Magnus Patagonian blogg

2011-08-31T05:25:00.000-07:00

Milo has now reached the southern part of Sweden and is on her very final stretch of returning to her starting point for her voyage. I just lift my sailer cap for her achievment!!!

Artimisia II back in the Beagle Channel

2011-02-20T12:55:00.001-08:00

Today Artimisia II arrived to South America, Puerto Williams in Chile, from the voyage to Antartica. The two cremembers Milo and Linda are all well, but unfortnaly the third crew member Anders had to be flown back to Chile with and ambulance plane with double pneumonia and blood poisoning. He is now out of intesive care but the session in Antarctica could have started better. Also the genua ripped again so the stay sail was used as forsail. So the trip back was only with Milo and Linda on board, and now it is time for next crew change. I post more when I get more detailed information.

Milo has reached Antarctica

2011-01-28T04:53:00.001-08:00

For those who have followed my blog: Milo and Artimisia 2, with two new crew members onboard, is right now cruising the Antarctica after a good sail across Drakes Passage. After 12 years (actually much more) of hard work Milo has fullfilled her dream!

For those who wants to be updated on the rest of her trip I can recommend her own blog (in Swedish):

http://artemisia2.blogspot.com/

The final stretch

2011-01-26T14:38:00.001-08:00

The last two legs

In the morning we could actually see the mountains

Last dinghy excursion to fix lines ashore

Clearing the anchor from kelp.

Passing Ushuaia on the way to clear out in Puerto Williams.

Docked in the most southern yacht club in the world.

You could see that some boats were designed to cruise this waters with roles of lines and barrels of fuel on deck.

Artmisia 2 outside Isabelle Autissier's boat Ada and Seal.

The yacht club is build around an old ship.

Milo clearing out at the Armada office charming the pants off the officers.

The view from the Armada office towards Argentina.

The entrance to the creek with a channel marker.

Puerto Williams suburban area with the life important propane tanks and wood for fuel the heaters inside the unisolated houses.

The sign post in Puerto Williams showes an international flavour.

The wind picking up in the Beagle Channel.

Leaving Puerto Williams at dawn in a light breeze.

Passing the north marker for the sand bank on our way to Ushuaia.

Ushuaia dead ahead by the foot of the mountains.

ushuaia has a big harbour often visited by cruis ship

Moored at our final destination, the marina in Ushuaia.

On December 10 we started the sail from Caleta Eugenio to Puerto Williams, our last port in Chile. We started in sunny weather, even if there were rain clouds around us. We actually could see the surroundings which was quite beautiful with snowcapped mountain tops. We finished our departure preparation by hoisting the dinghy up on foredeck. In Puerto Williams there would be no need for rowing lines ashore: rather the dinghy would be in the way when docking. The wind was pleasant so we could sail with good speed without being tossed around. According to the GPS we were more or less following the border between Argentine and Chile that runs through the length of the Beagle Channel.

Passing Ushuaia

It was frustrating to pass our final destination Ushuaia early after taking off with a favorable wind from the stern, well aware of that we had to backtrack against the wind to get there after clearing out in Puerto Williams. It was only a day trip of 25 nautical miles, but with the last weeks blowing we knew that there was a risk for making a choice between a nasty sail upwind or stay put waiting for a weather window.

Another frustrating part when passing by Ushuaia was that we were close enough to get signals on the mobile phone, but no way to make a call. This was the first possibility to use the mobile for almost two months. But in some way you could not make calls although you saw that there was reception. That was confirmed when all of a sudden a message appeared stating that all the monthly fixed fee for using internet on the phone was used up, the bugger had started downloading mail without me knowing it. But it still refused to make phone calls. Milo was sure it had something to do with being in the military sensitive border area between Chile and Argentine where they most likely made sure that communication was impossible. A plausible theory since it turned out that the phone worked fine in both Puerto Williams and Ushuaia.

So contact with Sweden had to wait, and they had hopefully already got my message that I was delayed through Patagonian network. As we approached Puerto Williams the rain clouds starting to catch up with us and the wind diminished, so the last part with did in rain by motor. But it was a good feeling when we rounded the north marker of the sand bank giving some see lee of the outer anchorage and even better when we sneaked behind the breakwater and approached marina.

The most southern yacht club in the world

The marina, the most southern yacht club in the world, was really an old ship that was stranded in the river just behind a bend. The interior of the ship was made into showers and a pub while the boats tied up on either side of the hull. There was room for three to four boats along the hull, but to have room with everybody the boats docked outside each other up to six boats wide, depending on how crowded it was. With six boats wide you could only pass on the river by high water since it was too narrow otherwise.

When we came in there was four boats on the widest row that we passed and tied up outside an aluminum boat that was only the second in that row. In the best of worlds we would be able to check out and leave immediately in the light wind that prevailed, but that is not the way the authority works. The Armada was open 24/7, but immigration was only a daytime operation – and it was way passed their bed time upon our arrival.

You could see that a lot of our neighbors had boats that were spending a lot of time in this area. The majority was steel or aluminum hulls and a lot of them had big roles of lines and spare barrels of fuel on deck. The boat we were tied up to, Seal, was the result of 12 years' experience from cruising in the high latitudes by Hamish and Kate, from England and the US. Seal has a lifting keel and rudder and a raised saloon with a 360 view, and a lot of other clever and useful features. And inside Seal was Isabelle Autissiere's boat Ada, that sits there while she does other projects. So we were along experience and novelty.

Uncertain weather forecast

Before we took off to the Armada office we took a shower, the first one since Puerto Eden. And there were hot water enough for both of us, the gas tubes for the heater had just been changed. We were warned that there was only cold water. At the Armada office we got the weather report and together with the grid files we saw on Hamish and Kates computer (via Iridium) showed uncertainty for the next days. What was certain was that we were going to be hit by a massive storm in about two and a half days with wind speed over 60 knots. But before that there were heavy winds by the Cape Horn 60 nautical miles to the south, but it was uncertain if those winds would reach up to the Beagle Channel. The day after our arrival looked like a maybe when it came to wind, but since the immigration was not available until 10 o'clock we could see for ourselves in the morning.

On the morning of December 11 it was touch and go with the wind but there were indications that it would slow down during the night and morning. We decided to clear out with the immigration to be able to go if the weather would permit us, before the definite increase in wind with the approaching storm. From the Armada office you overlooked the Beagle Channel (and with the enormous binoculars at the watch tower also the Argentine coast line). We could see the waves growing and white horses start to form as the wind increased. Since the wind usually slow down at night and the forecast indicated a decreased later we opted for an early morning break.

At sunrise the following morning, which by now was around 5 o'clock, we were up. The wind holloring in the rigging in the protected harbor was not a good sign for our departure. After a short walk up the hill behind the marina we could see the channel, and there were white horses on the water, worse that the day before. So back to bed and I started to realize that this could be a long stay as well.

The storm hits

On December 12 the storm hit us. It started in the evening with a lot of rain and hail with an increasing gusty wind. Boat after boat had come to the protected marina the days before the storm and now we had two boats outside us. And two boats inside. We were the smallest boat in our row so our placement was not ideal and we prepared us by doubling up lines and securing the fenders. The outside boat also took a line to the opposite shore of the creek to ease some of the pressure, so did Seal as well and other boats added more lines direct to the dock or shore. It was a bit like a spider web around us when the wind started to pipe up.

Two boats had opted for anchoring by the entrance of the creek, with supporting help form a mooring boy. They were more exposed to the wind and chop since the creek had a longer fetch there. During the night it was hard to sleep due to all the noise from hauling rigging, squeaking mooring lines and fenders, and jerking boats. In the morning the wind culminated in snow/hail showers and gust up to hurricane force. To walk upright was impossible if you ventured out and to look into the wind was painful. The boats at the mouth of the creek were really taken a beating, but there lines held and the wind slowly decreased during the day.

Should I stay or should I go

Since the weather forecast did not indicate a good and secure weather window in the near future Milo and I talked about the situation. It was a day trip left and in good weather it would be a piece of cake. And Milo still had time waiting for it. I was getting itchy of getting back home. I had taken a leave of absence till the end of November and it was both a matter of financing my stay and getting back to family. Could I leave Artimisia 2 here instead of at Ushuaia? We had discovered that there were ferries between Puerto Williams and Ushuaia. They had stopped working during the storm, but now they plan to leave midday the following day, December 14. It was not an easy decision since I really wanted to help Milo the whole way to the final destination, but she saw my anxiousness and more or less demanded me to go.

By the time the ferry was going to depart we had new weather reports indicating lighter winds in the evening and the following day until noon. So I said no to the ferry and gambled on that the prediction was good enough, and it would take a lot of wind for us not to leave this time. The plan was as earlier, to go up with the sun and leave if weather permitted. We went up to the Armada office to inform them of our plans and met the police/immigration guy there. He started to give us a bollocking for having cleared out and not left. I could see Milo start to lose her temper. She is great at handle men in uniforms, she even had one of the Armada guys in Puerto Williams begging her to adopt him as her son, which she gladly did (not officially though). But this uniformed person she started to lose patience with. She gave him the evil eye and in a very firm way explained to him that it had been a severe storm that it would be irresponsible to leave in, IF HE HADN'T NOTICED. The Armada guys got all quite waiting for the response, but the police man mumbled something and left. The atmosphere rose quickly again and I think Milo got even more respect after standing up to the thoughtless immigration officer.

Leaving at daybreak

Sleeping was hard since the wind was down by nightfall, but we wanted to leave in day light. At dawn December 14 the alarm clock went off and after some morning shuffle (one boat was leaving with us and another needed to change places) we were on our way motoring towards the final destination in a light wind. We watched the sky turning purple of the rising sun and were praying for the wind to not pipe up for another five hours. And it didn't. We arrived to Ushuaia shortly after noon as the wind started to increase. We passed a big harbor with cargo and cruise ships anchored and a big town spread along the waterfront. We found a good spot in the marina outside a boat that would not leave for another week.

We went down town to do the paperwork and while Milo finished the red tape I went to a traveling agency to look into option for flying home (I had stand by tickets). While I was sorting out the travelling arrangement I came to talk to the guy behind the counter. He was asking me how I have ended up in Ushuaia and I told him. So he looked at me and asked if I had heard about the Polish boat that washed up on the beach during the storm.

Storm causing casualties

He showed me pictures from an Argentine daily newspaper on the web with a picture of a sailboat without a mast lying on a beach in the Beagle Channel on its side like a beached whale. They had come from Antarctica with charter guests onboard and made in to the channel. But the engine had stopped and they were pushed ashore. He had not more information than that two of the crew members had died. Having seen the waves and the wind speed and knowing the water temperature only being 8 degrees I could understand how something like that could happen. On top of that a cruise ship had to seek shelter since the windows to the wheelhouse was smashed by waves in Drakes Passage. Reminders of that these waters are spectacular but are not to be taken lightly. You can enjoy their beauty, but you need to know what you are doing and have the right gear.

I found a connection leaving the same evening so all of a sudden I was in a rush. At the rendezvou with Milo back at the boat I explain the situation so I packed my bags, took a shower and then we went to town for a dinner at a nice restaurant before my departure. I had some excellent beer to the dinner, Cape Horn beer. Chile has good beer in general and this was no exception.

A fast farewell

While we were sitting in the restaurant the sky opened and the rain just poured down, as a last farewell performance. We took a taxi towards the airport just stopping by the boat to pick up my luggage (and getting soaked in the process) and off I went. It was a fast goodbye to Milo, I think it was for the best. We did not have time for crying and sulking but we did not have to say anything to understand the mutual respect and gratitude for the experience we had had together.

When the plane lifted I could see the mountains surrounding Ushuaia and the rest of Patagonia and realized again the majestic nature to be found in this part of the world. I was thankful to have had the opportunity to experience it. That I arrived in Europe to Frankfurt airport in the middle of the worst snow chaos in memory with cancelled flights as a result is another story, but that is not for a new blog entry.

Glacier excursion and taking on water over my head

2011-01-25T00:24:00.001-08:00

The Beagle Channel

Caleta Olla (to the right) from the ridge

Getting closer to the glacier, but still on the ridge

The last ridge is covering the glacier

Beaver country with a lot of dams.

Signs of beavers were plentyfull

Comming across the last ridge the glacier lake and the glacier welcomed us.

The jagged edge.

Ice floats in the lake.

Colourful moss.

Still life on the beach.

We got back to the dinghy in time, we even had to carry it to the water.

It was calm in the anchorage even if it was blowing outside.

The fishing boat was our neighbour.

The Condor is chased away by gulls.

Impressive souring.

On our lay day in Caleta Olla we made an excursion to a glacier that according to the guide book was supposed to be situated a couple of hours walk inland. You could see the top of it from the anchorage, so we knew it existed. But first Milo started off the Patagonia network on the short wave radio, and finally, Wolfgang was back on the air. He had left the responsibility to run the informal network to Milo and an Australian called Ian while he was on vacation for two to three weeks while he was on "vacation" travelling around Chile. That was more than a month ago and Milo had kept the network running for most days in spite fighting from not being an early bird person. But now she was relieved of her duties and we could again get frequent weather reports from someone positioned with access to internet.

Preparing for an excursion

The day looked reasonable promising with some sunshine but also some ominous looking clouds. The wind was quite strong which was fine for Artimisia 2 since she was well protected behind the tree line. But for our tour with the dinghy to the beach to leeward where the trail to the glacier were supposed to start it could be more a bit of trouble. Not getting there, but coming back. The distance to the leeward beach was about half a nautical mile so even though it was a protected bay the wind kicked up a bit of the sea. So coming back we needed to fight the wind and seas, but that was a later story.

The other challenge was to time our trip with the tide. We needed to do the excursion so the dinghy was accessible both upon arrival and when we wanted come back. We anticipated our walk would take at least five hours so figured to go some hours after high tide so the water was on its way out. Then we could anchor the dinghy in a place and the tide would keep on going out and the dinghy would be safe on dry land. And about seven hours later the tide would be on approximate the same level as upon arrival. That would give us some extra time if something went wrong, and you could always carry the dinghy to the water front if we came early. If we calculated wrong the alternative of going in waist high water was possible, which was not tempting when the temperature was about 8 degrees.

So with my water proofed back pack loaded with camera equipment and hiking boots (my rubber boots was on for the dinghy ride) we took off around eleven o'clock and calculated to be back at the beach before five o'clock pm. The first challenge was to find the start of the trail. The beach was long and there were several possible trails starting but none of them felt as the right one. So we went on and photographed some large chunks ice that had floated ashore. I also took some marks on the water surface on an island of the beach to make sure the tidal calculations were right, that the water level was actually sinking and not rising. And at the end of the beach we saw a Chilean flag painted on a tree trunk, that was a dead giveaway for a trail start and our first real long hike inland could start.

Finding the trail

It very soon became obvious that the rubber boots were more appropriate for the hike than hiking boots since the ground was very moist with mainly different types of moss that you sometimes sunk down in to the ankles with a squashy sound indicating water. So I left the hiking boots behind to be picked up on the way back. The trail led upwards following a ridge and soon we emerged from the tree line and had a beautiful view all the way around. We could see the boat in the protected bay and the dinghy on the dry land off the beach. We could also see the whole canal with its snow covered mountain tops. And if we turned in the direction of the trail we could see the glacier, not all of it yet. The base was still below the mountain ridge in front of us. But we could still see the size and beauty of it.

The trail continued to lead upwards and although it sometimes was hard to follow, enough people from charter boats visiting had walked it to make marks. And every now and then a red marker was hanging from a tree reassuring us that we were on the right track. As long as we walked on the ridge there were no real issue of needing the trail either, the general direction was given since the target for the hike was in sight, it was more to choose the easiest track that the trail was giving help.

Losing the trail

But after an hour of walking things got more complicated. The ridge started to become heavy forested and we ended up in a place where the direction of the trail was not obvious. It could go on into the forested area of the ridge, or it could lead down a very steep slope down into the valley below us. The path were more likely to be a creek created by water tumbling down the side of the ridge in heavy rain, it was too steep and tricky for "charter tourists". But if you looked at the glacier in a distance it looked like you had to pass the valley some time to get up on the next ridge that was the last obstacle before the glacier. So we opted for climbing down and into the forested valley.

After climbing/sliding down for more than hundred meters we were at the base and started to look for a trail again. I do not know if we found one but at least we went in the right general direction. And I think the landscape in the valley was constantly reshaped since it was beaver country. Several dams, pointy ends of stubs and some piles of tree trunks in the water showed that. We later heard that beavers were imported to the territory to start fur business for the locals. Unfortunately it turned out that the winters are not cold enough to make the fur have the right quality. So now the beavers are multiplying too fast for their and the environments own good.

After passing over a couple of beaver dam constructions we made it up the final ridge and definitely found the trail again. It led out of the forest and the glacier appeared with all its mighty and a complementing lake by its base. In the lake a collection of small ice bergs was lingering that had broken off the jagged edge of the glacier. We sat down for enjoying the view while eating our snacks and drinking water. The sun was shining and we were in the lee of the wind, so we could get rid of some of the layers of clothing needed and in a t-shirt we could just sit there and be absorbed by the environment.

Mountaineering

The break did not last for long though since we realized the time was late and we had to head back to be sure the dinghy was not unreachable when we got back. But backtracking was harder than we anticipated and soon we lost the trail. It was no problem to find the bottom of the ridge we had arrived on, but finding the way up the ridge was harder. It was very steep and the forest by the foot was hard to walk through so we started to climb upwards. We knew it was earlier than the spot we had come down through, but it made sense by the time.

We reached the top of the ridge, but it was not without effort or danger, and large parts of the stretch were more rock climbing than hiking. Standing up straight you always could touch the side with your hand, so it was steep. The technique was to find the creek paths that water hade made during heavy rain fall, those paths usually had exposed roots and some trees to hang on to. After reaching the top of the ridge, the rest was a piece of cake. Even though we had to pass some areas of bushes, wet land and dense forest we always knew that as long we followed the ridge we would eventually rejoined the trail.

And sure enough, soon we were on the beaten track again and the rest of the descent went easy. We stopped for a breather and to take some photos, otherwise we hold up the pace. I felt good that my back had not giving me any trouble during the excursion, which was a good sign (even though I could feel it in the evening and the following day). And the dinghy was still on dry land waiting for us.

Back to the boat

The wind had decreased somewhat so the rowing back was not that bad as we had feared, but sitting in the front I still got soaked by the waves splatting against the bow. Coming back we also talked to the fishing boat that used the same anchorage. They had been there for six days going out on daytrips to fish. As soon they had enough fish they were heading back to their home port, Punta Arenas. As I was looking at the fishing boat I saw a Condor landing on the hill behind them. It was sitting there for quite some time before a flock of sea gulls aggressively chased it away. It was impressive to see the huge bird lifting and spreading its wings and soar away to higher grounds.

It was great to finally move around inland, and the scenery had been spectacular. So we slept well that night and skipped the Patagonian network the following morning. When we woke up we had company of another yacht for the first time in an anchorage since we left Puerto Montt two months earlier. It was a Polish charter boat and as we leaving in pouring rain, we could see the guests sitting in their dinghy on their way to the beach for a walk to the glacier. We knew what they were in for, and a day with pouring rain was not ideal for that excursion.

