Saturday, April 18
Position: 48,39S 74,19W
We had an even more amazing time at the glacier than we expected. We ended up being called up on the radio by the rangers who live in the bay (we weren't sure if anyone was actually stationed there when we first saw the house) and were invited to have dinner with them. They made an awesome seafood soup and fresh bread and we learned a bit more about the area. It was exciting as well because during dinner, when the glacier would break off and fall into the sea, we heard huge "booms" and the earth under the house actually shook! The following day was gorgeous weather and we took a long hike up the mountain ridge to have a better view overlooking the glacier. Really unbelievable - pictures to come later. We left that afternoon for Caleta Yvonne, where we are now waiting for ideal conditions to push to the northern channels. We're hoping to get to Aysen to re-fuel, re-stock (I am so excited for fresh veg!!), check the internet, etc. in a week or so.
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Puerto Eden & Seno Iceberg
Wednesday, April 15
Position: 48,43S 74,00W
Whoops! Been about a week since our last post. We've had some gorgeous weather for sailing, some really beautiful anchorages with hiking around, and made it to our first inhabited anchorage on Monday – Puerto Eden! A sparsely populated (maybe about 100 people) fishing village, Puerto Eden represents the only inhabited place between the northern channels and Puerto Williams. It was apparently established in the 60's in an attempt to "revive" a local indigenous population. As far as I understand, this did not work very well and while some people are descendants of the original indigenous population, the traditional culture and language are severely endangered. A dictionary/grammar was made in the 90's (I think), but, (likely due its isolation), no recent work has been done ethnographically or linguistically. This is unfortunate due to the rapid decrease in population and the passing of the elder generation who I assume are the last with any knowledge of local heritage. I think it would be a challenging but rewarding place to work as a linguist. Anyone out there in need of a research topic?
The village is a stretch of houses along one cove, connected by boardwalks – there are no cars or sidewalks. There is a large military presence (Matt and I didn't see these guys doing much and we aren't sure why there are so many of them there) and a large school building. Other than that We had hopes of an internet connection but these were squelched as the wifi was out during our visit. Oh well, I'm actually kind of glad I don't have to acknowledge the real world just yet...
It was nice seeing other people and making conversation (as best we could), plus we got to take REAL showers (a really awesome thing) and picked up several pounds of crab already shucked for us by a local fisherman. Due to our lack of refrigerator, we have been eating crab for every meal since. Things could be worse.
We had beautiful weather today (sunshine and not a cloud in the sky!), so we took a small detour to Seno Iceberg, an amazing inlet up to a glacier face that descends drastically from the mountains into the ocean. The entire way up to the glacier is impressive. The inlet is a milky greenish color that almost reminds me of Tahiti until I remember I am wearing 5 layers of clothing and am STILL cold. The glacier itself is this piercing sort of florescent ice blue.
It looks like we may have a good window to sail around Golfo de Penas this weekend, and then we will go off in search of hot springs and more villages. Golfo de Penas is our last sketchy spot and the only all-nighter we will do on this trip.
In the meantime, image us eating homemade crab cakes anchored in front of a glacier, drinking a Patagonian red. :)
Position: 48,43S 74,00W
Whoops! Been about a week since our last post. We've had some gorgeous weather for sailing, some really beautiful anchorages with hiking around, and made it to our first inhabited anchorage on Monday – Puerto Eden! A sparsely populated (maybe about 100 people) fishing village, Puerto Eden represents the only inhabited place between the northern channels and Puerto Williams. It was apparently established in the 60's in an attempt to "revive" a local indigenous population. As far as I understand, this did not work very well and while some people are descendants of the original indigenous population, the traditional culture and language are severely endangered. A dictionary/grammar was made in the 90's (I think), but, (likely due its isolation), no recent work has been done ethnographically or linguistically. This is unfortunate due to the rapid decrease in population and the passing of the elder generation who I assume are the last with any knowledge of local heritage. I think it would be a challenging but rewarding place to work as a linguist. Anyone out there in need of a research topic?
The village is a stretch of houses along one cove, connected by boardwalks – there are no cars or sidewalks. There is a large military presence (Matt and I didn't see these guys doing much and we aren't sure why there are so many of them there) and a large school building. Other than that We had hopes of an internet connection but these were squelched as the wifi was out during our visit. Oh well, I'm actually kind of glad I don't have to acknowledge the real world just yet...
It was nice seeing other people and making conversation (as best we could), plus we got to take REAL showers (a really awesome thing) and picked up several pounds of crab already shucked for us by a local fisherman. Due to our lack of refrigerator, we have been eating crab for every meal since. Things could be worse.
We had beautiful weather today (sunshine and not a cloud in the sky!), so we took a small detour to Seno Iceberg, an amazing inlet up to a glacier face that descends drastically from the mountains into the ocean. The entire way up to the glacier is impressive. The inlet is a milky greenish color that almost reminds me of Tahiti until I remember I am wearing 5 layers of clothing and am STILL cold. The glacier itself is this piercing sort of florescent ice blue.
It looks like we may have a good window to sail around Golfo de Penas this weekend, and then we will go off in search of hot springs and more villages. Golfo de Penas is our last sketchy spot and the only all-nighter we will do on this trip.
In the meantime, image us eating homemade crab cakes anchored in front of a glacier, drinking a Patagonian red. :)
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Sunny Days, Whales, and Waterfall Lakes
We pushed out of the Magellan on Saturday morning and by that afternoon were back into calm, easy waters. We've had great weather (good wind and sunshine) so far this week and so have been powering through the days. This side of the Andes is generally rainy and cloudy, so sunshine is a rare and unexpected treat - it is a whole different place when it is sunny. You can actually see the snowy mountain tops in the distance and the different colors of stone on the hills lining the channels – really stunning!
