straits of magellan

Hi everyone. we're about 6 or so hours into the straits of magellan
and should be in PA by nightfall. most of the morning has been spent
on the bow, watching the albatrosses, cormorants, penguins (Magellan
and/or some other non-traditional penguins) and seals circle around
the NBP. the land on either side is shrubby and rocky -- depending
on where you're from, analogies might be Scotland, Pt. Reyes, Alaska,
or Norway. everyone seems to have a different opinion, so i'll leave
it up to you to call upon whatever reminds you of a rugged, pristine,
windblown, maritime setting.

it's really exciting and invigorating to see land (in the non-
antarctic sense), I can only imagine what it must be like for people
who spend months and/or years at sea. but at the same time the
sensory deprivation has really been pretty minor. i hope i've kept
you informed about the creature comforts and relative lack of
struggle which we've had to confront (not that that's a bad thing).
really the only things that is completely different about being
aboard the NBP is a physical removal from family and friends. and
even that is made easy by the communication that's available.
talking to one of the -- how should i say -- more experienced members
of the team here puts the communication in perspective. I guess
since the 70's it has evolved from nothing to ham radios to primitive
email once a week to daily email for everyone on board. and 25k/day,
though it seems small in our multimedia-swamped world, is really
plenty for any sort of normal communication. i probably couldn't
write enough even if i had all day to fill that quota. maybe someone
with skills -- like typing skills, or nunchuck skills, etc... not
many of you know that i've had access to a satellite phone when i've
been on board. that's a new development, i think since last year.

all of these things make life aboard this ship easier. it's an
interesting philosophical question as to whether they "mute" the
experience. i think i would have emerged OK without them, but it's
tough to tell not knowing a cruise without them. our more
experienced friend is wholeheartedly for this type of communication
though, because he feels like he's lost some of those sights,
thoughts, and feelings from earlier cruises. so i'll listen to him,
and not wonder what it might have been like. i hope the explicit
purpose of this blog -- to communicate with the world outside the NBP
-- provides me with the side benefit of remembering some of these
experiences better.

see you in North America,

Chris