Terra firma Tierra del Fuego
We’re back where it all began, in Ushuaia. Our expedition vessel, the MV Ushuaia docked early on Saturday morning in her name-giving town. A glorious early morning sun lit up very tired faces. The 52 hour in the Drake Passage battling a force 11 storm and last night’s Polar Night good-bye party have certainly taken their toll on our otherwise so energetic group. We are happy to be back on solid ground though many of us still walk with that lumbering wide-legged sailor’s gait. The ground still seems to be moving. We check into the hotel right next to the pier. After naps, laundry and a lengthy stint in coffee shops our group meets up for some course work discussion and data processing. Then the entire Students on Ice team heads off to a little gem of a restaurant right at the shores of the Beagle Channel. As we dig into tapas and chat about our amazing Antarctic adventure we watch the MV Ushuaia once again set sail for Antarctica. Many of us feel a pang of sadness as we watch our floating home away from home make her way east. We wave good bye and enjoy the last evening as Students on Ice Expedition team.