Today had the promise of good weather so we pulled in our shore lines, hoisted the dingy and off we went on a 16 mile course up Seno Iceberg. At the end we were rewarded with beautiful views of the icecap, Campo de Heilo or Heilo Continental Sur and one of the few tidewater glaciers. We saw bergy bits floating down the canal and kept our distance. We started to see the ice about 9 miles out, a beautiful blue in color. As we rounded the last corner we saw the huge wall of ice hundred of feet tall. Very impressive! We also saw a waterfall and the CONAF or ranger station as this is part of the Parque National Bernardo O'Higgins. We took lots of photos but it may be a bit before we are able to post them so be patient.
Now we are back at Caleta Yvonne, enjoying some sunshine and warm temperatures for a change. Not sure how long it will last though so we will enjoy it while we can.
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Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
At Caleta Yvonne
48 39.825 S, 074 19.311 W Caleta Yvonne
Today was a leisurely trip to Caleta Yvonne about 23 miles south of Caleta Point Lay. We were passed by the cargo ship, Copihue, at 425 feet long on the way north to Chacabuco. We saw it on AIS and radar, but as it was foggy or low overcast, we did not actual see it until it was about 1.5 miles away. No problems passing port to port.
We still need to work on our rigging of shore lines. Of course it was raining like crazy and no wind which was good but still it took a while. The floating nylon line does not slide around tree trunks very well - that's my story and I am sticking to it.
Tomorrow we are thinking of doing a day trip up Seno Iceberg to see the glacier.
We will let you know.
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Today was a leisurely trip to Caleta Yvonne about 23 miles south of Caleta Point Lay. We were passed by the cargo ship, Copihue, at 425 feet long on the way north to Chacabuco. We saw it on AIS and radar, but as it was foggy or low overcast, we did not actual see it until it was about 1.5 miles away. No problems passing port to port.
We still need to work on our rigging of shore lines. Of course it was raining like crazy and no wind which was good but still it took a while. The floating nylon line does not slide around tree trunks very well - that's my story and I am sticking to it.
Tomorrow we are thinking of doing a day trip up Seno Iceberg to see the glacier.
We will let you know.
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Monday, December 29, 2014
Caleta Point Lay
We decided to stay here at Caleta Point Lay as it is quite windy but we are nice and secure. Last night it rained continually so this morning I put out our rain catcher and now the rain has stopped. Go figure.
Rich got the watermaker back running, cleaned filters, replaced the pump and now it is a okay. The small bilge pump is working but the water witch seems to have stopped so that will be a project for another day. We both read, took naps and I made some brownies for dessert.
Yum.
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Rich got the watermaker back running, cleaned filters, replaced the pump and now it is a okay. The small bilge pump is working but the water witch seems to have stopped so that will be a project for another day. We both read, took naps and I made some brownies for dessert.
Yum.
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Sunday, December 28, 2014
Sure shore lines....
48 20.355 S, 074 33.476 W, Caleta Point Lay
The gribs showed under 10 knots from the north so the 30 plus knots we saw after leaving the anchorage was a bit of a surprise. It turned out well as it pushed us south and we had the current with us as well so all good. Caleta Point Lay is a small inlet tucked inside. We have two waterfalls forward of the bow. We also tied two shore lines which sound easy but we have not perfected our technique yet.
Tying shore lines is an involved process. First we set a nominal anchor and get the dingy down off the davits. I get onboard the dingy with a kayak paddle, and a large basket with one of our 110 meter float lines. I paddle the dingy to the shore and tie it to a tree then paddle back to the boat and get another basket full of line. Sounds simple until you add wind, and slippery rocks and tree branches and.... Meanwhile, Rich is onboard Windarra setting the anchor and making sure the boat does not drift into some rocks. Then once we get both lines from shore to the boat we pull to position the boat and tie the lines off. Whew! We are nice and secure with two lines on shore from our stern pulling to keep the anchor in place.
Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow....
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The gribs showed under 10 knots from the north so the 30 plus knots we saw after leaving the anchorage was a bit of a surprise. It turned out well as it pushed us south and we had the current with us as well so all good. Caleta Point Lay is a small inlet tucked inside. We have two waterfalls forward of the bow. We also tied two shore lines which sound easy but we have not perfected our technique yet.
Tying shore lines is an involved process. First we set a nominal anchor and get the dingy down off the davits. I get onboard the dingy with a kayak paddle, and a large basket with one of our 110 meter float lines. I paddle the dingy to the shore and tie it to a tree then paddle back to the boat and get another basket full of line. Sounds simple until you add wind, and slippery rocks and tree branches and.... Meanwhile, Rich is onboard Windarra setting the anchor and making sure the boat does not drift into some rocks. Then once we get both lines from shore to the boat we pull to position the boat and tie the lines off. Whew! We are nice and secure with two lines on shore from our stern pulling to keep the anchor in place.
