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| Cruising slowly towards Brujo Glacier, daylight seems to be slow in arriving... |
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| Volkswagen sized crystal clear glacier ice drifts past the ship's hull |
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| Slow progress through loose ice flows at the convergence of several fjords |
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| And - we are going to steam right through this |
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| The first glimpse of El Brujo across a mill pond... |
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| A forest of icy peaks, crevasses, rifts in shades of blue and white |
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| The reflection is almost as magical as the glacier itself |
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| A coveted moment of sunshine |
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| Creeping towards the water's edge with glacial slowness... |
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| Finger of ice reaching into surrounding rock |
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| The glacier rises higher and higher, until finally lost to sight way up behind slopes and cloud |
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| A little sunlight lights up icy peaks |
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| Veendam's Bell |
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| Silently holding a little distance from the ice wall |
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| Veendam's depiction of earlier ice encounters... |
Position on Monday 8 April 2013
50.49.11 South
073.46.73 West
Brujo Glacier - Magician's Glacier
Brujo Glacier, way up into one of the hundreds of Chilean Fjords, which almost all lead to the planet's second largest ice cap which straddles the Andes, the largest being the Antarctic Icecap. These ice fields are hardly explored, so little indeed, that the borders between Argentina and Chile, which runs through this giant ice field are not yet definitely defined.
We cruised through some kind of growler-and-bergy-bits soup to reach the edge of Brujo Glacier. We kept respectful distance from the soaring ice cliffs, as the sea bottom around here has not yet been charted, hence is not safely navigable when steering too close to the glacier with a ship of Veendam's size and draft.
No wind to speak of in here, so the water surface is mirror smooth showing dramatic reflections of mountains, glaciers and sky.
The weather God smiles on us for about two minutes, as the sun turned the bluish grey glacier mass into a glittering field of rugged icy peaks, cracks, fissures and pointed pinnacles.
No wildlife, except a few sea birds who fled in panic as soon as the ship nosed towards their ice flow perches.
Everybody out on deck, even the forward section of the ship's bow was opened and people braved the chill, still cold enough to numb one's fingers.
Now we sail off again, following a tortuous course through winding fjords towards the open sea and then onto Puerto Chacabucto, our newly added next anchoring stop for a day. Shore excursions (from 140 -200 dollars a ticket) have been arranged last minute, after tour operators agreed to make the trek into this out of the way port of call in the backwaters of one of the fjords. I think I will take advantage of the local commuter bus to reach the nearby town of Aysen, a metropolis of about 12,000 people, quite populous if compared to Chacabuco itself, which has 1,200 inhabitants...
Most tours advertise gorgeous scenery - on a good clear day - which is too much to hope for at this time of the year, one reason to refrain from booking an expensive 'scenic drive', a hike in the mountains, or a ride on horseback somewhere in the clouds amongst sheets of rain and bone chilling cold.
I experienced my one and only sea quake in this Port a few years ago, with a record of one quake per day at least in Chile, a normal occurrence.
Well, the ships complement of passengers and crew will probably enjoy terra firma regardless of weather in Chacabuco, after being marooned aboard for almost a week.
