Jan 23: At sea between Antarctic Peninsula and Cape Horn (about 58 degrees south latitude)


 Short entry today - more (hopefully) tomorrow.

We set out from Antarctica yesterday evening and were beyond the South Orkney Islands and into the Southern Ocean by the time I went to sleep. We've been steaming all day at about 12-15 knots and are now about halfway between the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and the tip of South America. We should enter the mouth of the Beagle Channel by bedtime tomorrow and will then make our leisurely way to Ushuaia, to arrive at the ship's scheduled docking time. Once we're docked we'll be hustled off the ship and bussed to the airport (for those with flights the same day or to the Poseidon luggage storage facility (for those, like me, who are staying overnight or longer).

It's hard to believe the trip is nearly over. Today was much like one of the last days of high school, except that, instead of signing yearbooks (is that still done?) we're exchanging email/phone/WhatsApp/WeChat information. One person I talked with when starting to plan this trip said that, unlike so many other people she fell in with on trips and pledged to keep in touch (but didn't), she's actually still in touch with many of those she spent time with on the ship - she said that the shared experience on a small ship with a sometimes tiring itinerary of wonderful hikes, animals, scenery, and the like gave them a stronger bond than any other such experience. I hope so, as I've met some wonderful people here.

With that, I'm signing off. Tomorrow...I am still organizing my photos into folders for some specific people and groups (e.g. folks who asked me to take their photos, expedition staff I took photos of, etc). I'll copy the folders to their USB drives, SD cards, etc for them to take home. No photos today due to bandwidth issues, but (at latest) I'll be able to get caught up in two days when I'm back to the high-speed connection at Los Naranjos.

OK - one photo. The photo at the top is a humpback whale spouting with the mountains of the Antarctic Peninsula in the background.  

Comments

  1. SunJanuary 25, 2025 at 12:53 AM

    I’m sure it must have been an amazing experience to witness the tip of South America.
    Thank you for explaining what that white puff is from the photo—it’s proof that the place is full of life!
    BTW, You now can share your blogs for the next round of tourist like the nice lady you talked about.

    ReplyDelete

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