Snow and wind made me appreciate the coat I rented in Ushuaia. For the first Zodiac outing I put on almost everything in my suitcase – multiple layers (leotards, jeans and ski pants on lower half, T-shirt, tight fitting insulator, zip-up vest, polyester fluffy jacket and neck warmer under the heavy hooded rented jacket). I could hardly walk. Next time out I eliminated the jeans and two layers on the top half. Wrap-around UV 400 sunglasses are also basic equipment.

Gotta hand it to the Yamana natives who lived in the Ushuaia area. They went naked most of the time, despite inhospitable temperatures. It was perfectly logical since they lived near the water and spent most of their time in canoes hunting for food - if they got wet splashing about on their canoes it was easier to dry off. They rubbed sea lion fat on their skin as a water repellant. They did wear skins as evening dress. When the missionaries came and convinced them to wear clothing, they started dying off in great numbers from pneumonia.