C O N T E N T S

 Cast off from Valparaíso [Sun Mar 28th 1999]

We cast off early evening as the shadows grew longer across Valparaíso, offering a magnificent view of the city as our ship departed, and a sun-drenched prelude to the journey ahead. After settling in and exploring their new surroundings, the adventurers were given an introductory briefing welcoming everyone aboard and introducing the Marine Expeditions staff. As the Shuleykin set a westward course we spent the evening getting to know one another and trying to find our sea legs in a surprisingly big swell.
 

The rich Antarctic waters are pulled away from the shore and become part of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, also known as West Wind Drift. This current, the strongest ocean current on earth, is partially diverted by the southern tip of South America, forming the Humboldt Current off the coast of Chile and Peru. As the surface of the water is pulled out by the winds, the nutrient-rich deep water replaces it, aided by the absence of a continental shelf. This is an important upwelling region, and it supports an enormous amount of life. Copepods and opossum shrimp replace the krill of the Antarctic. Feeding on these crustaceans are immense schools of small fish, that in turn are consumed by seabirds, replacing whales at the top of the food web.

“To any meditative Magian rover, this serene Pacific, once beheld, must ever after be the sea of his adoption. It rolls the mid-most waters of the world, the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic being but it's arms… Thus this mysterious, divine Pacific zones the world's whole bulk about; makes all the coasts one bay to it; seems the tide-beating heart of the earth.”

Herman Melville

 Strong Swells at Sea [Mon Mar 29th 1999]

We were graced by the presence of two unidentified whales that paid all too short a visit to our starboard bow, and a sighting of our first Tropicbird to get us into the mood. We watched an interesting video on Chile and Easter Island, and were given our first lecture by Theresa and Jeff, imparting their knowledge on the history and wildlife of the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. Shane also gave us a briefing on safe Zodiac conduct to ensure that we all make it to shore safely for our first landing. Everyone was eager looking to reach Robinson Crusoe Island, our first destination in the archipelago, and looking forward to some magnificent scenery, flora and fauna.
 

Juan Fernandez Archipelago is a sparsely inhabited island group in the South Pacific, belonging to Chile. The main islands are Robinson Crusoe (formerly Mas a Tierra) and Alejandro Selkirk (formerly Mas a Fuera). The islands are rocky and volcanic in origin. The main occupation is lobster fishing. The island group was probably discovered in 1563 by the Spanish explorer Juan Fernandez, for whom the islands were named. A Scottish sailor, Alexander Selkirk, was marooned on the main island between 1704 and 1709, and his experiences are supposed to have inspired the novel The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe. Area, approximately 181 sq. km (about 70 sq. miles).

“Millions upon millions of years ago, when the continents were already formed and the principal features of the earth had been decided, there existed then as now, one aspect of the world that dwarfed all others a mighty ocean resting uneasily to the east of the largest continent, a restless, ever-changing gigantic body of water that would later be described as Pacific.”

James A Michener

 Robinson Crusoe Island [Tue Mar 30th 1999]

We commenced our day travelling around the island’s northern coast to Puerto Inglés and after a somewhat ‘bumpy’ landing we were treated to a tour of the cave in which Alexander Selkirk is said to have lived for a brief period. We were also given an entertaining history of Robinson Crusoe Island and Selkirk’s exile by our wonderful guides, which included a superb performance from Danny that brought a smile to everyone’s face. Nearby the cave, we visited the remains of an old Spanish fort and saw some very colourful rocky terrain. Some of us had a good soaking on our departure from the beach, but everyone had the spirit of adventure and took it in their stride.

On our return to Cumberland Bay we passed directly over the top of the famous wreck of the German cruiser The Dresden. We were rewarded for all our efforts with the chance to get ‘up to our elbows’ in an outstanding lunch of fresh local lobster, perfectly bar-b-queued at the shore by our chefs Austin and Rolf. Our guides stayed with us for the rest of the day, offering some lunchtime music, a tour of the village and the chance to climb the steep and muddy slopes to Selkirk’s Lookout. We were fortunate to see an abundant population of the fire-red Humming Bird, the Juan Fernandez Firecrown, as well as about 15 Juan Fernandez Fur Seals, and a number of sightings of flying fish.

Special thanks must go to our extra guides, Scruffy, who accompanied our hikers to the lookout and Wilson, who added a little extra to the village tour.
 

Alexander Selkirk Island is an extinct volcano in the shape of a huge oval dome, The island is inhabited by approximately 30 families and one CONAF National Park warden, but only during lobster season (Oct-May). The island’s highest elevation is 1650 meters.

“You only get to visit the fair ground once so take the opportunity to go on as many rides as possible.”

Matthew Mumford

 Alexander Selkirk Island [Wed Mar 31st 1999]

Everyone was outside, keen to see the fishing boat that they had arrived in come alongside the Shuleykin in such high seas. From the deck of the ship we could see a steep valley that dropped down to the shore and sheltered the tiny fishing settlement of the island. The barren, windswept landscape was a stark comparison to the lush hills of Robinson Crusoe Island but we did have a few sightings of Redbacked Hawks, Juan Fernandez Petrels an Albatross and, the surrounding seas, rich in with sea-life, provided us with four fresh Lobsters courtesy of the fishermen. Steve had been trying to negotiate with the Harbour Master for some more lobsters to enjoy again today, but after lengthy discussions, it was decided that his price was too high.

