Change of plans? We’re used to that onboard National Geographic Endurance! Instead of arriving at Garibaldi Fjord in the afternoon, we cruised up this glacially-carved fjord in the morning. And what a morning it was, with clearing skies, no wind, and fantastic views of the glacial features all around us. Plus, we learned of the discovery of Shackleton’s sunken ship Endurance, the namesake of our ship. In 1915, Shackleton’s ship was crushed by ice in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, about 1000 miles away. Several expeditions tried to locate the wreck on the seafloor without success, mainly because of the thickness of the shelf ice and the extreme depth (about 10,000 feet). It was a great honor to be onboard National Geographic Endurance on the day the news announced the discovery of Shackleton’s Endurance. Meanwhile, here in the Chilean fjords, the presence of floating icebergs indicated that a tidewater glacier was close by, this time at the very head of this 20-mile long and 1-mile wide bay. Our ship cruised through the brash ice, and we saw South American sea lions sheltering in a cave. We moved up the fjord and came face-to-face with the Garibaldi Glacier, where we observed several calving episodes. This glacier is one of the few in the world that advanced in the past few decades, but there were indications that it has recently receded. We all admired the glacier, steep cliffs, waterfalls, and the high mountains above. Then we boarded Zodiacs and inspected the nooks and crannies of the fjord. During lunch, we maneuvered out of the bay and arrived back at West Seno (Sound = Fjord) Pía, which we visited on our first day in Patagonia. Here we were able to kayak in a sheltered bay, and we all felt really tiny in the gigantic scenery. On the way out of the fjord, naturalist Santiago Imberti gave a presentation about Karukinka Natural Park and the Wildlife Conservation Society. During happy hour, we enjoyed recap and reflected on a wonderful day in Patagonia as the ship cruised east along Glacier Alley with its spectacular glaciers.
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.
