January 7th NCL Star cruise to Antarctica , Argentina and Chile with a 10 day stay photo travelogue

[scubacruiserx2]

1 hour ago, MicCanberra said:

We got in, had a fantastic day but it was cold and very windy. Lots of penguins, some seals and sea lions.

 

 Fantastic ! First of all how is your leg holding up ?  And how was the tender ride/and Queue ?  We're surprised that your internet is working well  and notice that you are about an hour behind the published schedule . It sounds like a great tour with less bumping and grinding in the vehicle than VP .

[scubacruiserx2]

  A navigational aid in Glacier Alley

 

 

This was the only time that we went in the afternoon and evening instead of the morning . 

 

 

 

 

Glacier melt waterfall frozen in time from a rapid shutter speed

 

Edited February 4 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 The intersection of breakfast meets lunch . Lunch was usually at Cagneys and breakfast at Moderno . We did cheat though . Here's the breakfast menu .

 

 

 

A couple of glacier clips one from the balcony and the other from the starboard at night . Note the presence of glacial till accounting for the color change in the water .

 

 

 

 

[MicCanberra]

1 hour ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

 Fantastic ! First of all how is your leg holding up ?  And how was the tender ride/and Queue ?  We're surprised that your internet is working well  and notice that you are about an hour behind the published schedule . It sounds like a great tour with less bumping and grinding in the vehicle than VP .

Definitely less bumping. The leg is fine, I can't run or stride out but can walk okay with smaller steps.

The tender ride was quite bumpy, I managed to get us on the 1st tender by queuing up 50 mins early, about 7.10am but then they started handing out tickets at 7.30am and we were on the 1st one at 7.50am. Rosie and the other 2 were managed to join me by the stairs before the tender.

The ride back was much bumpier and no queue. We are in for a rough crossing of the drake for the next 24 hours.

[scubacruiserx2]

3 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

Definitely less bumping. The leg is fine, I can't run or stride out but can walk okay with smaller steps.

The tender ride was quite bumpy, I managed to get us on the 1st tender by queuing up 50 mins early, about 7.10am but then they started handing out tickets at 7.30am and we were on the 1st one at 7.50am. Rosie and the other 2 were managed to join me by the stairs before the tender.

The ride back was much bumpier and no queue. We are in for a rough crossing of the drake for the next 24 hours.

 

 Hopefully not too bad and they had the little white doggy bags out at the hand rails by thr stairs for us . We definately felt it in the bow . A large crashing noise that sounded as if it mind break off in the evening . But the old girl came through and no problem on the return trip . 

[scubacruiserx2]

 It's not far from Glacier Alley ( just above the North fork of the Beagle Channel above Isla Gordon ) to Ushuaia on the google link posted below .

 

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@-54.8713827,-68.8608252,10.5z?entry=ttu

 

So we spent the night meandering in the Channel . The sighting of what we believe to be a Southern Royal Albatross we took as a good sign .

 

 

The sighting of the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse in the early morning fog and drizzle confirmed it .

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ushuaia

 

An Aerolinas airplane - we were at the end of the World .

 

 

 

But would we land or skip it as we did last time on the HAL Zaandam , coming within a mile before aboarting a landing ? The view from the side and the front balconies .

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 5 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 Todays weather forecast where we live in Palm Beach County is 61 - 54 F and rain .

In the Falkland Islands its 67 - 52 and windy .

[scubacruiserx2]

 After walking across a cold , windy and rainy pier we met our tours by local guide for a 3 hour tour . 1st stop was the sign . Note the island sign to our right .

 

 

A quick click , but not quick enough as a horde moved between my camera and the subject - the Jail house rock .

 

 

She showed us the Naval hospital .

 

 

I had a flash back to 50 years ago when I was stationed as a Hospital Corpman in the Navy . I went from San Diego near the end of the Vietnam War to Camp LeJeune with the Marine Corp Base .

I still remember the Commander in Chief , President Obama , later refering to a Haitian Naval Corpman as a "Corpseman" three times when he presented him a medal . 

 

 A sign reflecting local sentiment about the Falklands

 

 

We loved the different style houses in the woods , like ours is . The new neighbors have destroyed all of their trees .

 

 

 

An overlook of the city

 

 

The guides attorney's house overlooking the bay . The high rent district .

