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Southern Seas, Southern Skies: A Voyage from South America to South Africa Featuring a Program on Astronomy

In 2010, during the Southern Hemisphere’s late summer months, Corinthian II will ply a route utterly unknown to cruise ships of our era: from continent to continent, the most southerly point in South America to the most southerly point in Africa. This voyage encompasses the sub-Antarctic islands of the Falklands, South Georgia, and the most remote inhabited island on Earth, Tristan da Cunha. A night in Buenos Aires will be travelers’ last experience of the urban world for 20 days, lending itself flawlessly to a program on astronomy. This unique voyage focusing on the southern skies will be accompanied by Frederick Hauck, a former NASA astronaut who will share his experiences and provide lectures on topics such as Flying the Space Shuttle: The Pilot’s Perspective, Around the World in 90 Minutes, and Lessons from the Challenger and Columbia. Also joining this program is the acclaimed astronomer Rick Fienberg, editor emeritus who worked at Sky + Telescope for nearly 22 years. And Piers Brendon, who has written several books on the British Empire, will offer a historical perspective of the places on the itinerary. By day, you will enjoy the rugged, rocky, windswept islands, crowned by tussock grasses and ice-capped peaks, which are congregation points for thousands of penguins, albatross, shearwaters, and prions, while whales surface from the deep all along the route; and by night, you will savor the views of the southern skies from the decks of the elegant Corinthian II, your home for this incredible voyage. With 57 beautiful suites, an exquisite restaurant, two comfortable lounges, and a sun deck with a Jacuzzi, Corinthian II provides an inviting atmosphere of warmth and elegance perfect for exploring the Atlantic’s seas and skies.

Special Savings:
Single travelers pay no single supplement
Book early for free airfare

Itinerary

Day 1 • FLY FROM USA

Day 2 • BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA

Day 3 • BUENOS AIRES | USHUAIA | EMBARK

Day 4  • AT SEA

Day 5 • WESTPOINT ISLAND & SAUNDERS ISLAND, FALKLAND ISLANDS

Day 6 • STANLEY

Days 7 & 8 • AT SEA

Days 9 - 11 • SOUTH GEORGIA

Days 12 - 15 • AT SEA

Day 16 • NIGHTINGALE | TRISTAN DA CUNHA

Day 17 • TRISTAN DA CUNHA

Days 18 - 21 • AT SEA

Day 22 • CAPE TOWN | WINE COUNTRY | CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA

Day 23 • CAPE TOWN | DISEMBARK | CAPE OF GOOD HOPE NATURE RESERVE and KIRSTENBOSCH NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN | CAPE TOWN

Day 24
ARRIVE IN THE USA

View Detailed Itinerary

Rick Fienberg spent 22 years at Sky & Telescope, the world’s premier astronomy magazine, the last eight as Editor in Chief. He was recently named the Press Officer and Education & Outreach Coordinator for the American Astronomical Society. In 2008-09, he was Visiting Scientist at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. An inveterate traveler, Rick has visited all seven continents as well as the North and South Poles. He earned his B.A. in physics at Rice University and his M.A. and Ph.D. in astronomy at Harvard University. He’s a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the International Astronomical Union has named asteroid 9983 Rickfienberg in his honor. Although trained as a professional astronomer, Rick remains an amateur at heart, stargazing and taking astrophotos from his home-built hilltop observatory in New Hampshire.

Navy Captain Rick Hauck was once called “the Top Gun of the nation’s astronaut corps.” Joining NASA in 1978, he flew as co-pilot aboard Challenger in 1983 and commanded two later space shuttle missions including the first mission after the tragic loss of Challenger. After retiring from NASA and the Navy he entered the business world, providing insurance for the risk of launching and operating commercial satellites. Captain Hauck earned degrees from Tufts University and MIT and has been inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. In the aftermath of the Columbia disaster he was a space news analyst on “NBC Nightly News”, MSNBC, and National Public Radio, and was a featured guest on “The Today Show” and “Meet the Press”.

Dr. Piers Brendon is a well-known British historian. He has written thirteen books, among them a history of the 1930s, The Dark Valley (Knopf), and most recently, The Decline and Fall of the British Empire (2008, Knopf). He has done much work for television, scripting many documentaries, including “The Windsors” (ITV), nominated for a Royal Television Society Award, and two films based on The Dark Valley (Channel 4). Brendon is a Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge, and a former Keeper of the Churchill Archives Centre. For most of his life he has lived in Cambridge with his wife Vyvyen, herself the author of several books, including Children of the Raj. During our voyage, Dr. Brendon will lecture on aspects of the history of the British Empire, more specifically on the Falkland, South Georgia, and Tristan da Cunha islands, among the last remnants of the far-flung empire. He was just elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

There is no single supplement for this voyage.

Book early to enjoy free airfare from Miami to Buenos Aires and returning from Cape Town to New York.

