Sunday, February 1, 2026 – Antarctic Experience

The Captain woke us up to muster for an up close and personal encounter with an iceberg.  I rolled over.  The picture is Joanne’s.

When I did get up, I decided this was the day I was going off my intermittent fasting for Eggs Benedict and were they ever good.  I ate with Joanne, and Peter and Sue Ann from the next table at dinner.  Then Joanne and I went to the bow for a better view and hot chocolate.  All good.  I spent the rest of the day with Pat in the Crow’s Nest.  The view was too good to play Bridge.  In a strange twist, we received a photo from Palmer Station: 

Monday, February 2, 2026 – At Sea

We are having a wonderful time in the Crow’s Nest.  I am getting to work on my Logs and Blogs, while socializing and catching the odd commentary on passing icebergs, ice floes full of penguins and the like.  I realize these missives are unlike those of many travelers, who actually take the learning experience seriously and try to pass the knowledge on.  I just sail along and live my life, running my business, serving my clients and my passengers aboard, playing Bridge, having lovely meals that I don’t have to cook, and taking in the live entertainment, almost every night.  It’s a great life and I am falling behind, trying to record that which is probably not of that much interest.  So I am going to start paring this down, if I can.  I am over 20 days behind as I type this.

Tuesday, February 3, – Drake passage and Cape Horn

Of course the log part for DV continues. It got sad today.  One of my people came to tell me that her mother, who’s 95, can’t walk at all anymore.  They would be getting off the ship in Ushuia for medical evaluation and might be shipped home.  The lady is otherwise healthy, and the ship has loaned her a wheelchair.

The show was good a variety splash of the last four headliners.

Wednesday, February 4, Ushuaia, Argentina, Beagle Channel, Glacier Alley

We were only in Ushuia from 7:00am until 2:00pm.  I got off, walked around but everything was closed until about noon.  I had a beer and a couple of very good empanadas and then met ten of my DV people in the line for the tender back to the ship. 

I used the afternoon to write Farewell Letters, with comment cards, to five people in three cabins and welcome letters for the two cabins who would be boarding in San Antonio.  Sebastian Fucci was on the main stage and he’s very good.

Thursday, February 5, Punta Arenas, Chile, Strait of Magellan

Pat and I walked out in Punta Arenas, just looking for a local bar or something.  We met Toya, on her way back, who recommended Sara Braun House, which is a museum.  We walked through the main square, which was lovely and where a busker had attracted a small crowd. There was a dearth of bars in the vicinity but Sara Braun house had one, and it was lovely.

We had a nice empanada lunch there and caught a cab to take us around for an hour or so.  Our driver was young and very sweet.   He didn’t have much English but that was OK.  The last place he took us was the cemetery, which we think we would have enjoyed if it hadn’t been for them doing a cremation just as we arrived.  The thick, foul smelling smoke chased us right back to the car. In all fairness, it was 5PM.

Back on board, Newsletter 5 got delivered and the pianist, Sebastian Fucci came to dinner. I just loved him.  He doesn’t eat his vegetables either.  He has read studies that say they have very little nutritional value.  We can survive nicely on meat and potatoes.  Yes!!!  We just got to the show in time for 15 minutes of Mariana Mazu.

Friday, February 6, Scenic Cruising, Amalia or Brujo Gia

Our 95 year old who can’t walk will be disembarking and going home.  The doc on board will start the claim on their HAL CPP Platinum.  I spent an hour with them going over the insurance claim(s) they will be making

Then I went to the Front Desk to order flowers for Dee’s 45^th Wedding Anniversary, from Wells and me, and made up cards to go with them.  I have a few nice pictures from past cruises.

The Chinese on Board decided to celebrate Chinese New Year early because some of them were disembarking in Santiago and the Hsiaos invited Joanne and me.  It was a blast, with good Chinese food and karaoke, and an appearance by the captain:

Saturday, February 7, 2026   At Sea

It was another work day for me, DV work, client work.   Skip Pratt gave his Distinctive Speakers talk on the U2 Spyplane at 4:00pm.  Over 60 people showed up, 22 of them ours, and our 22 came to dinner in the Dining Room.   It’s a nice way to build camaraderie. A lot of us went to the early show, which was Mariana Mazu and Sebastian Fucci.  I do like him a lot.

Sunday, February 8, 2026  Puerto Montt, Chile

Puerto Montt is a tender Port and I didn’t even bother going out.  I don’t think I missed much.  There are 3 cabins disembarking on February 10, so I wrote and distributed Farewell letters.  It was Super Bowl night on board.

Monday, February 9, 2026

My computer looked like it might have a virus, so I shut it down, uninstalled Chrome and Adobe which were referenced in the virus.  Reinstalling Adobe was a large pain because I had to take the free trial, which I will cancel before they start charging me in 7 days.  Chrome, I am living without for a while.  It makes you mad but I can’t be too careful out here at sea. The Grand World Voyage Band did a Santana tribute and it was excellent.

Tuesday, February 10, 2026        Santiago or San Antonio, Chile  

It’s wine country so our intrepid Napa Valley girls went wine tasting, with our wine-loving friends from a cruise about ten years ago.  We had a lovely time, bought some wine and thoroughly enjoyed the lunch and folk dancing:   

It was also a turn-around day and we acquired 2 new cabins.  Our mother and daughter were Medically Debarked and we hoped to see them back at night.  That didn’t happen, but their cabin was not released.  We have a hope of getting them back.

To top it all off, it was Dee’s 45^th wedding anniversary, so we invited Toya and Bob to come join us at the table to celebrate.  There were some nice table pictures taken but none of them landed on my camera so you’ll have to be content with the centerpiece I got for Dee.  The ship does do a good job  with flowers.  This pretty centerpiece, in the care of our stewards, Alice and Amin, lasted a good 10 days.