Seabourn Quest, Antarctica, South Georgia & Falklands January 25th – February 29th, 2024
- John and Gwyn
- Mar 31, 2024
- 7 min read
32 Days, Santiago (San Antonio) to Rio de Janeiro via Antarctica, South Georgia and Falkland Islands.
Day 1. January 25th, 2024. After 2 nights at the Hotel Plaza San Francisco in Santiago (rather tired hotel in a good location but wouldn’t stay again) we took a private transfer (pre-booked through Airports Taxi Transfers at a cost of $143) for the two hour ride to the Port of San Antonio. Even though we arrived earlier than our designated boarding time, embarkation was smooth and quick. We had been advised by Seabourn that we would be denied boarding without proof of Yellow Fever Vaccination but no-one asked about it either on embarkation or at any time during the cruise. Yet another example of “corporate” not getting their facts straight. While sitting on the bus awaiting transfer from the port entrance to the ship I thought I recognized one of the embarking passengers. That evening while having dinner at Earth & Ocean, he and his wife were having dinner with another couple at the next table. When his wife got up it hit me that it was indeed Marty and Mary Anne, whom we had sailed with on the same voyage in 2019! What a brilliant start to the cruise. A quiet dinner for two ended up being a rather late night.
Day 2. January 26th At Sea. Awoke to rough/rolling seas so skipped breakfast and had a light lunch on deck. Had Seabourn Signature dinner in The Restaurant with Marty & Mary Anne. It was very nice, good food and service from Ralph and Estowar. Watched the show, baritone Claude Eric, followed by drinks in The Club.
Day 3. January 27th Puerto Montt. Sunny skies, had breakfast on deck. Tendered in and walked to Craft and Fish markets then took a free shuttle to the town-square and shopping center. Had pre-dinner drinks in The Club and dinner at Earth & Ocean. Service was poor but rescued by Estowar. Show was a violinist.
Day 4. January 28th Castro. Got up for 7 am yoga followed by breakfast on deck. Tendered into town. Sunny and quite warm. Walked to the palafitos (houses built on stilts over water) then up to the church/town center. Back on board for “wok” lunch in Colonnade. Sail-away tribute to Abba.
Day 5. January 29th At Sea. Lazy day. Talk on “Patagonia & Earthquakes”. Dinner in the new restaurant “Solis”. Better than Thomas Keller but not by much. They seemed to be trying too hard. Maybe if they had dedicated staff it would be more of a special experience.
Day 6. January 30th At Sea. Yoga at 7 am. Another quiet day. Weather dull, windy & cold. “Scenic” cruising through the fjords. Spanish dinner in Colonnade.
Day 7. January 31st Punta Arenas. Weather was cold and wet. Brightened up a little in the afternoon had a short walk into town. French lunch in Colonnade. Dinner in restaurant with Second Officer Jack Robbins.
Day 8. February 1st Beagle Channel/Glacier Alley/ start of the Drake Passage. Windy and 47F. Mandatory IAATA Briefing and Bio-diversity check. Ship was going fast trying to get ahead of cold front approaching the Drake. Rough seas overnight.
Day 9. February 2nd The Drake Passage. Cold 2C/36F. 50 mph winds and 5 meter seas. This was our 3rd time crossing the infamous Drake Passage, we had been blessed with calm seas the previous occasions, time to pay the piper! A Rough day at sea!
Day 10. February 3rd Yankee Harbour. Having made it safely across the Drake our first landfall was Yankee Harbour. Sunny skies but a cold 32F, and 22 mph winds. We were in the first group and it was a rough zodiac ride to the shelter of Yankee Harbour. There was a small Gentoo colony, some Chinstrap penguins and a few Seals on shore & in the water. Yankee Harbour is a horseshoe spit of land and on previous visits if you wanted to walk to the end of the ‘spit’ you had to retrace your steps to the zodiac landing point for the return journey to the ship. This time the expedition staff had set-up a return point near the end of the spit so that those who braved the elements walking along the spit did not have to return to the landing point, thus maximizing time ashore. Unfortunately because of the rough seas the return point had to be abandoned for later groups.
Day 11. February 4th Cuverville Island. Icebergs, whales and penguins, what more could we ask for? Beautiful sunshine with temperature of 25F/-4C and a 5 to 6 mph easterly wind. We were in the 2nd group and the weather turned on the return trip. It took 4 attempts for us to re-board as bergy bits were being blown into the side of the ship. Two early kayak groups went out but the remaining kayak groups and the final landings were canceled. It snowed in the afternoon.
