A cormorant, a seabird whose wingspan can reach 6 feet, flies in search of an inviting lake as the train ride comes to an end. Here in Tierra del Fuego, water is as much a formidable presence as land. Andean flute music is piped into the Ezequiel's enclosed double-deck salon. Warmly dressed tourists step out of heated salons onto the open-air top deck and its panoramic view, as the ship glides from Ushuaia Bay down the Beagle Channel. Another island looms, topped with grunting sea lions, among them a 300-pound male defending his harem.
Tourists crowd the side of the boat to gawk.
Then the catamaran pulls away, a golden winter sunset glinting off the backs of the sea lions. Heading for home, the ship passes islands covered with squawking black cormorants. The wind picks up. The mercury drops. As waves rise higher and rap against the catamaran's pontoons, the Ezequiel speeds for Ushuaia Bay.