03/08/2007

In the mid-morning, Stephanie Martin presented her lecture 'Whales and Other Tales'. She gave us a brief history of whale research from the time when zoologists could do little more than dissect whales brought in by whalers to present-day techniques of attaching radio tags and other devices so that the movements of diving habits of whales can be tracked from orbiting satellites.

A bit later, ornithologists Marco Favero and Patricia Silva presented a talk entitled 'Albatross – we have a problem!' They explained how thousands of these magnificent birds (as well as many petrel species as well) are being inadvertently caught and drowned in long-line fisheries worldwide. The presentation was sobering but at the same time hopeful, as we were reminded of our ability to make a difference for albatross through our simultaneous roles as consumers, voters, financial supporters and educators of others. With some determination, we can solve this problem.

In the mid-afternoon, everyone came from all over the ship at tea time for 'Chocolate to Die for!' All the choc-a-holics appeared for the special chocolate buffet created by our Pastry Chef and his team. Enjoying the slight 'chocolate buzz' we gathered back in the lounge for the last lecture of the day for 'Cape Horn: Gateway to the South' by Ralph Eshelman. This presentation covered how before the building of the Panama Canal in 1914, the Magellan Straits and passage around the tip of South America via Cape Horn were the shortest sea routes to the west from the Atlantic. Sailing ships often faced difficult winds and currents sometimes mixed with cold and stormy seas. Cape Horn gained a reputation for being the most feared cape in the world. Some of the shipwrecks we saw in the Falkland Islands were the result of being so damaged during their attempt around the horn that they limped into Stanley where and were declared total losses and abandoned.

Then there was just enough time to change for Captain Giovanni Biasutti's Farewell Cocktail Party. He told several amusing anecdotes and we all shared in a toast before going into dinner. We had a very pleasant evening during the wonderful gala dinner and many people lingered over cocktails in the bars.