Given the lateness of the hour we retired, and the fact that we raced round a subdued Cape Horn, we were almost at Ushuaia by the time I woke. I did get a squinny of the Beagle channel about 4pm (am??) when the light was exquisite, but frankly, not enough to tempt me up. The farewells were rather touching, with the passengers milling in the foyer exchanging e-mail addresses and then the staff lined up on the dockside shaking hands and hugging, all with well-judged, apposite remarks. One expected sherry before getting on the bus.
In Ushuaia, we sunbathed until the museum opened in the public gardens, then spun out the five little rooms until it was decent to walk for a hot chocolate at an outdoor café at the main junction – not always easy to spot! We also had lunch and a beer, for which we were joined by Libby, and briefly, just about everyone on the ship!

For the record, during the voyage, we travelled 1740 nautical miles (1900 standard miles) as far as 60° 16 South. We had 19 presentations (I missed 3) , saw 34 species of seabird, 8 mammals. Temperatures ranged from -4°C to +16°C, unusually warm. Winds reached Force 11 (62 knots), higher on Aitcho, and we saw 10/10ths ice. For all the crew, much of this was a first.

The flight followed the spine of the Andes, empty, high, wide and uncompromising. The high sierra has a few tracks that slice startlingly from one mysterious point to another but for thousands of miles, no single estancia that I could see. Turquoise custard looking lakes dotted the landscape, opaque and alien, saturated with mineral deposits. At the airport, a smooth handover to a slip of a girl who talked us into taking a private car to the Moreno glacier, the local sight. If you call 81km each way ‘local’. Betty, our driver (bettypatagonia@..!!) was lovely, if a bit alarming in that she talked with her hands and drove by straddling the white line. Fortunately, she knew every other driver, so declined to collide with them. Whilst investigating a rattle, Adrian filled the car with dust but she laughed and hugged us as we parted. After Antarctica, the glacier was tame but still impressive and more rugged. Had pizza and local beer after buying El Calafate chocs. Zzzz.