12 to 15 January 2017 - Antarctica, Harberton Estancia and Ushuaia.

On the 12 December the ship anchored near the entrance to the Beagle Channel and the engines stopped at 0330 hrs, and it was peaceful. We (the passengers) kept an anchor watch but sitting in the relative comfort of the wheelhouse this time.

After breakfast we visited the Estancia Harberton the oldest farm in Tierra del Fuego, established in 1886, by the missionary Thomas Bridges. It was named after the birthplace of his wife which was at Devon, England. Harberton now belongs to the grandchildren of Thomas Bridges' sons Will and Lucas. Its manager, Thomas D. Goodall, is a fourth generation great-grandson of the founder, and lives at the estancia in the original 1887 house with his family and members of the fifth and sixth generations.

Declared an Argentine National Historical Monument in 1999, the estancia maintains its original buildings of wood covered with corrugated iron, its gardens, stone piers, and terraces.  Originally operating with sheep (for wool), cattle (for meat), Harberton also had the first store and imported supplies for all of southern Tierra del Fuego, as well as selling vegetables, meat and supplies to the gold miners of the era.

The Estancia property

Various skeletons and parts of animals

                                                                                    We remained at anchor watch that night with volunteers being needed from the passengers, not an easy find as there was a going away party after the bottle of wine prizes for the winners of the photo competition, the wine being shared out between everyone. I did the 2200 to 2400 hrs watch being the only person available at the time.

On 13 January we up anchored and went into Ushuaia port only to find that we could not go along side the wharf as there were horrible looking cruise liners there. What the passengers (they call them guests) would see of the Antarctic on a ship that size beats me. On the way into the port I went  up the mast for the last time, finding it easier to get over my fear of heights this time.

Up the mast

The Crown Princess 

3,080 passengers and 1200 crew

Street art in Ushuaia

We were able to go ashore by zodiac in the afternoon after a long wait for the immigration people to decide if they would let us back into Argentina. Apparently we had not gone through immigration to leave Ushuaia and they were loath to let us back in because of this. Because the ship left and returned to Ushuaia no immigration clearance had been done on previous voyages but no-one had been bothered about that before.

The following morning (14 January) we, and all our luggage, had to be taken ashore by zodiac as the ship was still at anchor in the bay. I went back to the hostel that I used before where the boss lady made me breakfast even though I was supposed to make my own, it being a hostel. It was strange to lie in a bed that was bigger than the bunk I had for the past three weeks (with no curtains round the bed and no high sides to keep me in) and one that did not move as well. The next day when I met up with some of the other passengers who were flying out of Ushuaia to various parts of the world I found that they had had the same problems.

We, the passengers, had discussed the cruise and all seem to have the trip to Antarctica no-matter the seasickness and whatever else others suffered with. I think that we were all in agreement that it would not be right to do the same trip again as conditions would be different so that there would be the possibility that comparisons would be made to the detriment of another trip. If other want to do the same sort of trip then I say GO, provided that you do not mind being seasick for a few days at the start and end of the trip as once in Antarctica you will not have much time to be sick, there would be too much to do.

There were no problems flying back to Santiago via Buenos Aires on 15 January apart from the first landing at Buenos Aires was abandoned at the last minute because the wind was too strong. The plane was just ready to touch down when the pilot must have decided that it was not the right thing to do so full power and up we went, round again, and landed successfully. There was a round of clapping from the passengers! This time I did not have to change airports at Buenos Aires which was a very big bonus. Then back to the Happy House Hostel in Santiago.