After a night spent sailing through the waves of a moderate Drake Passage, we caught first sight of land in the later part of the morning, signaled by billowing cumulus in the distance as the seas abated. Seabirds of various kinds gathered to accompany us for our arrival back to South America.
Though the English name of the Beagle Channel comes from the ship on which Charles Darwin sailed these waters in the 19th century, the area was first known to have been discovered by humans roughly 10,000 years earlier. The Selk'nam, Manek'enk, and Yámana people were the sole occupants of this region prior to the arrival of Europeans, who ultimately brought disease and genocide to its inhabitants.
In the afternoon, we learned about the Yámana during a talk by naturalist Jackie. We also had a presentation from our divers, demonstrating how they go about their work in the polar regions. We also heard from Naturalist Toby about the evolution of whales. Throughout the day we observed wildlife, including many birds, whales, and bow-riding dolphins.
In the evening, we arrived off Puerto Williams, where officials came on board to clear us into Chile, marking the beginning of the next stage of our journey – the fjords of Patagonia.