Hail and snow

We had a good wind pushing us closer towards our final destination. Only one more Caleta before we reached Puerto Williams to clear out from Chile and the daytrip to our final destination, Ushuaia in Argentina. On the way we passed an Armada compound where we reported our plans and Milo had to persuade them to allow us to go to Caleta Eugenio even if it was not on their list for approved Caletas. The alternatives were either not good enough in the strong wind we had, or too close to Caleta Olla (no point in moving).

After the downpour at the start things improved for a couple of hours before it got real nasty again. In the afternoon we had heavy wind that was very gusty in the snow and hail showers that made the sail miserable. It was a bumpy ride but we had now entered the Beagle Channel. And we only covered 25 nautical miles so it was a short distance. We sneaked in to the Caleta Eugenio between some islands that gave good protection and in the anchorage it was almost calm. We decided to have a stern anchor, two lines forward and one spring ashore.

Anchor trouble

Milo went in the dinghy with one of the 100-meters line and secured it to a good tree ashore. When she was ready I motored in towards the small bay and dropped the stern anchor attached to an "Ankorlina" role (sail tie like line). When Milo came close I had a bit too much speed so before meeting up with her to take the line from her up forward, I put the engine in reverse for a brief moment to slow the boat down, and then put it in neutral. Or, that was what I thought I did. The gear shift was not that smooth and I had not pushed it that last bit to disengage. I noticed that after I had received the line from Milo and fastened it on a cleat. On my way back to the cockpit I thought it was strange that the anchor line was tight. After realizing what was happening I threw myself on the gear shift but of course it was all too late. I had done the classic beginners mistake and tangled the anchor line around the propeller shaft. Something that often is impossible to untangle and at a minimum requires a long dive under the boat.

As we reviewed the situation I realized that I most likely had to take a swim in 8 degrees water. Milo had a wet suit, but this was my doing and going in the water with clothes on was a bit like having a wet suit. But at least I wanted to have a go on top of the surface first. So I positioned myself in the dingy and tried to have a calm holistic view of things. The first thing was to loosen the forward lines so we could tie the anchor line on to a cleat. That freed up "both" ends tangled around the shaft without having any pressure on them. The plan we then came up with was for Milo to go down under the bed in the aft cabin where she could reach the propeller shaft inside the boat. I was sitting in the dinghy knocking on the hull once for stop, two times for turn clockwise, three times for anticlockwise and five times for "we need to talk". With that communication the worst tangle started to unwind. A lot of the twisting seemed to be behind the shaft, the line was twisted around itself.

Time for a head dip

Slowly the twisting part of the line disappeared under the boat as more and more got untangled. A lot of the twist seemed to be unraveled but it all came to a halt when the turning of the shaft resulted in that the ends became tighter rather than looser. And turning the other direction resulted in the same. We had come to the end of the road, the rest was tangled around the shaft. The good thing was that Milo had been able to turn the shaft by hand all the time. That meant that the mess around the shaft could not be too extensive. The bad thing was that it was now time for me to have a close encounter to the 8 degree water.

But before I was going to dive in it was good to have a look under water. So with a Cyclops eye I positioned myself in the dinghy and while holding one hand on the rail I poked my head under the water. It was not the most pleasant experience and I could see that the white line was wrapped around the propeller and the shaft. I was not down long enough to get a good picture. So an improvement for next head dip was to put a fleece cap on my head. And during the next visit with my head under the water I realized that to get a good look I needed to dip more than my head, so the shoulders got wet then as well.

But I could see enough to see it was worthwhile to try to keep on turning the shaft while I tried to work the ends of the line from the dinghy with my head under water. So with the knocking system and more and more of my body hanging down in the water from the dinghy, the line started to slowly unravel from the shaft and propeller. I had started to get used to the thought of going swimming in Patagonia, but as the work went on I started to realize that it might not be necessary. And after a dozen head dips the line came free. I was soaked from the torso and up, but that was all, nothing that the heater that was burning down below wouldn't fix in a minute. My adventures in Patagonia would not involve a swim after all!!

The following morning we left as if nothing had happened the evening before (and I wish it had not). The destination was Puerto Williams where we only should make a brief stop to clear out before going to our final destination Ushuaia. But we would remain there for a week and endure a storm that a crushed the glass of the steering station on a cruise ship and sank a Polish sailboat with two dead as a result. But more on that in the next entry.

The channel of glaciers

2011-01-23T11:21:00.001-08:00

Caleta Olla

The trip from Caleta Fanny to Caleta Olla.

The anchorage behind the island in Caleta Fanny

The view from the island in Caleta Fanny, it was blowing in the channel.

Rain in the channel

Clearing up and the mountains start to show

The first sailboat we had seen in two months

Snow and glaciers creates a lot of waterfalls.

Approaching the glacier area

Some examples of the glaciers

We planned to leave Caleta Brecknock early on December 5 since the weather forecast indicated a weather window with lighter winds. But when the alarm clock went off at six o'clock the wind was blowing quite strong from the northeast and the rain was pouring down. It was good that we had our lines ashore covering up winds from all directions. But it would mean head winds in the canal so we opted to skip our early departure and wait to see if the wind shifted back to where it was supposed to be, from the northwest.

Paper navigation

We got up in time for the Patagonian network instead, and sure enough, the wind was back to its more normal direction this time of the year. Soon after departure the chart plotter stopped working, the suspicion was too much dampness in the contacts between the removable plotter and its mount. It was a bit of a shame since the plotter had detailed charts over the area again, after being just land contours for a while. So it was back to basic with paper charts in plastic wraps, and although the scale was a bit small for seeing all details, the canals are deep with very few obstacles so it felt OK anyhow.

It was very squally conditions during the 45 miles it took us to reach Caleta Fanny, with often very bad visibility. But you could see that the scenery had slowly changed since we entered the Magellan Strait. The further southeast we came the rockier the hill sides became. The dense forest and green vegetation gave away for different types of stones that shifted in shades of black, white, red and grey. You could see that you actually could climb ashore and explore the inland to a larger extent in these areas. And as we moved along the visibility got better and the constant rain stopped to give way for only occasional showers.

The last stretch before we reached Caleta Fanny was the last part of our trip that we were exposed to a large stretch of open water. It was not the whole ocean; we had a smaller group of islands protecting us from most of the large swells although some sneaked through. But the fetch was quite long so the sea really could build up. As we approached the point sticking out in the canal protecting our anchorage from the waves, the wind increased and the sea started to build. It was quite nice to head in the sea lee of the point once we were there.

Windy anchorage

In Caleta Fanny there were a couple of recommended anchorages alongside the northwestern shore of the bay. The first was a small lagoon that we motored in to, but the high mountains supposed to sheltering it did exactly the opposite. It was real nasty rachas (mountain winds) that came from all kinds of directions. And they were strong lifting up the surface water. They were affecting the lagoon all the way in to the shore line, so there was no wind protection anywhere. The boat really healed over when the gusts hit us and Milo and I did not have to say anything to each other, this was not a good place during present conditions.

The alternative was at the bottom of the bay behind a small island. The disadvantage with this anchorage was that if the wind would shift to the northeast or east the open bay would create a fairly long fetch that would give the sea a chance to build. The advantages were that you could tie lines from all four corners of the boat to land respectively to the island, and there were less rachas than at the first place swirling around. But using the anchor would only complicate matters in there, so it took some planning and preparation before we approached the anchorage. Partly because it was narrow, but most importantly because the wind was gusty and strong, and the direction was not consistent.

Four lines no anchor

Milo brought one line onboard the dinghy and went in to the anchorage in advance. She tied the line to a good tree on the island to windward. Then I approached the anchorage with the boat where Milo met up with the line. After quickly securing it on the boat and throwing a new line in the dinghy it was a race for Milo to tie the new line to a tree on the opposite shore to fixate the boat before an unexpected wind gust pressed her towards the island. Since the wind direction shifted, that happened sooner than later so I tried to help by using the propeller effect and the other line to keep us as still as possible. But Milo soon got the new line in place so we could fixate the boat in the middle and then have more time to fix the remaining lines.

And during the period we would stay in Caleta Fanny we really needed these lines. The following day the wind picked up and since the bay was surrounded by high mountains, the rachas that hit us occasionally was quite feisty. The gusty conditions were reinforced by hail and snow squalls, so all in all it was not a comfortable stay. With four lines attached to good solid trees we were secured in a good way, but the sound in the rigging and healing of the boat made you worry instinctively.

We did an excursion to the small island and could see out in the channel, and the wind out there was lifting the surface water and whipping the rain horizontal. And the breaking waves were running high due to the large fetch, so we stayed for an extra day in the Caleta.

On the evening of December 6 the weather report indicated lighter winds so we decided to have a go the following morning. When the wind started to decrease in the evening I had a hard time to fall asleep, I wanted to get moving before the wind changed its mind. This was one of the last stretches that the sea state really could make a different. But in the morning of the 7th it was still good wind conditions to leave, although it was drizzling. So around seven o'clock we left the anchorage.

The channel of glaciers

Soon we were entering Brazo Noreste (the Northeast channel) and more protected water. We were approaching the area were the boarder to Argentina were coming down from the north to go east in the middle of the Beagle Channel. Therefore the Chilean Armada was more thorough in keeping track of all vessels movement and the Armadas presence was more obvious with more stations on the shore line to report in to via VHF.

As we came in to the protected areas and what is supposed to be a new climate zone, the sun actually showed itself for a minute or two and we were sailing in the variable wind. As the weather cleared up we saw the beauty of the snowcapped high mountains surrounding us. But it was not only the mountains that we could see in amazement. One glacier after another appeared in different forms and shapes. Some of them were reaching all the way down to the water, while others only surrounded a mountain top. It was fantastic to slowly move with the wind as we enjoyed the scenery. And we saw our first sailboat en route for more than two months, the first sign that we were approaching an area where charter boats were more common with Ushuaia as a base.

Our destination for the day, Caleta Olla, was situated at the end of the scenic channel and we arrived there quite late since we covered more than 60 miles getting there. But it was a great anchorage with a peninsula hooking out from the shore giving good protection with low trees. You could sneak very close to shore where it was lee while you could see it blowing further out in the little bay. A stern anchor was holding us from drifting towards land when the tide was coming in and a couple of lines ashore gave security if the northwest wind would reach below the tree line. It was a beautiful and secure anchorage that we planned to have a lay day in. We wanted to explore a trail leading to a glacier inland. A trail we lost track of, but that's for next entry.

Leaving Magellan Strait

2011-01-19T10:31:00.001-08:00

Leaving Caleta Notch early in the morning with new snow on the mountains

The most southern point of any continent of the world. Too bad you hardly can see it (there is a monoment on top).

Caleta Murray in Canal Pedro/Acwalisnan

Canal Pedro/Acwalisnan

Caleta Brecknock

Three lines and no anchor

Topping off water supplies

Caleta Brecknock

During the five days we spent in Caleta Notch waiting for a weather window the temperature was approaching zero and the abundance of rain that was pouring down on us during the period was sometimes replaced by hail and snow. The periods of gale force winds that was ruling was only interrupted by short periods of calmer weather. The frustration started to grow, especially since we recently just had spent one week waiting for good weather. And we were still exposed to the northwest opening in the Magellan Strait towards the ocean with heavy seas in a blow as a result. But the plan for the next leg was to take us around an island and a bend in the canal so we would have more sea lee. But the distance was close to 60 miles, so we needed an early start.

Monitoring the barometer

We started to monitor the barometer more closely to time a weather gap. Normally it drops before a front passage with strong northwest winds as a result. Then it starts to rise after the front with wind shifting to southwest, but still strong winds. After the barometer levels out you usually get a short period of light winds before the barometer falls when the next front approaches.

On the evening of December 2 the barometer indicated that we would get a break from the heavy winds, and it was supported by the "official" weather forecast. So we slept a bit uneasy that night since we could hear the wind dropping off during the late evening, the hollering in the rig ceased. At dawn we were up preparing for departure. We left the Caleta quite early (got up around five o'clock since the days were getting longer and longer the closer to the southern hemisphere midsummer we came and the further south we sailed).

Cold morning

We left in in temperatures close to zero with heavy clouds occasional showers. The top part of the closest mountains and hills were now covered with snow. Soon after our departure the showers shifted to become more of a steady rainfall. The guide books talked about the beautiful scenery of this part of the canal, but all we could see was the closest shore line if we were lucky. The mountain range in the distance was all covered in dark clouds.

We arrived at our destination in Caleta Murray in the evening of December 3 wet and cold but satisfied of covering the planned distance without any mishaps. It even started to clear up so we decided to top off our tanks with diesel from the jerry cans we had on deck. Caleta Murray was chosen because it was situated in a Seno (fjord) at the beginning of one of the canals leading south from the Magellan Strait towards to open sea to make the jump to the Beagle Channel, the last stretch on our journey. The three canals going south all had different characters.

Three channels

The first one, Canal Barbara, was only supposed to be used by commercial traffic and was not permitted for yachts. The second, Canal Pedro or Acwalisnan, had a real narrow passage, Paso O'Ryan which is a hundred meters wide and only 5 meter deep. At spring tide the current could run up to eight knots through there. It was also regarded as restricted area for yachts but was popular amongst the fishing boats. However, many yachts were using this canal since the one we officially should use, Canal Magdalena, meant going more to the east only to have to double back to the west before reaching the ocean. That meant going against the prevailing winds and sea, which in windy conditions could be a hassle.

We opted for the middle canal, Pedro/Acwalisnan, and hoped to not encounter any Armada boats on the way down. Being in Caleta Murray was a good start on that trip. And we planned for the next leg to be long too, all the way around the open water section and in to the more protected canals by the island of Brecknock. But we could not leave as early as we wanted to because it was important to time the passage through Paso O'Ryan at slack water, when the current was minimal. And after counting backwards from when we wanted to pass we decided to leave Caleta Murray shortly after 10 am.

Timing the tide

After an unusually lazy morning we took off in descent weather, cloudy with showers but not that much wind. We motored through the canal and you could see the popularity with the fishing boats since we met more of them in the short passage through the canal than we had for the last two months. The surroundings were spectacular with a lot of white capped mountain tops, but the bad visibility made it not look at its best. We had calculated perfect so we passed the narrow cut with hardly any current and in front of us was some protecting islands before we were going to be exposed to the ocean for some hours.

Once we started to get out in the open the swell came rolling in reminding us of earlier blows. But the darkness of the clouds intensified and it started to rain real heavy and the wind picked up considerable. We were heading in to the wind so although we increased engine speed the building waves slowed us down. Some islands in the middle of the opening gave us temporary relief from the pounding and soon we approached the entrance of the area leading to the channel leading up to the final stretch.

Pouring down

The only problem was that we did not have good charts again and the swell was breaking heavily over rocks and islands that were hard to identify according to existing charts. But once we got closer things started to look better and soon the rolling of the boat in the swell ceased as we reached protected water. We were heading towards one of the most beautiful Caletas in Patagonia, Caleta Brecknock. The arrival could have been more pleasant since the rain was pouring down with low thick clouds. It was impressive to see alt the spontaneous waterfalls throwing themselves down the mountain sides as they were being created. But arriving there you really could see the beauty of the place and even though we were too tired and wet to enjoy it upon our arrival, we felt that this place was worth to be explored with a lay day. So after securing the land lines in the sheltered little bay in the lagoon, and getting the heater going and having a fast meal, we went to sleep looking forward to the next day.

The following day the persistent rain had stopped and it was only showers. We started to run out of water and a nice and easy accessible waterfall made us decide to bring our water jugs and refilling our supplies. So after a short dingy ride we tied the dinghy by a tree at the waterfall and climbed up to where you could reach the water. What a great way to get your water!

After filling water we went ashore for a walk on the mountain. Soon after we climbed up to the first level and took some pictures, a heavy snow/rain shower came along. We hid behind a large rock for a while but soon realized that it was more than a shower. We gave up and climbed down to the boat. Once at the boat it was not long before the sun showed itself for the first time in a long time. But soon it was gone again and back to the drizzle. But regardless the weather, the beauty of the Caleta was still impressive.

We were getting closer to the Beagle Channel but still I was going to literally take water over my head and still there were another storm, a storm that would talk the life of two sailors, coming up before the final destination. But more of that in coming entries.

The Magellan Strait

2011-01-15T05:51:00.000-08:00

The entrance of Magellan strait

Showing the stops of Caleta Mostun and Caleta Notch

Fairawy light house

Fairway from a distance

The entrance of Magellan Strait

In the Magellan strait

Sailing in a good breeze

Caleta Notch

Five lines ahore but no anchor

A lot of vegatation in Caleta Notch

With a relative favorable weather forecast (northwest up to 25 knots – gusting to 35) we took off on November 25 after the week we spent waiting for a weather window in Bahia Teoquita. We could see the canal from where we were anchored through the narrow straight we passed on the way in, and it looked OK with not too many white caps. But that was to be expected since the canal was somewhat in sea lee with at northwest winds, at least closest to the westerly land where we were at.

There were plenty of lines to take care of and we needed to charge the batteries so we started off motoring slowly close to the western land leading to the point opening up for Magellan Straight. After less than an hour we passed the Fairway lighthouse and waved the family that lives there a year at the time. We had kept in contact with them for weather forecast that whole week at the Caleta. Since they are situated in the mouth of Magellan Strait they conditions seldom allow any to anchor there to pay a visit, but through Patagonian network we talked to Ian, an Aussie, who had done it and was met by a lovely family where the man was working for the Armada.

Entering Magellan Strait

After passing the Fairway island we set sails since the swell started to affect us and the wind was increasing, and it was time to leave the lee shore and head down more southeast. But we started with a more southerly course to make sure we gave the shallows sticking out from the northwesterly shores of the entrance. With a current pushing us towards the shore and bad visibility in squalls it was important to keep the distance, and it was good to have the GPS chart plotter having good charts over the are again which made it easier to consider the effect of the current.

The wind in the squalls was as predicted around 35 knots but the steady wind slowly started to increase as well. And soon the more steady wind was up to 35 knots and the gust well over 40. Luckily the swell was not that enormous that we had feared when we started off so even if they contributed to make the sea nastier it could have been worse. But the sea was building up, and that fast. We hoped to get a bit more in sea lee getting further in to the straight, but we soon realized that we had to get quite a bit further to get any relief.

Increasing wind speed

We rolled in the foresail so that less than a fourth was out, and we were still doing six to seven knots. Artimisia 2, weighing 7 tons, was surfing on some of the waves in over 11 knots. The steering was a bit heavy and challenging, but at the same time a bit fun. The waves were building up and usually the nasty breaking ones are coming in threes. We were zick-zacking downwind to avoid to involuntarily gybing with the foresail to avoid it to rip. In one of the breaking waves the lee rail dipped in the water and we saw the horse-shoe buoy float away from its position on the aft rail. Milo and I looked at each other and we did not have to say it. It is not worth a rescue mission, we just has to report it as missing to the Armada.

