Blog Post 16 - Guam to Chile Final Recap

October 16, 2024

Seabourn Pursuit entered the small harbor at San Antonio, Chile at 1700 PM, while the expedition crew was screening the video of our last 20 days from Papeete to San Antonio.  We were free to leave the ship, but not formally disembark until the morning.  Our bags were mostly packed (the bags must be outside the door of the suite between 2000 and 2300) so we had a final dinner in the Restaurant with the gang of five, myself, Miriam, Julie, Glenda and Scott.  Following dinner we finished up the packing and put the checked bags outside the door for pickup by the crew.

The voyage video for the second half of the trip may be found at:

https://player.vimeo.com/progressive_redirect/playback/1020701499/rendition/1080p/file.mp4?loc=external&signature=bfcf3790e4eea81d062b16270797d7a99ef8ffd8686189e8e3d9f484d68bb2d8

 

October 17, 2024 – Disembarkation Day

Waking up early, we took the final showers on board and headed to the Colonnade for a leisurely breakfast before leaving the Seabourn Pursuit for the last time at 0845.  Our vehicle was waiting outside the port cruise terminal and by 0915 we were headed to Santiago.  Arriving at the Ritz-Carlton shortly before 1100, we checked in, but the rooms were not yet ready, so we were invited to the club lounge (our rooms had club access) and relaxed with coffee and snacks.  Patrick contacted Juan Castro, his classmate from the 1986 Stanford Sloan Fellows class and agreed to meet later in the afternoon, with a drive and then dinner at Juan’s house.

The tallest building in South America is in Santiago

There is lots of street art

The sidewalks are clean, no graffiti or garbage

Local farmers selling produce on the sidewalks

More street art

All went to plan, and after a drive into the foothills of the Andes, we had dinner at Juan’s house.  The pleasant evening was spent in conversation catching up since we last saw Juan in Santiago in 2015.  After dinner we returned to the hotel for some much needed rest without the ship moving under us.

Courtyard at Juan’s house

My classmate, Juan Castro

October 18, 2024 – Santiago

This morning Patrick and Julie walked to Juan’s office several blocks from the hotel and visited for several hours before returning to the hotel.  In late afternoon we all met at a local restaurant, borrowing the hotel wheelchair so Miriam could go with us.  The weather was pleasant so we took a table outside on the sidewalk underneath shade trees and enjoyed a simple local dinner.

Dinner outdoors at Tip Y Tap restaurant

October 19, 2025 – Santiago to JFK

We had booked a tour of the Santa Rita Winery for this morning, with a private car for transportation.  Santa Rita is located about 25 miles SW of Santiago, but with the heavy traffic the drive took about one hour.  Arriving at the winery we were glad we had borrowed a wheelchair from the hotel, so Miriam could experience the entire tour, which was about 2 miles of total walking through the park-like grounds of the winery founded in 1850.  Santa Rita has some 10,000 hectares under cultivation, with most varietals and blends represented.  The tasting in an undergound cellar was great, with 5 premium wines and  individual cheese platters, in a beautiful setting.  We then returned to the hotel for a late lunch and headed to the airport at 1800 PM.

Tasting room at Santa Rita

Some of the underground cellars

The private chapel built in 1880

Parklike grounds

Spectacular Trees

Old wine presses still in use today

Old winemaking equipment on display

Getting ready for our tour at Santa Rita Winery

Once at Santiago Airport, we found Latam was not prepared for “wheelchair” access, and it took some negotiations before Latam came up with one.  Even so, Miriam had a long walk from the curb to the Latam check-in gate.  Fortunately, we had not packed her collapsible  walker.  After the wheelchair arrived, we put the walker it its bag and checked it though to Seattle.  We were then shuttled by a Latam representative to a “mobility assistance” holding area and told it was going to be 30-60 minutes before they would have anyone to escort Miriam through immigration and security.  That was not acceptable to us or the Latam representative, but the mobility assistance representative then said if Miriam could drive an electric wheelchair, we could go by ourselves.  The Latam rep helped us, pulling one of our carryon bags and escorting us. Miriam quickly learned she could drive the wheelchair and soon we were through immigration, security and into a beautiful, well equipped Latam Premium Lounge.  Miriam and I actually beat Julie through that process by about 5 minutes.