Day 12. February 5th Neko Harbour. Temperature 34F, wind 17 mph with gusts to 60 knots. Grey skies with snow forecast. Morning operations were put on hold as ice was blocking the landing site. As the weather deteriorated and visibility was practically zero, all of the day's activities were canceled. Had dinner in the Restaurant with M&M.
Day 13. February 6th Temperature 34F with rain/snow and 14 knot winds. Managed to get the first two groups out before all activities were canceled. Whale off the stern, afternoon scenic cruising at 10 knots as it is a Whale Protection Zone.
Day 14. February 7th Brown Bluff. Cold and clear early morning. Ice was blocking the landing site. Breezy but winds were forecast to diminish. One kayak group went out, but weather turned and the rest were canceled. Landing was changed to a zodiac tour. The Team Leader was determined to get everyone out but the ship had to keep repositioning so there were a lot of delays and it took a long time. It was a cold, wet, bumpy ride and our zodiac started to take on water so we had to transfer to another zodiac in the middle of the ocean. I think if it hadn't of been for the cancellations of the previous two days we would not have gone out. Overall, it was not a very pleasant experience.
Day 15. February 8th Sea Day. En-route to South Georgia. High winds and rough seas. Mandatory briefing and Bio-security checks for South Georgia. We made a detour to sail past A23A, the largest iceberg in the World. Quite a sight and interesting trying to figure out how seals had managed to be get on top of this humongous iceberg, but truly miserable weather!
Day 16. February 9th Sea Day. Very rough with 34 mph winds.
Day 17. February 10th Arrived at South Georgia in the afternoon. Rough seas, 37F, 33 mph winds with gusts to 100 knots. With poor visibility, and several large icebergs in the vicinity all activities were canceled.
Day 18. February 11th Grytviken. Sunny skies, but rough seas and strong winds, sustained 30 knots gusting to 60 knots, prevented us from deploying the zodiacs. It calmed down in the afternoon and we managed to get ashore for a very quick visit with the use of the lifeboats/tenders. The katabatic winds created unusual cloud formations and the sunset was phenomenal.
Day 19. February 12th Salisbury Plain, King Penguin colony, the jewel in the crown of South Georgia. Sadly we couldn’t land due to bird flu but with overcast skies, a temperature of 41F and fairly calm waters we 'enjoyed' zodiac tours along the beach. There were quite a few penguins and some seals in the water, but overall it was not a satisfying experience.
Day 20 & 21. February 13th & 14th Sea Days en route to Falkland Islands. Very rough seas all the way.
Day 22. February 15th Stanley. Overcast on arrival with temperature of 51 F and 13 knot winds. Delayed start to tender operation. We took the local shuttle bus to Gypsy Cove/York Bay at cost of GBP15 p.p. return. It is home to a colony of Magellanic penguins nesting in burrows on the cliffs. A short walk leads to Ordnance Point and the remains of WWII gun emplacements. The overcast skies gave way to glorious sunshine making for a lovely walk along the adjacent Yorke Bay, which was heavily mined in 1982 and only recently cleared. Dolphins could be seen playing in the bay and there was a small colony of Gentoo penguins at the far end. Back in Stanley we had fish & chips at a local pub, but there was no local beer anywhere!
Day 23. February 16th New Island. Beautiful sunny day but quite windy. Zodiac landing and 1 km walk to a rookery with albatross, shags and rock-hopper penguins. Unfortunately, our time on the island was limited as the ship had to leave by noon to get ahead of incoming weather.
Day 24 & 25. At sea en route to Montevideo. First day seas were rough but calmed overnight, giving us tranquil seas rest of way.
Day 26. February 19th Montevideo. Temperature of 75F with 88% humidity. Arrived late due to Port congestion with 3 other cruise ships docked, making town very busy. Walked around, and did some window shopping. Chicken Parmigiana dinner with M&M and Bill & Theresa.
Day 27. February 20th Buenos Aires. Changeover day with many passengers disembarking including M&M. Very hot, wandered into the terminal and tried to take a short walk to nearby shops but got eaten alive by mosquitoes so returned to the ship.
Day 28. February 21st Punta Del Este. A holiday resort for wealthy South & Central Americans, with long sandy beaches, a protected yacht marina/fishing-boat harbour and upmarket hotels. We walked around what appeared to be the older part of town and out to the Easternmost point in South America. Several sail boats participating in a Round-the-World race were enjoying a stopover in the marina. It was very hot.
Day 29. Sea Day. Quite rough.
Day 30. February 23rd Isla Bella, Brazil. Met up with a friend who lives on the island for a tour & lunch at his house.
Day 31 & 32. February 23rd & 24th Rio de Janeiro. Ship was docked overnight in Rio. Took ships tour to Corcovado. It was busy & very hot. Disembarked on the 24th for a 3 night stay in Rio before flying home.
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