DAY 67
6pm
ABOARD THE M/V MARE AUSTRALISDeparture: Punta Arenas, Chile. 52 degrees South on the coastal side of the Magellan Strait.
78 passengers, 25 crew aboard.
The boat is gorgeous. Its like a huge luxury yacht. Our room is tiny, but very nautical and we have a picture window so we will always be able to see the sea.
Shortly after finding our way on board we meet our "table companions". Lagia and Tim from Brazil with their two young daughters, Maria and Gabriella. There is no mystery why the galley steward assigned us to each other. These are the only three children aboard.
Parents and kids quickly become friends.
We would do all our excursions, meals, and activities with them for the rest of the voyage.
After a safety lesson we all go to our navigation lecture and then dinner. The air on the ship is full of excitement and everyone is happy to chat. Its hard to find a single face without a smile.....as one would expect when everyone aboard is about to fullfill a dream many of them have had their entire lives.
The Captain announces all liquor, wine, and beer will be free for the rest of the trip and lots of jokes go around about buying each other drinks. We are excited to have a fun crowd to enjoy the journey with.
They tell us at dinner that we have 19 nations represented on the ship. We are our own little United Nations....and one drunken night later on Rich, the Chilean lawyer, the French politician and the South African business man declare they have solved poverty, war, and global warming over three bottles of whiskey and wine.

11pm

After dinner I take a moment to stand out on deck. A cool, but comfortable wind blows at my face as I stare at the Magellan Straight with the shore line of Tierra Del Fuego on the horizon. The clouds begin to turn a hazy pink as the sun dips intot he water. "I´m here" I think. This is real.

I silently blame the wind for the tears stinging my cheeks.