Buzzing Around The World With Fellette & Doug

Day 1 out of Usuhaia:

Left at 6 PM. Calm seas and a clear sky. The Fred Olsen Line ship "Black Watch" was moored beside us and the ships exchanged toots and honks as we pulled out. During dinner there were still some empty spaces from illness and sea-sickness from the rough weather we encountered coming in.

During supper there were sightings of seals and penguins swimming away from the ship's wave. The penguins look like a cross between a finning salmon and a duck until they surface and then they look like a loon. The Maitre'd came by and invited our table to dine with the captain tomorrow. We declined until all of our table was in good health.

Very peaceful night. We [I], was awake at 5 AM. Went up to get a coffe and shot the attached photo of a deck-hand. They hose down the deck and carpeting every morning. To get rid of salt spray I assume. That explains why our balcony is wet in the mornings.


We are to be off of Cape Horn at 7 AM. Hot cocoa is served this morning in the top forward lounge for those who want to see it. Three miles off. Any closer and we have to get Chilean permission and clearance. The captain is not turning the boat around for the port side to see it so we have to be on deck! F is fighting a cold and may not go up.

One of our table mates has a dilema. All his life he has wanted to be at the Cape in rough weather. He was in the merchant navy in his younger days, and this is one of his dreams. However he also has a wife who is under the weather and the last thing she needs is another day of rough seas.

Cape horn was rounded at 7 AM this morning. We were up at 5. The sea was calm and the sky cloudy with a smattering of light rain. Lots of people on deck to see this fabled point on earth. Somewhat anti-climatic because of the calm seas. We will not have tales to tell about "The Horn". That suits me. Shortly after passing the horn we turned sharply and headed south.

After Tai Chi this morning there was a very good and well attended talk given by our "ice pilot" for the Antarctic part of this trip. Apparently no ship can come past the 60th latitude around here without a qualified captain with "ice experience". Apparently non of the ship's officers have that qualification at this time. This gentleman is well qualified. He is British by birth, merchant navy and ice experience as captain of ships in the ice that were led by ice breakers. He left Britain and came to Canada in 1964, where he became qualified as captain of a variety of ice breakers, in the Canadain Coast Guard. He retired in 1995? He loves the work an is employed by Holland America to take their ships into the ice. Good speaker with a sense of humour.

He outlined what they hope we may do down there. He indicated that what we plan to do and what we end up doing are two different matters. It only takesabout 40 hours from Ushuaia to get into the ice where we are going. He will be on the bridge and calling the shots regarding the itinerary.

posted by Doug and Fellette @ 8:36 AM