Friday, January 1, 2016

During our flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, where we will embark on The World, I was reading Endurance, Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage, by Alfred Lansing.

The book recounts the failure of the expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton in an attempt to cross the Antarctic continent in 1914 and the subsequent struggle for survival endured by the 28-man crew for almost two years. Right before our plane was landing, the Endurance crew were celebrating New Year’s Day in 1916, exactly 100 years before today. Spooky.

We arrive safely in Ushuaia, the last place of civilization seen by Antarctic-bound boats or better known as the End of the Earth. It is sunny and unseasonably warm around 70°. The water is sparkling blue backed by snow-capped mountains of the Andes. Looks like a fine place to dock.

 

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Mark awoke early to play golf at Tierra del Fuego / Ushuaia Golf Club, the world’s southernmost golf course. He will actually earn a certificate to prove that he has played here.

Before this trip, I upped my photography game by purchasing my first real camera, a mirrorless digital SLR. After hours spent watching tutorials online, I am fired up to start shooting. I learned to start each day by photographing Our World Today masthead to easily tell which day and where the photos were taken. Out comes the camera, I zero in on the masthead and cannot get the damn thing focused, even manually. Seriously? So the rest of the day is spent with my nose in the manual.

 

 

I now have the focus down pat and our view sailing away from Argentina at dinner is out of this world.

 

Tonight the sun will set at 22:10 and we will cross the Drake Passage.

“Thus, between hem and the open seas and Cape Horn rollers of the Drake Passage – the most storm-torn ocean on the globe.” – Endurance

Captain Dag has told us to batten down the hatches and be prepared for high winds and rough seas.