Guam to Chile - Blog Post 3

September 8, 2024 – Embarkation Day

After a leisurely buffet breakfast we finalized the packing of our bags and waited for the taxi to the port.  The gates to the port would not be open until 12:30, so we did not depart the hotel until 12:15, arriving at 12:45.  Our passports were checked and we took small shuttle carts to a tent where we had to open our bags for inspection by both CBP and USCG before the ship personnel took them aboard. From the tent we either took a shuttle or walked to the gangway, where there was a wheelchair for Miriam. Once up the gangway we headed to the Discovery Center to be photographed and then to our suites.

After freshening up it was time for lunch in the Colonnade Restaurant. After that, the bags were delivered to our suites, and we unpacked while watching the safety video. At 1700 there was a mandatory muster in the Discovery Center and more safety briefings, along with introducing the 25 person expedition team. The briefing concluded with an overview of the next several days at sea and our first stop in Chuuk Lagoon.

By the time the briefings were concluded we had time for cocktails and then to dinner the the main restaurant. The service and food were excellent.

The ship departed Apra Harbor, Guam at midnight, but most of us were asleep by that time.

September 9, 2024

Patrick and Julie met on Deck 9 for a walk at 0600, with a nice sunrise, rainbows and light rain showers. The morning had a mandatory Zodiac and snorkeling meeting, fitting of fins and the first of the lectures, this one on photography.

A double rainbow as the rain squalls passed

Sunrise before the storm

After lunch, we all had another lecture on pacific islander watercraft and the migrations across the Pacific by the various cultural groups that make up the different island groups, Micronesian, Melanesian, and Polynesian.

The evening started with the Captain’s Reception followed by the chef’s signature dinner.  The three of us were at a table hosted by the Hotel Manager, with one other couple.  We had a delightful evening of conversation and food.

Following dinner, the entertainment provided by Lupi, the Cruise Director, who was trained as an opera singer.  Lupi sang a mix of opera and modern musical music, receiving a standing ovation at the end.

The sea conditions deteriorated during the day, as as we headed to bed, the ship was moving around a lot, making the handrails in the corridors a welcome presence.

Tomorrow’s schedule includes more mandatory briefings on kayaks and submersibles, as well as bridge visits.

September 10, 2024 – At Sea between Guam and Chuuk Lagoon

The seas remained rough overnight, with heavy rain at times.  As dawn approached we tried to do our morning walk on Deck 9, but the heavy rain and wind made that task impossible.  The gym at the aft end of the ship was nearly empty, so we managed to do our exercise in relative comfort.  Miriam was able to navigate the motions of the ship better than many passengers since the walker provides great support.

The morning included a mandatory briefing on the submersibles we will be using for the dives.  The ship carries two Uboat Worx Cruiser 7-300’s, which carry 6 passengers plus the pilot and are rated for 300 meter depths.

In Chuuk Lagoon, the plan is to dive on the “San Francisco Maru”, at a depth of 60 meters, sitting upright on the bottom.  This wreck is often called the “Million Dollar Wreck” due to cargo still aboard consisting of tanks, torpedoes, bombs and other military munitions.  The ship is 385 feet long, 5800 gross tons, built in 1919.   There are 52 recorded ships sunk in Chuuk Lagoon from the effects of “Operation Hailstorm” by the US Military in WWII. That operation was carried out by more than 400 aircraft from a total of 10 carriers of various sizes.

Later in the morning there was a fascinating lecture on Amelia Earhart, whose plane went down somewhere short of Howland Island in 1937.  There is still intense speculation on what her and Fred Noonan’s fate really was.

At noon we were still some 225 NM from Chuuk and the seas were still running 3-4 meters and winds gusting to 40 knots.

The afternoon was taken up by kayaking safety briefings, submersible tours, bridge tours, and finally lectures on the cultures of the Micronesian and Melanesian islands we will be visiting.

September 11, 2024 – Chuuk Lagoon

Overnight the winds and seas gradually subsided and at dawn we entered The 50 mile diameter Chuuk Lagoon via Northeast Pass. 

Chuuk Lagoon

The water was fairly calm and the wind was 10-15 knots, so all planned operations could begin on schedule. By 0630 the first zodiacs were launched and then the submersibles and kayaks.  Guest operations started at 0800 with a tour of Eten Island, site of the headquarters of the Japanese forces in Truk.  This hike was NOT ADA friendly, with muddy paths and rough rocks.  In 1944 there was a cobblestone runway, now overgrown and all the vegetation had been stripped from the island from allied bombing.  Julie went on the walking tour and viewed the bombed out remains of the headquarters and the houses of the indigenous people living on the now heavily overgrown island.  Miriam stayed on the Seabourn Pursuit which turned out to be a good choice.

Bombed out headquarters

Patrick also passed on the shoreside tour since the timing conflicted with his submersible trip to the San Francisco Maru.  That dive was spectacular, seeing the WWII Japanese tanks still piled on the decks, gun mounts still on the bow and the blown up aft section where the US bombs sank the ship, which had settled on a even keel into the sandy bottom.  The anchor chain is still deployed.  In addition to the wreck itself, we were able to see many fish and several large coral formations.  The ship sits in 60 meters of water less than one mile from where the Seabourn Pursuit was positioned.

Heavily damaged stern

Black Coral on deck

Forward Gun Mount

Japanese tank on deck

The bow with anchor chain still deployed

Everyone came back to the ship for lunch and after lunch Patrick went snorkeling on a shallow reef not far from the ship.  Guests went in waves according to their “color” groups and spent about one hour per group in the warm waters observing many small reef fish and an abundance of hard and soft corals.

By 1630, guests were back on board, the submersibles were back in their garages and Seabourn Pursuit made preparations to get underway to our next destination – Oroluk Lagoon, some 250 NM away.