The transit from the Falklands to Montevideo took 3 nights and over 3 and half days through the South Atlantic.
We had a bouncy night but nothing like as bad as during the other transits. Looking out of window we could see blue sky when we pulled the blind up.
Our expedition voyage on Hurtigruten’s MS Fram would take us from Ushuaia to Antarctica, to South Georgia, around the Falklands and then onto Montevideo.
Saturday March 11th was our 18th day and was our first full day of transit to Montevideo.
Blue sky in the morning
Our first issue with the cabin was this morning when our loo wasn’t working. our second problem was how to contact reception as there was no directory in the cabin info pack. On the phone F2 was marked as ‘Medical Emergency’ so I tried F1 and luckily it worked. Within 5 minutes an Able seaman was knocking on our door and the problem was fixed.
Breakfast was a buffet as usual and we followed it by attending a lecture entitled ‘Southern Ocean Whaling – a senseless slaughter’.
‘Southern Ocean Whaling – a senseless slaughter’
I was shocked to discover that because I grew up in the 1950s that I had probably eaten margarine made from whale oil.
This is an advert promoting whale meat.
These are some of the key points from the lecture:
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- Originally there were no substitutes for some of the products made from whales for cosmetics and lighting
- The industry in the Northern hemisphere took off when grenade tipped harpoons were invented
- After Northern whales were decimated then attention turned to the Southern hemisphere
- Whaling stations were established were established for example in South Georgia
- In the 1930s introduction of large factory ships with slipways were introduced
- In the early 1960s the Soviets had the largest ever factory ship and with the help of 25+ catchers slaughtered an estimated 25,000 wales in the Pacific over 2 years, wiping whales out in that area
- Whaling banned in 1986 and we now have whale sanctuaries
- Now only Norway, Japan and Iceland still practise some whaling, and
- Native tribes are still allowed to ‘kill’ for food e.g. the Faroes, Canadian Inuits etc.
If you want to find out more about the slaughter of whales worldwide then please read this article from Nature – World’s whaling slaughter tallied.
Whaling is “cruel and unusual slaughter of endangered species that play a huge role in one of the most important ecosystems our planet depends upon.”
Whale and Dolphin Conservation
If you agree that all killing of whales should stop please tweet this . . .
Whaling is 'cruel and unusual slaughter of endangered species .... ' Whale and Dolphin Conservation #SavetheWhales Click To TweetOut on deck … again
After the lecture we were back outside on Deck 7 aft and then Deck 5 forward. The ship was being followed by a gaggle of albatrosses that were making repeated passes over the ship.
On the port side a Norwegian tanker steaming the other way South appeared. Later we learnt that she was on her way to Chile with a cargo of oil.
Lunch was spaghetti with a tomato mushroom sauce accompanied by focaccia bread.
Back on Deck 7 aft a pod of dolphins bobbed up on the starboard side behind the ship. The albatrosses were all gone and then one appeared and made pass behind the ship.
When the rain came at 3.30 pm it was time for a cup of tea in the Observation Lounge. The rain encouraged us to stay in the lounge and watch the ocean slip by. There were still some sea birds around the ship and even dolphins were reported alongside the ship by the bridge team.
Out on deck tables and chairs were appearing on Deck 7 aft – fine weather must becoming!
Story telling in the Observation Lounge
At 5 pm we listened to a solo performance from Helga, of the expedition team, who told us the story of the original Fram and the men who sailed in her.
The original Fram went over the Arctic locked in the ice but not quite passing over the North Pole. After an exploration voyage to Canadian waters and Greenland she was used to ferry explorers down to the Antarctic for the race to the South Pole. Now she is in a museum in Oslo.
Preparing to leave Fram
This was our last opportunity to take up the special offer announced the day before on having a bag of laundry cleaned. We duly filled the bag with as many clothes as we could safely cram in.
At dinner we opted for the alternate main course of barbeque chicken. The starter was sliced reindeer meat followed by mushroom soup and for dessert key lime pie.
In our cabin after lunch we had received the forms for the optional gratuities. Hurtigruten recommended 70 Norwegian Kroner per person per day. This would be shared among the crew.
The night was blessed with a full moon.