Let it blow, let it blow, let it blow....
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Saturday, December 27, 2014
Caleta Ideal
47 45.593 S, 74 53.485 W Caleta Ideal
This morning we had to slow ourselves down as we wanted some daylight before entering a strange anchorage at night. Normally slowing down is not a problem but we had a current pushing us along. We passed the lighthouse at Isla San Pedro and Rich talked with the keeper and explained who we were and where we were going. Shortly after we turned off the main canal, a 780 foot cruise ship, the Zandam came through at 18 knots. Glad we were not run over.
By 6:20 am we were anchor down and ready for some much needed rest. It didn't take long. This afternoon we inflated the dingy and put it back on the davits as we will be traveling inside the canals for a while and we will need it to tie lines to trees at some of the anchorages. Rich moved more fuel from the jerry jugs to the internal tanks.
Tomorrow we will continue south and explore the canals.
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This morning we had to slow ourselves down as we wanted some daylight before entering a strange anchorage at night. Normally slowing down is not a problem but we had a current pushing us along. We passed the lighthouse at Isla San Pedro and Rich talked with the keeper and explained who we were and where we were going. Shortly after we turned off the main canal, a 780 foot cruise ship, the Zandam came through at 18 knots. Glad we were not run over.
By 6:20 am we were anchor down and ready for some much needed rest. It didn't take long. This afternoon we inflated the dingy and put it back on the davits as we will be traveling inside the canals for a while and we will need it to tie lines to trees at some of the anchorages. Rich moved more fuel from the jerry jugs to the internal tanks.
Tomorrow we will continue south and explore the canals.
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Friday, December 26, 2014
Re: Golfo de Penas
Hi Windarra,
I've been trying to follow you on Google Earth. Unfortunately, it doesn't recognize all of your maritime place names but I I think I have you located now next to Isla Wager and what looks like will be an entrance to a maze of canals all the way down to Ushuaia -- or am I being too optimistic? I'm not sure why Google Maps or Earth won't accept a Long/Lat entry but it doesn't seem to.
We're finishing our packing tonight and on the plane tomorrow..
D&N
Golfo de Penas
47 09.076 S, 075 70.071 W
We are now on passage across the Golfo de Penas or as we are calling it, the Golfo de Pain in the A--. It is a lumpy, bumpy ride and the winds have been light so we are motor/sailing when we can. Albert the Albatross and Petra the Petrel have been keeping us company. We just had some dolphins swim by and say hi (and thanks for all the fish).
In addition we have been watching the giant cargo ships go by. Their lengths have been 580, 656 and 898 feet long! Stay out of their way.
Rich talked to the lighthouse keeper at Faro Raper. It was a brief conversation, but a good check in.
We may have to slow down so we have daylight when we enter.
Cheers
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We are now on passage across the Golfo de Penas or as we are calling it, the Golfo de Pain in the A--. It is a lumpy, bumpy ride and the winds have been light so we are motor/sailing when we can. Albert the Albatross and Petra the Petrel have been keeping us company. We just had some dolphins swim by and say hi (and thanks for all the fish).
In addition we have been watching the giant cargo ships go by. Their lengths have been 580, 656 and 898 feet long! Stay out of their way.
Rich talked to the lighthouse keeper at Faro Raper. It was a brief conversation, but a good check in.
We may have to slow down so we have daylight when we enter.
Cheers
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Thursday, December 25, 2014
Merry Xmas from Caleta Cliff
Merry Xmas to everyone!
On the HF radio we talked to Carol on Frannie B at Caleta Yvonne and had good copy as well as on the Patagonia net with Wolfgang. Storm Bay and Limbo have made it safely across the Golfo de Penas.
We are here at Caleta Cliff, having our morning coffee, reading books. In the anchorage the winds are gusting to 24 knots and we can see small breakers at the end on the entrance before the turn to the cove. Depending on the current and our orientation we will sometimes heal to port during a gust and the blowing rain. Rich went out and secured the side solar panels so they did not raise and lower with the wind. We can only imagine what is must be like outside in the open ocean and we are thankful we are here and securely at anchor.
Today we will relax and rest. Later we will check the grib and see what our plan will be.
To all of our friends and family, we wish a happy holiday.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
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On the HF radio we talked to Carol on Frannie B at Caleta Yvonne and had good copy as well as on the Patagonia net with Wolfgang. Storm Bay and Limbo have made it safely across the Golfo de Penas.
We are here at Caleta Cliff, having our morning coffee, reading books. In the anchorage the winds are gusting to 24 knots and we can see small breakers at the end on the entrance before the turn to the cove. Depending on the current and our orientation we will sometimes heal to port during a gust and the blowing rain. Rich went out and secured the side solar panels so they did not raise and lower with the wind. We can only imagine what is must be like outside in the open ocean and we are thankful we are here and securely at anchor.
