By Chris German, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
April 30, 2012
So here we are home, safe and sound. Well, not home exactly, but tied up in port. We met up with the pilot around 7 am today and were tied up alongside at our designated pier by 8 am. Time for breakfast and some serious packing and off-loading of gear lies directly ahead before we fly home tomorrow. But for now, it is time to sign off and close out this web coverage. Thanks for playing along at home!
Dawn backlights the Andes as we slip quietly into port at first light. Image courtesy of Chris German, INSPIRE: Chile Margin 2012 Expedition, NOAA-OER. Download larger version (jpg, 807 KB).
Like any working port, Valparaiso boasts the usual mix of high-rise buildings and large ships – but not many have quite such a striking backdrop! Image courtesy of Chris German, INSPIRE: Chile Margin 2012 Expedition, NOAA-OER. Download larger version (jpg, 769 KB).
It would be way too cheesy to sign off with a sunset photograph – but this one was so spectacular that I thought I should at least included it as my penultimate photo. Image courtesy of Chris German, INSPIRE: Chile Margin 2012 Expedition, NOAA-OER. Download larger version (jpg, 903 KB).
OK, so you have been good: so here is the long-promised photo of me with the most distinctive hat seen at sea all cruise (perhaps, all my career!). For those of you worrying that I abandoned my vegetarian principles to complete the hat-finding quest, fear not. This one is synthetico. The lady in the shop (which I just realized is pictured along with our hotel in Punta Arenas in the Guide Book I brought with me) spent a long time trying to explain to me that she had a much better hat that was made of real fur and leather for double the price but couldn’t quite grasp that I preferred the cheaper option for exactly the same reason. Image courtesy of Tim Shank; Impossible without Chief Quest Pioneer, Explorer and Navigator: Greg Kurras, INSPIRE: Chile Margin 2012 Expedition, NOAA-OER/WHOI. Download larger version (jpg, 663 KB).