Latam Lounge

Bar in the lounge

Unique lighting fixtures in lounge

After a several hour wait in the Premium Latam lounge, with great food and drinks, we then “drove” to the gate where, for some reason, every passenger was subjected to additional screening and hand searches of all carry-ons.  Any liquids found were confiscated, fortunately we had none.  Even water purchased inside security was confiscated, so we think there was some sort of advance security concerns.  Miriam was able to drive her wheelchair right to the door of the Boeing 787 where one of the flight attendants helped here to her seat, Row 1 in Business Class.

Our flight, Latam 532, backed away from the gate on time at 2255 local time, and after a lengthy taxi, we were airborne and on our way for the 10 ½ hour overnight flight to JFK.  The Boeing 787 had a very old business class, with lay-flat seats, but pretty uncomfortable compared to the more modern “pod” configurations.  Service was attentive, but not much English was spoken, and our Spanish is primitive.  The food was mediocre, but the Chilean and Argentine wine was good.  Pillows and duvets were provided and we all managed to get some sleep, but again, the lay flat seats were not that great, being a little short for Patrick.  About 2 hours from touchdown, breakfast was served, again mediocre, with coffee that tasted like bad instant brews.

October 20, 2024

Landing 20 minutes early was a waste, just prior to 0800 AM, we taxied all around JFK waiting for an open gate at Terminal 4.  However, there was a wheelchair and driver waiting for Miriam, and with all of us having Global Entry, we breezed through immigration and customs, our bags all came out quickly and we rechecked them outside customs and immigration. Alaska Airlines uses Terminal 7, so using the Airtrans took only about 30 minutes.  We had to check back in at Alaska and go back though security, where our TSA PreCheck smoothed the process.  Alaska Airlines has a very nice lounge just past TSA security and we enjoyed a better breakfast than on the Latam flight before we boarded our flight to Seattle, which departed on-time at 1145 AM for the 6 ½ hour flight to Seattle.

Our flight was on an almost new Boeing 737-900 Max, it smelled just like a new car.  The pre-ordered food (including ice cream for dessert) was better than Latam, and we enjoyed lunch shortly after reaching cruising altitude.

Landing at Seattle 15 minutes early, Miriam was the first one off, assisted by the flight attendant, right into a waiting wheelchair.  Going to Baggage Claim, we met our driver and within 10 minutes we had all our luggage and headed to the car.  Traffic was not that heavy, and we were home about 1600, having covered more than 24,000 miles since we departed Seattle on September 4.

Guam to Chile Blog Post 15

 Blog Post 15 – Alexander Selkirk and Robinson Crusoe Islands

Seabourn Pursuit recovered the zodiacs from the dry landing at Anakena, Easter Island and as the sun set, we enjoyed a caviar sail-away celebration on the Patio, Deck 5.  Rounding the tip of Rapa Nui, Seabourn Pursuit set a course for the Juan Fernandez Islands, some 1600 nm southeasterly across the mostly deserted Pacific Ocean.  The prevailing SW swell caused an uncomfortable rolling motion even with the stabilizers deployed.

The four days at sea were filled with lectures and other fun activities.  We have heard many of the lectures already, but some were worth repeating.  The days also gave us time to review the photos and update the blog.  We also had an engine control room tour, very interesting to see how efficient new build ships are and the staggering number of regulations governing pollution control that are in place.

October 14, 2024 – Alexander Selkirk Island

In the pre-dawn darkness Seabourn Pursuit approached the north coast of Alexander Selkirk Island, named after the mariner who marooned himself on what is now known as Robinson Crusoe Island from 1704-1709. His 4+-year odyssey on the island provided the impetus and data for the 1709 novel “Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe, but with the location changed to the Caribbean.

Alexander Selkirk Island

Alexander Selkirk Island - SMS Titania scuttled
off the north coast

The expedition crew knew there was an undiscovered wreck somewhere on the north side of the island. Consulting with local fishermen, the location of the wreck, a German collier, the SMS Titania, scuttled in November 1914 as part of the war, was estimated. The exact location had never been confirmed, and the depths were too great (100 meters) for conventional scuba diving.

Last known photo of Titania being scuttled off the island

Based on local knowledge, the submersible headed down, and discovered the exact location of the wreck, which had not been visited or viewed since it was scuttled in November 1914.  Patrick was on the second dive to the wreck and viewed the wreckage, along with many endemic fish species. Two more dives took place, and less than 20 passengers got to view the wreck for the first time in 110 years.