The boat felt steady and safe being built with steel plates. The worry was more that gear would break; sail, rigging and lines. And we did tow our dingy behind, a decision that could be discussed – but that was the way it was. The dingy was surfing on the waves and sometimes passing us. We had two painters, one in the "nose ring" and one in each side rings. At times when a gust hit us at the same a large breaking wave was taking it up in the air, it was definite in danger of capsizing.

Flipping dinghy

And sure enough, in a serial of breaking waves in a gust, the wind caught the bottom of the dinghy and flipped it over. After that everything happened very fast even though it felt like an eternity. I was steering so Milo fast shortened the painter to avoid having the dinghy nose-dive downwards in the water while I rolled in the foresail. That positioned the boat sideways to the waves which made Artimisa 2 roll considerably at times, but it was necessary to minimize the forward motion while we tried to rescue the dinghy. We used a halyard and one of the painters to hoist the dinghy up out of the water high enough that we could lift it over the life lines. To bring it up to foredeck was impossible in the rolling seas and gusting wind. Now we had it on the side where the cabin was giving some wind shelter. We decided to but it sideways on the leeside and tie the upper part to the grab rails on the cabin top, the lower part was hold in by the life lines and stanchions (the fence around the boat). Soon we had in tied down and we could start sailing again.

The good thing that the wind direction was the same as the stretch of the straight was that we only had drifted in the direction we were sailing. We did not have to fear drifting down on a lee shore. The bad thing is obviously that the sea builds up fast in a blow. We continued the tactics from before by broad reach and tacking downwind instead of risking gybing with the foresail in the heavy blow .It was good to be on our way again and I padded the dinghy in its new position.

Rip in sail

Not long after the dinghy rescue we discovered a rip in the foresail. It was close to half a meter and started from the aft leach two thirds up and was horizontal. Definitely due to bad material, it was a laminate, not Dacron in the foresail. The sail maker had prioritized form over durability. We rolled it in a bit more so the rip was not exposed. It was a handkerchief out nom, but we still made over five knots. When we gybed the next time we instead rolled out the stay sail on the inner forestay. That was well enough canvas to finish the trip.

Next worry was if our chosen Caleta, Caleta Mostun, would have breaking waves to prevent us from entering. But the curve of the straight together with a semi protecting point and island made the entrance if not calm, at least considerably less bumpy than the canal. So we entered wet and tiered after a roller coaster ride of close to 50 miles in the canal. The Caleta was a large lagoon off a fjord (Seno) cutting in from the canal. A steamer duck saw us coming and fast took off in its caractaristic way paddling its wings. That helped rising the spirit and it was a good feeling once the anchor and our three shore lines were secured.

The crew needed a break and the boat some repairs so we decided to have a lay day again. Unfortunately we had problems with the heater so the night could have been more comfortable after the wet and squally day. But I slept very well that night anyway. And the following day the sun was shining, if only for an hour before the rain came again. But it was enough time to make the sail repair. And even though we could not see the state in the canal we could see the clouds moving fast, so we knew it was still blowing out there even though it had slowed down.

Another bumpy ride

So on November 27 we set out for the second leg in Magellan Strait, a considerable shorter distance of 15 miles to Caleta Notch. And of course as we moved along the wind increased and the rain intensified. It was not the same strength as the first leg in Magellan strait, but it was still a bit of a roller coaster ride.

Once in Caleta Notch there were two alternatives. The first anchorage was in a large lagoon behind an island. We both agreed that it was too exposed from northwest winds that could happen and the island too low with not enough good trees to tie to. The second alternative was much better. It was a narrow Caleta just by the entrance from the canal. Actually we could see some of the sea state if the wind was much from the west since the waves then came in through the narrow and shallow entrance around the corner. The Caleta was also used by fishing boats, you could see that since there were prepared lines hanging from a couple of trees.

And we needed a good Caleta where we in the end ended up having five lines ashore and no anchor with good protection except southeast wind (very rare). We were to spend five days here, often in gale conditions, waiting for the next weather window to continue our trip. From here I asked one of the shore based participants, Bob from Falklands Islands, to relay a message to home and to work stating that I would be at least another week later than planned, three weeks altogether. Between rain and hail we did an excursion ashore and tried to climb the hills surrounding the anchorage, but apart from the near area of the shore the vegetation made it very difficult, both the spongy moss on the ground making you sink down to your knees and the trees and bushes creating a wall.

But weather would improve even though the real break did not happen until the Beagle Channel, but more on that in my next entry.

The windy period

2011-01-13T11:58:00.001-08:00

Squalls in the canal

A light house in vision

The wreck before it disappeared

Bahia Teoquita

Snow/hail in the Caleta

The barometer dropped

More hail

When we left Bahia Welcome on November 18 we knew that the weather situation was a bit uncertain. The barometer had fallen and the clouds were moving quite rapidly and it looked squally. But the canal stretch we plan to cover was mainly narrow and was winding east and west on its way to the south, and therefore quite protected from too much sea building up. And because it was a winding passage with limited sea state, and an area for which we did not have good charts for, we decided to go by engine in spite of the wind blowing to maintain good control over our direction.

The first real narrow passage was no problem. On the small scale chart we could see the light houses and major islands (not all small islands were present on the chart though) and we could identify all of them as we went along in the first narrows. We were also lucky with the weather, it blow more than 20 knots but there were a break in the rain with good visibility.

Where are we?

The second portion of the narrow stretch caused us some worry though. We could not find the light house where it supposed to be on the tip of the island we steered towards. If there were no light house the chance was that it was the wrong island and then we could be in trouble. The GPS only had a very rough sketch with land contours, probably with the wrong chart datum since we were presently travelling over land. And even though our position was unsure, we knew that we were not on land. At the same time a really black squall was catching up with us from the north and the sky just opened and the wind begun hollering. Before it hit us we made sure we had courses to steer on because when the rained peaked we could not see any land anywhere. And although we cut down on the engine power we were doing good speed being pushed by the wind from behind. If we were where we thought we were, we should take a sharp right after passing the point to starboard (if it was the right point). The turn needed to be done before we reached the shipwreck we saw straight ahead, which was the last thing we saw before the rain started.

The good things about heavy squalls are that they usually disappear as fast as they appear. And when it cleared up we could see the light house, it was situated on the far side of the point hidden by trees and a ridge. On the small scale chart it was impossible to see where it was placed. But once the position was settled the rest of the trip went better and we arrived to our destination in the afternoon. The original plan was to tie up to a mooring buoy supplied by the Armada in a protected bay (at least from north to west winds). But the buoy was nowhere to be found. We circled the anchorage for a good alternative but it was too deep to use the anchor and a lot of kelp in the good narrow spots.

Involuntary dip

The guide book indicated another anchorage, Bahia Teoquita, closer to the canal where the entrance was very narrow between two points and areas of kelp. The anchorage was reached through a long narrow canal leading to a lagoon with a couple of alternatives. We opted for giving it a try and went through the cut to the lagoon. We found a good anchorage furthest in and with the bow anchor to the north and a shore line to the west and a spring to the northwest it felt that we were nicely tucked in the gusty wind. The only problem with the anchorage procedure was that Milo fell in the water while trying to climb up to fastening one of the shore lines. That this was the first time has more to do with her great climbing capacity, I had expected it to happen long before. It is a feast to try to hold on to the painter of the dinghy at the same time as grabbing the line trailing from the boat while climbing ashore on treasures rocks that are covered with slippery green alga due to the tide. And then trying to get hold of a tree to tie on to when the shore line is like a jungle adds even more difficulty to the task. But this was the first time she went in, but only up to her waist. And with good rubber boots and tight foul weather gear the damage was limited.

Blown in

It was the last Caleta before we were to enter the Magellan straight and was to head more towards southeast rather than south. Since the Magellan straight is wide open to the ocean from northwest, the sea can really build up to massive proportions in a storm, until you get into the more protected part of the straight further east. So timing the departure from here with good weather was crucial, and the weather indications we had were not promising. Neither the Patagonian network, the Armada (the manned Fairway lighthouse was within VHF reach) nor the barometer gave any good indications. We would spend a week here waiting for a weather window while most of the time the wind was hollowing in Bahia Teoquita. The Caletas got its protection from low trees around that the wind could sweep over. So it was a well-protected Caleta, but windy.

The waiting for the first couple of days was frustrating since I knew I was missing my dead-line of returning to work on time. But Milo and I had made an agreement early in the trip. No decisions should be made because we were in a hurry, our safety should always be of priority. And once I accepted the fact that I could not influence the weather I started to relax. I read five books during our waiting and we did some odds and ends on the boat (since it was raining and blowing so much we could hardly do any work on deck though).

The anchor drags

But the stay was not without drama. In the middle of the period of our wait, the barometer started to fall more rapidly than we seen before. It was falling with 3 millibars per hour, so we knew a heavy blow was approaching. What we did not know was that the wind would first shift to the northeast. That exposed Artemisia II for waves from the whole stretch of the lagoon and the anchor was the only thing holding us from that direction. In the beginning the wind was not that strong, gusting 25 to 30 knots. But soon it was increasing and the anchor started to give away. I started the engine, since the rocky shoreline was not more than 10 meters away, while Milo took a new line to fasten to a point more to the north to support the anchor. The point was quite far away, more than 100 meters, so I needed to join to lines together while Milo was struggling to row upwind and the climb up to find a good tree. After a heroic effort she managed and I could tighten the line and the anchor stopped to drag. We also doubled up the lines from northwest since it was from that direction the heaviest blow was expected. And the barometer continued to fall and it is not many times I have seen it that low, it leveled out at 964 mb. And in the Caleta the wind was swirling around and gusts came from all direction although the prevailing wind was from southwest turning to northwest. When it was at its worst we had hurricane force gusts, over 70 knots, and steady wind over 40 knots, but we had tied up the boat snug so apart from when the anchor lost its holding, there was no danger. But the screaming sound of the wind sweeping in the rigging made it hard top relax.

But after a week the weather forecast looked OK. It was supposed to blow 15-25 knots from northeast, gusting to 30+. It was the best we had had for a long time, so we set off on November 25 in fair condition in lee of the point to the west of us. Before the day ended we would have waves breaking over us and the dinghy flipping over in gale force winds, but that is for next entry.

Passing 50

2011-01-09T08:36:00.001-08:00

Dolphines in Estero Dock

The cut to Estero Dock is just behind Artimisia II, notice the sea state in the canal.

Estero Dock birds

Time to clean lines

More dolphines

Sailing at last

Rain around us

The first excursion ashore to the waterfall and lake at Puerto Bueno

A bit windy in the canal

Fishingboats at Bahia Welcome

We left Bahia Elisabeth with a clear sky and a weak southerly wind and passing by the glacier gave sweet memories from the day before. And it was not until afternoon until the wind really started to pick up and soon we had a near gale on the nose. The chop in the canal build up rapidly and our speed was reduces in spite of increasing the engine speed. It was a wet and bumpy ride and since the weather prognosis had indicated the prevailing direction, northwest, we had looked for Caletas best for that wind direction. We went in and checked a couple of places but none of them gave good enough shelter in the increasing wind. We had to get our in the chop of the canal again and fight ourselves 15 miles further south. The Caleta we aimed for was Estero Dock, it looked well protected in the guide book. It was a short and narrow fjord sticking in to the west from the canal.

Narrow cut

The only worrisome was the entrance. With the increasing wind and building sea state in the canal we were not sure if there would be any breaking waves at the entrance when the depth went from several hundreds of meter to only 3 meter at the 10 meter narrow entrance between an island situated in the middle of the entrance and one of the sides of the fjord. There were also shallows and kelp indicated of both sides of the entrance it was with mixed feelings we approached the Caleta. It would be great to get in lee from the ever building seas but also a bit nervous haw the entrance would be. With binoculars we could soon see that the entrance was in semi sea lee from the southern point of the fjord and there were no breaking waves at the entrance, but it was narrow. And as usual we arrived in low tide and with a squall so conditions were not ideal.

After some nervous minutes going through the cut when the depth meter went more shallow than the guide book indicated and with kelp lingering just below the surface (which could have affected the depth sounder and making more nerve wrecking than necessary). But with half a meter under the keel we moved in to protected water and the rocking ceased as our worried looks. We positioned ourselves across the narrow fjord with one lines ashore supporting the anchor in in front and one line ashore from behind. It had been a long day since we covered some extra distance, close to 50 miles, to find a good Caleta so it felt really good to be at a secure anchorage. Especially since more dolphins came in to the fjord to welcome us.

Gear problem

While maneuvering we heard a not so fun rattling noises from the gearbox every time Milo changed gears. The first that came to our mind was kelp in the propeller so once we were secured we tried to look overboard, but everything looked fine. Next step was to check the gear box and the coupling between the propeller shaft and the gearbox. There we found the problem. Of the eight bolts holding the two together (the shat and gear box): two were missing and four were loose. Only two were sitting tight. We found the two missing bolts and nuts in the bilge under the gearbox and the rest was just to overcome the uncomfortable working positions. I positioned myself in the saloon by the engine compartment and leaned down to reach with a socket wrench. Milo got hold of the other end of the bolts from under her bed in the aft cabin. And so we moved the shaft around to get hold of one bolt at the time for tightening. It felt good after it was done, it was really lucky that we caught it in time. At the same time we did some engine service like filling oil and tightening the engine belts.

Excursion

We decided to have a lay day the following day and slept later than usual (Milo got up for Patagonian network, but then crawled back to sleep again). We did an excursion with the dinghy to the mouth of the fjord where there were a river coming out. In the flats exposed by the low tide a flock of goose-looking birds with total different coloring were wandering around. We also explored the little island by the entrance which was covered in mussles.

After night fall the second night a squall line came by with really strong gusts and heavy rain which resulted in the need for extra lines both forward and aft and also retying one of the forward lines that had worked itself loose. So with a flashlight Milo rowed the dinghy ashore again in the beating rain, but everything went well and soon after the lines were secured the wind dropped considerably and we could have a good night sleep.

Passing 50

The following day, November 12, we left Estero Dock in a light breeze and I had my work cut out for me for at least an hour, cleaning the mooring lines from sea weed. I positioned myself on foredeck and patiently removed the green yucky stuff that most of the lines were covered with. After a while we got company from dolphins that followed us a good part of the way to our next Caleta, Bahia Tom. The distance was not more than 22 miles and apart from the dolphins not much happened until we reached Bahia Tom. Then a squall came and made it wet and windy to anchor, but the good thing was that we were welcomed by a steamer duck (not really welcomed – he fled in the special way steamer duck do, by paddling there wings in the water instead of flying).

Otherwise the most significant that happened on the day trip was that we passed Latitude 50 degrees South, we are in the roaring 50:s, something that did not really showed that much when we early next morning set out for the next leg, since our next destination was close to 40 miles away. It was cloudy, but the sun showed itself every now and then and the rain kept to the sides of the canal we were travelling on, and in the beginning we had enough wind from northwest to actually sail. But soon the wind died and we started motoring again. And as usual, just before reaching our destination, Steamer duck lagoon, the wind came back with some rain. But the anchorage is protected since you pass a narrow cut to get in to a small lagoon. We hoped to see both steamer duck and sea utters, that would be in the lagoon according to the guide book. However, we left the Caleta on the following day, November 14, after only have seen a white type of gooselike bird.

Land excursion

On the way to Puerto Bueno we sailed the whole distance and had practically no rain. Puerto Bueno has no mountains, only low trees as protection. That makes the anchorage a bit more windy from the more steady "normal" wind, but you do not have to fear the stronger mountain winds (rachas or williwas). We had time to make an excursion to land since there was a waterfall facing the lagoon, and the water came from a small lake upstream. And the vegetation was not so dense so there were possibilities to actually get through. So we parked the dinghy by the bank at the waterfall and for the first time in Patagonia did a land based excursion. The lake was not more than a couple of hundred meters in but it was good to walk on land again. The ground was very cushy under your feet, it felt like walking on sponges. There was so much moss on the ground, and not only on the ground. It was everywhere and was thriving in the damp climate.

Hitting Bottom

Since we wanted to make up for lost time and the weather was favorable we set out early next morning for another long stretch, and we did have sailing wind again. Although there were plenty of dark rain clouds around us it was not until the end of the day they started to hit us. Again we had dolphins tagging along every now and then on the trip. We did not arrive to Caleta Ballandra until around seven and the entrance was through a narrow cut in to a lagoon. According to the guide book we were suppose top keep close to the northern shore to avoid some rocks to the south in the cut. We started out good but while we were trying to avoid kelp we drifted to much south, and clunk, we hit bottom. The speed was not more than two to three knots so we did not get stuck (and the tide was coming in so we would have got loose anyway), but it felt a bit embarrassing. But soon we were going in for a second try and now it went better.

Fishing boats

After pushing several days along we decided to have a lay day, especially since it was pouring down with rain the whole following day. And it was continuing raining when we left on November 17, and was keeping on all day. When we came out in the canal we realized that it had blown more than we felt in the Caleta. We had steady wind over 25 knots and gusts well over 35, so we did not have to roll out that much of our foresail to make good headway. After 35 miles we arrived to Bahia Welcome, a bay behind some bigger islands. It is a well-protected anchorage with several option and also popular amongst fishing boats. And sure enough, we passed a fishing boat preparing something on our way in to the Caleta, and in the Caleta there were already two fishing boats there. They usually have prepared lines hanging from trees that they just grab on to, and usually tie up very close to land/the tree. If no fishing boats yachtsmen can use them, when we can reach since they often are high up – the fishermen stand on higher deck reaching for them.

They waved at us to come over but we did not feel like company today and we did not feel like bringing out fenders and we knew that another fishing boat was on its way in and we would then be in the middle. So we opted for another option just around the corner from their little bay. And again it was low land around so it was windy, but not that gusty. And the lagoon was small enough so we could tie lines in all four corners and had basically no pressure on the anchor. After a cold and wet day we started the heater again and the barometer started to fall again. The next day we planned to go through a narrow part of the canals with unusually many shallow areas, and we did not have good charts for the area. The GPS-charts were nonexistent for this part which was strange, and the paper charts had a small scale – but that was not the only challenge we would get on that leg. But more on that in next entry.

The Glacier

2011-01-07T09:18:00.001-08:00

The high mountains could be seen far away

No wind

Mirror surface

The border between the glacier water and the salt water as we approach the glacier.

A tern resting on ice

The deeper blue color the ice has, the older it is.

The edge

On the way back south

More ice

Dolphines welcome us

Waterfalls on the way

Mirror canals

On November 9 we had the alarm clock set for six o'clock. We had a plan, if weather permitted, to make a detour of about 15 nautical miles, apart from the 15 miles to get to the point for the detour, to the north to visit a glacier. If we left early we would make it there and to a Caleta close by the glacier. The glacier were according to the guide book supposed to be one of the most spectacular ones since it was broad and reached all the way down to the canal, in spite of its unromantic name of Pio Eleven. It was part of the huge ice cap covering a large part of the interior Patagonia. It is the third largest ice cap area in the world after Antarctica and Greenland.

