The Lemmers Lynns, Lachine, QC, CA - SA Cruise 2004, Chilean Fjords

The Lemmers Lynns
Lachine, Quebec, Canada
Bienvenue! / Welcome!

South America / Antarctic Cruise 2004
Monday - Wednesday, February 2-4, 2004 - Chilean Fjords & Punta Arenas

Monday and Tuesday we cruised through Chilean channels similar to fjords, although they were bounded by islands on the Pacific side, so may not truly qualify as fjords. Not all snow covered, but similar in appearance to Norwegian fjords in many ways. We then headed into the Strait of Magellan towards the Atlantic.

Spent a fair amount of time listening to lectures about Punta Arenas and Antarctica. The ice pilot was Patrick Toomey, a retired Canadian Coast Guard captain who spent many years navigating and commanding ships in Eastern Canadian and Arctic waters. His stories were fascinating - he says we'll go where the ice lets us go, forget the brochure itinerary.

Another spellbinding speaker was John Splettstoesser, a geologist with more than forty years experience in polar regions. For his master's thesis he spent four months in Antarctica with three other students living in tents. His knowledge and experience are incredible.

During this time we met Sandra and Ralph Shipton of Stittsville, Ontario. Turns out Sandra roomed with Bill's sister Sue at MacDonald Teachers' College. We also met Alex and Marilyn Carman from Barrie - Marilyn worked at Ontario Hydro with Marg's aunt. Chilean Fjords

Wednesday morning we arrived at Punta Arenas, having sailed about two thirds of the way through the Strait of Magellan. Punta Arenas has a population of about 125,000 and industry includes oil and natural gas wells. In Punta Arenas we boarded buses for a tour to a "typical" sheep estancia (station). It was a fairly long drive across the Patagonian plains.

The trip also involved a crossing of the Fitzroy channel on a ferry rather smaller than the MS Amsterdam.

Estancia Fitzroy was originally a sheep ranch but has now switched to cattle because the demand for wool is so low. Sheep are kept for the tourist trade which is now important to their livelihood.

Sheep shears are powered by a gasoline engine through a belt and pulley arrangement. The crowd prevented a shot of the shearing, but the result remained on the floor. Implements hung from the ceiling and walls are now for show.

The shearing demonstration used only one of the four shearing stations, but gave a good idea of the process. The shorn sheep looks a bit forlorn, but will soon grow a new coat.

Alpacas provide an enjoyable tourist attraction. The little black one in the second photo was just 4 days old.

One of the interesting features of the ranch was its recently built chapel.

The visit included a healthy (?) serving of lamb cooked by an open fire, with generous quantities of Pisco Sour to whet the appetite. Flowers and the rancher's daughters (one of three pictured) served to enhance the ambience.

After the meal we sped across the Pampas for a brief tour of Punta Arenas and some shots of the colourful buildings from the lookout.

Then back to the ship to head for Ushuaia (oosh-wye-ya), Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.