Yesterday (Monday), we had dolphins playing on the bow, the water was mirror calm all day long, and we anchored in a super cool spot where we could walk to a inner lake. We rowed the dingy to a waterfall and then climbed up and hiked back to the source lake. It was a great change of pace to walk around away from the boat. Today, we saw fin whales (a new species to my eyes) and started the day rummaging through bergy bits from nearby glaciers. Tomorrow, the weather starts to change again so we will head to a safe spot with hopes of getting up to Puerto Eden Sunday. That will be our first (human) inhabited stop since we left Puerto Williams!
In other news, the home-brew Matthew put down before we left is ready for drinking. I think a home-brew party with the locals (penguins) may be in order this evening :)
Tuesday, April 7
Position: Bahia Tom 50,11S 74,49W
Yesterday (Monday), we had dolphins playing on the bow, the water was mirror calm all day long, and we anchored in a super cool spot where we could walk to a inner lake. We rowed the dingy to a waterfall and then climbed up and hiked back to the source lake. It was a great change of pace to walk around away from the boat. Today, we saw fin whales (a new species to my eyes) and started the day rummaging through bergy bits from nearby glaciers. Tomorrow, the weather starts to change again so we will head to a safe spot with hopes of getting up to Puerto Eden Sunday. That will be our first (human) inhabited stop since we left Puerto Williams!
In other news, the home-brew Matthew put down before we left is ready for drinking. I think a home-brew party with the locals (penguins) may be in order this evening :)
Tuesday, April 7
Position: Bahia Tom 50,11S 74,49W
Friday, April 3, 2015
Snow on the Decks
Saturday, March 28 – Monday, March 30
Position: Caleta Mostyn 53,15S 73,22W
Wow. This place.... My favorite so far. We did a bit of research to find a spot where we will be safe and calm over the next few days. We found that precisely, and some. Coming in to the small canal off of the Strait, the water went flat. As we coasted in further, waterfalls were everywhere cascading down steep mountain sides into the canal. There were huge box jellyfish (I have never seen jellyfish so large – truly as big as my body!) from the surface downward to the deep, one every few inches. And swarms of thousands of tiny red fish (maybe salmon?) that, from a distance, looked like pink streaks on the surface of the water.
We are now tied in quite nicely in a small cove. A waterfall is nearby where we will wash our clothes tomorrow, and fill up the fresh water tanks. Outside, we can't feel even a breath of wind, and a small rain shower is washing down the decks for us. Inside, the fire is warm and dry, and a glass of red is in hand. Looking forward to our cozy "home" here at Mostyn for the next few days while we wait out some nasty weather.
---
Monday, March 30 – Thursday, April 2
Position: Puerto Angosto 53,13S 73,21W
Here we are in another one of Slocum's old spots, waiting for the weather to change. We moved Monday afternoon as we were mildly concerned that Mostyn would not be completely sheltered from southerly winds and the predicted wind was very strong from the south. In continuing to read of Slocum's adventures, Matthew discovered a spot not far from Mostyn that Slocum apparently waited in for one month and felt fully secure. To look at this small corner of a side channel pinned right against a cliff, you wouldn't see protection from wind, but, sitting in it, we have complete shelter from all winds and a good view onto the changing conditions of the Strait. Just behind us is a beautiful bay with waterfalls and coves, which look nice but have violent williwaws screaming through them. We, however, just around the corner, are tied in tight and are quite comfortable.
We have been reading lots, fixing little boat things, baking bread, washing clothes, and watching snow fall on the decks these past days, which has been relaxing, but we are ready to get moving again. We hope to go north out of the Strait Saturday morning.
Position: Caleta Mostyn 53,15S 73,22W
Wow. This place.... My favorite so far. We did a bit of research to find a spot where we will be safe and calm over the next few days. We found that precisely, and some. Coming in to the small canal off of the Strait, the water went flat. As we coasted in further, waterfalls were everywhere cascading down steep mountain sides into the canal. There were huge box jellyfish (I have never seen jellyfish so large – truly as big as my body!) from the surface downward to the deep, one every few inches. And swarms of thousands of tiny red fish (maybe salmon?) that, from a distance, looked like pink streaks on the surface of the water.
We are now tied in quite nicely in a small cove. A waterfall is nearby where we will wash our clothes tomorrow, and fill up the fresh water tanks. Outside, we can't feel even a breath of wind, and a small rain shower is washing down the decks for us. Inside, the fire is warm and dry, and a glass of red is in hand. Looking forward to our cozy "home" here at Mostyn for the next few days while we wait out some nasty weather.
---
Monday, March 30 – Thursday, April 2
Position: Puerto Angosto 53,13S 73,21W
Here we are in another one of Slocum's old spots, waiting for the weather to change. We moved Monday afternoon as we were mildly concerned that Mostyn would not be completely sheltered from southerly winds and the predicted wind was very strong from the south. In continuing to read of Slocum's adventures, Matthew discovered a spot not far from Mostyn that Slocum apparently waited in for one month and felt fully secure. To look at this small corner of a side channel pinned right against a cliff, you wouldn't see protection from wind, but, sitting in it, we have complete shelter from all winds and a good view onto the changing conditions of the Strait. Just behind us is a beautiful bay with waterfalls and coves, which look nice but have violent williwaws screaming through them. We, however, just around the corner, are tied in tight and are quite comfortable.
We have been reading lots, fixing little boat things, baking bread, washing clothes, and watching snow fall on the decks these past days, which has been relaxing, but we are ready to get moving again. We hope to go north out of the Strait Saturday morning.
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