Murray Channel, Nassau Bay, Wollaston Islands, Cape Horn and Wulaia Bay

12.27.16

Remember when I mentioned in yesterday's blog that we were hoping for warmer weather, gentle wind and no rain? Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad. Unfortunately that gentle wind was not to be had - in fact, the wind was approximately 40 knots (47 MPH) so we had to hike with our life jackets on in case we blew into the oceans (Pacific and/or Atlantic). Personally, I think we've been eating and drinking way too much to blow away anywhere any time soon. So plenty of ballast...

We navigated through the narrow Murray Channel, across Nassau Bay, and then into the remote archipelago that includes Cape Horn National Park, discovered in 1616 by the Dutch. Cape Horn is a sheer 1,394 foot promontory overlooking the Drake Passage.  When we arrived we climbed up, up and up to the monument - an albatross in flight (and we almost joined him because it was so windy).

 The first few members of our team to reach the top 

at the end of the world!

 I reached later since I was the group historian (my reason for hanging back slightly).

Then we went over to check out the lighthouse, the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and the modern Cape Horn Monument. The Chilean navy staffs and maintains the permanent lighthouse on the island. Apparently it is a plum assignment for the naval officer and his/her family. In return for their commitment of a year, they received a 2-step promotion and sizable salary. Hopefully the family is still speaking to one another when their time is up - since they are the only people in the park.

The rear view of the chapel and current lighthouse.

Current keeper of the Cape.

FitzRoy Memorial

Old lighthouse.

 Donna and Preston returning to the Zodiacs.

 Brian and Vicki heading down to the Zodiacs.

The morning sun begins to shine at the end of this incredible journey...

We had breakfast when we returned, then watched an inspiring documentary film, "Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure," a tribute to the perseverance of the human spirit. Afterward we killed about an hour enjoying pisco sours, gin & tonics, champagne, wine and who knows what else, and before we knew it, it was time for another feeding - this time with a focus on Chilean food. I pretty much focused on seafood - wonderful fried calamari and a crab souffle, followed by rice pudding.

There was one more excursion to Wulaia Bay, but I decided to pass on that so I could work on the blog, complete the customer service survey, shower and pack for our departure tomorrow. Probably a good idea since we've been going since 5:30 AM today - and we still have to EAT AGAIN!