South America, 2014: Punta Arenas, Chili

14 March 2014

During the night, we transitioned from the Beagle Channel out into the Pacific Ocean, where the swells continued to be large, and then into the Magellan Strait with its calmer water. Since the ship did not dock at a pier, I stayed onboard while Russ took a tour out to a penguin reserve. The winds have continued to be quite high (50 knots and more) and it was still very cold (at least for these Southern Californians.)

Punta Arenas (Sandy Point) is the gateway to the Chilean Patagonia area. The area south of Punta Arenas is actually a set of islands and fjords with roads that are few and far between. For this reason, the city claims to be the largest southernmost city on the South American continent. It is situated on the Magellan Strait which is a path crossing from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean without having to encounter the perils of rounding Cape Horn. It is very narrow near its Atlantic entrance, which makes it impossible for cruise ships the size of the Crown Princess to use it for the crossing. The city used to be one of the busiest ports in the world before the Panama Canal opened in 1914. Now it has recovered its economic status because of oil that was discovered in the 1940s and because of tourism.

Transportation is primarily by boat and plane. Russ took a tender boat over to the town and then was bussed over to a boat launching area where a boat with a dropdown front awaited him. The tour passengers got to sit in a warm cabin area protected from the elements for the two hour ride to Magdalena Island where the reserve is located. On the way, the tour guide gave a history of the area and the reserve. The penguins that roost here are small Magellanic penguins named for Magellan who discovered the strait that the reserve is located in. The whole area, land and water, contains designated reserves or national monuments to protect the environment.

The boat actually drove up onto the beach of the island, like an LST naval boat. It dropped its front end and the passengers walked off the boat onto the beach. There was a trail about a half mile long that went along the beach area up to a lighthouse that had been built in 1902 to aid in the navigation of the straits. The trail went through the nesting area of the penguins so the passengers were given strict rules about interaction with the penguins. The birds had right of way if they crossed the path and no one was to touch them.

It was a very cold and blustery day and Russ said the birds didn’t do much moving around. There were holes in the ground which was where they nested and they pretty much stayed near or in those holes. Many were finishing their molting which means that they were almost ready for their migration. During the breeding season, there are hundreds of these penguins in the area.

In the lighthouse, there were photos of the area but Russ didn’t know what they were about since the captions were, of course, in Spanish.

On the ride back, the boat was going against the grain of the waves, so it was quite choppy. Instead of the typical quietness one encounters on the end of bus tours, the guide tried to distract the passengers by leading a sing along. It was not met with enthusiasm. Once in town, Russ had some time to explore the area. The houses were tidy and nicely kept, and it appeared that the area was relatively well off. There were several colonial style buildings and a cathedral. The main street had an exceptionally large sidewalk so it would seem that the locals like to walk around the area during days of good weather, which I suspect are few and far between.

This is our first Chilean port. We will be visiting three other ports as we make our way northwest up the Pacific side of South America. Chili is a LONG country, almost 2500 miles long while its widest point is 150 miles.