn

.... (where we saw some awesome glaciers), down the Beagle Channel (more glaciers) and finally to Cape Horn.  The Beagle channel passage was quite amusing since we passed 5 glaciers in relatively quick succession - The Romanche, Alemania, Francia, Italia and Holanda.  As we passed each one, we were served a drink or nibble relating to each country - Frankfurters and beer, followed by champagne, pizza and finally Edam cheese.  

At Cape Horn, we were due to disembark for a trip to the lighthouse and to see the Albatross memorial sculpture, cast in memory of the numerous sailors who have lost their lives trying to round the Horn.  The trip to the horn was an overnight one with us due to arrive around 0630 the following day.  During the late afternoon however, the winds got up and by dinner, the boat was rocking a bit.  By dawn, we had 60, gusting 80 knot winds, peaking at over 90 knots.  

The Albatros memorial

We had been awoken several times in the night with the sound of items in our cabin crashing to the floor.  We were clearly not going ashore, so we all went to the viewing deck to at least get a glimpse of the horn. 

We held on to Jemima for fear of losing her overboard (a distinct possibility) and braved the elements. It was difficult, but possible to stand and really quite exciting.  The temperature was about 5 degrees, but the wind made it seem far colder.  We got our view…and kept Jemima!

A brief ray of sunshine at the Horn

The next few hours were pretty miserable, and both Jemima and Philippa felt queasy for quite some time, as we now headed for Ushuaia to disembark.  

On the final night’s post dinner drinks, various awards were made, including one to Jemima for ‘winning everyone’s hearts’.  It has to be said, Jemima has an extraordinary ability to engage adults and to keep them entertained – the Captain of the ship included, who invited Jemima to his table and to the bridge whenever she wanted to go.  (The following day, Jemima went to 'reception'.  "Can I go to the bridge please" she asked.  "There is a guided tour for passengers in 35 minutes" she was told.  "But I don't want to go with everyone else and the Captain said I could visit any time"...... quick call to the bridge and hey presto, Jemima  and James get a private viewing of the bridge!) 

Invitation to join top table with the Captain, Chief Engineer etc

Jemima at the helm

The chief engineer likewise gave us a private viewing of the engine room after dinner one evening.

Philippa holding on for support

We docked after dinner at the Isla Navarino, a Chilean island on the south side of the Beagle channel, where immigration was cleared on our behalf by the ship’s staff.  The following morning we awoke in Ushuaia, had breakfast and were met at 0830 by Marcello, our guide for the morning.  He took us on a brief tour of the local park, thence to a good coffee house (with internet) and finally to the airport where we caught the flight to Calafate.