Stern of Titania

Debris field

Stern Section

Following the dive, Zodiac tours were conducted and we got great views of Juan Fernandez fur seals, which were believed to be extinct until just a few years ago. The fur seals had numbered more than 4 million, but now have recovered with some 16,000 fur seals present in the archipelago.  

Juan Fernandez Fur Seals

The island has an active spiny lobster fishery.

Harvesting spiny lobster

October 15, 2024 – Robinson Crusoe Island

Once again, in pre-dawn darkness, Seabourn Pursuit approached the north shore of Robinson Crusoe Island and anchored in Cumberland Bay off the settlement of San Juan Bautista, a village of about 800 people who make their living primarily from fishing for spiny lobster, both on Robinson Crusoe Island and Alexander Selkirk Island.

Just off the town lies the wreck of the SMS Dresden, a German light cruiser which was scuttled after gunfire damage from HMS Glasgow during the First World War.  The Dresden was in neutral waters, but was fired upon anyway, and was scuttled to prevent capture by the British.  The location of the wreck is well known, but too deep for conventional scuba diving).

Debris field from SMS Dresden

Patrick was on the first dive on the wreck, which lies in 55-65 meters of water in the harbor.  Visibility was not that good, but we were able to view the entire port side of the wreck, which is lying on its side with one of the propellors and shaft clearly visible.

After the dive, a walk around town provided many photo opportunities, including a view of an unexploded 5 inch shell in the hillside close to town.

Unexploded shell from SMS Dresden

The archipelago is home to may endemic species of fish, plants and animals, including the Firecrown Hummingbird, a critically endangered species found only on Robinson Crusoe Island.  There are believed to be only 500-2000 breeding pairs left. Patrick was lucky to get a view of the Firecrown hummingbird while ashore for the Seabourn Pirates celebration which had local seafood (grilled fish, empanadas, lobster and octopus) and Pisco Sours, along with local music.

Firecrown Hummingbird

By 1630, the last zodiacs had arrived back at the ship and Seabourn Pursuit departed for San Antonio, Chile, some 360 nm away.  The ship anticipates arriving about 1800 on October 16, and we will disembark early in the morning on October 17, for a two day stay in Santiago.

 

Guam to Chile - Blog Post 14 Easter Island

October 8-9, 2024

Mysterious statues, a fallen civilization, what happened to the inhabitants of Rapa Nui, located in one of the most remote areas of the Pacific Ocean. Archeological evidence suggests the island was deliberately settled about 1000 AD by Polynesians arriving from the Tahiti area.

Evidence suggests there were about 15 royal families who erected the statues called Moai in tribute to dead royal family members whose spirits inhabit the Moai and would continue to watch over and protect their families. It is believed the statues were constructed from 1250 onwards, tapering off by 1500.  All the statues look inward towards the people rather than out to sea, except for seven Moai at Ahu Akivi, well inland, oriented outwards to welcome the king.

The population continued to grow, reaching an estimated 17,000 just prior to the collapse. By this time, natural resources were severely impacted to build the hundreds of Moai.  Most of the Moai were carved at the “quarry,” taking 4 distinct steps before being transported to the Ahu, or sacred platforms. There are still more than 400 Moai in various stages of construction in the quarry in additions to the hundreds erected and then toppled. Many Moai were just abandoned, face down, alongside the roads. Once at the Ahu’s, the eyes were finished and the Moai came to life.

Sometime around the early 1700’s, disaster struck. Either the last tree was cut down, or social strife caused the society to enter a rapid period of warfare and strife, with the population going down to less than 3,000 by the time the first European explorers arrived.

Jacob Roggeveen “discovered” the island in 1722 and some Moai were still standing at that time.

Slavery by the Portugese further reduced the indigenous population to about 111 by the early 1800’s.

The first toppled Moai was re-erected in 1956, and restoration of many more continues to this day. The re-erected Moai are missing the eyes in most cases, and the configuration of the Moai is sometimes a guess due to scattering and effects of Tsunami’s on the toppled statues. The Moai’s at the quarry have been partially excavated, but generally remain in their original construction locations.

Some research suggests the Moai construction stopped with the rise of the “Birdmen” cult.  Legend suggests that the warrior ruling class used the competition to collect seabird eggs from Motu Iti off the coast from the Rano Kau volcanic crater at Orongo to select the winning warrior family as rulers for the coming year. The structures at Orongo are well preserved, perched on the rim of the volcanic crater, which has a lake in the center.

