Towards civilization

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.