The final day of the trip found National Geographic Endurance sailing into the Beagle Channel. As the sun rose, we could see land to the south–it was Staten Island! Shortly after sunrise, killer whales visited us. As we sailed on up the channel, we had views of humpback whales, black-browed albatrosses, and dolphins. We began to see signs of civilization in the afternoon, and then Ushuaia came into view. After 30 days of exploration at sea, our journey came to an end in this picturesque town at the southern end of the world.
3/28/2024
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National Geographic Endurance
Isla de los Estada, Ushuaia
We entered Bahia Capitan Canepa where the mountains were rounded over by ancient glacial grinding and the valleys had begun to fill in with nothofagus trees and many of the ferns, mosses, and lichens familiar to the rest of this region. Waterfalls were found around every corner, and both sea lions and fur seals were scattered about, playing in the cool water. Some places felt like scenes from Jurassic Park with waterfalls turning to showers before they hit the seawater below, while the wind fiercely blew the scattering droplets about. The rain was steady, but moods were bright as we encountered shags and oystercatchers along the shores of this magical place. Showers cleared by the afternoon while we made our way west to Ushuaia on the final leg of this voyage. The Beagle Channel always feels different depending on what direction we are traveling. At the beginning it is wonderous and full of mystery, but the return trip always feels sad as we prepare to disembark and bid farewell to our newly made friends. This part of the voyage is fun for spotting whales and Magellanic penguins, but we all know it is short for time. By 2130 dinner ended and National Geographic Endurance’s bow thrusters and Azipods were driving us to the pier for our final berthing of this incredible voyage.
