We awoke this morning well into our sail across the Drake Passage and on to Ushuaia. Marking the end of our voyage to the Antarctic peninsula yesterday was a day chock-full of exploration and celebration. Neko Harbour provided us with breath-taking views, a pristine ending to a seemingly perfect voyage. As many of us began to wind down the exciting chapter in our lives others embarked on a new adventure entirely. In announcement to the entire harbour, blasts from the ships horn signified a very special celebration apart from the Thanksgiving holiday: the symbolic marriage of one of the most friendly and delightful couples on board. Presided over by the Captain and accompanied by a handful of penguins as witnesses, Sandra and Tegwen reminded us of the many thanks we have to give in our lives. For those of us not travelling with family it was an opportunity to give thanks for the memories and friends we have made over the last three weeks, an especially moving “Friendsgiving”.
With relatively calm seas many of us took time today to organize photos and catch up on much deserved rest. National Geographic photographer Sisse Brimberg and “Iceman” Eric Guth kept us engaged with presentations on the life of a professional photographer and the Southern Continental Icefield, respectively. Interspersed with equipment returns and disembarkation procedures it finally seemed to sink in that our magical time spent in Antarctica was coming to an end. With the final Recap it is time to relax and soak up the memories of our journey to the bottom of the world. Tonight we will continue to share contact information, pictures, and laughs as we prepare for another day at sea on our way to Argentina.
