blah blah blog: Back to P.W.

Hola amigos! It was so nice to get away from the busy marina over the weekend, and very peaceful. The weather beyond the beagle was not in our favor for going to cape horn, so we stayed safe and snug in some cool anchorages. We sailed thursday afternoon from here to Puerto Toro (4 hours), arriving late evening. The waters were super calm on the way, like black glass, so I was able to get dinner going en route. We arrived, dropped anchor, and had a delicious homemade veggie curry! At Puerto Toro, we did some walking and met the 2 people who are currently living there, both Armada. Victor was particularly friendly (I think he was happy to have people to chat with!) and he even let us use the showers in one of the offices. It was awesome, as the Polo Flat shower is rather make-shift and, while manageable and hot, it isnt the most comfortable. We pulled anchor Saturday and headed over to Isla Picton. Isla Picton is a tiny place, but its strategic position in the canal has made it a battleground for Argentina and Chile in the past. It belongs to Chile since a war in '74 (I think?). Due to its war-filled past, it is unfortunately covered in land mines so we weren't able to do any trekking! There is an Armada station on island, a very nice house actually, where a family of three currently resides. The armada officer, his wife (Marcella) and their 8 yr old son (Marcello). We had coffee with them Saturday afternoon and managed a few hours of conversation in spite of their lack of English and our lack of Spanish. They are a really lovely family, but they are feeling a bit isolated there at Picton (they are stationed there for one year). On Monday morning, we had a good window of weather to get to Caleta Marguerita, a small and very protected anchorage on the way back toward Puerto Williams. What a gorgeous spot. quiet, untouched, and very calm. We we able to get ashore easily and did some discovering for a few days. We got back to Williams Wednesday night. It was a great test for the boat and everything is in great shape for our longer trip. Matt fixed the wind generator and the solar panel, and the desalinator (water maker) is working well.

We'll be here for at least the next 10 days or so (unless there is great weather to move) and I will update before we head out more permanently. For now, we are provisioning, provisioning (lots of beans and rice!) and we are filling up on lots of extra fuel. I'm looking forward to the glaciers and the mountains!

hasta luego.