We woke up today racing through the northern Drake Passage, lots of long-winged birds soaring all around the ship. Most of the birds are using our slipstream to make their flight a “lazy walk in the park.” Very entertaining. Shooting photos of birds in flight is at least as engaging, not to mention as difficult, as shooting skeet from the deck!
The sea is mostly gray with a bit of white on its tips. The sky is various shades of gray with bright windows of white and sometimes blue. There are sharp mountains in the distance without a cover of snow nor ice. One of them is surely Cape Horn.
Before too long we have slipped from the Drake into the Beagle Channel. The water is green with small wind waves, no swell. Even the most casual observers have a good chance of noticing the dolphin. The mountains, particularly to the north, are tall and snow-caped, but there are also trees and a distinct timberline. More and more land appears to be cleared for ranching. A small road parallels our course.
By afternoon we know we are back in civilization—there is the Chilean town of Puerto Williams on our port side and about an hour or so further on we arrive at the compact, colorful, and definitely busy town of Ushuaia, Argentina.
We will spend the night here, with time to explore the town before and after dinner. Tomorrow morning we have our last group affair, a flight to Buenos Aires, then we are on to our separate destinations. A fine way to end 2013 and begin 2014!
