Saturday February 13 – Amalia Glacier, Chile – Unfortunately the approach and stay at Amalia Glacier, while very interesting and impressive, was marred by clouds. This glacier, also known as the Skua Glacier is in the Bernardo O’Higgins National Park on the edge of the Sarmiento Channel. Since 1945 the Glacier has receded some 4 1/2 – 5 Miles (7 1/4 – 8 Kms) thus the waters we were navigating in were all ice during our lifetime! Some facts and figures about Glaciers which are formed by compressing fallen snow over millennia – 10% of the Earth’s Land mass is Glaciers with Antarctica and Greenland being the largest; 2.7% of Chile is Glacier; 80% of all South American Glaciers are in Chile. The Amalia Glacier is approximately 40 Miles long, 4 miles wide and 30-40 feet deep (64 X 6 1/2 Km X 9-12 Meters thick). Despite the clouds, we were able to see the immensity and glory of the Glacier as we pirouetted (did a 360 degree turn) one way then the other, so all were able to gaze on the majestic sight. The ship has a fast rescue boat (used only for “Man Overboard” or other such rescues), which is located on the 7th deck along with all the life-boats / tenders and happens to be right under our cabins (we are on the 11th deck). This rescue boat has 3 seats for the people managing the craft and one in front and is about 20 ft (6 Meters) long. Two crew and two photographers (one for still pictures and the other – our friend Lucia, the Mexican photographer – for video) set out in this craft to get closer (we were about 1 mile away) to the Glacier for pictures as well as pictures of the ship and us on the ship. Thus while that operation was taking place we got some 3 hours to get picures and admire the glacier – a truly memorable sight. We then exited through the Pitt and Andreas channels on our way to the Pio XI Glacier (which was named Pio X on the Cunard pre-publications)
Lectures by Robert Horner on “Bletchley Park: Britain’s Espionage Factory” (the 4th of 5 in his series) was fascinating and Philip Price on “King of the Sea” – who rules the sea today sharks or whales – took up the afternoon. We had a nice dinner at Todd English Restaurant with old friends from Mexico that were on the ship – Suzanne and David Donlon (I don’t think I had seen them in 50 years) who were on from New York to Valparaiso, Chile. In the evening we went to the Crew Talent show (a fundraiser for various charities). 8 different acts of singing, dancing, piano and mime skit (paitients waiting to see the doctor and one slowly developing the symptoms of all the others) concluding in a very amusing skit by the entertainment team – “If I were not on this boat, I would be….” A very amusing and entertaining evening.
Sunday February 14 – (Valentines Day) – The Pio XI Glacier in Chile covers an area of 786 Sq Miles (2,036 Sq Km) – We arrived into the channel leading to the “dead end” of the fiord just before 7 AM, so an early day, but well worth while. Whereas the Amalia Glacier was shrouded in clouds providing an eerie sense, the Pio XI was resplendent and the day was perfect. As the sun rose over the glacier, the ship “pirouetted” to Starboard and then to Port, with each 360 degree turn taking about an hour thus giving all an amazing look, very close (300-400 yards away) of the Glacier which is one of the few that is expanding in the world. Only if you have experienced glaciers up close and personal, can you fully comprehend the blue hue of the compressed snow / ice over the millennia in the glacier face. A spectacular sight and we were glued to our balconies overlooking and taking in the grandeur of the spectacle. There were a couple of small private sail boats visiting the glacier, but otherwise, we were completely alone with nature at it’s finest. Whether one faced the glacier or had one’s back to it looking down the fiord at the tall Andes mountain range and little coves, the views were outstanding. At one point a rainbow appeared and then another appeared in a different location. As happened at Amalia, the Rescue boat right below our cabins was lowered into the water and the photographers (one still, one video) boarded and went into the water to take close-up pictures of the Glacier and the ship with glacier in the background, plus us on the ship. We all waved at the appropriate time and saw the photos a couple of days later. A curious, and in the end amusing thing, happened which delayed our departure – The Rescue craft got stuck in front of the glacier on a sandbar. Apparently what happened was that the motor cut off and the boat drifted onto a mud / sand bar before the motor could get started. They tried with paddles to get off (and broke one in the process), but failed. So a tender / life raft was lowered and sent out to salvage the stranded Rescue Craft with its photographers! We could see the rescue in process as the catamaran life raft with its’s crew attempted to throw a rope / line to the stranded craft and failed several times, until eventually the right angle and distance was found and the rescue craft was rescued with all unharmed. As both vessels arrived back at the ship a great Hip Hip Horrah and hooting and hollering erupted. As both the Rescue Craft and the Life boat were stored right under the cabins we had a “front row seat” to view the entire process. An amusing time as all got back onto the ship without being harmed and without a problem.
Monday February 15 – Sea Day – A day filled with activity on board Ship – Lectures by Philip Price on Ancient Marine Monsters then Peter Snow on the (8) Greatest Battles that changed history in the 20th Century – First World War, Midway in the Second World War, Korea, Yom Kipur War, Falklands, First Gulf War etc. In the afternoon was the final talk by Robert Horner on Bletchley Park from 1939 to 1943 and specifically on the life of Alan Turing. By the time it ended we grabbed a quick cup of tea before changing into formal (Dinner Jacket) clothes as we were meeting old friends from Mexico days – Suzanne and David Donlon for drinks at the Commadore club followed by dinner, then the Captain’s Champagne cocktail party for the 300 World travellers where he discussed the various ports for this segment including a video from the bridge about the departure from Montevideo. The complication in our departure was that so much mud had been stirred up from the depths into the ocean when we arrived that was still in suspension, thus it took full force of all the engines to scrape out of the mud and through the difficult waters. As he said, the bottom of the ship is clean as all was scraped off when we went through the navigable mud! After the party was the show Broadwaay Rocks – a compendium of Broadway songs and dance routines. This was a repeat and the second ever show. A definite improvement over the first, but still needs come timing issues resolved.
Tuesday February 16 – Sea Day – The last day at sea before Valparaiso and then the trans-Pacific. Relatively a quiet day, going to a fitness lecture, exercise at the Gym and a Philip Price Lecture on the pollution of the Earth’s Oceans. After dinner we tried the new Cosmopolitan drink with foam at the Commadore club and then to the show of “The FlyRights” A soul / Mowtown fusion group of 3 Anglo-African singers with a lot of energy and Talent. A part of the day was devoted to paperwork and packing as Tachy is headed to Mexico tomorrow from Valparaiso to visit her ailing mother.
Wednesday February 17 – Arrival in Valparaiso, Chile – More on this in another posting, but Diana, Nelson and I plan on going to Santiago for the day and Tachy will fly to Mexico.
Roger & Anne Travels 