Lesson One - Survival of the fittest.
DAY 1: Aimirantarzgo Sound – Ainsworth Bay – Marinelli Glacier
As dawn was breaking we navigated through the Aimirantarzgo Sound and dropped the hook in Ainsworth Bay. It was snowing heavily but most of the ship's company decided to venture onto land. This first trip onto dry-ish land was very educational. The basic principle of Darwin's Theory of Evolution is survival of the fittest. Any worthwhile study requires a controlled environment and Patagonia certainly provides one. This is a bleak storm frequented place and only the strong can survive here but that doesn't mean that there is no life, far from it. Dolphin, penguin, Sealions, Chilean Skua, Pectral, swift, geese
There are thousands of species of moss and lichen and other plant life, which thrive in these conditions. These plants cling to the rocks and to do so they secrete acid. This causes erosion, which eventually becomes soil, which is used by other plants, and so the chain of life goes on.
The weather deteriorated during our two-hour trek and by the time we returned to the zodiacs it was quite frankly bloody awful. As we boarded the RIBS, there was the boat chef, on the beach, braced against a tray of whiskies, which was in danger of being blown away. He didn't get many takers, getting out of sodden clothes was the greatest need.
However I am glad that I did and went back for some more in the afternoon with a RIB ride around Tucker Island to visit a colony of penguins.
Today we found out that there is a sound basis to Darwin's Theory of Evolution, in Patagonia it is all about survival of the fittest. But my God, what a beautiful place.
