Simon and I received an exciting invitation to join some English friends on a sailing trip through the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel, and if the winds permitted, the rounding of Cape Horn. I did not know the significance of this voyage from either an historical perspective or the standpoint of seamanship; it merely sounded like an adventure.

Simon as an Australian, a sailor, and someone who has always loved the romanticism of the sea, introduced me to stories of lost ships and sailors and the journey of Charles Darwin through the Beagle Channel.

Arriving in Santiago, Chile, at the height of summer and traveling on to Punta Arenas, I was not prepared for the change in temperature that we would experience as we set out to sea. This was a far cry from sailing gently in the Caribbean on placid, warm turquoise waters! I had expected the beautiful blue glaciers, as I had climbed some of them on a previous trip to Chile, but instead of walking in hiking shorts with just a camera in hand, I now was dressed in fleece, long johns, and heavy-duty marine gear, looking and feeling a bit less than glamorous. continue here >