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Letter from Quest


Roxburgh
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Here we are on our second full day of cruising and our first sea day. We boarded in Buenos Aires at the same time as the Costa Favulosa so, needless to say, the terminal was a bit crowded. But Seabourn did a great job of getting us around and away from the masses and we were soon on-board.

 

Seabourn had arranged the pickup from the hotel at 11.00 a.m. so we were on-board before 12.00 noon. So we had a leisurely lunch at the Colonnade before heading to our suite where our suitcases were waiting for us.

 

The Cruise Critic get-together was in the Observation Lounge just after the muster. We were a little bit late getting there but there seemed to be a least 15 'cruise-criticers' present. So that was a pretty decent turnout.

 

Sunday morning we arrived in Montevideo. What a contrast with frenetic Buenos Aires. The city seemed to still be sleeping when we went off on our tour and was only just waking up when it was time to leave. Still, we had an interesting tour taking in such important sites as the National Soccer Stadium and less important ones such as the Parliament.

 

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At around 2pm we set off for the Falkland Islands and the pace of life on-board kicked up a gear. We were introduced to the Expedition Team, had the first photography lecture and received our rubber boots, backpacks and parkas. And this morning we had the 'great parka exchange' session where we got to swap the parkas we thought would fit with ones that actually did.

 

Meanwhile, there is a sense of expectation amongst the guests. Lectures are very well attended and ornithologists, naturalists and other specialists are sought out for information, discussion and questions. Penguins are a key topic of discussion and stuffed penguins are flying off the shelves in the shop at Seabourn Square.

 

The first trivia was also held today and was very well attended. My team is sitting in third place behind two other teams that have the joint lead. Little do they know that we are luring them into a false sense of security for later in the cruise.

 

Finally, the food has been excellent. Chef Raphael (spelling?) is in charge with Chef Miroslav in the Colonnade. We have been very happy so far. Wines that we have seen include a Malbec, a Cotes de Rhone, a Petit Chablis and a Pinot Grigio. While none of them are great wines, neither are they horrible.

 

Finally, and for those who worry about such things, the soft furnishings seem fine.

Edited by Roxburgh
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Thanks for taking the time to write a post. We are on the Jan 25 sailing, any inside info is most appreciated. Are you by any chance doing the King Penguin 4x4 adventure in Pt. Stanley?

Have a wonderful adventure...

Carol

 

Done this before on land based trips to the falklands. Brilliant experience. I assume it will be to volunteer point.

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Thanks for taking the time to write a post. We are on the Jan 25 sailing, any inside info is most appreciated. Are you by any chance doing the King Penguin 4x4 adventure in Pt. Stanley?

Have a wonderful adventure...

Carol

 

Susan is doing the Rockhopper Penguins, I am doing the battlefield tour. Report to come.

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So still the first sea day and also the first formal night. Dinner was excellent; a choice between lobster and Beef Wellington. I had the lobster and they served a Stags Leap chardonnay that washed it down very well. Desert was Grand Marnier souffle accompanied by a rather nice Sauternes. We were at a table hosted by one of the officers and he told us that a new, larger, ship was in the design stage.

 

We are now on our second sea day before the Falklands and we were up early because the clocks had moved back an hour. We grabbed a coffee from Seabourn Square and went onto the deck behind where a small group of people was earnestly scanning the ocean for signs of life. Stormy Petrels and a Chilean Skua were spotted. And then great excitement ....... a Royal Southern Albatross. Suddenly we are all bird watchers.

 

We have just finished breakfast and are waiting for one of the highlights of the day ..... the great rubber boot exchange (Wellies for the Brits).

 

More to come later.

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Roxburgh,

 

We did the 'battle fields' tour some years ago and it was excellent.

 

We still had time to have a good potter around Stanley. Had a decent

 

'British' cup of tea. The cathederal is well worth visiting along with the

 

Governors house. Shops fairly expensive. Not yet decided exactly what

 

we will do this time.

 

Have a lovely time.

 

kind regards,

Tony

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Second day at sea and we discovered the boot lockers. Much of Deck 5 aft has been given up the storage of rubber boots so the pool and two hot tubs are out of action. While stowing our boots we met a couple of former colleagues (also retired) who, unbeknown to us, are also on the cruise. Their first time on Seabourn but, somehow, I doubt it will be their last.

 

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Enrichment lectures continue with two excellent sessions on digital photography. Despite having read the manual for my camera, actually having someone explain it makes all the difference. There are other lectures; one on the Falklands, another on the penguins to be found there and a third on the geology of the Falklands. The depth of knowledge in the Expedition Team is outstanding.

 

Trivia was a triumph as my team surged into the lead. But there is a long way to go so we need to maintain the level. In the afternoon there was indoor Bocce in the club made all the more interesting by the roll of the ship in the South Atlantic.

 

In between all the activities, we spent time out on deck trying to get decent photos of the birds that are following the ship. There is a decent swell on the ocean although it isn't rough. But the movement of the ship is a challenge for photos.