Soon before weighing anchor, our Harbour Master and his colleague (we never did find out his name!) braved a leap from the back starboard deck into the fishing boat once more, only to have their motor fail soon after they had pulled away. A few of us watched as the boat began to drift along the coastline, moving closer to the rocky shore. Frantic activity finally got things going again and as we pulled away from the island, the fishermen had safely reached their boat ramp and were preparing to go ashore.

Jeff’s lecture in the afternoon covered some of the theories which try to answer questions like "How was Oceania populated" and "What’s this Moai thing all about then"? It was a fascinating topic which both answered and raised questions.
 

Oceania is the name used to designate the division of the globe comprising most of the islands in the Pacific Ocean. The subdivisions of Oceania are Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia which are grouped together in accordance with the physical and cultural characteristics of the inhabitants. As defined by the United Nations, Oceania also includes Australia and New Zealand.

“There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Kenneth Grahame

 Sea and Sun on the Shuleykin [Thur Apr 1st 1999]

In the morning we were treated to an interesting lecture on the life of seabirds, and a discussion on some of the birds we are likely to see in the next few weeks. Our approach to the Tropic of Capricorn became more apparent with clearer skies, calmer seas and warmer breezes to make our journey more comfortable, and Austin and Rolf once more provided us with a delicious outdoor feast to capitalize on this.

Later in the afternoon, our approach was also made more apparent by the decreasing quantity of hair amongst the male staff aboard ship. The Shuleykin Salon de Coiffure was open for business, and there were an abundance of customers on the stern deck. The opportunity to catch the sun kept many of us outside for the afternoon, whilst others watched a documentary on whales, which highlighted the responsibility that every one of us should take to preserve the planet. After dinner, the Trivial Pursuit Challenge commenced in earnest, and after a hard fought battle, the undefeated Marine Expeditions championship team retained their title.
 

The Dutch navigator, Jacob Roggeveen, called it Easter Island when he became the first European to land there on Easter Sunday 1722. It was an oddly inappropriate name for a place that had known nothing of Christianity.

“And if there had been more of the world, They would have reached it.”

Herman Melville

 Calm Seas and Coleridge [Fri Apr 2nd 1999]

Theresa’s lecture on "Rain Forests of the Sea" gave us an appreciation on how these reefs are formed as well as some of the environmental issues connected with coral. In the afternoon, there was a large gathering in the bar for the reading of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". The information that Jeff gave us along with the recital hopefully left us all with an appreciation of the great command Coleridge had over the English language – even when he was "off his face" on Opium.

Despite the clouds there were plenty of us who took the opportunity to enjoy the warm weather passing their time on the outside top deck. There were plenty of books but a distinct lack of birds another Tropic Bird spotted by Theresa late in the afternoon being one of our only sightings.
 

Easter Island is of considerable archaeological importance. It is the richest site of the megaliths of the Pacific island groups and the only source of evidence of a form of writing in Polynesia. Very little is known about the people who made the megaliths and carved the wooden tablets. One belief is that settlement of Easter Island took place about 18 centuries ago although some scholars contend that the settlement occurred more recently.

“At length did cross an albatross, through the fog it came, as if it had been a Christian soul, we hailed it in God’s name.”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge
'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner'

 Following the Footsteps of Cook [Sat Apr 3rd 1999]

During the morning, we were treated to the first in a series of lectures from Jeff on the journeys of Captain James Cook. It was a fascinating lecture that discussed his first voyage through the South Pacific, which took in Tahiti, New Zealand and the east coast of Australia. Everyone was so engrossed in its content that Shane's second ship tour was delayed by half an hour, but the rave reviews quickly circulated around the ship. Hence, we will all be looking forward to the remaining lectures in the series.

Lunch was another outstanding bar-b-que on the stern deck, as Austin and Rolf ventured forth from the galley to enjoy the weather with us. As the afternoon stretched out before us, a few gathered on the top deck to make the most of a little exercise and some stretching of our own with Theresa. Everyone's backs seemed grateful for the effort, and we were rewarded with some delicious chocolate muffins for afternoon tea, just in case we were feeling undernourished after the exertions of the day!. The remainder of the afternoon was dedicated to rest and relaxation.

For those of us who were out in the warm evening air after dinner, we were treated to our first clear view of the Milky Way with a magnificent swathe of white speckles splashing across the southern skies. The Southern Cross appeared brilliantly, with Venus hovering over the horizon like a beacon at the bow. Our wildlife viewing was minimal today, with no new sightings to mention. Hopefully we will start to see something more as we approach Sala y Gomez Island. We also entered our third new time zone.
 

The Chilean island of Sala y Gomez lies approximately 1,300 miles WNW of Alexander Selkirk Island and 200 miles ENE o Easter Island. It is a crest of a volcanic spire which measures only 700 metres long and 450 metres wide at its greatest dimensions. Few people ever lay eyes on this remote, rocky island.

“An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”

G. K. Chesterton