Thursday, February 14, 2019

South American and Antarctic Adventure! Volume II: Zaandam Cruise, Part V: Cruising the Chilean Fjords, Messier Channel, Brujo Glacier, and Paso Shoal

December 22nd:

We spent the next two days hanging out in the Crows Nest while we cruised through the gorgeous Chilean Fjords.

It was raining on and off all day, which made it hard to see the mountains.







In the morning I went to a "Talk" given by Tamara (Antarctic Expedition Team Member) on the "Early Antarctic Explorers." She talked about Pre-19th Century explorers including Magellan, Drake, Roche, and Cook.

After the lecture I headed back to the Crows Nest so I could listen to Kevin give commentary about the Messier Channel and the MV Captain Leonidas Shipwreck.

In the 1960s the MV Captain Leonidas was transporting sugar when the Captain (and crew) decided to sell the sugar on the black market. They would then sink the ship to cover up the evidence and collect the insurance money. The Captain would tell the insurance agency that the sugar melted away when it sank. Easy peasy, right? When the captain tried to sink the ship it all went wrong. The ship hit rocks, but didn't end up sinking. This exposed the Captain, and his crew, for the con men they were, and the captain lost his license. The ship is still stuck on the rocks.

[The rain and fog gave the ship a pretty spooky look]





After getting our pictures of MV Captain Leonidas we went and listened to Kevin give a "Talk" about Punta Arenas and Ushuaia, our next two ports.

December 23rd:

We got up very early the next morning and headed out on deck as we cruised through the Asia Fjord to the Brujo Glacier.



















We could see glaciers all over the mountains and you could even see how blue they were from the ship! But they were nothing compared to this gorgeous tidewater glacier!














After getting our pictures we headed to the MainStage to hear Scott give his "Talk" about whales. Did you know that all dolphins are whales, but not all whales are dolphins? And that the largest dolphins are Killer Whales (aka Orcas)? AND that Killer Whales are called Killer Whales because they ARE WHALE KILLERS?! I did! But I still learned a lot from his talk 🙂

In the afternoon we headed back to the Crows Nest where we listened to commentary about the Paso Shoal and the Santa Leonor shipwreck.


























It was raining on and off all day, but it managed to clear up for us when we really needed it to! 



  

We left the SS Santa Leonor behind and headed to our next port, Punta Arenas, in the Strait of Magellan.








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