At Sea/ Beagle Channel
In the early days of discovery and ship travel, when courageous captains from Europe and the Far East took to sea in search of new lands and commerce, the area known as Cape Horn was a formidable enemy. Before the Beagle Channel was navigated, ships would have to round this point, at “the very end of the earth,” where the Southern, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans meet, sometimes very tumultuously.
Dozens of ships were lost, and many others barely limped back into the nearest port for repairs, sailors kissing the ground as they walked down the gangway. These days, Cape Horn is still the collision of those bodies of water, and can certainly be merciless for navigators. However, today, as we lazily rock through the last of the Drake Passage, and sight the Green Islands that mark the southern tip of South America, we are filled with mixed feelings.
We have just spent 10 days exploring Antarctica, a place where green is seldom seen. It has been an incredible journey filled with up-close and personal encounters with whales, penguins so curious they have used our legs as walk-ways, and icebergs so enormous that even the ship’s radar could not fully comprehend the entire area. Approaching Cape Horn means this expedition is over, although hopefully just for now, and the world of malls and automobiles that we had left behind a week and a half ago, we will once again have to re-enter.
As we enter into the Beagle Channel, most of us are on deck, contemplating what we have seen in the last 10 days. Yet, the scenery here is not lost to us either: the green hills, low flying albatross, and South American sea lions that curiously watch the ship as it sails by. It is a re-entry into the world of vegetation and above freezing temperatures, but there are a few reminders of Antarctica, one of them being the blue-eyed shags. This type of bird is found both in Antarctica and South America.
Shags, or cormorants (the title dependant on what continent you are from) nest on steep cliffs or exposed rock formations, and build their nests of seaweed, moss, or lichen. They are mainly fish eaters, and can dive to depths of 150 feet in search of their prey. This picture is of a juvenile bird: this year’s fledging chick. During an encounter with 4 different birds, it was quite obvious that they did not quite know how to feed yet, as they dove down to bite fins, picked at the dry suit, and poked at the camera-housing lens in hopes of a meal. But give them a few weeks of practice, and they will be diving just as well as Mom and Dad.
Ushuaia, our final destination, is coming into view, the city lights twinkling in the distance. As the ship pulls alongside the dock, we cast our eyes back across the water, as far as they can go, through the Beagle Channel, and onward across the Drake, saying a silent goodbye to a new place in our hearts.
In the early days of discovery and ship travel, when courageous captains from Europe and the Far East took to sea in search of new lands and commerce, the area known as Cape Horn was a formidable enemy. Before the Beagle Channel was navigated, ships would have to round this point, at “the very end of the earth,” where the Southern, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans meet, sometimes very tumultuously.
Dozens of ships were lost, and many others barely limped back into the nearest port for repairs, sailors kissing the ground as they walked down the gangway. These days, Cape Horn is still the collision of those bodies of water, and can certainly be merciless for navigators. However, today, as we lazily rock through the last of the Drake Passage, and sight the Green Islands that mark the southern tip of South America, we are filled with mixed feelings.
We have just spent 10 days exploring Antarctica, a place where green is seldom seen. It has been an incredible journey filled with up-close and personal encounters with whales, penguins so curious they have used our legs as walk-ways, and icebergs so enormous that even the ship’s radar could not fully comprehend the entire area. Approaching Cape Horn means this expedition is over, although hopefully just for now, and the world of malls and automobiles that we had left behind a week and a half ago, we will once again have to re-enter.
As we enter into the Beagle Channel, most of us are on deck, contemplating what we have seen in the last 10 days. Yet, the scenery here is not lost to us either: the green hills, low flying albatross, and South American sea lions that curiously watch the ship as it sails by. It is a re-entry into the world of vegetation and above freezing temperatures, but there are a few reminders of Antarctica, one of them being the blue-eyed shags. This type of bird is found both in Antarctica and South America.
Shags, or cormorants (the title dependant on what continent you are from) nest on steep cliffs or exposed rock formations, and build their nests of seaweed, moss, or lichen. They are mainly fish eaters, and can dive to depths of 150 feet in search of their prey. This picture is of a juvenile bird: this year’s fledging chick. During an encounter with 4 different birds, it was quite obvious that they did not quite know how to feed yet, as they dove down to bite fins, picked at the dry suit, and poked at the camera-housing lens in hopes of a meal. But give them a few weeks of practice, and they will be diving just as well as Mom and Dad.
Ushuaia, our final destination, is coming into view, the city lights twinkling in the distance. As the ship pulls alongside the dock, we cast our eyes back across the water, as far as they can go, through the Beagle Channel, and onward across the Drake, saying a silent goodbye to a new place in our hearts.
