Day 24 - January 27, 2008 - Punta Arenas, Chile

Humpback Whales photos
A mixed day.
Well, we had a just spectacular day yesterday and had really high expectations for today. We got an early breakfast in LaVeranda and headed out for our excursion. This was a very expensive pre-bookable RSSC excursion. Information was very scanty to non-existent from the Travel Concierge Desk staff. Of course, they knew it was going and they knew it was a very small group but they had no other information, including where we were to meet for the ride to the airport. The minimum number of participants was 4. Since we booked it last summer as 3, we figured that it would definitely go. Today there were 9. Unfortunately, the boats to go out to view the whales at the Marine Park are built to hold exactly 8 people. We had to go in 2 helicopters. At least one couple on the excursion today had booked it onboard at the last minute when they could not clear the waitlist for Antarctica. Anyway, it seems like if they can meet 100 people in the theater to make sure they get their tour bus that they could have had us meet in front of the tour desk or something and know where our van was and when! Our tickets had explicit instructions to meet at the terminal building at the end of the pier 5 minutes before 7:30am. We headed out about 15 minutes before and it was a good walk to the series of buildings at the end of the pier and so Clay went and asked the only RSSC tour rep standing at the bottom of the gangway. He had no idea. Clay stood with him awhile while Debbie was getting out her jacket. Good thing, since it turned out that the van was right there at the foot of the gangway behind a bus! The weather was still unseasonably warm today and the sun was hot, but it was much cloudier, windier and we had some showers. But, still for the area, really good weather.
So, this was a first helicopter ride for us. This was also the day of our last helicopter ride. We don't like helicopters. It is unanimous. Bad helicopters. We were on the larger helicopter with 5 people. The other helicopter was smaller and had 4 people. The tour description had this as about a 15 minute helicopter ride. If only!! Debbie was good for about 15 -20 minutes outbound and only about 12 minutes returning. The return trip was much rougher. It was supposed to bean 8-hour day. We were supposed to have morning and afternoon wildlife sessions, but after lunch the guide and the cook conferred with the pilots and they told us that we could leave then or have tea/coffee for 15 minutes and then leave, but that we needed to leave now. We all opted to leave now.
So, to the good part, the whalewatching. We got suited up in survival suits and went to our special zodiac. It had kind of like pommel horses in 2 rows down the center of the boat the we perched on like riding ponies. They loaded all the men first, then the women. The first guy one therefore found himself unseated to make room for the last woman, Debbie. The guide, Jose, stood up in front. We saw steamer ducks, skua, shearwater, black eyebrowed albatross, yellow billed petrel, Imperial Cormorant, Rock Cormorant, Magellanic penguins and a family of kelp geese. We saw Humpback Whales! We saw Austral and Common sealions. We saw a lot of whales and we saw them very close. Unfortunately, shortly after we started out the skies turned dark, it got windy and choppy with whitecaps and rain. It didn't stop or slow us down, but it did mean that picture taking was not too good. So, don't judge the success of the day by the photos, please! There was one whale that jumped right up out of the water and then thrashed around with his fins up out of the water. But, no one got a photo of it! There were frolicking sealions shooting completely out of the water and some popping their heads up right at us, you could see their whiskers and teeth, but no one got that photo either. It was just too bouncy and everything was happening too fast. So, it was pretty amazing and spectacular. But, would we do it again? Not even if they were giving free helicopter rides to get there! But, that is just us. Apparently people really find those rides FUN and would line up for them if they were free!
The man that was seated in the front of the helicopter on the way over kindly offered to switch places with Debbie on the return at the last minute loading up. Debbie gratefully accepted his offer, but it didn't really make any difference. Just minimized the disruption to the other passengers since she was barfing next to only the pilot. Poor guy. It was a too long flight for him too! He parked the helicopter in the driveway to get her out quicker! Debbie and Margie took naps as soon as we got back onboard the ship about 3pm. Clay went out about 3:30pm and strolled Punta Arenas and spent the last of his Chilean pesos. We sailed on time at 7pm. We arrived on time as well this morning. We docked right near downtown on the port side. The Prinsendam arrived after us and was docked way out towards the airport. We should not see them much soon since they go to Antarctica for a week soon.
Captain Romeo announced that we would do all inside passage sailing tonight and most of tomorrow. Great! He announced though that there is rain forecast for tomorrow. Lets hope we get to keep our good weather for at least one more day. We are scheduled to sail by Cape Horn tomorrow around 9-10pm. Fingers crossed. Tonight was Country Club Casual again and same tomorrow. We went to Compass Rose and had a light dinner then looked at today's pictures and off to bed for another early morning tomorrow. We are going through Glacier Alley in the Beagle Channel between 7:30 and 9am. We should get to see 2 tidewater glaciers, which come right down to the sea. Evidently, there are fewer of these left every year and they only appear in a handful of places on the planet to start.
Humpback Whales photos