Today’s Chronicle can be found here.
It’s a busy one today, so buckle in and hang on tight.
We started off with a Halloween-themed Silver Brunch!
This is the first Silver Brunch we’ve ever experienced, and it was fantastic – big thanks to the crew for all their hard work. (Though I’m not sure if we need to do this four times during our upcoming Silver Moon cruise from Melbourne to Tokyo.)
My wife and daughter then went up to the collage / painting workshop, where she made another lovely creation:
Then off to Nikita’s lecture, Flippered Friends – Juan Fernandez Fur Seal:
The Juan Fernandez fur seal was hunted almost to extinction but a small population of 200 fur seals was rediscovered in a cave complex in the 1960s. From there the population has grown and stabalized at around 12,000. These are the second smallest fur seal species – the Galapagos fur seal is the smallest.
The Juan Fernandez fur seal has some unusual differences in behaviour and physical traits compared to other fur seals. They have smaller heads which makes their ears look longer. They also spend a considerable amount of time walking on their front flippers underwater so they look like they’re doing handstands. The Juan Fernandez females spend considerably longer with their pups after birth (11 days versus the more usual 3 – 4) due to the much longer feeding trips they have to take between nursing sessions.
Then we went off to Nick’s lecture on Kelp Forests:
I was amazed to learn that marine algae – particularly kelp forests – produces upwards of 70 to 80% of global oxygen. Kelp forests also take about one ton of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere per hectacre per annum – considerably more than one hectare of rainforest. Black sea urchins are an invasive species which have been destroying kelp forests globally. Normally sea otters or large fish especially the Peru morwong keep sea urchins under control.
The kelp forests also help protect coastlines by absorbing wave / storm energy but we’re losing about 2% of this habitat globally a year. This is causing erosion and unprecented storm surges. As a result, there are numerous projects underway to restore and preserve kelp forests from literally smashing sea urchins with a hammer to using mesh mats to re-kelp an area.
We then dashed off to trivia where daughter correctly identified the tiaré flower as the national flower of Tahiti and knew that Robinson Crusoe had been enslaved in North Africa, while my son immediately identified Henderson, Oeno and Ducie as the three other islands in the Pitcairn group. Sadly, we did not do well enough for a podium finish.
Back to the Silver Brunch once more, which now had a renewed focus on lunchtime foods. Here I buttonholed Kayak Leader Tyler to gauge the odds on us kayaking this afternoon. He did not seem particularly optimistic, which is unsurprising given the four metre swells we passed through en route. Ah, well – it always seemed like a long shot, so we’ll just hope we get to go for a zodiac cruise.
I dashed outside after Second Brunch to get some photos of our sail-in to Alexander Selkirk Island – and the scenery was striking:
With a return of a familiar friend from the Falklands – the black browed albatross:
Alexander Selkirk’s seasonal fishing village:
And some very lazy Juan Fernandez fur seals:
Including one that swam out to pay us a visit:
We waited with bated breath to discover whether we would be able to venture off the ship today. The swell seemed relatively calm, but there are no guarantees until after the Expedition Team has had the chance to assess conditions – and even then the situation can quickly devolve.
Then Peter made an announcement – conditions were suitable for both zodiac cruises and kayaking!
First up – the zodiac cruise. My wife took the kids, and had an amazing time:
Interesting to see that they have street lights!
The zodiac then got up nice and close to the fur seals:
And swung past a ship wreck:
The water was so clear, you could easily see the seals beneath the surface:
My wife also got some video of the seals, including the ridiculous ‘headstand’ that they do as a way of regulating their temperature – their rear flippers stick straight up out of the water:
She then spotted a masafuera hawk:
And met up with the Beverage Zodiac:
Doesn’t get much better than that.
Meanwhile, I was very much enjoying my first and only kayak of the cruise:
The video doesn’t really do it justice – we had fur seals swimming around us for most of our paddle, which ran for over two hours. The joys of kayaking in warmer waters!
I had struggled with what to wear, and eventually settled on sandals, hiking pants, rain pants, a T-shirt and a wide brimmed hat. I was concerned I’d be a bit cool, but figured better that than to overheat – but in the end I was perfectly comfortable.
Back to hop up on deck for a few more photos before we sail away:
Then off for tonight’s briefing.
There are three guided options for tomorrow’s visit to Robinson Crusoe – a very strenuous hike to the Selkirk Viewpoint (5.8 km, 410 metre elevation gain), a strenuous hike to El Yunque Park (6.1 km, 300 metre elevation gain), and a guided village walk. Those taking the very strenuous hike can also include El Yunque at the end if they so choose. Free exploration is also permitted, and there will be a pirate party – with pisco sours – in the afternoon.
Time for recaps – Samira presented regarding the Juan Fernandez rock lobster, which is endemic to this area due to the Humbolt current.
I was amazed to hear that lobster fishing supports 70% of the Juan Fernandez economy. The lobster can also survive at 200 metres below the surface, and is considered extremely sustainable – they are also huge at up to 6.8 kg!
Next up was Alex, who introduced us to Blanca Luz Brum, a writer whose work was often overshadowed by her many enthralling relationships – she married several different men, from penniless artists to wealthy businessmen, and served as press officer for Juan Domingo Perón in Argentina.
Luz Brum eventually found the love of her life, moved to Robinson Crusoe Island, and eventually petitioned the Chilean government to change the name of the Juan Fernandez islands from Mas A Tiera and Mas A Fuera to Robinson Crusoe and Alexander Selkirk Islands respectively. This change led to increased tourism in the area. (But I’m not doing this fascinating woman justice! Highly recommend researching her, as she led a truly fascinating life.)
We then went off for our final dinner at the Grill, and crashed out early so that we might be prepared for (hopefully) landing at Robison Crusoe Island.