South American Tour - 1964-1965

Introduction: Ernest Redfield Saegart was my great grandfather. He was the only son of Arthur Eugene Saegart and Cora (Sackett) Saegart. He was born April 28, 1898 Connecticut maybe Windsor township, though he and died December 9, 1966 in Sun City, Arizona. At the age of 12 they moved to Washington D.C. He married Mildred (Elwell) Saegart and lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming in the 1920-1930s then to Denver. They had one son William Saegart. In 1965, he and Mildred (Millie) took a tour of South America. He cataloged it in a journal. I am going to share it. 

How did it happen?

For a number of years whenever Millie and I were in a coastal town we haunted the docks seeking permission to search and inspect Ocean-going ships. In May 1963 we were in San Francisco on a motor trip  to British Columbia. I had just retired the first of that month so time was what we had plenty of- we thought.

Following our customary providence we were meandering around the wharf. Spotting an I talented freighter we asked for permission to board and we were so escorted around the ship by a member of the crew who was probably looking for a small honorarium. Disembarking we stood at the end of the gangplank gazing at the paint-denied hull and recapping the advantages of what we had seen of the accommodations for the passengers. It left more than a great deal to be desired.

A bystander apparently a seaman and waare of our topic of conversation, from in with the suggestion that we look at the Norwegian freighter berthed just ahead on the same dock. The guide let us on the ship and we wandered around by ourselves. In the lounge we found a lady passenger conversing with a local friend. The passenger showed us her cabin and told us the rest of the passengers were ashore. We were favorably impressed with clean, neat and tidy manner in which the ship was kept. Everything appeared to be shipshape for pleasant living at sea. The ship's name was "Porsanger:" Continuing our inspection we passed the captain's quarter and he came to the door to ask if we could be of assistance. He called the fright manager, Alan Skellenger. We told him we would like to know more about the steam ship line. He said that all info and sales was handled by General Steamship Corporation, Ltd. Onc beach St. , San Fransisco and that he would give them our names and address. Mrs. Ruth Durkin wrote to our Denver Address on May 9, 1963 and sent a copy to Empress Hotel, Victoria B.C. Canada due to unforeseen calamity we never go to the latter place. Trusting from her letter, "The Westfal-Larsen Line offers one sailing per month of a line 12 passenger Norwegian vessel on a round trip cruise from San Francisco down the West Coast of South America through the Strait of Magellan to Buenos Aires. Then up the East Coast to Trinidad though the Panama Canal to San Francisco, making many ports of call en route. However, all passenger accomodations are booked from August 1963 thru April 1964. 

After an exchange of several letters a deposit was sent July 6, 1963 for a R.T. on M/S Porsanger departing in December 1964.

Shortly thereafter Mrs. Durkin wrote that there was a cancellation of a Round the World Cruise on an Isbrandtsen sailing in November, 1963. We decided to take it and keep the SA trip also - at least until we found how we liked freighter travel. It's wonderful and that's another story. Concidence on 2/21/65 we had completed the cruising of Pacific Ocean on World Cruise and entered the Goldan Gate. The first ship we saw in the harber was the M/S Porsanger leaving the harbor on one of the regular voyages.

Here is a list of the schedule:

Schedule Page 1

Schedule Page 2