We casted off all the lines we tied to the dock in the blow, including the ones we had doubled up for the boat inside us, and sneaked out of the harbor which was silence apart from a rooster giving a morning call. There was a weak southerly breeze and some scattered clouds, but it all looked promising. Soon the wind died completely and the clouds disappeared and one of the very rare days in Patagonia emerged with clear blue sky and not a breath of air. We motored through canals were we could see the mirror reflections of spectacular mountain ridges in the water without even a ripple. It was breath taking and we were just grateful for what the show that Mother Nature was presenting before our eyes.

Love at first sight

Apart from the beautiful sceneries the tide was with us so we made good time. So if we were to visit the glacier, today was a very good day indeed. The excitement was growing as we approached the corner where we would turn north towards the glacier, and hopefully get our first glance. We were not disappointed. It looked small from a distance but we knew anyway that it was enormous; we still had over ten miles to go. Soon we saw a couple of penguins in the water which brought our mood up even more. But that was only the start. Before we knew it we were surrounded by dolphins who clustered by the bow riding the bow wake of Artemisia II. They followed us more or less the whole way up to the glacier, sometimes taking off on a detour only to return minutes after. It was a picture perfect day.

The closer we got to the glacier the more we understood how immense it was. It was not only wide, it was following the valley inland for as long as you could see. As we went north up in the canal towards the glacier the small ice bergs that had broken off the glacier became more frequent. The shapes of each ice bit changed constantly as the angle towards it changed. It was as they were living sculptures. About half way up the canal there was a sharp line where the water change color from greenish to more blueish, this were where the fresh water from the glacier dominated. As we got really close the wind picked up as well, now blowing from the north – from the glacier. It had to have been a type of the land breeze affect were the cold air from glacier was sucked in to replace the air warmed up and rising by the sun radiating at the surrounding land.

Glacier breeze

Another effect of the sun we soon noticed when we were less than a mile from the glacier. With a thundering noise you heard the calving of the glacier. It was happening in quite a rapid pace and from the area where the glacier was resting on water, not on land. And it happened often enough that if you looked in that direction, you could see pieces of the edge fall in the water with a huge plunge and afterwards hear the noise. Milo, who has some ice experience from earlier trips to Antarctica with Greenpeace, decided that it was not a good idea to get too close the wall of the glacier, which was towering between 50 and 100 meters straight up. We kept a respectfully distance from the edge and just enjoyed the powerful view. We also decided for me to go down in the dinghy with camera equipment (I have a water tight back pack) to take photos while Milo was navigating the boat around me.

We had a hard time to tear ourselves away from the spectacular surrounding. We could not only see the impressive glacier but also mountain ridges and tops over 4 000 meter high that under normal Patagonian conditions are covered in clouds or a haze. But we had to get to our Caleta before dark so slowly we saw the glacier disappear behind a point as we headed towards our anchorage, and the wind again went down to almost nothing. For the first time we opted to change our chosen Caleta since we thought it was to open. There was another one on the opposite side of the canal that gave better protection from winds all around since it felt a bit uncertain. The predictions were northwest but it was still a light breeze from the south. So after close to 50 nautical miles we reached our anchorage, Bahia Elisabeth. It was a beautiful Caleta but it was hard to appreciate all its glory in relation to what we had experience. Not even an appearance from a sea utter helped.

Trouble ahead

The following day started off with still a rare day with clear skies and little wind. And we again passed by the glacier on our way south again, this time without stopping. Slowly it disappeared behind us as the dolphins came to greet us again to check if we had enjoyed what we saw. And nature showed off a couple of spectacular water falls with drops of over fifty meters to make sure we would remember the time at Pio eleven.

We could not have asked for a better start but after checking the barometer we started to worry. It was falling rapidly, about 2 millibars an hour, which was an indication for increasing wind. And we would get more wind, right on the nose from the south. A direction that is unusual and which made the trip uncomfortable and a Caleta with good protection hard to find, but more on that subject in next entry.

Puerto Eden

2011-01-02T05:28:00.001-08:00

Puerto Eden in the middle of the map

The harbor

The sidewalks

The Guesthouse

Supermercado

The church

Dock construction

Filling up diesel

Harbor overview

Kids playing with a cat

Half way

The half way target, Puerto Eden, was close and we were ready for some of the luxuries that a small village brings. We needed to fill up with diesel, the jerry cans on deck had all disappeared into the main tanks due to the lack of wind, the fresh produce was down to onions, potatoes and eggs, the last bread had turned moldy, our bodies longed for a hot shower and, according to the contacts in Patagonian network, there were now a library with internet connection in the small fishing village. We left Caleta Vittorio on November 6 hoping for a short and sweet ride to the comfort zone of Puerto Eden, but with an hour left (about five miles to go) the southerly breeze started to pick up significantly. We knew from the weather report that there could be winds from the south moving in, something relatively rare, but we were not sure of the strength. The sea built up fast in the canal as the wind increased to close gale and our speed under motor decreased steadily as Artimisia 2 pounded against the seas. The salt spray was filling the air and sometimes we only moved forward with a couple of knots in spite of increasing the engine speed. So we were quite relieved when we could turn off from the canal behind some islands towards Puerto Eden. The problem was that the harbor is excellent in the normal wind direction, northeast to southwest, but open to the south. There are some islands protecting the harbor from the whole fetch of the canal, but the sea still have a mile or so of fetch and although the seas was considerable smaller, there were still a heavy chop. It was not a good spot to anchor and the other option was to tie up outside a 40 feet sailing boat (the first we seen for a long time) that was tied to the dock. We took a couple of turns in the harbor bay and out again to do some exploration.

Hitting the dock

We both agreed that anchoring was out and the only option for the anchorage was outside the sailing boat. After some discussion we opted to go for that option although it was not ideal. We tried to call for the people onboard but no sign of movement was seen and we did not know how well tied up the boat was and I was worried if our fenders would hold for the constant moving and hard pressure that the wind and chop would do. But we prepared the boat and went alongside. There were no problems in drifting down towards the boat with the wind and waves, the challenge was to do it with as little speed as possible. So coming up alongside from behind with a short stop so the distance of drifting would be minimal was the solution. The maneuver went well but we should have thought more about securing the fenders since most of them were tied to the lifeline. The pressure and movement of the boat resulted in that stanchion for the gate was pulled out of the deck fitting (bad construction to start with – no through bolts only a set screw) so most of the fenders was hanging low on the sagging life line. As fast as possible after securing us in position with mooring lines be doubled up the lines holding the fenders and secured them to rail and turn buckle fittings for better security. We also had to increase the number of lines the sailboat inside us was tied with, and also adjust them better. The owner had left it a week before our arrival and gone to Valparasio and it was not sure when he was to return. He had tied the boat between spring tides so when the full moon now was approaching the bowline was too tight and it would have hung in it in low tide if we had not adjusted it. That night I did not sleep well, partly of worry but also the noise from the rigging in the strong wind and the chop hitting the boat side and the squeaking from fenders under pressure. But all went well and the southerly wind slowly diminished even although it was more persistent in both direction and strength than we wished for.

The old west

Once we felt that we were pleased with the mooring we went to explore the little fishing village. Milo had been here twelve years ago on her last try to sail to Antarctica (that she wrote a book about, Min dröm om havet), and then the only communication in the village was a short wave radio that someone had. Now you could see that the village had been receiving some sort of investment money, from Chile or international community I do not know). But there were a lot of new "governmental buildings", especially a new school and library, and there were a whole new commercial dock being build further down the bay the village was hugging the shore line of. The most significant with Puerto Eden, and which also makes the village so attractive, is that there are no roads or cars. There is only a wooden sidewalk that follows the coastline of the bay and at some places also are built inland to make short cuts and to the national park that has been created. Ant the wooden sidewalk reminds a lot of the old western sidewalks from western films were the steps from the sheriffs boots can be clearly hears as he approaches the bad guys for a show down. Although here the sidewalk is not to avoid s muddy streets but rather to make it possible to pass over the ocean and lush vegetation. The houses are scattered along the sidewalk and are simple and most of them have no isolation, but with a wood stove and access to plenty wood they keep it fairly warm. The building material is a mixture from chequered sheet, wood to bricks and concrete.

The Armada pays a visit

Before we could explore the town we had to wait for the Armada (the Chilean navy/coast card) to arrive so we could "check in". Although we had not come to a new country the Armada is very particular in controlling all pleasure boats in the waters, especially in Patagonia. First it is for safety reason. It is treasures waters with heavy winds and fast changing weather and limited navigational aid. And if a boat needs to be rescued, it is the Armada who has to do it. And in a way it is good for you own security, but they can sometime be overambitious. The second reason, which is more valid down south, is the closeness of the boarder to Argentina. The countries have not really settled all their discrepancies regarding boarders and others in this region. So the situation is sensitive. So at some places where they have a present the Armada wants you to check in so they can inspect your boat and talk to you in person. A lot of the time it is enough that you report your position via VHF. They came from their own harbor around the corner in a RIB boat and was as usual polite and correct asking a lot of questions (usually the same we been asked before). Milo is good at handling men in uniforms (must be her experience from police and military from her previous involvement in Green Peace activities) and often get both good vibration and respect from them.

Hot showers and dinner

After the Armada had done there chores we went up to town. The first we saw was the police station by the end of the dock. We (Milo since my Spanish is non-excisting) talked to them were we could find diesel, internet and a showers. It was Saturday so the library was closed for internet but they had an computer we could borrow for short periods so we checked the weather. Continuing southerly winds was the prediction. Diesel and showers was at the same place, George had a small guest house and was also having barrels of diesel delivered to him frequently with the cargo boat passing by the canals weekly. He sold that to passing yachtsmen. We strolled down the wooden sidewalk towards the guest house. There were no signs so we had to ask one more time before we could find it. The chilly wind (the south winds is the cold one in the southern hemisphere, as low pressures rotate clockwise, the fronts swing northwards and the sun peak in the north at noon) was making us really cold so it was great to come in to a room where a wood stove was rising the temperature. We saw George and yes, he had diesel and yes we could shower. We went back to the boat and grabbed our gear and the showers were actually hot. It was a pure pleasure. When we came out they were preparing dinner and we asked if they served dinner as a restaurant. No problem, they gave us a time to come for dinner and since Milo is not eating meat and they had just got in some fresh fish, the choice was simple. And the dinner was not only tasty (and great not having to do cocking or cleaning up) it was also plentiful, three courses. They looked at us strange when we did not finish everything on the plate but they did not realize that we usually only had breakfast and one meal a day – and not as plentiful as this.

Picking up cats

The following day, the Sunday we arranged for filling up our diesel jugs that we stored on deck. George opened his back yard and there were the diesel barrels. He got a manual pump out and so we transferred 140 liter diesel to six jerry cans. We borrowed a cart to transport them to the boat, and with low tide it was a bit tricky to get them down to the boat, especially with my back problem. But everything went OK. So it felt good to be fueled up again to last us to our final destination Ushuaia, although we hoped for more sailing instead of motoring. After securing the diesel cans we went for a long walk around town and to the national park, basically paths to the hill overlooking the harbor with some signs of different plants. But it was interesting to see all the different characters of the building and meeting some people strolling along. There were also building activities with the new dock that is being built, the supply boat has just arrived and they were unloading it. We passed a church with a cross built from iron pipes, it really was built to withstand the weather conditions here. And we also passed a soccer field that was situated on a moss, also with iron pipes as goals. No activity when we passed, but soccer is important in Chile. And we sauced out a couple of Supermercados for the Monday shopping. Milo got her thrill from all the cats we met. She misses her own "Modesty" back home and every cat we saw had to be picked up and cuddled with. Most of them followed us for a while afterwards and some time we had several followers at the same time. It was a nice day and the wind had started to slow down so the night was also pleasant.

The following day we also managed to find a person that did stainless that could straighten out the stanchion from the gate that was bent. We also did shopping. With the sign Supermercado outside you climb in to someone's home with some shelves with cans and some baskets with potatoes and onions. We did not manage to compliment with that much so we have to continue with mostly our canned food. However, we did find a couple of new types of cockies. It turned out that it was school vacation so the library was closed all week. So we went to the Police station to ask if we could do more than check weather on the internet. I managed to make a short update on my blog and was thinking of checking on Facebook as well, but that site was blocked in the Police station, so no go.

The two full days we spent in Puerto Eden was a nice break from the wilderness and solitude we had experienced on the way down, but we were ready for getting on the move again. And one option was to go by a glacier on the way down south. The wind had calm down so even though it was from the south there were no problems in taking off towards the south again, in what turned out to be the best day of the whole trip. But that is for next entry.

Towards civilization

2010-12-31T05:04:00.001-08:00

Our way (the white line) from the entrance after Gulfo des Penas to Caleta Yvonne

Caleta Yvonne

Drying up

Cocking away

Shades of grey

Lines ashore

Another grey day

Two knots current

We decided to stay in Caleta Puerto Francisco for another day, partly to rest from the overnight sail over Gulfo den Penas but also to explore the beautiful anchorage/lagoon. So the second day we sat out hoping to see more of the dolphins and seal as we had seen coming in but the excursion in the dinghy only offered the beautiful sceneries that were surrounding us. We also had to tome the excursion in between the rain that was coming down. We went all the way to the narrow entrance and it was easy on the way out since the tide carried us but Milo had to struggle a bit on the way back fighting a two knot current. In the narrow we could see lines hanging from the trees, something we saw frequently in other protected Caletas. It is the fishermen who leave them hanging so when they come in the just grab them for their anchorage.

On Nov ember 3 we started the trip to our next Caleta, Puerto Island, a bit more than 20 nautical miles to the south. After a short overnight stay we got up early to cover 37 miles to Caleta Yvonne. We motored the whole stretch since the wind from behind was not consistently strong enough for sailing. The rain clouds were lingering around us in the mountains on either side of the canal, but they did not venture out in the canal towards our position. So in spite of overcast it became one of the more dry days we have had in a long time.

Glacier or not

Caleta Yvonne is situated at the mouth of an Estero where a glacier is reaching down to. It was around 20 miles to the glacier and no good anchorages in the area so we had to get back to Caleta Yvonne before night fall. We talked about going but decided against it. Partly because we were short on time and there would be more glaciers further down. But most importantly the wind was supposed to shift to the south and the anchorage was only good for winds from north to southwest. So we decided to push on the following day a short distance (16 miles) to Caleta Vittorio, that was protected from all winds but from east. It was raining so we started waiting for it to stop but soon realized it would be one of those Patagonian rain days were there are no breaks from the moisture. Again not enough wind to sail so we motored along in shades of grey. Just before we reached the anchorage the wind built up with a lot of squalls with heavy gusts. So for the first time so far we did not succeed in our anchorage procedure at the first try. The first choice was tucked in in a very narrow bay in the Caleta which made it hardly any room for swinging. So the shore line had to be secured fast in the shifting wind (and the anchor had grip the first try). The anchor did not bite so we decided to anchor a bit outside the narrow bay. And soon we were tucked away with anchor and two lines ashore at the same time as the squally wind faded away. And we are now only a short day trip from getting in contact with civilization again, Puerto Eden is just around the corner, a small fishing village that according to rumors now also have Internet facility (and possibilities for taking showers).

Drying out

Since it was a short distance we had time in the afternoon to start the heater and dry our foul weather gear and bed clothing, something that basically needs to be done every day. Milo has a stainless steel bar inside the toilet were we hang or gear for drip drying before they are dry enough to bring in to the saloon for a more proper drying procedure closer to the heater. We also had a good meal with some of the staple food we stored. The gourmet dinner was noodles with a pasta sauce consisting of a ready base (this one with pepper) and additional fried onions, aborigine, carrots and tomatoes (and sometimes canned mushrooms).

Milo has also been asked to partly take over the short wave radio community Patagonia network for a while when Wolfgang is going on vacation. He will travel around Chile for two to three weeks but wants the network to live in his absent, so Milo and Ian, an Australian that now is close to our destination in the Beagle Channel, will handle it together. Right now there are only the two of us and one other boat in the area it seems (at least hooked up to the network). Occasionally we have a couple of boats and a land based person, Bob, from the Falkland Islands hooking up with the network. That is a treat since he can sit by the computer and give us good weather reports. But he is not on every day due to his work. So in spite of her lethal morning mood she heroically is up by nine o'clock every morning. And there are few boats around, even fishing boats are scarce and we have not seen a sailing boat since way before Gulfo de Penas.

On our way to civilization

The morning in Caleta Vittorio was beautiful. The rain clouds were lingering on and hanging very low so even smaller not so high mountains had a "halo" of clouds surrounding the top, and it was dead calm. The reflections in the water made the magic surrounding look even more intriguing. It was shades in grey in the most spectacular way. So we set off what we hoped to be a fast and easy trip to Puerto Eden in calm and cloudy weather. We past the first navigation aids for a long time and could see on the red boy that we had a couple of knots current with us. But soon we were going to be met by a southerly gale hitting us on the nose with increasing seas, affecting the decision if we should go in to the port or not since it did not have a good protection from southerly winds. But that is for next entry.

Golfo de Penas

2010-12-28T08:53:00.001-08:00

Sjökort över Caleta Jaquelin till Mallibu och starten på Gulfo de Penas

Överseglingen över Gulfo de Penas

Inloppet till Puerto Francisco

Estrero Balladeros

Estero Mallibu

Leaving Mallibu

We left Caleta Jaqueline after breakfast October 28 and motored around 20 Miles to our next anchorage, Estero Balladaros. With the anchor down with 40 meters of chain and two lines ashore we were satisfied although the anchorage is quite wide. We were getting close to the open sea again, preparing for the trip over Golf de Pena so the weather report from the Navtex was not favorable since it predicted south to southwest winds (on the nose over the bay). So we decided to stay in the anchorage to wait for better wind. During the stay we also got in contact with the Patagonian network for the first time. It is “run” by Wolfgang and mentioned in most guide books. Wolfgang is now living in the area and has a short wave radio (SSB) that he contacts all the boats en route or at anchorage in Patagonia every day at 09.00, local time. Apart from keeping track of all the boats and make sure nobody has an emergency he can download grid files on his computer and give relatively good weather prognoses for your specific position. Since the Navtex does not seem reliable of sending every night (or receiving conditions are bad at times with the high mountains) this felt as a good network to keep in contact with. So Milo has made it a daily routine to check in to the networks (a bit reluctant since getting up early in the morning is not one of her strong points). The new weather report was better since it predicted the wind to shift back to the prevailing northwest, but it was also expected to increase to gale force so we decided to wait for another day. But since we still were in more protected waters and also needed an anchorage with better protection for the new wind direction than the present we decided to move even closer to the opening of Golfo de Penas. So on October 30 we motored another 20 Miles to Estero Millabu just by the opening for the Pacific Ocean towards the peninsula reaching out towards the Golfo de Penas.

Estero Millabu was an even deeper fjord than Estero Balladeros with high deep slopes, where you still can see some snow higher up on the cliffs, on either side of the way in to the mouth were an impressive waterfall was throwing itself down the cliffs down to a broad and flat delta that was exposed during low water. It reminded a bit of Trollfjorden up in Lofoten in northern Norway for those who have been there. The mouth of the fjord was fairly broad so we had to join two lines together to reach both ends for a secure anchorage (the longest line we had was 100 meters). When we had finished tying up we made an excursion with the dingy to the sand delta in hope to see the waterfall more close up. This turned out to be trickier than expected since the flat sand delta, covered with different kinds of crabs, clams and mussels, was creating creeks that were filling up in the incoming tide water. The problem was to find a place to tie up the dinghy that we actually could get back to without being forced to walk in knee deep 10 degree water on the way back. We finally realized that the safest bet was a short walk on the flats before getting back to the dingy without exploring “the source of the waterfall”. However, it was nice moving on land again, if only for a brief moment.

