we cruise under a heavy cloud deck
the melting ice creates several waterfalls
These mountains reach heights well over 2000 meters and are
covered by a thick sheet of ice, a local remnant of the once massive
Patagonian Ice Sheet.
Half a dozen glaciers descend down
towards the clear waters of the Beagle Channel. For obvious reasons this section is called
Glacier Avenue.
All glaciers
have European country names, in honor of the brave explorers that mapped this region in the 19th century.
In the evening of
a cloudy day in February 2009, we sailed through Glaciers Avenue on our way from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas.
Despite poor weather conditions
and low light we did enjoy the sight of the
Holanda, Italia, Francia, Allemania and Romanche glaciers.
a last glimpse of Ushuaia before we head west into the Beagle Channel
there are many dangerous outcrops in the channel, luckily this one has a light
an Albatross leads the way
here comes our Chilean pilot to guide us safely through the channel
the first glacier we pass is the Hollanda. Unfortunately the proglacial lake remains hidden behind the trees
the Costa Victoria passes in front of the Francia Glacier
the Francia Glacier terminates right in the channel
the Via Australis approaches with the Francia Glacier as backdrop
the Romanche Glacier sports a real waterfall
the massive Alemanina Glacier transports a lot of rubble and rocks