LOCATION: Santiago - Puerto Williams - Drake Passage
What's happening?
All in the hands of Silversea now after a restup at the #Imperial. Just needed to make our way south on a four hour charter flight to get to Puerto Williams. Silversea relocated their fleet to Chile for Antarctica departures rather than to continue to use the Argentinian Ushuaia. These two take off points are only about 50 kms apart on the Beagle Channel.
The only information of relevance today was the prediction for the upcoming sea conditions for the estimated 48 hours of the crossing of Drake Passage.
We were in no hurry to get the day started - we were treating this little sleepin as "the calm before the storm."
Watching the sunrise this morning was like observing a colour wheel. The city lights framed the foreground, the mountain provided the silhouette of the background and the light jumped through purples, reds and finally white to welcome a new day. We had the luxury of taking all this in from the comfort of our bed with the scene playing out frame by frame on the floor to ceiling window that was better than any TV screen. Sunrise at 7:33 was perfect timing for our morning "to do" list to get this third day of travel underway.
The Adventure
A few stages needed today, to get us through our journey from Santiago to Puerto Williams and our scheduled boarding of The Silver Cloud.
A. Breakfast in the dining room at the Imperial Mandarin did not disappoint and our 6.45 am message from @Lloyd was "I'm starving" which meant he and @Deb were there for the 7 am opening. @Richard joined him for the early rounds and they did the pre cursory mingle with the fellow travellers to get some inside info. Guests from UK, USA , Austria and many from Australia. Lots of stories of disruptions and diversions but celebration and gratitude that we are here. @Loraine, @Mac and I made a more leisurely entrance after 8 and enjoyed the spread, the company and of course the impeccable service. The coffee didn't quite hit the spot but we were happy to learn that a sign at the coffee/tea/milk station reassured us that the milk we were consuming came from happy, healthy cows that roamed freely. No idea .... but did make me smile.
B. Started our day with a 4 km stroll through the streets in search of the Cerro Manquehue - that high mountain we could glimpse from our room. It seemed to be just there and provided the perfect opportunity to stretch our legs before the long flight of the afternoon. General observations were that the streets were cleaIn, drivers were calm and courteous, gardens and grounds were pristine. We were not pressed to venture too far - we'll be back at the end of the trip for 4 days so can expand our sphere of exploration "later."
C. Got back on time for checkout and then marshalling to the bus for the 30 minute drive to the airport. Got to see how "the other half live" as the route was lined with kilometre after kilometre of tin lean-toos in a jumble of shanties. Held in the bus for 15 minutes on arrival to give the first flight a chance to clear and then stuck for 60 minutes in the small private terminal while the ground crew dealt with a technical difficulty of our plane. Apparently a damaged tyre.
D. Finally on board at 3.50 - despite being scheduled to leave at 2.40! That first little lap to the head of the runway was aborted - apparently we had a warning light flashing on the Captain's dashboard and we had to return to have it checked. At last in the air and what ensued was a four hour glide over the spectacular Andes. Some cloud cover occasionally obscured the view but for the most part it was an endless jigsaw of grey peaks coloured with glacial blue lakes filling craters, accumulated packs of ice and spectacular volcanic peak outcrops. A totally different world!
Our litte craft was surprisingly quiet - a "whisper jet" - and our cabin crew spent the entire flight zipping the food and drink cart up and down the aisle. They were the epitome of energiser bunnies. Could have used you @Leanne and @Gary on board to help us with the generous pours of Bailey's. These crew members had definitely skipped the responsible service of alcohol course and I have to acknowledge the American lady across the aisle from us - she single handedly demolished a bottle of red and backed up for "whatever was left" in the white department.
At three hours into the journey, the Captain announced that the weather in Puerto Williams had deteriorated and we would need to land in Punta Arenas to take on more fuel to be able to complete the journey into the prevailing headwinds. The 4 hour trip had now expanded by the hour delay at the start and a further two hours to accommodate the conditions. In the back of everyone's mind, of course. was the threat of "oh dear, Drake Shake."
Our little group is prepared though. We have been vigilant in sticking to the regime prescribed by our doctors. We have sea bands on and the first layer of #Scopolamine has been massaged behind the ears.
Did have the advantage of being in the air as the moon rose - it was a full red orb hanging above the ocean and the clouds.
E. Our flight landed at 9.50 pm and in theory our ship had been scheduled to sail away at 9 pm. We had 85 passengers on our flight - we had to be bussed in small vehicles to the port. Made a mad dash in windy and wet 6 degree temperatures across various legs of open spaces. Were welcomed by heavily clad Expedition Crew members on shore and then immaculately uniformed smiling crew inside the warmth of the ship. Didn't matter the hour, still met with champagne and caviar and warm face washers and had to tick the boxes for security, a health check, checkin and a safety drill in the marshalling area.
Found our beautifully appointed cabins and dropped our handluggae and fronted to the dining room.. @Loraine got the ball rolling with a tiramissu while we made some main course choices. @DeLoy opted for a liquid alternate at the bar in the Panorama Lounge on Deck 8 to round out their first evening on board. @Nana was our saviour for the evening and looked after our dining needs - definitely saw us well provisioned.
@Mac and I did a lap of the ship - and a single corridor divides the ship down the middle and there are only 9 decks. We had to climb to deck 8 to actually get outside and found ourselves poolside with absolutely no desire to take a dip. But, it was mission accomplished, sort of got an idea of stairwells and lifts and the signage hints that will guide us over the next 12 days.
The final task was a 1 am to 2 am unpacking and stowing our belongings. The Captain had advised a day of ups and downs ahead in 40 knot winds and 12 foot seas under clouds in temps ranging from 6 to 5 degrees. With the last zips undone and all possessions stored somewhere I don't actually remember my head hitting the pillow - i do remember thinking ... three days of travel down ... two to go.
Survival Barometer
Steps 10 401
Weather 29 Santiago 6 Puerto Williams
Health all tired but running on adrenalin
Can you believe this?
🧭 The Amazing Puerto Williams Fact from Co-Pilot
Puerto Williams is the southernmost town in the world — and it sits on an island that’s actually part of the Andes.
Why that’s wild
- The Andes don’t “end” in Patagonia — they continue underwater and re‑emerge as the mountains of Navarino Island, where Puerto Williams sits.
- That means when you’re walking around town, you’re literally on the final exposed ridge of the longest mountain range on Earth.
- And just across the Beagle Channel is Ushuaia, which calls itself the “End of the World”… but Puerto Williams is another 10 km further south.For Jesse - by the pool on the boat Silver Wind - at Puerto Williams ready to head to Antarctica"Have you seen my Nanny and Grandad anywhere? They're missing."
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