Today we will relax and rest. Later we will check the grib and see what our plan will be.
To all of our friends and family, we wish a happy holiday.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
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Wednesday, December 24, 2014
Chillin at Caleta Cliff
Always be careful of what you ask for. I had asked that we not be on passage for holidays. Well, I am getting my wish, sort of, we will not be on passage Xmas day but we will still be here at Caleta Cliff, a very nice protected anchorage on the wild coast of southern Chile.
We tried to sail from Caleta Mariuccia around the peninsula Taitao and across the Golfo de Penas. Sometime after 5 pm we looked ahead at the horizon and saw a large dark mass forming and approaching. This was not good. So we took a left and headed for the best anchorage available. It was a little daunting as the GPS points we were steering to were about 2 miles away from the shoreline according to the electronic charts. Apparently the chart longitudes are off. It was true for both the Ipad (Navionics) and the charter/plotter (Cmap). But we turned on the radar and had a go. We are glad it is 'summer' here and we have more daylight so between the radar, the visual and the GPS we were able to discern the location and get into the anchorage. Whew!
We will hang tight and monitor the gribs. It looks like we might have a window on 12/26. Until then we will stay here, do a few chores, read, sleep, etc.
Cheers
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We tried to sail from Caleta Mariuccia around the peninsula Taitao and across the Golfo de Penas. Sometime after 5 pm we looked ahead at the horizon and saw a large dark mass forming and approaching. This was not good. So we took a left and headed for the best anchorage available. It was a little daunting as the GPS points we were steering to were about 2 miles away from the shoreline according to the electronic charts. Apparently the chart longitudes are off. It was true for both the Ipad (Navionics) and the charter/plotter (Cmap). But we turned on the radar and had a go. We are glad it is 'summer' here and we have more daylight so between the radar, the visual and the GPS we were able to discern the location and get into the anchorage. Whew!
We will hang tight and monitor the gribs. It looks like we might have a window on 12/26. Until then we will stay here, do a few chores, read, sleep, etc.
Cheers
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Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Caleta Cliff
46 26.911 S, 075 18.137 W Caleta Cliff
We were up early and on our way. Once we got out of the Canal we had a push from the current but not from the wind. The wind swung from W to SW, from 3-5 to 18-24 over the course of the day. The seas went from < 1 meter swell to 2-3 meter swell with a short period, wind waves were 2-3 feet. As we started to approach the line of squalls and we still had not rounded the last cape we decided to duck and cover and go to Caleta Cliff, a great anchorage. It was a little bit of going on faith as we had good GPS coordinates and radar but both sets of electronic charts were off about 2 miles!!
We will check the gribs tonight and see what happens tomorrow. We still have about 120 nautical miles to go yet!
Cheers
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We were up early and on our way. Once we got out of the Canal we had a push from the current but not from the wind. The wind swung from W to SW, from 3-5 to 18-24 over the course of the day. The seas went from < 1 meter swell to 2-3 meter swell with a short period, wind waves were 2-3 feet. As we started to approach the line of squalls and we still had not rounded the last cape we decided to duck and cover and go to Caleta Cliff, a great anchorage. It was a little bit of going on faith as we had good GPS coordinates and radar but both sets of electronic charts were off about 2 miles!!
We will check the gribs tonight and see what happens tomorrow. We still have about 120 nautical miles to go yet!
Cheers
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Monday, December 22, 2014
Still here at Caleta Mariuccia
No we did not travel today. We got up early at 5:00 am, got dressed, make coffee and tea. Then we looked again at the gribs and decided that it was not a good day to go out.
So we stayed here. Rich worked on the wiring for the new fuel prefilters while I made cookies and tried to make some yogurt. The cookies are okay but not sure about the yogurt.
This evening we will look at the gribs again and see what the plan will be for tomorrow.
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So we stayed here. Rich worked on the wiring for the new fuel prefilters while I made cookies and tried to make some yogurt. The cookies are okay but not sure about the yogurt.
This evening we will look at the gribs again and see what the plan will be for tomorrow.
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Sunday, December 21, 2014
Caleta Mariuccia
45 45.068 S, 074 23.241 W Caleta Mariuccia
We left the anchorage at 11:30 am hoping to use the ebb tide for the passage. We were a little ahead but it worked out okay. The staysail was in and out a few times depending on where we were in Canal Pulluche. Now we are anchored at Caleta Mariuccia. We put the dingy on the foredeck, which is where we normally put it for ocean passages. Rich transferred fuel to fill up the internal tanks.
