The drill was fairly straightforward: I was part of a group invited by Orvis to converge on Puerto Montt, Chile, for an expedition hosted by Nomads of the Seas. From Puerto Montt, we cruised south on the yacht, (the ship Atmosphere) along the coast of Patagonian Chile.

The 150-foot Atmosphere was custom-designed by Nomads of the Seas (and launched in late 2006) to be half luxury yacht, half research/exploration vessel (think Calypso meets the Queen Mary). Equipped with a small armada of jetboats, zodiacs, and a Bell 407 helicopter that takes off and lands from a helipad on the ship's stern, Atmosphere has a crew of over 30, including captain, pilot, guides, chefs, engineers, naturalists, and others, that caters to fewer than 30 guests.

Atmosphere steamed south into the fjords of Patagonia, and from this floating base, we choppered or jetboated off into lakes and rivers inaccessible by land to fish for wild populations of rainbow and brown trout that had hardly ever seen flies before. As "home away from home" Atmosphere offered the posh comforts of a sea-borne five-star hotel. Yet every time we lifted off from the flight deck, we found ourselves immediately immersed in the raw essence of Patagonia.