 

 

And our Super Star

 

Edited February 5 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

The flag of Ushuaia

 

 

 

Flag of Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina. The flag was nicknamed the Albatross, wherein the orange portion reflected the geography of Tierra del Fuego, and the blue symbolizes the sky and sea surrounding the province, while the Southern Cross reflects the night sky and the white albatross itself is a local bird that represents freedom through flight.

 

Wikipedia

[scubacruiserx2]

 An expeditation ship next to ours

 

 

 

 

More local scenery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch - the menu was almost a meter tall

 

 

A medium Centolla to split

 

 

 

 

 

 

A worker with fresh Centolla

 

 

Where we ate

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 

[scubacruiserx2]

  Leaving South America and an informal dinner of pub Grub 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An expedition ship returning from Antarctica 

 

 

Angel was playing J.J. Cales song that Clapton made famous while we were eating .

 

 

Angel lived with or near Vonn our butler . We asked Vonn to ask Angel if it was OK if we recorded and shared him on Youtube and he said that it was fine . Not my favorite Clapton song , but Angel did a great job did a great job . The closest that I'll ever get to Clapton . 😉

Edited February 5 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

After a really bumpy night ( the Drake shake ) we sighted the Sapphire Princess at a distance , headed North

 

 

First iceberg

 

 

Antarctic Tern

 

 

The birds 

 

 

Tabicular iceberg

 

 

 

 

Land Ho !

 

 

 

Edited February 5 by scubacruiserx2

[stonepebble]

Beautiful! The light on the Iceberg is amazing!

Chris

[scubacruiserx2]

6 hours ago, stonepebble said:

Beautiful! The light on the Iceberg is amazing!

Chris

 

 Thanks Chris it was late afternoon , not much night maybe 3 hours but the blackout curtains did a good job . This was Glacier Bay Day and the sunlight was working . But the HAL 900  ( the nickname of my desktop ) is not currently working well ( maybe it has Covid too ) but we are working on it .

[scubacruiserx2]

 Meanwhile here's the current position of the Oosterdam which we have friends on . We did our other visit to Antarctica on the Zaandam in the Christmas / New Years time of 2018/2019  just before Covid really hit . They did 4 days in the A but we did 2 on the Star .

https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9221281

 

[scubacruiserx2]

A glimpse into the past and the future from previously edited photos .

 

The desert before the Drake shake

 

 

And some lenticular clouds over Mount Fitzroy in El Chalten during our post cruise stay . Captain Fitzroy was the Captain of the Beagle when a young Charles Darwin was on it .

 

 

 

 

These flying saucer clouds are my favorite clouds .

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenticular_cloud

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 Well I can upload videos but not edit my still photos . Any computer people with ideas ?

 Meanwhile here's a video

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 Well I had to threaten the HAL a little with a verse on a Bicycle buit for 2 but it came around . So a few photos from the Sony pocket rocket

 

 

 

 

 

Side balcony 

 

 

 

[stonepebble]

Wow! That's incredible! 

Chris

 

[MicCanberra]

4 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 Meanwhile here's the current position of the Oosterdam which we have friends on . We did our other visit to Antarctica on the Zaandam in the Christmas / New Years time of 2018/2019  just before Covid really hit . They did 4 days in the A but we did 2 on the Star .

https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9221281

 

Almost at Deception Island where we will shelter from the 70-80nm winds, after 8m waves, (25 ft) lots of rocking, and rolling last night.

First icebergs this morning.

[scubacruiserx2]

33 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

Almost at Deception Island where we will shelter from the 70-80nm winds, after 8m waves, (25 ft) lots of rocking, and rolling last night.

First icebergs this morning.

 

 Best wishes into Deception Island , it's a very narrow entrance and we hope that you make it in to get a break from the wind and waves . 

On the home front we both have tested positive for Covid . I have a scheduled well visit at my doctor tomorrow so we will let him know and see what he wants .

[scubacruiserx2]

 Some more photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 6 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

 The Parade of Icebergs .These folks were going in the opposite direction .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A sailboat near the Chilean base

 

[MicCanberra]

5 hours ago, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

 Best wishes into Deception Island , it's a very narrow entrance and we hope that you make it in to get a break from the wind and waves . 

On the home front we both have tested positive for Covid . I have a scheduled well visit at my doctor tomorrow so we will let him know and see what he wants .

Ships this size are not allowed to enter, but we stayed near to the large Chinstrap colony for several hours. Off to Hope Bay for tomorrow's viewing.