Tuesday, 15 December. During the night, the ship had entered the Beagle Channel. This is an east-west strait between islands of Tierra del Fuego. North of Cape Horn and south of the Strait of Magellan, it provides a third passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific for large ships. It was named for the British ship HMS Beagle, which explored the region in 1832-34 with Charles Darwin aboard.

We passed the town of Puerto Williams, Chile, in the early dawn and arrived at Ushuaia, Argentina, around 7:30. Both places were set against snow-covered mountains. Jane was feeling only a little better, so we had breakfast in our room again.

I went ashore alone a little after 9:00 to see the city. Ushuaia (pop. 64,000) is the capital of the Argentine province of Tierra del Fuego and claims to be the southernmost city in the world. (Puerto Williams is further south, but with only about 2,000 residents, most of them connected to a naval station there, it's not a city.)

It was a sunny day and the temperature was in the 40s. I walked up the hill from the harbor and turned east on Avenue San Martin past the old Governor's House. I headed for the Presidio, site of the old prison, established in 1896 and closed in 1947. The Presidio is now a naval base, and the ground floor of the main prison building is a prison museum (Museo Penetenciario). Other parts of the old prison house a maritime museum, the city library, an art museum, offices, and who knows what else.

Leaving the naval base, I walked up the hill to the top end of the city where there was a great view back across Beagle Channel.

I walked back to the harbor on a different street for variety and got back to the ship about 10:45. I wanted to see if Jane was feeling up to leaving the ship. I found her reading in one of the lounges, but she didn't want to venture out.

I went ashore by myself again at 11:15. It was getting a little warmer, but the wind on the pier nearly knocked me down. Fortunately it wasn't as bad once I reached the street. This time I walked west along the harbor. I found Mercy Church (Iglesia de la Merced) a few blocks down, then walked back on Avenue San Martin through the principal shopping area. I stopped briefly at H. Stern, the jeweler, where I picked up a souvenir penguin pendant.

I was back at the Veendam by 12:30. I ate in the Lido and brought a light lunch down to Jane. We read until the ship sailed at 3:00.