Take two.

After spending a very quiet night in Parry Inlet we heave anchor and head off into Admiralty Sound to see if the weather conditions have improved from yesterday’s and be able to make a landing at Karukinka, for yesterday we were blown out.

By breakfast we have anchored not far from Jackson Bay, our morning destination, and the weather looks promising. Not far away on an island, with nesting black-browed albatross, four Andean condors are sighted and soon enough open their wings into the breeze and are effortlessly carried aloft as they head off on their search for sustenance.

With a following stiff wind we head off for the beach and not far from our landing we are greeted by a number of southern elephant seals. There are some very young ones, still in their dark gray finery, as well as some weaners, mums and males. They fascinate us and there is agreement that these master divers are so ugly they are beautiful.

The wide beach we stand on opens up to the south and along its edge there is a jumble of southern beech tree trunks which stretch back up the shallow valley as well as a stream off to one side. Many of our number venture off into the forest to the foot of a lovely waterfall cascading down the steep mountainsides, which surround this most scenic spot, enclosing us and making the whole experience more intimate. Along the way birds are sighted and it is also an opportunity to get close looks at the lush undergrowth, which is so characteristic of these southern forests.

Word goes out that a small group of king penguins are sighted at the far end of the beech! What a surprise to see these beautiful birds and a joy to also learn that there is a small breeding colony not far away from here.

Throughout our visit ashore the winds steadily pick up and they can be felt as they funnel down the extensive waterway ending precisely where we are. These winds are experienced firsthand on our return to the ship and by those who opted for Zodiac cruises around the island where the albatrosses are breeding. Many of these albatrosses are sighted over the water and they leave us in awe as they give us all a master class in these challenging conditions.

For the rest of the day we sail through the breathtaking maze of fjords which surround us. We retrace our steps through the narrow Gabriel Channel and then into Agostini Fjord and many other channels. There are forests and waterfalls and seabirds and land birds and glaciers and so so much more. Words fail us to adequately describe all that we experience in this remote area of the world and where it is possible to feel true seclusion. Maybe it is best to leave the last word with the opening words from Endymion, written by the ever so young John Keats (1795 – 1821):

A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:

Its loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A bower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.