Beagle Channel/Cape Horn 2-4-12

We entered the channel overnight passing through the "Avenue of the Glaciers" during the morning.  The glaciers come from the Darwin Ice Field on the island of Tierra Del Fuego.  The channel is a fjord much like we have experienced for the last several days.  We had fog, rain, hail, and snow during the morning.  Good thing it is summer here, high temp is mid 40's.

We passed Ushuaia, Argentina, (where we will return Sunday morning) as we make our way south to Cape Horn.  There are huge numbers of birds including albatross, terns, skuas, and giant petrols.  We also had a pod of whales near the ship.

First glacier of the day!

Just another glacier

Cape Horn

Rounding the horn

Our journey to Cape Horn was fantastic.  We had 75 knot winds, (90 mph), but luckily the swells were only about 20 feet in height.  The ship struggled in the wind but it was well worth it.  Tradition dictates that the ship sounds its horn, followed by a moment of silence in memory of those many sailors who perished rounding the cape. 

We arrive back in Ushuaia at 8:00 AM.  We are re-provisioning replacing the Chilean wines with ones from Argentina.  Tom is worried what wines we will have once we arrive in Brazil but hopes the scantilly clad girls on Ipenema and Copa Cabana beaches will make up for the drop in quality of wine.