Live from the Wind(s) of Antarctica. Dec. 19, 2023.

[twangster]

Antarctica has long been a continent that has intrigued me and what better way to get there than on a cruise?  So it is that I find myself about to board the Silver Wind for 18 nights. 

 

Departing from Puerto Williams in the South of Chile, Silversea has gathered us in Santiago, Chile as our commercial airport of arrival and departure.  From here Silversea has charted private aircraft to fly us to Puerto Williams to board the ship.  This is considered an "Expedition" Silversea cruise so a little different than their "Classic" offering.  

 

Encompassing both Christmas and New Years, the itinerary:

 

 

[twangster]

To be fair I don't know how "live" this will be as I am not expecting a normal satellite internet experience given the latitude and proximity to the South pole.  It may be that I work on this thread not so live but we will have to see.  

[twangster]

I chose to book my own airfare for this trip.  Flying a Delta booked ticket on a codeshare flight operated by LATAM airlines.  This is my second time flying LATAM but first time in their business class.  It was an overnight flight from Miami to Santiago so the lay flat bed was a welcome feature.  The plane is a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a relatively new aircraft.

 

 

Meal service was good and there were no hiccups with the flight.

 

Arriving into Santiago there was a twenty five minute queue for immigration then I was officially in Chile.

 

There were Silversea representatives waiting for guests who booked their air through Silversea for an included transfer service.  Since I booked my air direct I used a taxi to the hotel that cost $28,000 CLP.  This posted to my US credit card at $32 USD.  The taxi driver had a credit card terminal in his car.   

[twangster]

Silversea included the hotel stay in my fare both pre-cruise and post-cruise.  For this occasion they used the Mandarin Oriental in Santiago.  

 

 

 

 

 

The view with the Andes mountains in the background.

 

 

[twangster]

On the second floor of the hotel are conference rooms where Silversea was established to check guests into the hotel and provide instructions on next steps.

 

 

 

They provided a letter explaining the process for the next day, a health questionnaire and my boarding pass for the charter flight with luggage tags.

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like I am on the last bus but I did score a window seat.

[twangster]

Arriving to the hotel at 9am the hotel accommodated me checking in well before the official 3pm check in time.

 

I wandered around the area and walked to a nearby shopping mall a couple of miles away.  Afternoon called for a nap before dinner at the hotel's Seron restaurant.  Meals are not included.

 

 

After dinner I walked around more checking out the hotel grounds and a nearby urban trail system with many residents out after work riding bicycles and walking their dogs.

 

 

Despite being after 9pm it was still quite light out as I ventured out to get my step count up.

 

 

The letter provided above stated to put luggage out by midnight which was mildly uncomfortable for me but the hotel appears to be quite safe requiring a key card to access guest floors.  It was comforting to see other guests had put their luggage out as well.  

 

  

[twangster]

Day One

 

Morning starts with a beautiful sunrise over the Andes mountains.

 

 

Silversea had arranged a private breakfast for guests.

 

 

Given the size of the venue for breakfast they must have the majority of guests staying here.  I know on some occasions they use more than one hotel.

 

 

Breakfast was a buffet which was perfect for my needs.

[twangster]

A note about the charter flight had come by email several weeks ago.

 

It appears we use an FBO private terminal to board here in Santiago.  

 

 

Upon our return after the cruise they have just enough fuel to take off from the short runway in Puerto Williams so we'll do a refueling stop in Punta Arenas on the way back.

 

 

[twangster]

As I sit here in my hotel room waiting, staring out at the picturesque Andes mountains, I have found the inbound aircraft bringing guests from the Silver Wind back to Santiago in the FlightAware app.

Just as we will do in 18 days, they first had a refueling stop in Punta Arenas.

 

 

 

They are back in the air now on the way to Santiago where they will spend a night before flying home.

 

 

It seems they are about halfway here.

 

 

 

Come on pilots, push those throttles forward... IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!

[twangster]

Fun fact...

 

The airport in Puerto Williams is the Southernmost airport in the world with commercial airline service.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardia_Marina_Zañartu_Airport

 

At 1,440 m or 4,724 feet, the runway is a decent size but well short of the runway length found at most larger airports.  Hence the need to take off with minimum fuel given the luggage that us cruise guests love to pack.  We'll have just enough fuel to make Punta Arenas.  

[twangster]

I have an airtag in my suitcase.  It appears my luggage has found its way to the airport.

 

[twangster]

I've been to Chile twice before and it is a beautiful country.  On my last visit we drove down to Punta Arenas where we zip lined with the mountains in the backdrop.  

 

For this trip and with timing for work I couldn't take any more days off but if you have the time it's definitely worth spending a few extra days and making it over to the coast or visiting some of the wineries in the area.  

[twangster]

Operational update... delayed a bit.

 

 

Silversea is having snacks put out in the breakfast room for those of us that need a place to wait.  The front desk granted me a 12:45pm late check out so I have a brief reprieve.  

