Mare Australis Cruise

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M/N Mare Australis

Cape Horn & Patagonia Expedition

October, 2006

On Saturday, September 30th at around 5 p.m., we boarded the motor vessel Mare Australis for our cruise. We were welcomed aboard by several crew members, and were thrilled not only to see our luggage had made it to our room but also our cabin was right next to both the bridge and the Captain's cabin (Enrique Rauch). On this expedition, we were permitted to visit the bridge any time we wished which was an exciting thought for us both. The welcome aboard festivities began at 7 p.m. in the Yámana lounge so we could meet our cruise mates, enjoy a little snack and meet the expedition team.

Later, the lines were cast off and we were underway. After dinner, we attended a briefing on the Navigation Track which told us the path which we would be traveling during this voyage. As you may have read on the previous page, we began our trip in the city of Punta Arenas, founded on January 18, 1848. This city is located on latitude 52 degrees South on the coastal side of the Magellan Strait. It is the main city of the Chilean Region of Magellan and Antarctica with an estimated population of 120,000 inhabitants. This was just the beginning.

Sunday, October 1st - During sunrise we sailed the Admiralty Fjord, to get to Ainsworth Bay where Marinelli Glacier is located. The name Ainsworth is due to the Master of the ship "Adventure" in the expedition of Phillip Parker King. Many names were given in honor of the early pioneers. The center of interest this morning was the Darwin Mountain Range. We disembarked into the huge Zodiacs which were to provide our transportation to the hiking site. We began our two hour hike around the mountains and through muddy trails. As we were walking near a stream, we spotted a red fox casually strolling nearby. After taking many pictures, we continued our hike and, further down the path, we found that the bridge used to cross the stream had been flooded. Beavers had built a dam which caused the bridge to be under water. Luckily, we were provided with high rubber boots and crossed without much concern. The beavers were not indigenous to the region, having been introduced by Europeans to establish a fur industry, and were causing great havoc to the environment since they had no natural enemies in the area.

We continued our hike admiring the spectacular scenery and enjoying the peacefulness. We ended our journey on a nearby shore a short walk from where we originally began.

To our surprise, the crew had set up drinks for everyone, and in each glass was a piece of glacier ice for your chosen drink The tradition is to drink scotch with the pure glacier ice so, of course, we couldn't break tradition!! At the end of each hike, we had scotch with a piece of glacier ice. It's the only drink where the ice is older than the alcohol.

We had lunch aboard Mare Australis and then attended a lecture on "Sea Mammals". Afterwards we disembarked in a beautiful natural amphitheater called Brooks Bay. There, the glaciers come down from the Darwin Range in Tierra del Fuego Island on the southwest coast of the Admiralty Fjord. Below are a few photos ... notice the blue color of the glacier.

Needless to say, we had our scotch (or as the English say whisky) and returned to the Mare Australis where we attended a lecture on Flora in Fuegian Patagonia and also a demonstration of Chilean cocktails with our bartender Claudio. We had an entertaining dinner with our dining buddies (two Belgian couples) and then attended a fashion show with passengers recruited to model clothes available for purchase on the ship.

During the night we sailed along the Magdalena, Cockburn and Ocasión channels. Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa sailed the coasts of Tierra del Fuego in 1580 on board the ship "Nuestra Señora de la Esperanza" and named the channel for Santa Magdalena, the holy lady described in the Bible. Admiral George Cockburn (1772-1853) was commissioned by the British Admiralty to write the instructions for the first expedition of Phillip Parker King in 1825, hence the name of the Cockburn channel.

Early in the morning of Monday, October 2nd, we sailed the waters of canal Ballenero (Whaler Boat Channel) named by Captain Fitz Roy because he never found the whaling boat that was stolen from the Beagle by the local aborigines. We then sailed into the Pia fjord, located beside the northwest arm of the Beagle channel on the Chilean side of Tierra del Fuego. After breakfast, we attended a lecture on Birds in Patagonia and then a culinary demonstration by the chef. After a short break, we attended another lecture and this time the topic was Glaciology. After lunch, our excursion began and we disembarked in front of the Pia glacier to hike around it and experience the dramatic view of calving (ice breaking off from the glacier).

We returned to the ship and around 6 p.m. the vessel sailed along the Avenue of Glaciers which is well known by the magnificent glaciers like the Romanche, German and Italy.

Later, we attended a lecture on History of Cape Horn and after dinner went to a documentary film about Shackleton's Expedition. This is an excellent story about determination and endurance ... you can find out more at NOVA Online (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/shackleton/1914/).

Tuesday, October 3rd, the mythical Cape Horn and the surrounding islands were waiting for us. Its location of 55˚56' south and 67˚19' west, between two oceans and the intense harshness of the area, is what makes Cape Horn a unique and unforgettable experience. We weren't sure if we would get the opportunity to step foot on Cape Horn since everything is based on weather just like in our lives on the Heart of Texas. We were lucky the weather was perfect, just a light drizzle but nothing to stop us from this exciting adventure. We took the zodiacs ashore, disembarked and climbed 130 steps (so we've been told) to visit the Cape Horn Memorial. It was inaugurated on January 5, 1992, by the Chilean Brotherhood of Cape Horn Captains. Over the centuries, more than 800 vessels have sunk where the Pacific Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean.

Our time on Cape Horn seemed very short ... too short. We reluctantly returned to the Mare Australis, had breakfast and attended a documentary video on Cape Horn, Austral Expedition. Rankin toured the engine room while I relaxed for a bit. Lunch was served and then we went to the lecture on The Beagle Channel. In the afternoon, the Mare Australis cruised into Puerto Williams, a Chilean naval base of 2,000 inhabitants. Nowadays, this port is considered the southernmost town of the world. It was our last day aboard and the thought of leaving made us drag our feet, but we went ashore with our new friends, Geoff & Nikki from South Africa, and toured the town. Thanks Geoff & Nikki for contributing some of these photographs.

After touring Puerto Williams in Ushuaia, it was time to head back to the ship for the farewell dinner. Our last dinner was wonderful and it, of course, gave us the opportunity to say goodbye to all our new friends from the voyage. Following dinner, the navigational chart and vessel flag from our journey was auctioned off ... Rankin was tempted but couldn't figure out where we would put it!!

This expedition was the highlight of our South America travels and so we started thinking ... maybe Antarctica next time, hummm. We sadly departed the ship on the morning of October 4th, but not to worry we already had another excursion booked in Ushuaia so come along. If you would like to catch up on the latest travels, take a look at What's Happening. Don't forget ... keep coming back.