November 20, 1999

Fishingboats in port at Punta Arenas.

I awoke early in the comfort of my stateroom aboard the Laurence M. Gould, but didn't linger for breakfast. The docks were busy. It is king crab season and Chilean fishing boats come and go around the clock, bringing in their daily catch and shuttling it it to nearby warehouses and processing plants. I was concerned about how Steve was doing back at the Hotel Condor and headed across town to see what the doctor had found. Elena, the receptionist whose English was as good as my Spanish, indicated that Steve had been taken to the hospital! Apparently, the doctor had stopped by late in the evening and decided it was best to put him under observation and do some blood work. Unknown to me, he was considering pulling him from the cruise.

I hopped in a cab and drove to the hospital, where Steve was doing fine--just a little weak from the experience but in good shape, otherwise. He would be released in the afternoon, get his clothing issue and be aboard ship by 4:00pm. What a relief! I busied myself getting all his gear checked out of the hotel and arranging for the transfer to the ship.

A fisherman offloads his catch of king crab at a dockside warehouse and processing plant.

We got underway at dinner time, heading out into the Straights of Magellan. Once clear, the plan was to head South along the coast of Tierra del Fuego and around Cape Horn for the 2-3 day crossing of the Drake Passage to the South Shetland Islands.