It looks like we have a weather window for Monday and Tuesday. If we can we will go all the way around the peninsula and across Golfo de Penas to Caleta Ideal (appropriate name). If we don't think the conditions are right we will stop at either Caleta Cliff or Caleta Canaveral on the peninsula and wait for conditions to improve. The distance to Caleta Cliff is 71 nautical miles. From Caleta Cliff to Caleta Ideal is 122.
I will try to send an email tomorrow. If not, don't worry, we will send one as soon as we can.
Cheers,
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We left the anchorage at 11:30 am hoping to use the ebb tide for the passage. We were a little ahead but it worked out okay. The staysail was in and out a few times depending on where we were in Canal Pulluche. Now we are anchored at Caleta Mariuccia. We put the dingy on the foredeck, which is where we normally put it for ocean passages. Rich transferred fuel to fill up the internal tanks.
It looks like we have a weather window for Monday and Tuesday. If we can we will go all the way around the peninsula and across Golfo de Penas to Caleta Ideal (appropriate name). If we don't think the conditions are right we will stop at either Caleta Cliff or Caleta Canaveral on the peninsula and wait for conditions to improve. The distance to Caleta Cliff is 71 nautical miles. From Caleta Cliff to Caleta Ideal is 122.
I will try to send an email tomorrow. If not, don't worry, we will send one as soon as we can.
Cheers,
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Saturday, December 20, 2014
Caleta Jacqueline
45 43.911 S, 073 57.467 W, Caleta Jacqueline
This morning after the Patagonia net we lifted anchor. It started out partly cloudy with some blue patches and stayed that way for at least half way. The staysail was in and out a few times. We passed one of the canals that lead out to the Pacific and saw a large bulk carrier, the Hanjin Mitisuta, 601 feet long. Glad we had our AIS and that he could 'see' us. It turned and was north bound.
Later in the day we had a series of squalls with rain and winds up to 24 knots and of course some wind over tide. One of the squalls lasted until we just entered the anchorage. We were prepared with our boots and foulies but the wind and rain abated just in time. From where we are anchored we can look out into the main canal.
Tomorrow if the conditions are fair we will start to head more westerly to prepare for going around the Golfo de Penas.
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This morning after the Patagonia net we lifted anchor. It started out partly cloudy with some blue patches and stayed that way for at least half way. The staysail was in and out a few times. We passed one of the canals that lead out to the Pacific and saw a large bulk carrier, the Hanjin Mitisuta, 601 feet long. Glad we had our AIS and that he could 'see' us. It turned and was north bound.
Later in the day we had a series of squalls with rain and winds up to 24 knots and of course some wind over tide. One of the squalls lasted until we just entered the anchorage. We were prepared with our boots and foulies but the wind and rain abated just in time. From where we are anchored we can look out into the main canal.
Tomorrow if the conditions are fair we will start to head more westerly to prepare for going around the Golfo de Penas.
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Friday, December 19, 2014
Yes, we are still here
Tonight will be our fourth night at Estero Atracadero. Today we had winds up to 23 knots and lots of rain with a few sun breaks but not enough to dry the little bit of laundry I did this morning.
Today we did chores. Rich installed a new systems for two fuel prefilters with valves so if one is clogged or has water we can easily switch to the other one and keep on going. He has been wanting to do this for about 5 years and today was a good day since we were not going anywhere and he had all of the parts and pieces that he needed. I did laundry and some sewing. Sarah had bought me a new small battery operated sewing machine. It only does a straight stitch and is not very heavy duty (no sails) but fine for adding patches to my jeans.
We will look at the gribs tonight and see if we are able to leave on Saturday or if we will wait until Sunday to continue south.
Cheers
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Today we did chores. Rich installed a new systems for two fuel prefilters with valves so if one is clogged or has water we can easily switch to the other one and keep on going. He has been wanting to do this for about 5 years and today was a good day since we were not going anywhere and he had all of the parts and pieces that he needed. I did laundry and some sewing. Sarah had bought me a new small battery operated sewing machine. It only does a straight stitch and is not very heavy duty (no sails) but fine for adding patches to my jeans.
We will look at the gribs tonight and see if we are able to leave on Saturday or if we will wait until Sunday to continue south.
Cheers
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Thursday, December 18, 2014
Re: Rain, rain, rain
Hello Windarra,
Well, if I took a video outside the house I suspect it wouldn't look any different than at Estero Atracadero...rain...rain...rain...Oh, plus cold...plus wind...plus grey overcast. After a lot of research on the internet I concluded that there is low pressure trough off shore with a marine push....
Nancy and I trekked to Port Townsend today for a teeth cleaning, oil change and tuneup with her brother. As an interesting coincidence as I was flossing my teeth this morning (in anticipation of the hygenist askiing, "when did you last floss your teeth") and, "Pop"; something landed on my bare foot; a gold earring? a cuff link?..... you guessed it; a gold crown. What are the odds? Fortunately, Steve was able to sand blast it, and glue it back in....BEFORE our 5 weeks of travel.