 

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Yesterday we arrived at Port Stanley in the Falklands. As we cruised into the bay we could see a beach crowded with penguins near Gypsy Point. Weather was calm with moderate winds. Apparently, we were the lucky ones as their weather has been terrible recently. We were told that around 50% of cruise stops have to be cancelled due to the weather, mainly strong winds.

 

I was doing the battlefield tour and Susan went off to see Rockhopper penguins. We boarded the bus and headed off to Fitzroy where tea and scones were waiting. We immediately became aware of the war's legacy when we saw the 'Slow Minefield' sign on the side of the road.

 

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At Fitzroy, where two British logistical landing ships were hit by Argentine bombs we saw a number of memorials including that of the Welsh Guards. We then headed back to Stanley viewing Mount Kent, Tumbledown and Mount Harriet all of which were the scene of heavy fighting during the war. I had done quite a lot of reading about the war but actually seeing the battlefield put all the reading in perspective. Our guide was absolutely excellent and a wealth of knowledge about both the war and the Falklands in general.

 

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Back in Stanley we visited the Liberation Memorial. I then walked back along the front visiting the cathedral, buying a couple of things in a gift shop and stopping for a pint in the Globe Tavern. There was a decent crowd in The Globe and notably half the Expedition Team.

 

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Our ship left Stanley for points south at around 3pm. Just to round the day off, we were 'buzzed' by a couple of RAF fighters.

 

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Edited by Roxburgh
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Fantastic pictures and travelogue Charles, hope Susan enjoyed the Penguins as much as you the battlefields. Wish we were right there next to you. You will be victorious in trivia I have no fear about that. Fondly Robbie and Jim

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Yesterday was a sea day going through the Drake Passage. According to the captain, conditions are about as good as it gets so we are doing 18 knots to get down to the South Shetlands while conditions stay good. Hopefully it will be like this on the way back.

 

Aboard we have wall-to-wall briefings, bio checks and declarations. The Antarctic is a pristine environment and they plan to keep it that way. No trivia today as it would have clashed with the various briefings. However, there is 'Name that Tune'. We ended up with two teams of ten and it was a draw (tie). So that is another Seabourn key ring to add to the collection.

 

There are a few birds hanging around the ship. An Albatross came pretty close but by the time I had got out there with my camera he/she was gone. Then, this evening, great excitement! Our first iceberg!! We all rushed on deck, cameras at the ready.

 

 

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I am very much enjoying your posts -- would love to do this cruise but for all of the sea days.Might just have to bite the bullet. And how lucky you were with Drake's Passage. Hope your good weather continues and you are able to get in all of your landings.

 

Out of curiosity -- how close can the ship safely come to an iceberg?

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We arrived at Yankee Harbor in the South Shetlands this morning. It is a lovely calm day if a bit overcast. Temperatures around the 2C, 36F mark. Apparently, the early risers spotted some whales on the way in but the only thing I have seen in the water so far are a few penguins.

 

Color groups are disembarking normally. We are color code green and the last group to disembark today. We left the ship at around 1.00pm and were on-shore until around 2.20pm. The zodiac ride was quick and uneventful.

 

It is worth noting here how very well organised the whole embarkation/disembarkation process is. From the use of color groups, the life jacket process, the boot process, and getting in and out of the zodiacs, everything works really well.

 

Anyway, once onshore we got our first experience of a Gentoo penguin rookery. The two best ways to describe it are noisy and smelly. But the penguins are not scared of us which makes it great fun to observe them close up. Perhaps a couple of photos describe it best:

 

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Back on board , Seabourn are doing a fantastic job with cold-weather comfort food and drink. From little pots of goulash and spatzli to waffles on a stick, from mulled wine, apple cider and Irish coffee, it is all great stuff.

 

On-board activity has moved from seabird watching to whale watching. Judging by the 'blows', there are quite a lot of whales around. But all too often they are too far away to really see them. However, hopefully I will be able to report closer sightings on subsequent days.

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There are three themes to our activities yesterday; ice, penguins and whales. We arrived in Cuverville that hosts a Gentoo penguin colony. But, also, it felt more Antarctic with icebergs floating between us and the shore and which the zodiacs had to navigate around. We were in the green group and, therefore, the first group ashore. We had seen Gentoo penguins the day before but what was outstanding about this visit was the combination of the penguins and the scenery.

 

This little chap had commandeered his/her own iceberg.

 

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And some of the icebergs had some amazing colour.

 

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After all the visits were completed, Quest embarked upon a scenic cruise the highlight of which was the sighting of killer whales in the Gerlache Strait.

 

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Seabourn also initiated a new feature to their cruises; 'caviar in the snow' which was held on the pool deck in the late afternoon. We had light flurries of snow by then so this worked. Not being overly fond of caviar, I abstained.

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Your photographs are amazing, for me, the albatross especially.

I'm another caviar abstainer by the way !

The more I'm seeing of the Quest in Antarctica, the more I can feel my attitude to such a cruise changing.

Amazing, and truly awe inspiring.

Thanks!

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