When we came back we got a guest onboard. Some kind of raptor had taken a liking to our wind vane. Probably a buzzard or hawk sat on top of the vane fitting and was not easily scared. It was exciting to get so close to a wild predator, staying for half an hour even when we needed to move around on deck. But the raptor was not the only bird around. We had a couple of albatrosses that had been following us during the day that lay in the water waiting for our next move. Beside them a couple of penguins were fishing and high in the sky a vulture, maybe a condor, was souring. The clouds had been hanging around us but it had not rained during the day, but in the evening it started to pour down. It rained hard all night long and in the morning the waterfall that was impressive by our arrival was really making a significant noise when the water was tumbling down the mountain sloop.

The weather reports gave at hand west to north west winds, however the strength differed depending if you believed the Navtex (strong winds) or Wolfgang at the Patagonian network (moderate winds). The only way to find out is to poke the nose out there and see for yourself, so in the morning we headed for the open sea to sail across Golfo de Penas, the last longer stretch of open water on our trip. What we could see immediately was that we could not see, the visibility was really bad with low clouds and drizzle. The wind was also weak so we motored the first three hours before we got out of the sea lee of the peninsula sticking out protecting from the old wind direction from the south. The rain increased in intensity and in the open sea there were at least three different old wave systems that was meeting and with light wind we motored while Artimisia 2 was rolling heavily. To avoid wearing the autopilot out in the rolling sea we hand steered during the night in wet and bumby conditions. The steering in the pitch dark under the overcast and rain with no landmarks, no wind, no healing, no compass and a GPS that reacted late on course changes and rolling conditions it was very tricky to keep a steady course.

In the morning on November 1 the wind started to fill in and the confusing seas started to slow down. Still not enough wind to sail if we wanted to make the anchorage before nightfall but now we at least could use the auto pilot. The Caleta Puerto Francisco was situated a short distance from the entry of the canal (fjord) south of Gulfo de Penas, 160 nautical miles or more than 30 hours of sail. The rain stopped and we motored in through a narrow (not more than 20 meters wide) entrance stretching several hundred meters through lush vegetation. On the other side of the entrance a lagoon surrounded by mountains was opening up with several alternative anchorages. On the way in the narrow entrance a seal was lingering in the surface minding his own business and in the lagoon dolphins came to greet us. They followed us up towards our chosen anchorage and soon after the anchorage procedure was done we started the heater. The memories of a not so pleasant overnight sail soon disappeared in a haze when the enjoyment of the warm welcoming, beautiful surrounding and the warm interior of the boat took over the senses. We were now in the “real” Patagonia were there were numerous fjords, fewer boats, higher mountains (over 3000 meters), and lingering interior glaciers sometimes reaching out to the Esteros. I slept very well that night.

The beginning

2010-12-23T03:14:00.001-08:00

The first part in more detailed of the sail from Puerto Montt (north of the map) where Caleta Jaqueline is south of the map (included in next entry)

The white line shows the approximate sailing path

The first anchorage in Isla Heupen

Penguins in the water but no collony

Dolphines welcomed us to the anchorage

Santo Domingo with impressive back drop

Milo trying to get the lines ashore

Santa Domingo was also a beautiful anchorage

Sailing at last

After waiting in Valdivia for more than a week for avoiding close to gale force winds on the nose we took off October 16 and got a bumpy ride down to Puerto Montt, 200 nautical miles south, where Patagonia really starts. We timed the arrival to canal Chacao perfect for the tide and zoomed through there sometimes with eleven knots. The trip took a couple of days.

Last minute provisioning in Puerto Montt resulted in a stolen wallet for Milo and back problems for me. A MRI at the hospital showed wear and tear on a fetlock resulted in pinching nerves. So it was painkillers for me rest of the trip and leaving all the heavy duties for Milo. All this described in earlier entries in the blog (in Swedish though).

We left Puerto Montt October 23 in a drizzle and no wind with snow-capped mountain tops hidden in low clouds. Our destination was 130 nautical miles to the south so it would be an overnight sail. But to get there before dark the second day we motored since the wind was very weak, We were heading for an anchorage inside a small group of islands, isla Heupen, outside Peninsula Coca on the main land, partly chosen for the reason of the guide book stating that there were supposed to be a penguin colony there. The night was clear and the moon gave some light which made the night shift pleasant. We arrived in the afternoon in dead calm and the beauty of the place was striking with lush small islands with the mountains as a back drop. But the best part was the welcoming party. A school of dolphins followed us all the way in to the recommended anchorage playing in the bow wake and sometimes looking up to get eye contact. It looked like they were making sure we were finding the right way in to the anchorage. How can you not be overwhelmed with joy with such fantastic creatures hanging out with you. On top of that we passed several penguins swimming in the water. They were however more shy than the dolphins and disappeared under the surface before we got really close. But it was a good sign of what we hoped to be a penguin colony. Well inside we anchored and secured with a line ashore although there were no wind at all.

The following day we decided to stay and explore the area by rowing the dingy to the island where the penguin colony was supposed to be. For being an inflatable dinghy it is pretty good for rowing and with Milo (yes, I had my back problem) by the oars we took off. It became quite a long excursion covering more than half a Swedish land mile (about 3 nautical miles). And Milo worked up a sweat not only from rowing but also from the sun that was shining from a clear blue sky. We were disappointment at the arrival at the island though because no penguins were to be found. The trip was well worth the effort though (especially for me sitting back relaxing the whole way) since the scenery was great and the dolphins came back to make us company, both on the way there and back. And having them at an arm’s reach from the dinghy is a special treat.So we could not have gotten a better start (well with a penguin colony it would have been perfect) to our Patagonian adventure.

On October 25 we took off for our next anchorage 20 Miles away, Puerto Santo Domingo, which was also on the mainland behind a small low peninsula sticking out as protection from the prevailing northwesterly winds. We motored there since there was sunshine and no wind. At the anchorage Milo got the first challenge on the trip as line handler. The shore line consisted of very slippery stones in the tidal area on a steep sloop. Not only were the stones slippery they were also rolling underneath her feet threatening to slide her into the 10 degree water. But with willpower and skill she managed to climb up to the flat of the peninsula and found a couple of good trees for our lines. In the bay, which was surrounded by high mountains, there were a couple of fishing boats anchored and a couple of small shacks ashore (more wind shelters). Obviously a place often used by fishermen from the area. And we really could enjoy the beauty of the surrounding mountains since it was high pressure weather with clear blue sky.

The following day we took off for a new overnight sail of 113 Miles to the next bay, or caleta as it is called here. It was caleta Jaqueline. We left in bright sunshine but quite soon the clouds were building up and from my shift that started at eight pm it rain all the way to our arrival in the afternoon on October 27. However, the rain also brought some wind so we did some sailing during the night. There were quite a lot of traffic with fishing boats and commercial ships in the canal in this part of Patagonia. We have not passed Gulf de Pena yet and it is not until then we get down into the more remote areas. The anchorage has been a bit unsettled since the wind direction has shifted radically in the different squalls that have passed by, but we have good lines ashore so there is no danger, just a bit of uncomfortable at times.

Two and a half months in ten minutes

2010-12-19T08:32:00.001-08:00

Sometimes the weather was just beautiful

Always majestic backdrops

Visit to a glacier

Dolphines visited every other day

Caleta Brecknock, one of the best ones

Fixing an extra line up in a hail storm

The Beagle Channel

Sitting in my apartment in Stockholm looking at the snowfall outside the window trying to collect my thoughts around that I just came home (after catching the last plane for the night from Frankfurt before the airline chaos continued as the snow fall picked up again) from a two and a half month in Patagonia. It is an experience of a life time for sure, and one that you really have to love sailing, nature and roughing it to be able to enjoy it fully. Did I? Well, in hindsight in a snowy Stockholm definitely – when in Patagonia, sometimes I did and sometimes I did not.

I will continue to update my blog with a more chronological way with more details, but while waiting for my luggage (that got lost on the way back from Ushuaia but was found again and is supposed to be delivered to me today if the traffic chaos in the snow storm permits) I write more in general terms of the adventure.

The two unique features for sailing in Patagonia are the nature and the weather. The Andes reach all the way to coastland and are creating exciting fjords which cuts through the mountain range. You sail in canals that can be only 5 nautical miles wide but has a depth of over 300 meters and snow caped mountains in sight that reach over 3 000 meter up in the sky. The vegetation is lush (due to the exuberant annual rainfall) and trees and bushed grows all the way down to the water. The vegetation together with the steep hills makes it extremely difficult to explore the interior and most of the area has not has human influence ever as far as I know. The whole high land in the south have a huge ice cap which means that every here and there glaciers are reaching down to canals. It is a bit dangerous to get to close since they frequently break up part of the ice in a noise reminding you of an explosion. If a big chunk is dropped the wake can be big if you are to close, but they are magnificent to look at from a distance as well. The glaciers together with the high mountains give the scenery a majestic look. And the wild life is plentiful, especially if you like birds. We often had company by albatrosses and labs that could follow us for days. We often saw penguins in the water. And there are some unique birds for the area, we saw a couple of steamer ducks that for example that get their name from how they transport themselves with their wings as paddle wheels. But of course my favorites are the dolphins that at time came by to visit several times a day, but could also be absent for several days. And the seals where also fun to see even if they were not as frequent guests, as the sea otter.

The weather, apart from the plentiful precipitation (annual precipitation of over 3 000 mm, about 5 times of that of Stockholm (about 500 mm), the weather changes makes it a challenge to sail in Patagonia. We are talking about southern latitudes of between 40 and 55 degrees south, and they are not called the roaring 40:s and the screaming 50:s (and furious 60:s for those who sail the Drakes passage to Antarctica). The only thing you know for sure is that at a steady stream low pressure systems with cold fronts will pass the area, usually every third of fourth day. This means prefrontal rain (or hail or snow) in a north to northwest blow will be released by less rain and a wind usually picking up further and turn southwest to west (after front passage) and finally the wind will subside and hopefully the sky clear up a bit for a day before the next front pass. Sometimes a high pressure moves in and temporary block the low pressure tracks, a welcome break in the precipitation. In principle the same pattern like in Sweden with the difference that the intensity of the low pressures are bigger and more frequent, the wind stronger and the rain more intensive. And especially in the channels where the weather and wind is affected by the mountain range (both in a good way – giving lee, and in a bad way – giving strong mountain winds the so called rachas (williwaws)).

These weather conditions mean that when you are sailing you always have to be prepared for fast changes. A lot of the canals (fjords) can be very broad and 200 nautical miles long, so in half an hour in a heavy blow a nasty sea can build up. At the same time it will calm down with the same speed. You also have to anchor prepared for a storm. The good part is that the strong winds (in spring/summer) always come from the same direction – from north/northwest by west/south west. We get weather reports from Navtex and through a network that are in contact via short wave radio, but they are not reliable since changes happen fast. So the most reliable tool is the barometer where you can read the pressure changes and thereby see if a low pressure is approaching and how much it is expected to blow (how fast the pressure changes). And the usual store is often either to little wind for sailing or too much for comfort.

Since the canals stretches in a north to south direction (apart from Magellan sound and the Beagle channel in the very south which is more west to east stretch) you always get the wind with you when you sail from north and then to the east as we did. So we only used the roller furling genua (fore sail) by rolling it in and out depending on the wind strength. When coming in for anchoring in the chosen bay (caleta as it's called) the procedure was to scout the anchorage and decide how to proceed. Apart from the anchor we never had fewer than two lines ashore, often four, to be on the safe side for heavier blow. And this even if it was dead calm when we arrive. Since I had back problems (I did a magnet scan of the spine in Puerto Montt hospital after the back locked and it showed nerves being pinched so I have had painkillers the whole trip) and Milo is very apt to climbing (being a retired ballet dancer and Green Peace activist with over 30 missions under her belt where climbing often is a part of the mission) she took care of rowing the lines ashore and climbing the shore line on slippery stones exposed by the tidal range to find a good tree to tie up to.

Once settled I "built" a wind cover from the cock pit awning to prevent the heater chimney from being reached by too much wind. To have the diesel heater going was vital in the latter part of the trip since it was raining and blowing a lot then and to avoid everything being soaking wet down below. At the same time Milo was starting the heater. Often we had to put it out during the night of safety reasons since the insecurity of it going out involuntarily or not. Then it was time for making dinner and since we were quite soon out of fresh produce and nowhere to restore there was a mixture of cans as gravy/sauces to pasta, rice, couscous or mashed potatoes. None of us liked to cock and considering that I think we succeeded in eating OK the whole trip. We only had breakfast and dinner, and some snack in the day. In the beginning when we had a lot of nice weather with no wind and sunshine we could make a sandwich. But further south wind heavy wind and constant rain we tried to avoid going down below to not wet everything down so some fluid, nuts and chocolate bar was prepared for the trip. The day trips varied from more than 10 hours to half of that depending if the caleta (bay) was 20 or 50 nautical miles away. We averaged around 5 knots.

Apart from a frustrating wait in Valdivia for non-south near gale force winds the start of the trip was fantastic. The first couple of weeks we had mainly no rain and light winds. The first week or so after Puerto Montt it was clear blue skies and warm weather. It was not until the end of the trip and we got closer to the Magellan strait that a persistent blow and rain kept us for 7 days in one anchorage and 5 days in another (and a couple of days in several others) waiting for a weather gap. Even if the prognoses looked good when we left after the blow sometimes it developed to continue to be nasty. But I will go in details about the trip step by step later.

When I left Ushuaia we had covered more than a 1000 nautical miles (approximate around the whole of Sweden's coast line. They scenery had been breath taking and although worries about not coming home in the time span planned and the back problem constantly present, the trip was fantastic. The sceneries breathtaking, the nature life spectacular and sailing with Milo was a pleasure. I have learned a lot of new things, especially how you can live onboard a boat with a minimum impact on the environment, but also ideas of how to do things. Everybody who have sailed knows there are as many solutions on a boat as there are boat owners, and I might not always agree with everything, but I have got a lot of new aspects. Coming from charter boats that are bigger in size and has a different budget this type of cruising was a good experience. And most important, Milo and I never really disagreed on anything that dealt with safety. We reasoned in the same way and a mantra we had was that although we were pressured for time we would not let that affect our decisions. And the waiting gave us a chance to great conversations and me to read over ten books – a mixture of novels, fictions and facts. And we had very few incidents. Dragging the anchor in a storm, a ripped fore sail, almost losing the propeller shaft, flipping the dinghy over in a gale in the Magellan Strait and getting the anchor line tangled in the propeller shaft (in 8 degrees water temperature) are the only close calls. But I come to them as the whole story unveils.

Short summary

2010-12-14T06:33:00.001-08:00

I am sitting in Puerto Williams library on a slow internet with only a
short upwind daysail to our final destination Ushuaia. A mixture of
feeling is overwhelming me. The longing for getting home at the same
tiome the exitement of all the experience the trip has given me. How
do you summarize two and a half month in an area still so very
untouched by human and som spectacular when it comes to sceneries and
wild life. I think humbleness is the one summerizing word.

The trip has mixed beautiful calm and sunny days with dolphines playing
in the bow wake with hardship with storm winds and a lot of hard
rain, hail and snow fall. But always these majestic mountains and
glaciers as a back drop, areas so remote and hard to access that I am
sure no man has ever put his foot there before - ever. Mindboggling.

The storm we had last night with gusts over 60 knots has subsided and
the prognose looks good for making our last move tonight. So I will
make this short and with no pictures but continue the blog after my
homecomming with more details and pictures about the trip.

Magnus

Patagonien, nyanser i gratt

2010-11-08T06:21:00.001-08:00

Mandagen den 7:e november

Sitter pa polisstationen i Pourto Eden och forsoker sammanfatta tva veckors segling medan ett gang poliser ser pa, sa det blir en kort uppdatering.

Vi startade seglingen fran Puerto Montt fantastiskt med svag vind och stralande solsken under nattseglingen. Forsta hamnen var val skyddad och vacker och det basta var att ett gang delfiner motte oss och guidade in oss anda till ankringsplatsen. Dar lag vi tryggt och sakert med snokladda berg som utsikt och dagen efter gjorde vi en utflykt till pingvinkollonin. Vi sag manga pingviner i vattnet pa vag till den lilla on utanfor ankringsplatsen, men det var inga hemma nar vi kom fram. En liten besvikelse, men allt annat var sa fantastiskt att det inte gjorde nagot. Nasta dag lamnade vi vart lilla himmelrike och har inte sett solen sen dess forran vi anlande har till Puerto Eden som ligge ungefar halvvags mot vart mal Ushuiai.

Att det i stort sett regnat konstant ar nagot man vanjer sig vid, manngden har varierat och bergen med laga molñn ar oerhort vackra i otaliga nyanser av gratt. Naturen ar helt enkelt spektakulart och jag forstar att gronskan prunkar med over 3000 mm regn arligen. Men det mest fashinerande ar odsligheten. Vi har hittills under de tva veckorna sett en annan seglebat i kikare pa hall och i snitt en fiske/fraktbat varannan dag. Vi har alltid varit helt ensamma i vara ankringsplatser som ofta ar skyddade vikar langst inne i en fjord med berg runt 2-3000 meter hoga runt omkring och porlande backar som rinner ut i ankringsplatsen. Vi har ocks haft tur med vindarna hittills. Svaga nordliga vindar vilket ar bra for var fardriktning. Vi kunde onskat lite starkare da vi gatt mycket for motor, men hellre far svaga an de stormvindar som latt kan uppkomma har. Och det kanns skont att vi ocksa passerat den havspassage, Golf den Peña, som ar den storsta biten av oskyddat omrade pa vagen ner.

Nu kanns polistrycket lite val hogt sa jag avslutar fran Puerto Eden, en underbar liten by ute i den Patagoniska skargarden som nyss fatt internet och telefonuppkoppling. Har finns fler supermercados (ett hus med lite varor i) och egentligen hoppas vi bara fa tag i brod som komplement. Har finns inga motorfortskaffningsmedel sa trottoarerna bestar av tratrallar pa styltor efterson de gar langs stranden med over tva meters tidvatten. Men alla ler vanligt och ar hjalpsamma. Nasta gang jag far tillgang till internet at nar vi ar framme, om tva till tre veckor om allt gar bra. Hoppas kunna ladda upp bilder da ocksa.