We fly to Phoenix on Saturday.... Go Hawks
Doug (and Nancy)
Rain, rain, rain
We are still here at Estero Atracadero. It has been raining all day. The winds have clocked around from northeast to southwest from 0 to 10 knots. Now it is relatively calm, but I expect it will get livelier this evening if the predictions hold true. In the mean time we read, did a few chores, read some more. Rich made a lamb ragu which has been slow cooking most of the afternoon and it smells great inside the boat. Unless the weather changes from the prediction we will be here at least all day tomorrow.
Hope all is well with you.
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Hope all is well with you.
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Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Still at Estero Atracadero
This morning we were up early and headed to Puerto Aguirre to get some diesel and see if there was anything available at the grocery store. It was an easy motor of about 8 nautical miles in little or no wind. We had success with both tasks then returned to our previous anchorage where we will wait out the weather system going through.
More later as it is time to send this out.
ps - did the Seahawks beat the 49ers again?
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More later as it is time to send this out.
ps - did the Seahawks beat the 49ers again?
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Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Estero Atracadero
45 11.535 S, 073 41.892 W Estero Atracadero
This morning we planned to go to Puerto Americano but as the day went on and the weather was good and the current was in our favor we decided to make more southerly and go to Estero Atracadero. The weather reports are indicating that it will be stormy on Thursday and this anchorage is supposed to be a good location to ride it out. So we thought we would check it out. As it turns out it is a good anchorage, so based on the gribs we might go 8 miles over to Port Aguirre to get some fuel and provision before returning back to this anchorage tomorrow so we will be tucked in before something starts on Thursday.
We did see a small furry animal on shore that looked like a martin or a mink. I need to look in the cruising guide to see if I can find out what it was.
Cheers
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This morning we planned to go to Puerto Americano but as the day went on and the weather was good and the current was in our favor we decided to make more southerly and go to Estero Atracadero. The weather reports are indicating that it will be stormy on Thursday and this anchorage is supposed to be a good location to ride it out. So we thought we would check it out. As it turns out it is a good anchorage, so based on the gribs we might go 8 miles over to Port Aguirre to get some fuel and provision before returning back to this anchorage tomorrow so we will be tucked in before something starts on Thursday.
We did see a small furry animal on shore that looked like a martin or a mink. I need to look in the cruising guide to see if I can find out what it was.
Cheers
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Monday, December 15, 2014
Estero Arboles Espectrales
44 39.579 S, 073 52.970 W
Yesterday, Frannie B and Limbo left the marina, while Storm Bay and us decided to stay another night. We took a hike up to a lake above the marina. It was a nice hike except for the obnoxious large flies that bite and kept trying to get inside my sunglasses or into my ear. Arggh.
Rich moved fuel around while I did some laundry, read hand washing in a bucket. Chris of Storm Bay put a new zipper on one of our panels in the dodger. The previous zipper lost a tooth so it was not functional. Chris had a spare zipper and did an excellent job. Thank you Chris. We also got a little internet time.
In the evening we had Chris and Margie over for dinner and Rich made crab cakes. Yum, delicious. We are expecting some weather on Thursday so we talked about where we should anchor on Wednesday to prepare. It is a serious topic for us cruisers.
Today we went to Estero Arboles Espectrales, which was named by the fact that after a fire some years ago, the forest has regenerated and looks quite nice. We stopped here last April and Storm Bay is here with up. I just made some brownies so guess what is for dessert tonight.....
We would also like to wish Sarah a happy birthday today. We are sorry we can't be with her but hope you knows that we miss her.
Cheers
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Yesterday, Frannie B and Limbo left the marina, while Storm Bay and us decided to stay another night. We took a hike up to a lake above the marina. It was a nice hike except for the obnoxious large flies that bite and kept trying to get inside my sunglasses or into my ear. Arggh.
Rich moved fuel around while I did some laundry, read hand washing in a bucket. Chris of Storm Bay put a new zipper on one of our panels in the dodger. The previous zipper lost a tooth so it was not functional. Chris had a spare zipper and did an excellent job. Thank you Chris. We also got a little internet time.
In the evening we had Chris and Margie over for dinner and Rich made crab cakes. Yum, delicious. We are expecting some weather on Thursday so we talked about where we should anchor on Wednesday to prepare. It is a serious topic for us cruisers.
Today we went to Estero Arboles Espectrales, which was named by the fact that after a fire some years ago, the forest has regenerated and looks quite nice. We stopped here last April and Storm Bay is here with up. I just made some brownies so guess what is for dessert tonight.....
We would also like to wish Sarah a happy birthday today. We are sorry we can't be with her but hope you knows that we miss her.
