HISTORICALLY—BEFORE THE PANAMA CANAL—the main reason to go to Punta Arenas was to continue on to somewhere else. Magellan and his fleet didn’t tarry long, leaving only his name. Ernest Shackleton, Raold Amundsen and Robert Falcon Scott passed through on their Antarctic expeditions. New England whalers and ships carrying fortune-hunters “around the Horn” to the gold fields of California resupplied and sailed on.
Tendering to Punta Arenas
Monument to Magellan
Punta Arenas Cathedral
Punta Arenas is still a jumping-off point for some Antarctic cruises. The harbor isn’t deep enough for ships like ours so tenders ferried us ashore for a look around. First order of business was to spend the rest of our Chilean money—a couple of Diet Cokes and four Snickers Bars took care of the pesos.
Monument of Discovery
Dreaming of Summer
Shackleton points the way home
We stopped at the statue of Magellan in Plaza de Armas for some photos then to the Sara Brawn residence and across to the Cathedral, pretty much covering the sites in town. With some time to kill we braved the cold wind and strolled along the malecon towards the statue of Exploration. We hoped the woman sunbathing on the beach was a local, not someone from the ship! The statue of Shackleton pointing at Oosterdam seemed to be telling us it was time to head back to the ship.
A misty entry to Glacier Alley
LaManche Glacier
French Glacier up close
One of the reasons we took this cruise was to see the Chilean fjords—Glacier Alley was a bonus. It would be a short run to Ushuaia—we’d be there by lunch—so we had time to dally. The captain opened the bow on Deck 4 at 6:00 AM so everyone could get a good view. The deck was crowded despite the cold drizzle as we tip-toed past six glaciers, made a 360 and slowly cruised out. French Glacier and La Manche were the most scenic, almost like Alaska if the weather had been better.