Ficktjuvar och avfärd

2010-10-23T06:13:00.001-07:00

En nerlastad Artemisia II

Tidvattenet påverkar livet

Utsikten från båten

Charlie lagar middag

Poliser till räddning

Lördagen den 22 oktober

Det har varit ett omtumlande dygn där vi åkt berg-och-dal bana. Allt var bra till igår eftermiddag när vi skulle handla det sista innan vår avfärd idag. Vi tog ut pengar på en bankomat och när Milo skulle betala i en affär var plånboken borta. Ingen av oss kan förstå när den försvann utan kan bara konstatera att den eller de som gjort det var oerhört skickliga. Det tog på Milos krafter med allt vad det innebar både känslomässigt och praktiskt. Men nu är kreditkort spärrade och saken polisanmäld. Marinan hjälpte till att förmedla kontakten med polisen och vips var två tungt beväpnade motorcykelpoliser försedda med skottsäkra västar på plats och kom till båten för att ta upp anmälan. Med hjälp av en båtgranne som kunde lite engelska lyckades Milo förklara det mesta och sen kom en polisbil och hämtade henne så hon kunde få ett intyg på det som skett. Så även om det känns fruktansvärt med stölden så kan vi verkligen inte klaga på polisens agerande vilket är mer i linje med det positiva, glada och vänliga Chile vi hittills mött.

Trots allt planerar vi att avsegla idag så snart vi hämtat vårt seglingstillstånd hos hamnkaptenen. Det höll också på och gå snett då någon gröngöling i uniform först inte ville ge oss tillstånd mer än en liten bit för att sen söka nytt tillstånd. Vi ville Ha tillstånd för hela resten av seglingen. Efter lite palaver så kom en som kunde tala engelska och med ett par fler streck än gröngölingen och fixade det hela som vår nybörjare sa var omöjligt. Men allt gott som slutar gorr.

Nu ska vi söderöver, ned mot det egentliga Patagonien med fjordar, snötäckta berg, glaciärer och skyddade små naturhamnar. Något jag verkligen ser fram emot. Bortsett från stölden har vistelsen i Puerto Montt varit mycket behaglig och trevlig. Marina Oxxean där vi ligger, är inte lika personlig när det gäller kontakten med personalen som i Valdivia men allt fungerar (dock inte wifi från Milos dator) och stadens affärer är mer välsorterade när det gäller marina varor.

Affärscentrum ligger dock en bit bort från marinorna men det är bara en spännande busstur dit. Och affärerna är mycket mer specialiserade så vi har gått ut och in i ett otal för att hitta rostfri bult för bominfästet vi masten, fler fotogenlampor, rostfria slangklämmor (reserv), rostfria schacklar (reserv), reservskot och lite annat smått och gott. En affär kan bara ha lanternor och nautiska lampor av olika slag medan en annan specialiserar sig på livflottar och flytvästar. Svårast var fotogenlampor och när vi äntligen hittade några var det lyxmodeller som knappt innehöll någon fotogen och kostade skjortan så Milo tackade nej. I nästa båtbutik som såg ut att vara hyfsat välsorterad frågade vi efter fotogenlampor och mannen sken upp och sa att han fixar det på några minuter. Och se, efter mindre en fem minuter kom någon in med fotogenlampor, det tråkiga var att det var lyxvarianterna från butiken vi just varit i. Samarbetet mellan butikerna och hjälpsamheten är betydligt bättre än i Sverige även om resultatet inte alltid blir det bästa.

Vi har även träffat våra första svenskar. Två systrar som reste runt Sydamerika och hade just köpt biljetter till ett fartyg som går rutten söderöver genom Patagonien, dock inte lika långt som oss fast lite snabbare. Vi fikade ihop och snackade en del och Milo hann också förbarma sig över en av dem som snusade och höll på att få slut på dosor. Milo snusar också och donerade det hon hade på sig till en tacksam nikotinist. Själv hade Milo beställt hela årsransonen av snus som skidades till Chile, men den fastnade i tullen i Santiago (trots Swedish Match försäkran att det inte skulle vara något problem). Kostnaden att få ner snuset efter alla avgifter och arbetstimmar för en agent gjorde att det fick gå i retur i Sverige. Förhoppningsvis hittar det sin ägare på andra sätt senare under resan.

Utsikten från marinan inkluderar en snöklädd alptopp och många fiskebåtar som kommer och går. Många av dem ligger på botten när tidvattnet går ut, men det är de byggda för. Det finns tre marinor i rad som alla är skyddade och på många båtar finns det intressanta människor. Vår närmaste granne är finnen Mani som varit här till och från på sin stålbåt i åtta år. Frun har tröttnat på båtlivet och flyttat Schweiz men är här på besök just nu med sin dotter. På en vacker och välskött Rhodes designad cirka 60-fotare bor Charlie från USA. Han har dock varit "på resande fot" sedan tonåren, först med familjen och sen själv med egen båt (som han ibland seglar med familjen). Han har hjälpt oss med mycket och är mycket trevlig – nästan väl trevlig. Han är oerhört kunnig om allt som har med båtliv att göra och verkar känna eller känna till de flesta i branschen och varit på alla världens öar och kuster. Och pratar gärna och mycket om detta.n Dessutom är han del av Jehovas vittnen och jag har väntat en jesus-drive när som helst, men den har inte kommit trots att vi varit ombord bjudna på middag och umgåtts en hel del.

Men nu ser vi fram mot vår första anhalt vilket förhoppningsvis blir en ögrupp där det finns en pingvinkolloni. Jag hoppas det skall pigga upp pingvinälskaren Milo.

Framme i Puerto Montt

2010-10-19T14:41:00.001-07:00

Lämnar Valdivia på floden Calle Calle

Milo tar ner storseglet

Vår tredje besättningsperson, vindrodret

Framme i Puerto Montt

Tisdagen den 19:e oktober

Framme i Puerto Montt efter två dygn till havs. Det var ett lite vingklippt ekipage som lade till vid marinan Oxxean i Puerto Montt framåt kvällningen igår. Artimisia II hade fått några tillägg på arbetslistan (en vinsch slutade att fungera och sprinten till bommens infästning vid masten hade delvis arbetat sig ut) och besättningen kunde mått bättre. Milo hade dock börjat kvickna till efter sin underliga släng av någonting. Under första dygnet hade hon feber och mådde illa, någonting spelade spratt i hennes kropp. Som hon sa själv: "Jag har inte mått så här dåligt på 25 år". Och det säger inte lite då Milo är en mycket "tålig" person. Själv hade jag känning av mitt gamla ryggskott. Jag hade lyckats undvika en totallåsning men det var inte många rörelser jag kunde göra utan att det högg till som en dolkstöt i ryggen och en konstant molande värk i ryggslutet. Och en båt är ingen fast plattform så kroppen får hela tiden jobba för att kompensera rörelserna. Kort sagt – en bättre start kunde vi fått men nu är vi här.

Låt oss ta det från början. Väderluckan från sudliga kulingar vi hade var kvar. Prognosen sa att lördagsnatten visserligen skulle ge sydliga vindar, men de skulle vara mindre än 12 m/s. Sen skulle vinden lätta ytterligare och gå mot väst för att under söndagen (och med takt att vi kom söderut) växla till nordliga och öka lite. Och prognosen stämde bra hela vägen.

Avskedet från Club de Yates i Valdivia blev känslosamt, speciellt för Milo. Hon hade varit där i över två månader och hade byggt upp vänskapliga relationer med alla på marinan, speciellt den ansvarige Jeorge. Eller som han sa till Milo: "Den här marinan kommer aldrig bli densamma utan dig" – och jag tror han bara menade positiva saker med det. Så det blev många kramar och en och annan tår innan vi stävade ut från marinan ned för floden och ut mot Stilla havet. Flodfärden på ett par timmar blev mycket behaglig, vacker natur och smult vatten.

Annat var det när vi kom ut på havet. Olika vindvridningar hade gjort att sjön var väldigt orolig med toppiga vågor. Då det blåste väldigt lite så började vi motorer rakt mot målet söderut. Efter ett par timmar började det blåsa upp och det var dags att sätta segel och kryssa mot vinden. Storen med två rev och delvis inrullad genua blev segelsättningen och vi gjorde över 5 knop i vinden på runt 8-10 m/s, men som alltid på kryss inte i den riktning man vill komma. Den stampiga sjön gjorde det också svårt att leva ombord så det blev jordnötssmörsmacka till middag (Milo mådde för dåligt för att äta). Vi tog vakter om fyra timmar var, men styrde gjorde vårt vindroder. Och båda hade nog egentligen behövt vila men ingen som tänkte i de banorna (jag försökt efter en av vakterna när Milo mådde som sämst att inte väcka henne, men hon vaknade själv och insisterade på att ta vakten).

Så småningom vred vinden mot nord och vi fick till sist plattläns (vinden rakt bakifrån) så vi tog ner storen och seglade bara för utrullad spirad genua. Samtidigt så ökade vinden i styrka vilket gjorde att vi rullade in delar av genuan och sjön började byggas upp (det blåste över 10 m/s). Vi seglade lite för fort då det gällde att anlända till det smala sundet, Chacao, mellan fastlandsChile och ön Chiloe. Tidvattenströmmen är där mellan 5 och 8 knop så det är ingen idé att försöka gå igenom vid fel tidpunkt (när strömmen är mot). Vi visste att bäst var att anlända i gryningen för att få med oss strömmen men samtidigt kändes det inte bra att komma in mitt i natten och försöka hitta någon stans att ankra för att avvakta till rätt tidpunkt. Så vi slörade ut mot havet för att kunna slöra tillbaks och därmed gå längre sträcka och anlända vid rätt tidpunkt.

Vi var nu nere i området där till blåst nordväst hela tiden och dyningarna som kompletterade blåsvågorna var stora så Artimisia rullade friskt i sin framfart och det var med lättnad vi kom in i sjölä på vår väg in mot Canal Chacao i gryningen. När vi dessutom kom in i vindlä startade vi motorn och puttrade på runt våra fem knop, men på vår GPS stod det att farten var över 11 knop. Härligt med medström. Det kändes som att skjutas ut som champagnekork när vi flög fram genom sundet. Och kunde styra kosan norrut en bit mot vår destination. En seglats som jag inte rekommenderar som första erfarenhet för de som eventuellt funderar på att långsegla.

Just nu är det mer triviala problem vi försöker lösa, som hur man startar marinans tvättmaskin och får internet att fungera. Milo mår bra igen (det var bara under seglingen hon mådde dåligt – ingen bra förklaring till vad det var). Min rygg är lite bättre och vi ha bytt från voltaren till en Milokombination av tabletter (hon är sjuksköterska så hon har lite att välja från i skeppsapoteket) och jag har strikta order att inte jobba med något i fel ställning (fick skäll när jag tog ner spirbommen själv under min vakt).

Vinschen är fixad och jakten på en ny bult för bomfästet i masten har börjat. Lite proviantering för både båten (reserv av schacklar, block och skot) och oss (färskvaror) står på programmet. Sen börjar så snart som möjligt seglingen söderut i den Patagoniska skärgården och kanaler. Vi har en längre och en kortare havssegling till som måste göras där ingen skyddande skärgård går att få men annars är det mesta i skyddade vatten när det gäller grov sjö. Och när seglingen söderöver börjar så försvinner också möjligheten med internetuppkoppling. Så uppdateringarna av bloggen kommer att ske sporadiskt, om det går överhuvud taget, till vi når Ushuiai där jag lämnar båten.

Utflykt och tid för avgång

2010-10-15T19:09:00.001-07:00

Vägen på utflykten gick mestadels längs floden

En fotoutställning om jordbävningen i Valdivia 1960

Detta var allt av bergen vi såg bland molnen

Marknaden med inköp av färskvaror innan avfärd

En hungrig besökare av marknaden väntar på sin tur

Baksidan av marknaden sjuder av liv.

Fredagen den 15:e oktober

"Det är mycket nu". Äntligen känns det som om båten är klar och väderluckan kvar så imorgon lördag eftermiddag är planerna att vi slänger förtöjningarna från Club de Yates i Valdivia och stävar söderut (efter att ha kommit ut ur floden som Valdivia ligger i) mot Puerto Montt. Det är ingen lång passage (knappt 200 sjömil eller ett par dygn) men vi har legat i en zon mellan lågtrycken som sveper förbi söderut och ett högtryck nordväst om oss vilket gett envisa starka sydvästvindar (här på södra halvklotet snurrar vinden motsols om högtryck och medsols om lågtryck – tvärtom från hemma) där vi är medan bara ett par hundra sjömil söderöver har nordvästen blåst. Vi kommer fortfarande ha lite sydliga vindar i början men inte med kulingstyrka och sen hinner de inte fylla i förrän vi är i nordvästen (är det tänkt).

Det har hänt en hel del här i Valdivia. Vi bland annat märkt av räddningsaktionen i den chilenska gruvan mer. Natten till torsdagen hördes varningssirenen i Valdivia, men det var inte övning eller flyganfall utan den sista gruvarbetaren som kommit upp. Sen började trummor höras från staden, så ett visst lokalt firande skedde här också.

Sen har vi fixat den eviga följetongen med magnetventilen. De som inte vill ha detaljer hur kan hoppas till nästa stycke. Vår skypande vän från Sverige, Mats Andersson, såg för det första en inställning på själva ventilen som kunde göra att den inte "klickade" när den fick ström och efter justering fungerade ventilen. Men fortfarande fick den inte ström. Med hjälp av Mats och en voltmätare gick vi igenom i stort sett alla tänkbara alternativ bland sladdarna i de två reläboxarna i "den vita lådan" (kopplingsdosa) på motorn. Till sist hade vi tagit bort alla alternativ utom pluskabeln som gick från magnetventilen till relät. Så jag började nysta i den enklaste delen, kabelskon som satt åtkomlig vid magnetventilen. Den såg mycket prydlig ut och ar fabriksgjord men när jag öppnade lite på den såg jag att höljet inte var avskalat ordentligt. Så efter att klämt på en ny kabelsko så fungerade allt som vanligt. Man kan tycka att någon veckas jobb för att byta en kabelsko låter överdrivet, men vår lycka var i alla fall fullständig.

I går, torsdag, gjorde vi en heldagsutflykt till bergen (Anderna) med våra belgiska vänner Marc och Nadine som har en bil. Vi åkte till vackra platser där Maputcheindianerna har sin ursprungliga hemvist. Vägen dit och tillbaka följde floder och dalgångar, allt frodigt färgsatt med otal nyanser i grönt. En plats där det regnar mycket får vacker grönska. Här finns också Chiles nationalträd, en typ av gran med barr som växer direkt på stammen och som man beräknar vara 240 miljoner år gammal. Vi stannade också till vid ett par städer och gjorde lite inköp av hemslöjd (träarbeten och ullstickningar) från Maputcheindianerna. Vi passade också och besöka en fotoutställning från jordbävningen i Valdivia 1960 (en av de värsta någonsin). Men tyvärr såg vi aldrig de snötäckta bergen, himlen täcktes av moln och det började regna. Men vackert var det ändå.

Idag har vi gjort den sista provianteringen av färskvaror vid marknaden. Det är spännande att gå bland stånden med fisk, skaldjur och grönsaker samtidigt som fiskarna filear fisk vid kajkanten bakom stånden. Där samlas också diverse hungriga åskådare, pelikaner, skarvar, måsar och sjölejon. Sjölejonen hålls borta med ett galler, men på några ställen kan de sticka in sina nosar och ligga tålmodigt och vänta på en stentrappa.

Vi har nu också fått vårt seglingstillstånd, Zerpan, av flottan vars representanter besökte båten och ställde massa säkerhetsfrågor. Just nu ska vi ut på avskedsmiddag med Marc och Nadine och jag får se om jag hinner skriva något mer innan vår avfärd. Det känns skönt att äntligen röra på oss, det enda smolket i glädjebägaren är att jag börjar känna av mitt gamla ryggskott efter en dag i bilen och kånkande av tunga dieseldunkar vi har i reserv. Förhoppningsvis kommer nästa blogg från Puerto Montt.

Livet ombord med Milo

2010-10-13T09:54:00.001-07:00

Parlör för Milospråk

Mitt krypin på båten

Den berömda mulltoan

Onsdagen den 13:e oktober

Efter en och halv vecka på Artimisia II börjar jag komma in i båtlunket. Tankarna på jobbet börjar skingras (ett och annat mail har det dock blivit) och leva i nuet blir mer påtagligt. Dagarna går med båtpul även om vi börjar komma ner på slutet av listan med bara saker som att fylla diesel, bunkra vatten och proviantera kvar på listan.

En envis sak hänger sig kvar, magnetventilen som stänger av motorn (dieselflödet). Vi har haft kontakt med tillverkaren och fortsätter vårt felsökande. Vi har också en långseglingskollega i Sverige, Mats, som har djupare kunskaper inom området som Milo skypar med och får goda råd i processen av. Men det vill sig inte. Misstanken är (som inte är ovanligt) att det egentligen är två fel samtidigt. Dels ett elektriskt (strömmen är bruten någonstans mellan tändningsnyckel och magnetventil) och dels att magnetventilen är felaktig, och då både den gamla och nya. Det är ingen panik för vi kan fortfarande stänga av motorn manuellt, men prylar man har skall fungerar – så det så. Fortsättning följer.

Jag har nu bott med Milo på en yta av runt 20 kvm under snart två veckor. Visserligen har det varit lite fusk, för hittills har vi legat i hamn och inte riktigt upplevt några strapatser ombord (förutom frustrationen av att laga saker som inte vill bli fixade). Hur har mitt liv påverkats av detta?

Framför allt är det på det medmänskliga planet jag påverkats. Det finns inget ämne man inte kan prata med Milo om och efter samtalet få med sig något tänkvärt för framtiden. Vi har avhandlat allt från våra barndomsupplevelser till hur dokusåporna kan vara så populära i vår kultur. Men samtidigt finns en ödmjukhet och framför allt en närhet till det humoristiska i allt som sägs och görs. Det var länge sen jag skrattade så ofta och så hjärtligt, och då har Milo ändå bara försökt berätta en rolig historia som jag redan hade hört.

Men bortsett från den delen har jag har lärt mig många nya begrepp som förenklar livet (ett begrepp för många saker). För några exempel på definitioner av guck, snutt och pitt se bifogad bild som ett par tidigare besättningsmedlemmar satt upp för översättning. Jag har lärt mig några nya svärord varav Kalev är det värsta (se tidigare inlägg). Jag har mött min överman i längtan efter onyttigt godis. Favoriten är Ahlgrens bilar i olika former men mjuka sega artificiella sladdriga sötsaker med massa gosiga kemikalier går också bra. Sen att vi ransonerar duktigt är en annan sak men jag är lite oroad av att delar av bilförrådet är i Milos klädskåp. Men hur kan en miljövän av stora mått falla för sådana frestelser. Ja ingen är perfekt (tur är väl det) och jag är glad för den svagheten. Och Milo kompenserar mer än väl för en liten svaghet med många andra miljöåtgärder.