Cheers
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Saturday, December 13, 2014
Rendezvous at Marina Jechica
44 25.150 S, 073 51.588 W
This morning we were anchor up at 7:20 am and we thought we would have a long day motoring across Canal Moraleda. The winds were light as we left the anchorage but as we turned the corner to head into the canal, the winds jumps to 20-24 knots and from the south, southwest, just the direction we wanted to go. As the tide was flowing to the south we had wind over tide which caused the seas to be sloppy and choppy, 1 meter seas, 5 foot chop and wind waves. So we had to change our original plan to sail south-southwest to almost directly west to cross to the west side of the of the canal before turning south. It was nice to have the tide with us to push us along but it was a bumpy ride. When we had to turn south our speed over the ground went from 6 knots to 2-3 knots. When we turned west again the seas flattened and the winds decreased as we were behind some islands and our speed over the ground went to 8 knots. Unfortunately all of the bouncing around caused some junk in the fuel to get stirred around and we had to turn off the engine while Rich drained the gunk and water from the fuel filter and bleed any air out before we restarted the engine. Of course at this point I was trying to sail in 3 to 4 knots of wind. But, all turned out well and we made it safely to Marina Jechica.
We are here with Ned, Carol and Rachel of SV Frannie B, Don and Lauren of SV Limbo and Chris and Margie of SV Storm Bay of Hobart. The marina has not officially opened for the season so no restaurant but we were able to have a potluck anyway. It is good to see everyone and to exchange stories and information. We are all excited and anxious about heading south. Do we have enough food? Do we have enough fuel? Have you been watching the weather? Will it be clear or raining? Do you plan to stop at this or that anchorage? Universal cruiser conversation, the same around the world.
It is great to get together and share these experiences plus the safety of others going the same way. We have decided to stay here tonight and tomorrow night as we need a little rest from today and to do a few chores, including a little internet time.
We will let you know when we leave. We still have plenty of miles to go.
----------
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This morning we were anchor up at 7:20 am and we thought we would have a long day motoring across Canal Moraleda. The winds were light as we left the anchorage but as we turned the corner to head into the canal, the winds jumps to 20-24 knots and from the south, southwest, just the direction we wanted to go. As the tide was flowing to the south we had wind over tide which caused the seas to be sloppy and choppy, 1 meter seas, 5 foot chop and wind waves. So we had to change our original plan to sail south-southwest to almost directly west to cross to the west side of the of the canal before turning south. It was nice to have the tide with us to push us along but it was a bumpy ride. When we had to turn south our speed over the ground went from 6 knots to 2-3 knots. When we turned west again the seas flattened and the winds decreased as we were behind some islands and our speed over the ground went to 8 knots. Unfortunately all of the bouncing around caused some junk in the fuel to get stirred around and we had to turn off the engine while Rich drained the gunk and water from the fuel filter and bleed any air out before we restarted the engine. Of course at this point I was trying to sail in 3 to 4 knots of wind. But, all turned out well and we made it safely to Marina Jechica.
We are here with Ned, Carol and Rachel of SV Frannie B, Don and Lauren of SV Limbo and Chris and Margie of SV Storm Bay of Hobart. The marina has not officially opened for the season so no restaurant but we were able to have a potluck anyway. It is good to see everyone and to exchange stories and information. We are all excited and anxious about heading south. Do we have enough food? Do we have enough fuel? Have you been watching the weather? Will it be clear or raining? Do you plan to stop at this or that anchorage? Universal cruiser conversation, the same around the world.
It is great to get together and share these experiences plus the safety of others going the same way. We have decided to stay here tonight and tomorrow night as we need a little rest from today and to do a few chores, including a little internet time.
We will let you know when we leave. We still have plenty of miles to go.
----------
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Friday, December 12, 2014
Seno Venas Abiertas
44 03.868 S, 073 11.481 W, Seno Venas Abiertas
We are now at the end of a small inlet, behind a salmon farm. The water is still and so are the winds currently. After we anchored I saw a sea otter swim by and poke his head up to take a look at us. Two gentlemen from the salmon farm, Alex and Ricardo came by in the rigid inflatable to say hi and we explained that we wanted to anchor for the night and would that be okay. They responded yes, waved and went back to the farm.
Tomorrow we plan to get up early and go west to cross Canal Moreada before the winds pick up. We plan to meet up with Frannie B, Storm Bay and Limbo at Marina Jechica if all goes well.
Cheers
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We are now at the end of a small inlet, behind a salmon farm. The water is still and so are the winds currently. After we anchored I saw a sea otter swim by and poke his head up to take a look at us. Two gentlemen from the salmon farm, Alex and Ricardo came by in the rigid inflatable to say hi and we explained that we wanted to anchor for the night and would that be okay. They responded yes, waved and went back to the farm.
Tomorrow we plan to get up early and go west to cross Canal Moreada before the winds pick up. We plan to meet up with Frannie B, Storm Bay and Limbo at Marina Jechica if all goes well.
