The day dawned bright and we were soon up, packed and on our way into Ushuaia. Being a Sunday, the town was dead and most shops closed. We could see our ship S H Vega moored at the dockside, but we coudn’t board until after 2.30pm.
We arrived at Wayfinder’s office at 12pm, as per Ana’s instructions. The 3 gentlemen in the office seemed surprised we were there so early. Sebastian was to take us to their secure parking, so we followed him in Poki to the outskirts of town. We were further out than Ushuaia Camping. I is a very secure parking place, so we were happy about that.
Amanda & Jonno. He’s the Kiwi, she’s the Pom.
Once back in town, we found a cafe to have some lunch. Alex had mentioned a good football match to Dennis between Manchester United and Manchester City. Just by coincidence, it happened to be showing on the screen in this cafe. Another couple on the table next to us, were also watching and we started chatting. Surprisingly, they were from New Zealand, although Amanda is English.
We returned to Wayfinder’s office to collect our luggage and made our way to the jetty. The wind was ferocious and just walking along to the vessel was a struggle.
Once we were welcomed on board we went to the reception desk for the keys to our cabin, 527. We could have had lunch on board, but we had already eaten.
Our cabin is vast compared to Poki and extremely luxurious. We have a king sized bed, lounge area, balcony, although I don’t think we’ll be sitting out there, coffee machine, stocked fridge etc.etc.
Once everyone was on board we set sail at 6pm. Our first task was to attend a comprehensive safety briefing. This was followed by a talk from our expedition leader, Mariam. An overview of what to expect in Antactica. We learned that everything will be weather dependent and that flexibility will be the order of the day. Plans may well change.
Mariam introduced all the members of the expedition team. They are a highly qualified and very cosmopolitan group. Experts on birds, wildlife, photography, and the history of Antarctica from the UK, Argentina, Russia, Serbia, France, China and Colombia.
This evening we had a buffet dinner, but for the rest of the cruise we will have an A La Carte menu.
Cabin 527
Views: 66