Cape Horn & the Beagle Channel
Today is our final full day aboard ship. During our time aboard we have grown accustomed to the roll and pitch of the ship and now find her motion to be comfortable. We have crossed the Drake Passage on our way north and as we approach the southern tip of South America the first rays of morning sun illuminate the green slopes of Cape Horn. This small rocky island stands alone against the southern ocean storms that circle the globe in the furious fifties. The huge legendary seas, called gray beards by sailors of a bygone era, dash themselves to foam against the shore during the winter gales. But the weather here today is more moderate and we experience only white caps and bright sunlight.
Several species of albatross herald our arrival as they wheel about the ship. Pintado petrels flash their speckled wings as they too glide beneath the bow and occasionally, dolphins come to play alongside. A number of Magellanic penguins are in the Beagle Channel and we add them to our list of species seen on this voyage.
The pilot boards our ship for the final portion of our voyage as we sail up the Beagle and steer towards Ushuaia. As is true in many inland waterways of the world, the pilot is familiar with the waters and has ‘local knowledge’ to ensure our safe arrival in port.
Now we begin to reflect back on our expedition to the Great White South. First time visitors are usually overwhelmed by the vastness of Antarctica. The steep mountain peaks, the glaciers and ice fields that stretch deep into the continent, the raucous penguin colonies and the abundance of sea life from the tiny krill to the massive whales all combine to create an experience whereby all our senses are simultaneously on parade. We’ve witnessed penguins feeding their chicks, cruised in Zodiacs past enormous icebergs and feasted with our eyes, ears and noses on all things that define the White Continent. When we return home and share our photographs and experiences with friends will we search in vain for the right words to describe where we’ve been and what we’ve seen? Do we need a new dictionary with new adjectives to adequately convey what is now in our hearts and memories?
Ernest Shackleton said, ‘what the ice gets, the ice keeps.’ Was he referring to his ship, the Endurance that was trapped and sunk during his ill fated expedition? No, I believe he was referring instead to us, to all explorers who journey here. Will we find ourselves drawn back to Antarctica? Do we now have the ‘polar fever?’ Surely, time will tell.