Cheers
----------
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Thursday, December 11, 2014
Puerto Escondido
43 36.658 S, 072 53.330 W Puerto Escondido
Today we got up at 4:30 am (yawn) and left the anchorage at 5:40 am when there was enough light to see. We sailed and motor sailed across Golfo Corcovado and now we are at anchor at Puerto Escondido on the east side in Bahia Tic Toc. Earlier this year we saw a blue whale as we were entering the bay but not this time. We did wake up a sea lion snoozing on the surface and saw some dolphins out hunting for fish but other than that it was uneventful, which is good too. The anchorage is very quiet and not a ripple in the water and we were at rest by 2:00 pm.
Tomorrow we will get up early again and continue south. Our friends on Storm Bay of Hobart, Frannie B and Limbo are a little farther sound. We hope to meet in the next few days.
Cheers
----------
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Today we got up at 4:30 am (yawn) and left the anchorage at 5:40 am when there was enough light to see. We sailed and motor sailed across Golfo Corcovado and now we are at anchor at Puerto Escondido on the east side in Bahia Tic Toc. Earlier this year we saw a blue whale as we were entering the bay but not this time. We did wake up a sea lion snoozing on the surface and saw some dolphins out hunting for fish but other than that it was uneventful, which is good too. The anchorage is very quiet and not a ripple in the water and we were at rest by 2:00 pm.
Tomorrow we will get up early again and continue south. Our friends on Storm Bay of Hobart, Frannie B and Limbo are a little farther sound. We hope to meet in the next few days.
Cheers
----------
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Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Estero Huildad
43 04.307 S, 073 31.517 W
We are anchored at Estero Huildad, a place we visited twice early in the year. It is a nice, calm, protected anchorage. Today we had winds up to 26 and of course, on the nose for most of the way. We got a push when the tide changed which helped a lot. We saw sea lions in a narrow pass feasting on fish, along with penquins. Not sure what we will do tomorrow, it depends on what we see on the gribs tonight.
Cheers
----------
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We are anchored at Estero Huildad, a place we visited twice early in the year. It is a nice, calm, protected anchorage. Today we had winds up to 26 and of course, on the nose for most of the way. We got a push when the tide changed which helped a lot. We saw sea lions in a narrow pass feasting on fish, along with penquins. Not sure what we will do tomorrow, it depends on what we see on the gribs tonight.
Cheers
----------
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Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Still here but...
We are still here at Marina Quinched. Shortly after arriving on Saturday night our heater stopped working. Oh no, again? On Sunday, Rich took it apart and tried to figure out what was going wrong but still unable to get it started. On Monday we were able to hire Patricio the taxi driver to take us into Castro for a stop at the bank, the supermarket and the gas station. Even though Monday was a holiday here in Chile (not sure which one), the store was open so we bought some fresh items and a few other things plus at stop to fill 3 jerry jugs and back to the boat. Rich called the heater guys on Monday afternoon and they gave some good advice which Rich was able to implement today and now the heater is working again. Apparently some oil and water got into the exhaust tubing and was plugging things up (my non technical explanation). Not sure how this happened but hopefully it will not happen again.
Of course now that we have been delayed the winds have switched from the north to the south. This means that crossing Golfo de Corcovado would be with wind over tide or not a good thing. So we might go to Estero Huildad, where we stopped earlier this year and spend the night and assess the situation and decide whether to go south or to go east and then south.
Today I walked over and gave our condolences to Valeska, William's widow. We are all sad that William is gone. Marina Quinched was so much William. His sons Alan, Mark and Jan are working hard to understand all that William did and they hope to keep the marina going which would be great for the cruiser community. For foreign cruisers like us, having a facility like Marina Quinched and someone like William who is able to assist with paperwork such as zarpe, temporary import permits and extending visa, as well as being bilingual is so helpful and appreciated.
We will update the blog and let you know where we are. This may be our last wifi for a while.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
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Of course now that we have been delayed the winds have switched from the north to the south. This means that crossing Golfo de Corcovado would be with wind over tide or not a good thing. So we might go to Estero Huildad, where we stopped earlier this year and spend the night and assess the situation and decide whether to go south or to go east and then south.
Today I walked over and gave our condolences to Valeska, William's widow. We are all sad that William is gone. Marina Quinched was so much William. His sons Alan, Mark and Jan are working hard to understand all that William did and they hope to keep the marina going which would be great for the cruiser community. For foreign cruisers like us, having a facility like Marina Quinched and someone like William who is able to assist with paperwork such as zarpe, temporary import permits and extending visa, as well as being bilingual is so helpful and appreciated.