Några exempel på vardagssaker som Milo genomför konsekvent (jag försöker men har är nog inte lika konsekvent):

Jag förbrukar nog en tiondel av vattnet jag gör på min båt, och detta bortsett från att vi duschar på marinan i nuläget. Diskar gör vi ungefär var femte dag. Kaffekoppen återanvänds och middagstallriken torkas av med hushållspapper och är redo för nästa måltid.
Jag använder mycket mindre hushållspapper. Vi har modellen där perforeringen gör det möjligt till bitar av halva storleken – och vi minimerar användningen genom detta.
Jag slänger inga kemiska småsaker i vattnet (typ sikaflexbitar som blivit över).
Jag använder mindre engångsförpackningar. Vi köper större förpackningar och fyller på förvaringskärl.
Vi använder i möjligaste mån ryggsäckar istället för plastpåsar när vi handlar.
Vi försöker hitta pasta och ris som har kortast koktid.
I möjligaste mån använder vi bara miljöprodukter (ett lager av såpa och andra naturrengöringsmedel finns ombord från Sverige).
Milo är vegetarian, inte för att hon är emot att djur dödas (inte huvudskälet i alla fall då hon äter fisk). Utan det är faktumet att produktionen av köttet tär oerhört på vår miljö med foder, transporter och annat. Så vi har inget kött ombord.

Och så vidare. Små förändringar som ändå kan göra skillnad tillsammans. Vanor som jag lärt mig och kanske jag inte kommer att fortsätta med alla av dem när jag kommer hem, men jag har definitivt fått ett större medvetande om hur mycket "onödigt vi förbrukar.

Detta är i vardagen sen har båten byggts med miljön i åtanke. Jag har lärt mig använda den mullltoa som finns på båten (en av de få med den utrustningen). Det är faktiskt enklare (åtminstone i hamn). Ingen pumpning behövs det gäller bara att veva som ett positiv – och man sitter som på en tron. Sen har båten ett korkdäck som gör att inga träd behöver skövlas för att tillverka det. Alla elkablar är PVC-fria, dynorna (både madrass och tygerna) är Svanenmärkta, tyg och gardiner är av Krav-märkt bomull, inredningen är av ett europeiskt trädslag (körsbär) och så vidare.

Räddningsaktionen i gruvan här i Chile ser vi av genom att man TV-apparaterna var på i klubblokalen här i Valdivia sent på kvällen. Annars har detta drama inte synts så mycket där vi är, men då lever vi lite isolerat i vår båt och i marinan. Väderluckan på lördag ser ut att vara kvar så våra dagar i Valdivia är förhoppningsvis räknade. I morgon skall vi på bilutflykt med våra belgiska vänner Mark och Nadine, så då får vi se lite mer än denna metropol.

Nytt svärord och rivning av inredningen

2010-10-11T19:22:00.001-07:00

Milo sågar sönder inrednignen för att komma åt manöverpanelen för motorn.

Varvsgänget under en paus tillsammans med marinans två vakthundar (som är det snällaste man kan tänka sig).

Måndagen den 11:e oktober

Det tar ett tag att vänja sig att vara på södra halvklotet. Månens skära är tvärtom, när den växer är den inte som ett komma längre. Solen står rakt i norr mitt på dagen och Karlavagnen lyser med sin frånvaro. Det är en hel del nya konstellationer att bekanta sig med på den stjärnklara natthimmeln (har varit fantastiskt väder några dagar), alltifrån Svanen till Södra korset.

Helgen (för måndagen är en helgdag i Chile) har gått i lathetens tecken. Jag har läst ut Anna Holts ”Presidentens val” samtidigt som vi gjort en del jobb på båten. Tyvärr har mängden av saker vi kan pricka av från lista inte varit så många, mest för att det var så svårt att få till lösningarna. För det är mycket som har blivit komplicerat i onödan på denna båt. Båten är en one-off (bara byggd i ett exemplar) av båtbyggare i Estland som är jätteduktiga på snickerier men har dålig uppfattning om hur man gör installationer av olika prylar, både mekaniska, elektriska och för vatten och avlopp. Milo använder sig av ett svärord på båten som är nytt för mig. Det är Kalev (så uttalas det i alla fall). Det är förmannen i Estland som ansvarade för båtbyggnationen (efter att skrovet levererats från Lettland). Vad han inte lyckas göra fel eller komplicera är inte värt att göra fel. För att bara ge ett par exempel.

Jag satt och beundrade de fina träarbetena i körsbär i ruffen och kunde inte ens upptäcka några skruvskallar så jag frågade Milo hur de lyckats med detta. ”De har limmat och spikat allt” morrade hon fram. Det innebär att det inte går att montera ner inredningen för att komma åt installationer utan att ha sönder de fina snickerierna. Ett annat exempel är den senaste utmaningen vi håller på med, magnetventilen som stänger av motorn (dieselflödet). Den gör det automatiskt när tändningsnyckeln vrids av, eller gjorde till och med Costa Rica. Då hände inget och Milo fick varje gång gå ner och göra det manuellt på motorn. Jag hade med mig en ny magnetventil och efter lite monteringsutmaningar (delar ville inte lossna) så fick vi dit den, men inte fungerade det bättre. Det kom ingen ström till ventilen och då är tändningsnyckeln misstänkt. Det är bara det att Kalev (eller någon av underhuggarna) har sikaflex:at fast manöverpanelen i sittbrunnen så den är omöjlig att få loss. Då kan man ju nå den från insidan. Nja, där har man byggt inredning så den inte går att komma åt. Enda sättet var att riva sönder delar av inredningen i ett av skåpen och sen sticka upp huvudet i hålet. Sen att det visar sig att felet måste vara någon annan stans gör det inte mindre frustrerande – så fortsättning följer.

Det dyker ständigt upp nya problem, ursäkta utmaningar heter det visst, som kräver mer detaljkunskap i olika specialämnen än vad jag och Milo har. Vi är bägge generalister, vet lite om mycket (eller kanske inget om allt), så med hjälp av expertvänner på skype, trial-and error försök, logiska förnuftsresonemang och lite gammaldags svärande och stånkande kan vi komma fram till något vettigt. Och som vädret ser ut så har vi lite tid. Den starka motvinden ser ut att hålla i sig till på fredag/lördag då det är en lucka. Visst skulle vi kunna stångas mot vädrets makter, men än känns det helt OK att vänta in behagligare segling. Både Milo och jag har fått nog av kulingar i nosen och vill gärna undvika dem om det går (ute till havs får man dem ändå vare sig man vill eller inte – därför känns det onödigt att börja med att medvetet ge sig ut i en). Och just nu har vi högtrycksväder med strålande sol och upp till 20 grader, så våren är definitivt på väg. Så det är bara att njuta och när allt är ordnat så är staden mysig att promenera i och kanske en hyrbil står på programmet om vi fått allt gjort i tid.

I väntan på väderlucka och vänlighetens Chile

2010-10-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Lördagsaktiviteter i club de yates med jollesegling för ungdomar medna det i floden utanför pågår träning i rodd för roddklubbens medlemmar.

Lördagen den 9:e oktober

Fortfarande i Valdivia och till för en timme sen kändes det lite frustrerande. Vädrets makter är inte på sitt bästa humör. Vi har haft hårda syd till sydväst vindar sen jag kom hit (förutom en kort period precis när jag anlände). Det är rakt i nosen och roligare start kan man få. Båten klarar det men Milo är trött på att kryssa efter att ensam seglat från Galapagos och under en dryg månad nästan bara haft hårda vindar på nosen (fastän hon borde haft medvind åtminstone hälften av seglingen enligt ”normala” vindförhållanden). Men det är inte bara Milo som skulle föredra en skön slör farmför en kryss i kuling så jag har inga problem med att ligga i hamn och vänta på en väderlucka. Och för en timme sedan så visar långtidsprognosen för första gången två sådana. En väldigt kort och både tidsmässigt och geografiskt osäker (kulingen fortsätter precisnorr om oss) lucka på tisdag/onsdag och en längre till nästa helg. Så det känns nu värt att vänta på hur en mer detaljerad prognos utvecklas (för de som är intresserade är en av de bättre informationskällorna vi använder oss av: http://www.passageweather.com/ och sedan klicka vidare på South Atlantic och Cape Horn Drake Passage).

Och det går verkligen ingen nöd på oss här i Valdivia. Jag börjar verkligen gilla detta land och dess innevånare. Landet har spännande natur och historia som Valdivia bara har en del av, men det hoppas jag få se mer av i Patagonien. Men hittills är det framför allt människorna som imponerat på mig och gjort mig glad. Då min spanska är begränsad till gutterala läten som ol’a, bueos dias och gratias och väldigt få förstår något annat än spanska skulle det bli väldigt komplicerat (nu är det bara ganska komplicerat). Men alla jag mött har inte bara varit vänliga och försökt ha överseende med min brist på spanska (här är Milo stor hjälp som liksom mig bara läst tyska och franska i skolan men har haft längre tid att öva sig på spanskan). Men vad som varit så härligt är den humor och glimt i ögat som alla verkar ha. Det är nära till skratt i alla missförstånd – och det gäller även myndighetspersoner i uniform (även om där ett mer korrekt leende mer än ett gapskratt infinner sig). Och att myndighetspersoner är trevliga är tyvärr inte en regel utan snarare undantag i många länder. Visserligen känns det som att många av myndigheterna är överbemannade, men det är inte bara myndigheter. Affärer har en uppsjö av expediter och bevakningspersonal så det känns som om löner är låga men man håller också arbetslösheten nere med många anställda per arbetsuppgift.

Och personalen på club de yates är helt fantastiska. Alltid hjälpsamma och möter en med ett leende. Och hjälpsamheten är nästan gränslöst. Föreståndaren, Jeorge, sköter många av Milos kontakter med myndigheter då hennes språkkunskaper inte räcker till när det gäller detaljerna (och Jeorge kan tågordningen). Och allt med glimten i ögat och med respekt. Milo känner sig som kvinna faktiskt mer respekterad som skeppare här än på de flesta andra ställen hon varit, inklusive Sverige. Just nu pågår en febril aktivitet i marinan då det är premiär på någon sorts ungdomsverksamhet som Jeorge tagit initiativ till. Ungdomar skall ut och segla i OK-jollar på floden som redan är full av roddare på träningspass från roddklubben i Valdivia.

Och staden Valdivia är charmig, det tar oss inte mer än en kvart att gå till centrum. Och de lokala transporterna är billiga och effektiva om vi känner för det. Istället för stora bussar har man här minibussar som antingen ägs av chauffören eller av en ”åkare”. Tidtabeller finns inte, däremot busslinjer med olika nummer. Det finns hållplatser längs färdvägen men man stannar där folk vinkar att de vill på eller skriker att de vill av. Men de kommer ofta och här gäller verkligen utbud och efterfrågan för att fylla de behov som finns. Kostnaden är ett enhetspris runt 5 kronor för vuxna och 2 kronor för studenter. Om man vill åka mer bekvämt så kan man ta en ”kommuntaxi”. Det är som en buss fast bil. Med olika nummer på taken så åker taxibilarna mellan olika förutbestämda områden/sträckor och personer kliver av och på beroende av plats. Har inte åkt med någon sån så jag vet inte priset. Sen finns vanliga taxibilar också. Voila - ett väl fungerande system för transporter.

Dags för att åtgärda de sista sakerna på arbetslistan (igår paketerade vi jollen igen, monterade upp den bärbara GPS-plottern jag haft med mig och gick till marinmyndigheten för att få ett Zarpe (seglingstillstånd) och köpte två par jeans för 180 kronor till mig (de gamla sprack när jag klev upp på stegen i lågvattnet) ). Nu är det bara att täta om en luftventil och installera magnetventilen på motorn (vars reservdel var annorlunda än originalet – vi har mailkontakt med leverantören med frågan que?) Sen är det bara lite myndigheter till och kompletterande proviantering av färskvaror som är kvar innan vi kan ge oss iväg – och sen en väderlucka förstås.

GPS mysterium och shopping a la alpacka

2010-10-07T18:37:00.000-07:00

MaxSeas kartbild med specialen där flodpositionen skiljer sig och båtens position är 1,1 M syd om marinan där vi ligger

En sea food platter som gör skäl för namnet

Torsdag 8:e oktober

Idag tog vi det lite lugnt även om vi fick en hel del gjort. Sen var det shopping a la alpacka.

Vaknade i morse och kände mig fortfarande mätt, vilket inte är förvånande efter vår matorgie kvällen innan. Så det blev en lätt frukost med mycket snack om allt från personligt ansvar i miljöfrågor till hur det kommer sig att det alltid blåser motvind för Milo. Vi gick igenom vad som är kvar av våra måsten på arbetslistan och det såg ganska bra ut. Vad som stod på agendan var:
• Jollen skulle tas upp, torkas och packas efter användningen vid arbetet med vindrodret
• Värmarens avstängningskran skulle ommonteras eftersom den läckte lite diesel
• Den nya GPS-mottagaren som jag haft med mig ner skulle installeras och samköras med datorn MaxSea-program,
• 12-voltsuppkopppling till den handburna GPS:n jag haft med skulle installeras
• En kompletterande mastkrage skulle på då den gamla läckte lite (eller vad det var som läckte från masten)

En lista som såg bra ut då det inte var några komplicerade moment, och allt gick för ovanligheten skull ganska smärtfritt. Vad som kan vara intressant för de navigationsintresserade är problemet jag hade med GPS uppkopplingen (de mer normalt funtade läsarna rekommenderas att hoppa över nästa stycka).

Jag hade med mig en ny GPS-puck då den gamla hade lagt av och det var dags att kontrollera att signalerna accepterades av MaxSea-programmet. Allt gick över förväntan (nåja vi blev vettskrämda då under proceduren datorn stängde av sig själv och hotade med systemfel och spränga sig i luften eller vad det stod innan texten försvann). Pucken installerade drivrutin själv (eller om det var MaxSea som kände igen den) och vi fick en position. Men positionen var 1,1 M syd om marinan i sjökortet. Jag kontrollerade de ingående signalerna och de såg OK ut med NMEA slingor. Jag kontrollerade att MaxSea sjökortet hade WGS 184 som kartdatum, jag kontrollerade den handhållna navigatorns position och den var samma som puckens, jag kontrollerade guidebokens position på en fyr vid inloppet till floden – och upptäckte att den positionen låg cirka en sjömil syd om där fyren var inritad på sjökortet. Då började jag zooma ut kartbilden och såg då att jag var inne på en special. När jag zoomade ut så syntes kortet med mindre skala, men flodens position vid skarven låg förskjuten cirka en sjömil i nord/sydlig riktning. I klubbhuset kom jag ihåg att de hade ett sjökort inramat på väggen över Vadivia, det kunde vara specialen. Jag gick upp och tittade och det var området och jag jämförde positionen på marinan på sjökortet med de bägge GPS:erna, de var samma. Jag tittade på sjökortsinformation och kartdatumet var ”Sydamerikanskt någonting”. Mysteriet löst vilket inte var till fördel för MaxSea programmet.

Vi kände oss både nöjda och klara med dagens arbetsuppgifter och egentligen det enda orosmolnet för vår avfärd är väderprognoserna från de flesta källorna envisas att visa relativt kraftiga syd till sydvästvindar för hela den kommande veckan, rakt i plytet med andra ord. Om prognoserna håller så ser det ut som om vinden kommer att vara lättast måndag till onsdag nästa vecka. Troligtvis tar vi tjuren vid hornen och har lite tjurridning på en guppande båt i södra Stilla Havet efter helgen. I alla fall belönade vi oss med ett besök till staden. Jag behövde ett par nya byxor då tidvattnet haft sönder mina gamla (kan verka lite långsökt men vid lågvatten är det långt upp första pinnen på stegen och man får verkligen sträcka på benet för att nå – jag ni fattar resten) och kanske köpa lite tröjor i lamaull (alpacka).

Vi hann aldrig till en affär för byxor utan fastnade i marknaden för chilenskt ”hemslöjd”. Milo hade köpt en tröja hos en trevlig dam förut så vi gick till hennes stånd och sex tröjor, tre halsdukar, två sockor och ett par mössor senare kom vi ut med famnen full av påsar från en brett leende chilenska som gav oss varsin nyckelring som tack för att vi länsade hennes affär. Men med lammullströjor för runt 150 kronor och halsdukar runt 30 kronor är det svårt att låta bli (och allt var inte till mig).

Vi avrundade kvällen med att äta på en restaurang längs floden och vad kan vara bättre då än att beställa in en sea-food platter. Vad jag inte räknade med var att den bestod av fem krabbklor, ett tjugotal olika typer av musslor, en handfull större ostronliknande skaldjur, ett gäng räkor och flera olika såser. Detta nersköljt med en lokal god mörk öl. Allt för under 100-lappen. Det var med lätta steg och tunga magar vi gick tillbaks till båten under en stjärnklar himmel. Och det är verkligen klart när molnen lyser med sin frånvaro. Luften är verkligen ren och jag är inte förvånad att man valt Chiles bergstrakter för Hubbel observatoriet när man vill speja ut i kosmos efter gröna små män. Själv sitter jag och skriver detta medan Milos värmare puttrar på perfekt för första gången sen jag kom. Inget läckage, fin låga, inga problem och en härlig värme.

Båtjobb och festmiddag

2010-10-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Milo suger ut kylärvätskan ur slangen till expansionskärlet.

Vindrodret på plats med påsvetsad bit och nyborrade hål. Två grunkor med olika utseende

6:e oktober

Idag var det ömsom vin och ömsom vatten när det gäller arbetslistan, men avslutningen blev ett kulinariskt crescendo.

Det började med regn på morgonen så perfekt för några av arbetspunkterna på Milos arbetslista som kunde göras ”inomhus”. Värmaren och motorn stod på programmet. Så efter frukosten gav vi oss i kast med värmaren vars ”inflödesenhet” delvis redan var isärplockad. Problemet hade varit att när värmaren är avstängd har bränslet ibland forsatt droppa in. Vi började med att installera en avstängningskran på inflödet som Milo lyckats hitta i en affär i Valdivia. Den var bara en säkerhetsåtgärd för att kunna stänga flödet, vilket inte fanns tidigare. Vi tror, och hoppas, att värmaren i övrigt fungerar bra efter rengöring i de olika delarna som sen följde. När allt var hopplockat utan att några delar blev över så lät vi värmaren bero för sin testomgång till senare och kastade oss på nästa projekt, motorn.

Det mesta av underhållet på motorn hade Milo gjort innan min ankomst (som byte av olja och filter, fixande av förfilter etc) men hade sparat ett par saker till min ankomst, mest för att jag hade med mig delarna för åtgärderna i min överviktiga packning. Faktum är att Milo under månaden hon var här har arbetat sig ner på sin lista på ett imponerande sätt så åtgärderna får snart tum på en sida och ”måste” sakerna kan räknas på ena handens fingrar (med de är lite mer komplicerade). Det var två saker som kvarstod på motorn var att byta ut den automatiska avstängningsfunktionen (en grej som automatiskt stryper bränsletillförseln när man vrider av nyckel) som gått sönder och översyn av kylsystemet.

Att byta avstängningsgrunka kändes enkelt om det nu inte hade varit att den nya grejen såg annorlunda ut än den som satt där, det fanns ingen plats att fästa pluskabeln. Var den trasig eller hade man ändrat kopplingen, åtgärden (efter att först monterat bort den gamla i tron att detta åtminstone var en enkel och rättfram uppgift) blev att fotografera de bägge grunkorna bredvid varandra och maila dem till tillverkaren och fråga vad som gällde.