 Arriving off the south coast of Easter Island or Rapa Nui, before daylight, Seabourn Pursuit took up position offshore from the main town of Hanga Roa. After Chilean customs and immigration clearance, two zodiacs were launched to inspect the potential landing sites.  The seas did not look favorable, with 6-8 foot swells. The first potential site was unusable, with waves breaking across the entire width of the entrance. The second site had a channel between the breaking waves suitable for zodiac operations, but not ship’s tender operations.

Easter Island with sites visited

Providing the best lee possible, Seabourn Pursuit launched more zodiacs and the lengthy process of ferrying passengers ashore began. Each zodiac had an Easter Island pilot on board guiding the zodiac through the safe channel into the small harbor. At the boarding door on the ship, one had to stand in water in the landing zone and wait until the zodiac was level with the side and then step on board before the zodiac plunged back down.

Eventually the first groups made it ashore and the buses departed for our included shore excursion. The first stop was at Ahu Akahanga, the ruins of a native village, with the boat shaped polynesian houses, circular farming enclosures, stone chicken coops and an Ahu(stone platform for the Moai). Here the Moai have been left toppled face first towards the shore.  Driving around the island we passed numerous free range horses and cattle.

Tumbled Moai at Ahu Akahanga

Moais are all face down

Many Free Range Horses

Traditional boat shaped house

Stone crop circles

The second stop was the quarry at Rano Raraku, with more than 400 Moai in various stages of construction. The Moai are mostly constructed of a relatively soft volcanic material called Tuff, compressed volcanic ash easily worked with basalt tools. The relatively soft stone has eroded features over the centuries. The few constructed of basalt are better preserved. The top knots are from a different area and composed of red volcanic stone called scoria. The Rano Rakaru quarry is on the side of a volcanic cone, with quarrying on both the outside and inside of the volcanic cone.

Partially completed Moai’s at Ranu Raraku

Many are still buried

Usually the head is 1/3 the height

The only Moai with legs sitting down

The largest Moai is only partially constructed and is 21 meters in length. Moving the Moai is still somewhat of a mystery, with several theories, including “walking” them in an upright position with control lines around the head to tilt and swivel the Moai forward.

Partially completed 21 meter Moai

Archeological evidence suggests erection of the Moai at the Ahu was easily accomplished by wedging the Moai with levers and stones by relatively few workers. The Moai continued to get larger with time, with some weighing more than 80 tons.

The third stop was at the restored Ahu at Tongariki, with 15 Moai erected on the Ahu. This was a difficult restoration because of the scattering of the Moai from the 1992 Tsunami.

Each Face is unique

Restored Moai at Ahu Tongariki

Only one topnot could be positively identified

The final stop for the day was at Anakena, on the north side of the Island, with the only sand beach on Easter Island, used as a royal residence. The Ahu Nau Nau contained seven Moai on one platform and one Moai on Ahu Ature Huke, a separate platform.

Ahu Ature Huki

Ahu Nau Nau - Anakena Beach

Returning to the landing site we had another exciting ride through the breaking waves back to the ship. After lunch, Patrick headed back into Hanga Roa for a town walk, with not much to see except for sculptures along the water between town and the harbor.

Overnight the ship relocated to the north side of the island, with calmer waters. The next morning Seabourn Pursuit returned to Hanga Roa, but the seas had increased overnight and the port was closed. The ship reversed direction and positioned off Anakena where we had calm zodiac rides into a dry landing. We later found out that a local fisherman ignored the closed harbor, capsized and was injured. His boat was a total loss.

The tour this morning started at Orongo, on the rim of the Rano Kau crater and finished at Ahu Tahai, where there were three separate Ahu’s, with one Moai having reconstructed eyes.

Slate construction Orongo Village

Orongo Village is on crater rim

Ranu Kau crater

Motu Iti where “Birdmen” captured eggs

Ranu Kau Crater rim with lake in center

Ahu Tahai - in town

Moai has eyes

Eyes are coral and obsidian

Returning to the ship, there was a “Caviar Sailaway” as Seabourn Pursuit recovered the zodiacs and headed for Alexander Selkirk Island, 4 days away.  Following photo from Kevin Novak who was able to stay overnight on Easter Island and captured this amazing sunrise.

Sunrise at Tongariki