Melville crew pulling in dock lines as we leave the dock in Punta Arenas

Readers may recall the we left the dock in Punta Arenas at 1 PM local time on January, 11, 2011.   While we were waiting to leave we had been hearing rumors that the citizens of the Magallanes Provence were threatening to strike over a 20% increase in oil prices.   What we didn’t know at the time was that we went to sea with only 11 hours to spare.   Starting at midnight on January 12 a general strike was called that effectively blocked all roads, air travel, and access to the dock.   Tragically, several protesters were killed when a truck attempted to drive through barriers on a road.   Thousands of tourists have been stranded in Punta Arenas.   Read more about the strike by following the links below.

1/14/2011: Punta Arenas: Two Dead, 32 Arrested In Early Hours of Massive Strike

1/16/2011: Strike easing in Magallanes, Chile

– Whitney