LEAVING PORT

It is time to leave! We had a meeting at 12:30 pm to set the last details and check if everything we need is onboard. People have been checking the weather forecast all the time because it seems that we are going to have a bad crossing of the Drake Passage. A cruise ship a couple days ago had to cancel its trip to Antarctica because the winds were blowing too hard and they would have gotten into trouble if they had tried to cross the Drake. We saw several disappointed tourists coming down to the harbor exit: so back to Europe is my guess.
It is last minute shopping time for our group. Chocolate, coffee, candies and everything else that you might possible be missing for the next 5 weeks need to be purchased on Punta Arena’s grocery stores.
It is freezing outside the vessel and many people have given up their last few hours onshore to be in the warm and cozy lounge room on the ship.
Alright, so this is the last time I will update the blog. From now on our friend Tara Hicks at the University of Hawaii will be publishing our postings since we do not have access to internet onboard. I will be sending her pictures and text from an email service onboard that only allows us a few messages per day. If you are interested in sending us a message or any questions please write to expeditions@soest.hawaii.edu. Hope you enjoy this jorney with us!! ALOHA