Corinthian II Deck Plan

PROGRAM INCLUSIONS
• 1-night stay in Buenos Aires at the hotel Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, with breakfast
• 20-night cruise aboard the all-suite, 114-guest Corinthian II
• Welcome cocktail reception in Buenos Aires
• Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship
• All meals aboard ship, including house wine, beer and soft drinks with lunch and dinner
• Open bar aboard ship throughout the cruise
• Complete program of tours and excursions
• Educational program of lectures by accompanying guest lecturers and naturalist staff
• Professional Travel Dynamics International tour staff
• Complete pre-departure materials
• Baggage handling and transfers abroad on the designated program departure and arrival dates
• Port and embarkation taxes
• Gratuities to porters, guides and drivers

NOT INCLUDED: Airfare (other than group flights designated above); visa and passport fees; luggage and trip cancellation insurance; meals, soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
other than those specified above; personal expenses such as laundry, telephone calls,
faxes and e-mail service; and gratuities to shipboard personnel

Day 1
FLY FROM USA

Day 2
BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA
Arrive in Buenos Aires. Transfer to the Hotel Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. Enjoy a cocktail reception in the evening.

Day 3
BUENOS AIRES | USHUAIA | EMBARK
Fly to Argentina’s Patagonia region, to the city of Ushuaia, nicknamed “Fin del Mundo” (“End of the World”). Upon arrival, enjoy lunch and take a tour of this southernmost city in the world, built between the Andes and the Beagle Channel. Board Corinthian II and sail through the scenic Beagle Channel.

Day 4
AT SEA

Day 5
WESTPOINT ISLAND & SAUNDERS ISLAND, FALKLAND ISLANDS
Reach the windswept Falkland Islands, consisting of two main islands and some 200 small ones, which are mostly rugged, rocky moorlands. Located 450 miles northeast of Cape Horn in the exceptionally rich waters of the southern Atlantic, they boast abundant wildlife, including over 219 bird species and the world’s largest numbers of black-browed albatross and rockhopper and gentoo penguins. On Westpoint Island, take a walk across the moors to a rookery of raucous rockhopper penguins. Also explore the dramatic beaches of Saunders Island, teeming with gentoo and magellanic penguins, as well as cormorant and black-browed albatross colonies.

Day 6
STANLEY
Call at Stanley, the capital of the Falklands. Tour this quaint town to see its colorful architecture, and visit the cathedral and the Britannia House Museum.

Days 7 & 8
AT SEA

Days 9 - 11
SOUTH GEORGIA
Mountainous and magnificent, the remote, crescent-shaped island of South Georgia is renowned for its wildlife, its stunning natural beauty and its vital role in the history of Antarctic exploration. First claimed in 1775 by Captain Cook, the island hosted such explorers as Larsen and Shackleton, as well as a long succession of sealers and whalers. In 1912-13, American ornithologist Robert Cushman Murphy journeyed here to study the island’s prolific wildlife. South Georgia’s more regular visitors include four species of albatross, eight species of penguin, a million southern fur seals, and hundreds of thousands of elephant seals. Explore the island, searching the grassy slopes for nesting wandering albatross with 12-foot wingspans and enjoying the raucous antics of tens of thousands of stately, 3-foot-high king penguins. We may also visit the abandoned whaling station at Grytviken, now overtaken by fur seals and elephant seals, and the grave of Sir Ernest Shackleton. Please note that our stops are subject to weather conditions and approval by authorities.

Days 12 - 15
AT SEA

Day 16
NIGHTINGALE | TRISTAN DA CUNHA
Arrive at Nightingale Island, one of five islands in the Tristan da Cunha group. Uninhabited by humans, it is home to millions of birds, including greater shearwaters, Tristan buntings, penguins and the rare yellow-billed albatross.

Day 17
TRISTAN DA CUNHA
Anchor off the coast of Tristan da Cunha, considered to be the most remote inhabited island in the world. Located halfway between South America and South Africa, this small volcanic island is usually only seen by adventurers, naturalists and its population of 300, who sustain themselves by fishing and farming. In 1961, a volcanic eruption forced the evacuation of the entire island, but almost all of the residents chose to return. The island is an ornithologist’s dream, with 14 different types of petrel found here, including the Great Shearwater, the prion and the storm petrel. Rockhopper penguins and wandering albatross are also common. Visit the settlement of Edinburgh, set on a rugged volcanic cone rising 6,760 feet above sea level. And be sure to purchase a few postage stamps, prized by philatelists and other collectors.

Days 18 - 21
AT SEA

Day 22
CAPE TOWN | WINE COUNTRY | CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA
Arrive in Cape Town, regarded as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Just a short ride from Cape Town, nestled in three bucolic valleys, are South Africa’s celebrated wine lands. The rambling vineyards and whitewashed Cape Dutch farmhouses found here make this one of the country’s prettiest regions. Most famous among the wine towns is Stellenbosch, with its historic buildings and oak-lined streets, which we will explore. Sample some great South African wines, which rival those of California and Australia. Stay overnight aboard ship docked in Cape Town.

Day 23
CAPE TOWN | DISEMBARK | CAPE OF GOOD HOPE NATURE RESERVE and KIRSTENBOSCH NATIONAL BOTANICAL GARDEN | CAPE TOWN
Tour the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, home to a variety of wildlife and over 250 species of birds, as well as flora and fauna found nowhere else in the world. Also explore the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, set in the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Established in 1913 to research and protect the indigenous flora, it is one of the finest botanical gardens in the world, with proteas, ericas, restios, pelargoniums and much more growing and on display. Return to Cape Town for leisure time before transferring to the airport for return flights to the U.S.

Day 24
ARRIVE IN THE USA