The Swan Hellenic SH Minerva set sail approximately ten minutes early as it was leaving Ushuaia for Antarctica, which would consume two days to sail approximately 1,100 kilometers across the notorious Drake Passage of the Southern Ocean.
Leaving Ushuaia for Antarctica.
The unusually spectacular weather prevailed into the evening as azure skies and billowy cumulous clouds over the craggy peaks of the southeastern Andes Mountains bade adios to us at the vessel departed from the dock at the main pier of the city.
As we set out heading east in the Beagle Channel, we passed Mount Olivia or Monte Olivia, which is the tallest — and, arguably, most recognizable — mountain in Tierra del Fuego…
…even from far away as we sailed further east out in the Beagle Channel.
After a brief introduction in the Observation Lounge, we settled in for dinner at Swan Restaurant and dined on the food that was offered at the buffet that evening…
…and a vast variety of food was on display — everything from breads to salads to vegetables to meat to seafood to dessert.
The food was absolutely delicious and flavorful. Something was available for everyone — and if a certain food item or dietary restriction was not immediately available, a member of the crew ensured that that item was served at the table.
Basic items — such as hamburgers and French fries — were available on request from a separate menu if a guest preferred that over what was offered on the buffet.
Even for a buffet, the service from members of the staff was excellent…
…especially including the members of the team were behind the counters and constantly ensuring that the entire buffet area was kept spotlessly clean.
A guest would have to work really hard to walk away from Swan Restaurant hungry, as he or she could eat as much food as he or she wanted.
Final Boarding Call
After dinner, we decided to retire to our room to get a good night’s sleep with the fireplace activated and crackling at whatever volume we wanted, as the long day began at the Casa Lucia Meliá Collection hotel property in Buenos Aires and continued with a charter flight and arriving in Ushuaia before boarding the vessel…
…and even after dinner hours after we departed from Ushuaia, we were still in the calm waters of the Beagle Channel, according to a map that displayed in real time on one of the channels of the television in the room. When the photograph above was taken prior to going to sleep, the vessel was heading southeast and would emerge overnight into the Southern Ocean.
Meteorology? Maps? I thought to myself. I felt like a kid in a candy store; and these maps were available around the vessel.
We wondered what crossing the Drake Passage will be like the next day. I gambled and decided not to take any remedy for seasickness or motion sickness before going to sleep…
All photographs ©2025 by Brian Cohen.
