Friday March 6 – Arica, Chile. After our 8 hour delay in search and rescue for our overboard passenger, we arrived Arica just after noon. Needless to say, the overboard passenger was not found and is apparently, lost at sea. Few details have been released on a formal basis but "ships gossip" and formalized statements reflect that the passenger was a 63 year old male whose spouse and other family members were aboard. A note was left at 430AM. The wife of the missing guest notified the ships staff at 930A after the note was found suggesting possible suicide. At that time a search and rescue operation was launched back to the point at which the guest was last seen. This operation was conducted under the direction of the Chilean Navy Coast "Guard. Our ship was released from the search and rescue operation at sunset on Thursday and we proceeded to our next destination. There have been no details beyond this and I suspect that no other information will be forthcoming. I did not go ashore in Arica. Ken and several others of our group took tours that they thought interesting and informative. Bill and Diane and Charles and Joan did a "walk about" down town and found the city to be a pleasant little town. I had the impression that the city itself rated above some of the other ports where we have stopped but that, of course, always reflects personal preference. The population of the city is said to be approximately 200,000 but one of the tour guides stated the population as 188,000 with 44,000 military. Known as the "City of the eternal spring" Arica was founded by Spanish Captain Lucas Martinex de Begazo in 1541. Inasmuch as there is no obvious springs from whence water flows, I presume that the term "eternal spring" is a reference to the spring like average in temperature which is 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The city was part of Peru until 1880 when it was taken by Chilean forces during the War of the Pacific. Arica is Chile's northernmost city and is an important port for Chilean ore. Arica provides Chile with strong transportation ties to both Peru and Boliva with separate railroad lines to both countries. Arica is said to be one of the driest inhabited places on Earth as measured by average annual rainfall precipitation of 0.03 per year.
 Ken and Pat Burns from the road and/or the sea
just as happy as can be 
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