Amalia Glacier-Fjords

We set the alarm to wake up early today for the GlacierAlley portion of our trip. Along around midnight last night we noticed a distinct 'leveling' of the ship as we entered the protected waters of the fjords. In some places along here we pass very close to land on either side, so it is quite amazing scenery. Alas, it is also cloudy and windy today, so the pictures are not spectacular, but are still interesting. Here is a shot from my protected alcove up top and you can see how close we are passing by.

As we approached the glacier itself, the onboard naturalist was announcing the different land forms and then got quite excited when he began to see the bits of ice on the water that indicate a glacier ahead. He called these pieces 'iceberg-lets' which we thought was a charming name, especially when pronounced by Ricardo Montalban, or at least a guy that sounds an awful lot like him. As the iceberg-lets became more numerous and pronounced, we were informed that there were two officers, the captain and the pilot, on the bridge and their only duty was keeping a watch for these iceberg-lets and their "impossible dangers". LOL.

We were lucky enough to spot some five or so pod of dolphins in the water. I don't recall what these black and white ones are, but they remind me of the orcas also found in cold waters.

I've included a couple of pictures of the glacier, which while impressive, was half covered in fog and clouds. On a sunny day the sun melts the glacier surface and the chunks of iceberg-lets form when they break away. Judging from the quantity we saw on approach, it must have been sunny and glorious yesterday. The captain turned us about and we are now proceeding back out of the straits to the open ocean on our way to Punta Arenas. Unfortunately, he also announced that as we hit the ocean, the wind will increase to about 40 knots and the swells will increase to 20 feet. It is supposed to remain that way until about 7 pm when we return to the protected waters of the Magellan Straights.

The crew is mopping up the decks, tying down the lounge chairs and somewhere I am sure someone has found a hatch to batten. It is so calm now, that it is hard to imagine what the afternoon will bring, but I know I will spend part of it reading in the cabin after lunch and then I will venture to cocktails up on the 17th deck and then dinner down on the 6th. Along about the time we finish dinner, we should be back in the quiet waters and able to walk easily about the ship.

Here is the tarp that almost got away

And here is a shot from our room as we approach the ocean. Notice the horizon vs. the ship's rail.

More to come--wish us luck in getting into port and Tom on the plane to Antarctica tomorrow!