Så nästa uppgift var kylsystemet. På önskelistan stod byte av kylvätskan (glykolblandningen som går runt i motorn) och rensning av värmeväxlaren (den enhet där sjövattnet pumpas in för att kyla glykolblandningen där sedan sjövattnet pumpas ut i sjön igen medan glykolvattnet fortsätter i kylkanaler i motorn). I värmeväxlaren går sjövattnet i små kanaler för att öka ytan för exponering och därmed kyleffekten för glykolblandningen och den bör rensas då och då. Efter att ha studerat motorn enligt instruktionsboken kunde vi konstatera att:
1. Att komma åt alla bultar och slangar som behövdes monteras bort för att få ut värmeväxlaren var som det heter ”a bitch” men inte omöjligt.
2. För att kunna dra ut den långsmala värmeväxlaren ut sitt hölje behövde vi riva det akterliga skottet bakom motorn.
Man kan väl sammanfatta att 1:an kunde vi klarat av medan däremot 2:an innehöll element som skulle innebära en ombyggnation av båten. Vi läste instruktionen som sa ”bör” rengöras var 500:e timme och om enheten ”såg bra ut” så behövdes bara en genomsköljning. Beslutet togs att lämna den åtgärden ogjord. Och kylarvätskan sög vi ut med oljesugen från expansionskärlet vilket fungerade bra.

Det kändes lite frustrerande med åtgärdslistan när regnet hade slutat och vi tågade iväg mot tyskens mekaniska verkstad för att hämta vindrodret. Det såg lovande ut, förlängningen av fästbalken hade svetsat på ypperligt och de nya hålen såg ut att sitta där de skulle. Vi fick skjuts av honom till båten och monteringen började omedelbart, och se – dagens lyckorus! Allt passade utmärkt. Vi hade mätt rätt och åtgärderna fungerade. Efter lite infettande, skruvande och bultande satt vindrodret åter på plats, nu med nya bussningar, infettad och centrerad.

Nu var det in i duschen för att bli klar för vår färd mot middagen hos våra belgiska vänner. De bor en bit ut från staden på andra sidan så vi skulle möta dom vid en stor ”homestore” a la K-rauta. Det låg på rutten för buss 3 som passerade marinan. Härligt att åka lokal buss och se folklivet och stadskvarteren. Bussarna är som våra minibussar och naturligtvis kör de som galningar på gator som kräver lite mer underhåll än de får. Det är bara låghus och alla kablar hänger i luften, inget är nedgrävt för jordbävningsrisken. Det gör att en del stolpar har ett spindelnät av kablar på sig, det kan vara upp till ett femtiotal olika kablar på samma stolpe, och vilka som är strömförande och inte har man ingen aning om. Så på sätt och vis är det nog bra med strömavbrott vi jordbävningar, annars kommer de flesta gator nog vara strömförande. Husen ör relativt moderna med ser inte ut att ha någon isolering. Det ser ut att vara kallt även om det sällan går under nollan på vintern här. Men det finns väl en anledning till att tröjor i lamaull är mycket varma.

Väl hos Mark och Nadine började en brakfest. Deras hus är under byggnation och är en kombination av vackert inredd och byggarbetsplats. Det skall bli ett ställe för bed-and-breakfast är det meningen när allt är klart. Och om Nadine står för maten lär det bli en succé. Vår kväll blev en kulinarisk höjdare.Till förrätt blev det rökt lokal lax på toast. Laxen smakar lite annorlunda här, mer som böckling, men är mycket god. Till huvudrätt var det skaldjurs/fisksoppa med bröd och en röra av vitlök, majs och lite till. Det var bland det godaste jag ätit, och det fann mycket av det. Ingredienserna var lokala, allt från fisken till musslorna. Under alla njutningsstön fick jag fram en fråga om hur hon hade lyckats med denna skapelse. Nadine hade ”bara hällt ihop det”. Vi lite närmare efterfrågan så förklarade hon tågordningen med allt från att koka basen med alla skaldjur innan hon rensade bort skalen och de kokade olika långt beroende på vilket skaldjur och sen silades sanden bort och sen ……. Jag tappade kollen efter det tionde steget i tillagningen av det hon ”slängt ihop”. Det blev i alla fall påbackning och nersköljt med ett fantastiskt gott chilenskt vin. Magen började stå i fyra hörn när det var dags för dessert (som jag hade förträngt). Ut kom, på en helt fyllt bakplåt, en delikat tiramisu. Nadine förklarade att hon fått tag i det speciella italienska bröd som behövs för tillagningen här i Chile. Och det var som sagt inte små dessertkoppar utan en hel bakplåt fullt. Som tur var serverades inte en fjärdedel var utan det blev endast cirka fyra gånger större portioner än vad man får på restauranter. Jag klarade inte av att äta upp vilket accepterades då vi innan haft en lång diskussion om hur olämpligt det är att tvinga barn äta upp saker de inte tål eller tycker om. Efter maten turades vi om att somna framför den öppna brasan innan vi fick skjuts hem. Och jag sov oroligt hela natten då min mage klagade på volymen även om smaklökarna ville ha mer.

Shopping frenzy

2010-10-05T17:43:00.000-07:00

5:e oktober
Vi hann knappt med frukosten innan Mark och Nadine, det belgiska paret vi träffat tidigare, kom och plockade upp oss i marinan. Dagen var fullspäckad med ärenden och de har en bil så vi hängde på. Första anhalten tysken som har en mekanisk verkstad med arbete i rostfritt. Vi lämnad vindrodret där för korrigering av infästen för att få det centrerat. Andra anhalt var stadens myndigheter för att Milo skulle förlänga sitt visum och Mark och Nadine skulle få permanent uppehållstillstånd då de har köpt hus och tänker bosätta sig här. Deras vagabondtid på båt är över och de har hittat sitt paradis, nåja åtminstone en plats de gillar bägge två. Eller som Nadine sa, det är billigt, folk är vänliga, det finns möjligheter, det är vackert, det är stabilt och det är inte för varmt för Mark men kanske lite för kallt för mig. Men innan alla papper var klara fodrades en färd till banken för att betala avgifter innan vi åter köade hos myndigheterna.

När allt var avklarat var nästa stopp ”supermercado” a lá Lidl. Eftersom vi fått skjuts så skulle jag och Milo handla alla tunga livsmedel som höll länge medan lätta saker som behövdes så färska som möjligt fick vänta tills senare. Så med varsin shoppingvagn plockade vi på oss 24 liter hållbarhetsmjölk, 8 burkar jordnötssmör, 2 kilo ris, 15 hushållspapper, 20 förpackninghar med majskorn (Milo gillar majs) 10 paket bitsocker (till kaffet), 15 pastasåser, osv. Vad som saknades var 25 jospaket. Visst fanns det jos, men de hade alla en hällningsknopp på toppen vilket inte fungerar när man skall försöka förvara dem på en liten yta. Så det blev en restorder. Men vi var ganska nöjda efteråt och det belgiska paret fick vänta i bilen på att vi skulle bli klara (deras inköp var inte för två månader). På vägen tillbaks till båten stannade vi till vid marknaden där vi kan köpa färska grönsaker och fisk när det blir dags.

Efter att ha lastat ombord matvarorna (typiskt var det lågvatten så en del av ”langningen” blev våghalsiga med båten ett par meter nedanför kajen) så lämnade vi allt i ett kaos för att äta på en restaurang tillsamman. Det var en välbehövlig måltid framåt 4-tiden eftersom vi knappt hann åta frukost. Dästa kom vi tillbaks till båten med uppgift att hitta förvaringsplatser för all mat vi köpt. En till synes omöjlig uppgift men på något sätt så försvinner produkterna sakta med säkert och båten håller sig fortfarande flytande. Att sedan hålla reda på vad allt är under dynor, tampar och annat blir en utmaning – men ”there was a method to our madness” så det skall nog fungera.

När allt var klart gick vi och tittade på båtarna i marinan och då kom tysken med den mekaniska verkstaden förbi på bryggan då han har sin Jongert stålbåt i marinan. Vi gick ner och tittade och han har arbetat mycket på denna stålbåt som trots sin ålder ser fin ut. Och vi fick reda på att vindrodret är klart för hämtning i morgon klockan 2. Då får vi reda på om våra teoretiska beräkningar också fungerar i verkligheten.

Slaget om vindrodret

2010-10-05T05:51:00.000-07:00

Dag 4, 4:e oktober
En typisk dag med pul på båten. För dem som är intresserade av hur det kan gå till är välkomna att fortsätt läsa, övriga kan hoa över detta blogginlägg. Vi beslöt att huvudprojektet idag skulle vara att få ordning på vindrodret, självstyrningen som hänger i båtens akter och styr båten själv i en konstant vindvinkel. Det var två saker som måste rättas till. Upphängningen ha förskjutes så det inte hänger i mitten, visserligen bara ett par centimeter med det är nog för det ska bli slitage på linor och andra delar. Dessutom glappade en av axlarna delar rör sig runt och Milo hade beställt nya bussningar som skulle ersätta de gamla och därmed minska glappet. Enkla uppgifter men som alltid på en båt medför det merarbete. Vi beslöt att det var lättast att arbete på vindrodret då det inte hängde över vattnet i häcken på båten (mer lättåtkomligt och ingen risk att delar ramlar i vattnet) så vi beslöt montera bort den. För det behövs en jolle som låg nerstuvad. Så första arbetsuppgiften var att montera ihop jollen och blåsa upp den (det är en gummijolle).

När det var drog vi den till aktern och jag satte mig i den för att skruva bort bultarna den satt med, och den satt ordenligt. Korrosion mellan rostfritt material och aluminium gjorde det omöjligt att få loss, så vi bestämde att montera bort fästet också. Efter en del arbete kund vi få loss den och med dirken (ett rep från masttoppen som håller bommen uppe men som också kan fungera som ”kran”) fick vi upp den i sittbrunnen. Vi beslöt att börja med glappen och försökte komma underfund med hur konstruktionen var sammansatt. Vi hade en sprängskiss så ganska snart hittade vi de låsskruvar som behövde tas bort för att få ut axeln som bussningarna satt runtom. Efter lite bearbetning med CRC 50 (ett ”smörjmedel”) fick vi loss låsskruvarna och efter ytterligare lite bearbetning (inklusive gummiklubba) lossnade axeln och två armar som sitter i varandra med kuggar ramlade loss. Sen skulle bussningarna (en sorts ”förstärkningar” i hålen) tas bort och det gick inte annat än med våld, så mycket våld som inte skadad godset. Det lyckades.

Nästa steg var att göra rent ytorna, först med avfettningsmedel och sedan med en fint sandpapper. Alla moment fodrar olika typer av verktyg som ligger förvarade på olika ställen i båten beroende på dess karaktär. Så under arbetes gång lyfts dynor, öppnas luckor och krälas i utrymmen för att få fram rätt verktyg. Resultatet brukar bli tillfälligt kaos när det gäller ordningen. I alla fall, när allt var rent och snyggt var det dags att sätta i de nya bussningarna och fetta in. Just det hur satt de gamla, med flänsen upp eller inte? Jag gjorde en mental minnesanteckning med det är ju någon timme sen, är jag säker. Som tur vad finns sprängskissen för kontroll. Så i med bussningarna.
Men innan vi sätter ihop paketet så är det dumt att inte göra rent de övriga delarna som nu är lättåtkomliga. Så samma procedur som den del som just bytts görs på övriga delar. Efter ytterligare någon timme är allt klart för att sättas ihop. Då ramlar två små packningar ut. Vad kom dem ifrån och var ska dem vara? Milo såg detta så hon håller allt på plats medan jag försöker trä ner axeln genom tre olika ”hål” med armar till olika delar som alla skall sitta på ett speciellt sätt. Och kuggarna måste gå i varandra så vi måttar så de har lika många kuggar i vardera riktning – centrerar bägge delarna. Efter en del pulande glider axeln sakta ner. Samtidigt gäller det nu att få den i en vinkel så låsskruvarna kommer i de hål i axeln som låser den i position. Det tar en del måttande och försök, men till sist har vi fait-complie. Ett hopsatt vindroder med nya bussningar.

Hela operationen tog nog inte mer än fem timmar, exklusive avbrott för att titta på ett sjölejon som smög sig upp i vassen bredvid marinan och beundra vingarna på en kondor som landat vid flodkanten.

Just det – sen visade det sig att när vi satte ihop vindrodret så var en av armarna som axeln håller inte rak vilket gjorde att kugghjulens position lågfel med två kuggar. Skit samma med detaljerna – vi var tvungna att montera ner alla igen, ta ut axeln – denna gång behövde vi dock inte byta bussningar - och ändra armens position och sätta ihop allt igen. Denna gång gick det lite snabbare, övning ger färdighet. Sen återstår centreringen av vindrodret – men för det behöver vi en mekanisk verkstad som vi lokaliserat, så det är på G.
Idag (skriver detta tidigt på morgonen) skall, förutom båtpul, vi också handla då vi får skjuts till affären. Avfärd blir nog tidigast till helgen.

Vadivia

2010-10-04T04:01:00.000-07:00

Dag 1, Den 2:a oktober
Efter över 30 timmar på resande fot landade jag i Valdivia efter att ha passerat de majestätiska Anderna. Tanken var att flygplatsen i Valdivia skulle vara tillräckligt stor för att ha en bankomat så jag kunde ta ut kontanter, men trots att et par hundra tusen personer bor i staden så består flygplatsen av en fyrkantig byggnad med några korridorer som gå förbi en lucka där bagaget slängs in på väg ut till gatan där taxibilar och en shuttle buss väntar. Så på icke existerande spanska försökte jag förklara att jag behövde åka förbi en bankomat på väg till staden. Mitt i försöken dyker en kvinna upp som på bra engelska säger: Jag hörde att du inte hade några pengar, vi kan skjutsa dig till staden. Vart ska du. Första tanken var att se upp, något är lurt här - men snart insåg jag att det var en naturlig reaktion i ett gästfritt land. Den enda som var sur var taxichauffören som såg sin körning vandra iväg, Och vid kontroll så hade han uppträtt oklanderligt med föreslaget pris för resan till stan. Men nu blev det istället en guidad tur med en engelskalärare från Valdivia, hennes man och dotter i ett fordon som verkar vara kung i trakten - en fyrsitsig flakbil. Så bagaget, med väskan vägande uppåt 30 kilo och handgabaget nära 20 kilo låg tryggt och guppade på flaket satt jag och fick en snabbkurs om Valdivia, fast deras nyfikenhet på mig gjorde att vi inte kom så djupt. Vad jag dock fick reda på var att Valdivia är en av de mest regnsäkra platserna på jorden där det i snitt regnar i åtta månader om året. Men jag välkomnades av ett något udda vädertyp för Valdivia, växlande molnighet med uppehåll. Här burkar det enligt uppgift antingen ösregna eller vara klar himmel. Inget landet lagom inte.

De körde mig ända fram till yacht cluben och när jag frågade var de bodde så var det på andra sidan stan - mot flygplatsen till, "men vi skulle ändå in till stan och handla". Efter en snabb titt på båten så tackade jag dom för skjutsen och kunde äntligen få ge Milo en kram som var förvånad att jag kom redan.
Sen var det projektet att få ner väskorna till båten när det var lågvatten och Artimisa 2 låg nästan ett par meter under bryggkanten. Medan jag och Milo funderade på att föra fram ett spinnakerfall kom en från varvet och hoppade ned på båten och bad om väskorna, Med lite muskler och viljekraft löser sig det mesta.

Efter de första kramarna, utbyte av det senast i skvallerväg och utdelning av alla ”presenter” (från reservdelar till ankarvinschen till godis i form av 15 påsar med Ahlgrens bilar) började vi prata om arbetslistan. Den var förvånansvärt kort, Milo hade jobbat på bra den månad hon legat här i väntan på min ankomst. Men det var fyra lite större projekt. Värmaren, ankarvinschen, vindrodret och kylvattenbyte på motorn. Men vi började med lite småprojekt eftersom eftermiddagen började vara långt liden. Snart kom också ett belgiskt par förbi, Marc och Nadine, som kommit hit på sina seglingar (de hade varit ute i många år) och gillat stället så mycket att deras stålbåt numera ligger i marinan och blir allt rostigare medan de köpt ett hus i utkanten av Valdivia för att bosätta sig här, så länge nu vagabonder kan bosätta sig. När de insåg att jag var inne i andra andningen och inte behövde omedelbar sömn så bestämde vi middag på stan i en Kinarestaurang.

På vägen dig passerade vi centrum och strandpromenaden längs floden. Där huserade Valdivias bråkmakare som gjorde strandremsan osäker, Valdivia kolloni av sjölejon. Om inte deras bröl och andedräkt tar kål på dig så känns hannarnas enorma kroppshydda och skräckinjagande käft tillräckligt hotande för att hålla sig på avstånd. Kinamaten var i alla fall god men på slutet så var jag nära att somna över maten. Innan jag gick och la mig försökte jag se om jag kunde skypa med Emilia som fyllde 18 år, men hon var inte uppkopplad. Innan Jag somnade satt Milo och jag och småpratade. Det känns tryggt att segla med henne så allt bara fungerar mellan oss. Hon har en härlig humor med självdistans, är prestigelös och nyfiken på att lära sig mer, och hon är klok att prata med, kort sagt en jäkligt bra vän. Jag somnade som en stock fast miljön var lite ny och sängen ovanligt trång och sov hela mestadels natten till klockan 10 lokal tid morgonen därpå.

Dag 2, 3:e oktober
Söndag brukar vara vilodag men inte på Artemisa. Visserligen hade vi en lång skön frukost utan stress med mycket snack om ditten och datten, men sen satte vi igång med lite projekt. Eftersom det fortfarande var uppehållsväder bestämde vi oss för att satsa på utomhusprojekt. Så vi skrubbade salongsmattan med såpa för att få bort diesellukten (från spilldiesel från värmaren som också skall fixas) monterade den nya ankorlinan, hittade ett bra sätt att hänga upp den nya regn/solskyddet för sittbrunnen och monterade ihop ankarvinschen till en fungerande enhet igen. Sen bytte Milo lite lampor medan jag läste guideböcker över Patagonien. Vi fick också en längre paus mitt på dagen då yacht klubben ordnade med en brunch för medlemmar och inbjudna. Vid vårt bord datt fem nationaliteter, svenskar, belgare, engelsmän, chilenare och en peruian. Engelska var den minsta gemensamma nämnare för de flesta och i köket stod Nadine som ”lär upp” en lokal kock lite restaurangknep för att kanske kunna driva en restaurang i framtiden. Nadine är mycket road av matlagning och har tidigare undervisat detta.

Efter lite kvällssnack och en macka med jordnötssmör och sylt så var det läggdags, men denna gång spelade tidsomställningen större roll och sedan klockan 4 har jag inte kunnat sova, men då kan en dator stå för underhållningen istället – ett utmärkt tillfälle att börja föra dagbok. Desstuom började lite kondens droppa på täcket i förpiken där jag sover, åtminstone hpoppas jag det är kondens och inte läckage från det regn som nu strilar ner från himlen, Men inne i Artimisa lyser solen.