CAPE HORN & BEAGLE CHANNEL


(Chile Flag)


(Drake Passage Map)

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2009:

On Monday we crossed the turbulent Drake Passage.
We were scheduled to cross on Tuesday, but due to a severe storm that was
approaching we left Antarctica early to get a 20 hour head start on the storm.
While the crossing wasn't exactly smooth, it would have been far worse had
we waited and crossed on Tuesday as originally planned.
I don't take any photos of the crossing, but I did shoot the video below.
The video includes several announcements from our excellent Captain, Edward Perrin.

CROSSING DRAKE PASSAGE VIDEO 9 minute video of our turbulent crossing of the Drake Passage.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON FEBRUARY 23, 2009

Good Morning Everyone, Antarctica is behind us now and we are rocking right along crossing Drake Passage. I am writing this from the bar on deck five and you can see the waves crashing against the ship as we move along. I don't mind the rough seas, I have never gotten sea sick. I don't think I would like to rock like this for days, but for a short while it is kind of fun. Nothing going on today since our activities in Antarctica were canceled for today since we had to leave early. The plan is to round Cape Horn around 8:00am tomorrow, weather permitting. Once we get past Cape Horn we will be in the protected water of the fjords and the storm won't bother us. The Captain is trying to work out an overnight stay in Ushuaia, our next port, since we are going to be way early. If he can't work that out we'll just hang out in the fjords until our berth is ready. More later, Tim

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2009:

All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.

Tuesday morning we woke up safely nestled behind Lennox Island in Chile.
Later that morning we raised the anchor and sailed around Cape Horn.
Conditions around Cape Horn were pretty bleak,
but considering the weather it was amazing we were able to do it at all.

CAPE HORN VIDEO 11 minute video of journey around Cape Horn, the southern tip of South America.

(Argentina Flag)


(Beagle Channel Map)

Later Tuesday afternoon we started our transit up the Beagle Channel.
One of the first things we saw was the shipwreck of the bible study ship Logos.



Had we not left Antarctica early to beat the storm we would not have been able to see the scenic Beagle Channel.
We were scheduled to sail through here overnight while it was dark.



As we were sailing north, everything on the right is Argentina and on the left is Chile.



Except for a couple rough sea days, we were very lucky on the weather the entire trip.



We had to make a stop for customs at Puerto Williams, Chile.
This is the southern most town on the planet.



After we left Puerto Williams it was only a couple hours to Ushuaia, Argentina where we spent the night.

BEAGLE CHANNEL VIDEO 10 minute video of the Beagle Channel and Puerto Williams, Chile.

MY DAILY EMAIL SENT ON FEBRUARY 24, 2009

I'm survived the Drake Passage! We got tossed around pretty good yesterday but managed to make it across before it got even worse. The Captain said it would have been far worse had we waited and crossed today like it was originally scheduled. This morning we did round Cape Horn. That is the southern most tip of South America. We did not get a very good view. The weather conditions were quite awful. Clouds, rain, gale force wind and very low visibility. But we did get to see it. Due to the weather the Captain was surprised we didn't have to skip it. As we rounded the cape we went from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. About three hours after leaving Cape Horn we entered the Beagle Channel. As we head north through the channel, everything on the right is in Argentina and everything on the left is in Chile. Below is the shipwreck of the bible study ship Logos. It has been a beautiful passage through the Beagle Channel. The sun is shining and temperature is almost 60. Feels like the tropics compared to Antarctica. Loved every minute of Antarctica but it is good now to be back in a more hospitable climate. We had to make a brief stop at Port William Chile for customs. Port William is the southern most village in the world. We are now heading for Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern most city in the world. And for the first time in a week, WE GET TO GET OFF THE SHIP! We should be there in about an hour if we arrive on schedule. We will be there until tomorrow evening when we set sail for Punta Arenas, Chile, which is our last port before we end the cruise in Valparaiso, Chile on Monday. Valparaiso is just west of Santiago. More tomorrow after my day in Ushuaia, Tim

Click on email photos for the large full-size photograph.

Click on the arrow above to continue to my next adventure, USHUAIA, ARGENTINA.

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