[twangster]

While I was in the Galapagos a few months ago the region was first encountering an avian flu that was causing havoc for wildlife.  That same avian flu has made its way to the Antarctic.  While it's doesn't appear to impact humans directly it will have an indirect impact.  Like the Galapagos there will areas that are closed in the Antarctic area to prevent humans from contributing to spreading the disease between islands.  

 

I am anticipating we will have more zodiac tours offered in places.  In the Galapagos the zodiac tours where a favorite excursion offering great wildlife photography opportunities.  While it is disappointing, it is what it is and I'm hoping the zodiac tours in Antarctica will provide similar photo ops and wildlife viewing that we had in the Galapagos.

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

While I was in the Galapagos a few months ago the region was first encountering an avian flu that was causing havoc for wildlife.  That same avian flu has made its way to the Antarctic.  While it's doesn't appear to impact humans directly it will have an indirect impact.  Like the Galapagos there will areas that are closed in the Antarctic area to prevent humans from contributing to spreading the disease between islands.  

 

I am anticipating we will have more zodiac tours offered in places.  In the Galapagos the zodiac tours where a favorite excursion offering great wildlife photography opportunities.  While it is disappointing, it is what it is and I'm hoping the zodiac tours in Antarctica will provide similar photo ops and wildlife viewing that we had in the Galapagos.

 

 

Some landing sites in South Georgia have been closed due to Avian Flu, but still allowing zodiac only trips.  Do you have information that the same is true for some Antarctica landings?

[twangster]

4 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

 

Some landing sites in South Georgia have been closed due to Avian Flu, but still allowing zodiac only trips.  Do you have information that the same is true for some Antarctica landings?

 

Not specifically, but I imagine it is a dynamic situation that could change one week to the next.    

[highplanesdrifters]

Forgot......

 

Fair winds to you and all on board.  May you be blessed with the Drake Lake and many landings. I hear that some landings are being made in South Georgia at Fortuna Bay.  Hope that holds. Look forward to your posts.

[twangster]

Thirty minute bus ride to the private hanger (FBO) at the airport.   There they had the red carpet rolled out for us.

 

 

It's a typical FBO that isn't really designed for large groups like many FBO.  You can see why they needed to stagger the arrival of busses and loading of the four charter planes.

 

 

There are restroom facilities for those that need them.  After a short wait we began boarding.   The benefit of an FBO boarding is no security checkpoint.  Instead we just walk through the hanger after having our boarding pass scanned.

 

 

Our chariot to the tip of Chile.

 

 

 

The BAE146 is a comfortable regional jet with more legroom than you'll find on any domestic US airline in coach and it may have had more legroom than comfort plus on most US domestic airlines.

 

 

Not only did I score a window seat, I scored an aisle and a middle too - I had the row to myself.  In fact I don't recall seeing any row with three passengers on either side despite the 3 x 3 seating.  

[twangster]

A quick check of the radar before we depart.  We may have some rain in Puerto Williams.  Temps of 52°F so dress appropriately and don't pack all your jackets in the luggage as you won't see them until on board the ship.

 

 

Once in the air there was a "Silversea003" SSID on the planes wifi system.  It appears they have a media platform on the plane just for Silversea.

 

 

 

Several videos that talk to the expedition nature of the cruise and safety.

 

 

Movies and TV shows.

 

 

 

There is also a moving map showing the planes location. 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

We passed through areas that were cloudy and areas completely clear.  Roughly halfway there were some beautiful snow capped mountains below us.

 

 

 

I spotted a hanging glacier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twangster]

The complimentary lunch was a salad with a mousse.  Wine and beer were offered.

 

[twangster]

Eventually we began a deep descent into the clouds.   We popped through the clouds to see water and mountains.

 

 

I spotted a ship!

 

 

Unfortunately I was taking pictures through the jet engine exhaust stream and couldn't get a clear picture of the Silver Wind.

 

 

 

After we passed the town we did a sharp bank to come at it from the other direction.

 

 

Moments later we were in Puerto Williams.

 

 

 

No terminal, just a short walk off the tarmac to a sidewalk and waiting busses.

 

 

[twangster]

A short bus ride later and there was the Silver Wind.

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure someone was in trouble for staying out late with the boys.

 

 

 

Upon boarding we surrendered our passports and collected out key cards.

 

 

[twangster]

Cabin Tour - Deluxe Balcony Suite

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The red bag contained a complimentary parka.  A form for sizing was submitted several weeks ago online.  Also complimentary is a water bottle and a waterproof backpack.

 

 

Desk outlets with USB-A and USB-C charging ports.

 

 

The balcony.

 

 

 

 

The view forward.

 

 

The view aft.

 

 

As a point of reference the timestamp on this photo was 8:21pm.  Long days here in the summer months.

 

 

[twangster]

Compulsory balcony selfie.