Today, the day of my friends’ departure, Toby, Geraldine and Tony flew on a scheduled flight to Base Frei, Antarctica, three hours each way, and returned reporting a fine time, including six hours walking about on the ice, much as the penguins. They had a wonderful change of pace and certainly deserved it […]
This is the day my pals arrive. Jack and Peter are on the same plane, which is right on time, even after 20 hours of flying. Captain Toby and I greet them, load their bags into the van we’ve stocked with an ice bucket, champagne and flutes, take them on a brief tour of town, then deliver them into the arms of the crew. […]
Phil: Kitty has now departed from Punta Arenas, and I’m awaiting the arrival on February 24 of Jack Burnell, Steve Halverson and Peter Rummell for a week of cruising the Chilean archipelago to Puerto Natales. Captain Toby and crew have been hard at work taking on provisions, making repairs, and getting Indigo in fine nick (a South African/British word meaning top condition). They also take some well-deserved time off. […]
Well, I had to leave today and Phil nicely rode with me to the airport, about a 45 minute drive from the dock. I flew from Punta Arenas to Santiago and then to Miami and then to Jacksonville and believe it or not, all the planes were on time. So now I’m home catching up on these notes since internet access where we have been was a bit spotty. […]
Today we traveled through Canal Magdalena and crossed the Straits of Magellan and headed up to Punta Arenas. As we crossed the Straits of Magellan, there was a west wind of about 35 knots gusting to 45 knots and that west wind is what makes the Straits so treacherous. But it was only for about two hours or so and we all made it through just fine. Not at all dangerous. […]