We will update the blog and let you know where we are. This may be our last wifi for a while.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
----------
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Saturday, December 6, 2014
Marina Quinched 12/6/2014
42 34.699 S, 073 45.364 W
Today we raised anchor at 9:20 am after the net and headed west-southwest. We had a great sail to Marina Quinched and better yet, it did not rain either though there were some threatening clouds in the distance.
IT is a little sad arriving at the marina. William Bannister who owned and operated the marina died suddenly on Nov 18. His family, including his 3 grown sons are trying to deal with his loss and also trying to understand all of the things that William did at the marina. He was especially helpful to foreign cruisers like us as he speak very good English and assisted with things like zarpes, temporary import permits, extending visas, getting boat parts, bus tickets, finding a dentist, getting fuel and propane, etc. William will be missed by the cruising community.
We, of course, hope to top off our provisions and fuel, as this will be the last place before we get to Puerto Eden some 400 plus nautical miles south. As Monday is a holiday we will have to get this done on Sunday.
I load new charts of southern Chile and the east coast of South America onto the charter/plotter so we are good to go. When we leave here we will be off the grid for a while. Our email will be limited to sailmail which is text only, no attachments. No google news, no facebook, no news, no hotmail. If some major event happens in the world, chances are we will not know about it. Please let us know if the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl again...
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Today we raised anchor at 9:20 am after the net and headed west-southwest. We had a great sail to Marina Quinched and better yet, it did not rain either though there were some threatening clouds in the distance.
IT is a little sad arriving at the marina. William Bannister who owned and operated the marina died suddenly on Nov 18. His family, including his 3 grown sons are trying to deal with his loss and also trying to understand all of the things that William did at the marina. He was especially helpful to foreign cruisers like us as he speak very good English and assisted with things like zarpes, temporary import permits, extending visas, getting boat parts, bus tickets, finding a dentist, getting fuel and propane, etc. William will be missed by the cruising community.
We, of course, hope to top off our provisions and fuel, as this will be the last place before we get to Puerto Eden some 400 plus nautical miles south. As Monday is a holiday we will have to get this done on Sunday.
I load new charts of southern Chile and the east coast of South America onto the charter/plotter so we are good to go. When we leave here we will be off the grid for a while. Our email will be limited to sailmail which is text only, no attachments. No google news, no facebook, no news, no hotmail. If some major event happens in the world, chances are we will not know about it. Please let us know if the Seahawks make it to the Super Bowl again...
----------
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Friday, December 5, 2014
A day at Caleta Anihue 12/5
42 19.289 S, 073 15.332 W
As it was raining and miserable out we decided to stay at Caleta Anihue (anyhow, anyhoo, anyhooie?) We had a leisurely breakfast, an ometet. Usually in the morning we have been checking the internet, reading our email, checking Google News, the weather, etc, but as we have no wifi and no cell connection, we did some reading, of the paper kind. Rich did some research in our files on the boat on the alternate and the charge controller and later in the afternoon he did some rewiring and now the alternator it charging the batteries as it should and the Outback Mate system is reporting as it should. Meanwhile I baked a carrot cake, sewed a hole in a jeans pocket and started to arrange some of our DVDs in a new binder. Not a bad day.
As I was reading in the cockpit, I looked up and saw a sailboat come in and anchor near us. I was SV Frannie B. They left Puerto Montt yesterday, anchored farther north and arrived here in the afternoon. We will be loosely joining them as we continue south.
Tomorrow, we will....
Cheers.
----------
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As it was raining and miserable out we decided to stay at Caleta Anihue (anyhow, anyhoo, anyhooie?) We had a leisurely breakfast, an ometet. Usually in the morning we have been checking the internet, reading our email, checking Google News, the weather, etc, but as we have no wifi and no cell connection, we did some reading, of the paper kind. Rich did some research in our files on the boat on the alternate and the charge controller and later in the afternoon he did some rewiring and now the alternator it charging the batteries as it should and the Outback Mate system is reporting as it should. Meanwhile I baked a carrot cake, sewed a hole in a jeans pocket and started to arrange some of our DVDs in a new binder. Not a bad day.
As I was reading in the cockpit, I looked up and saw a sailboat come in and anchor near us. I was SV Frannie B. They left Puerto Montt yesterday, anchored farther north and arrived here in the afternoon. We will be loosely joining them as we continue south.
Tomorrow, we will....
Cheers.
----------
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Thursday, December 4, 2014
Caleta Anihue 12/4
42 19.289 S, 073 15.332 W
This morning we were up anchor at 9:30 am. Rich used our scythe to clear away some lines of mussels off of the anchor. Despite the haze and clouds in the distance we were still about to see snow on the Andes to the east. There were pelicans and penguins floating by. The current was with us, pushing us as much as 1.5 - 2 knots favorably and we saw 8.5 knots of speed over the ground for part of the trip.
We are anchored at Caleta Anihue, near Isla Mechanque which we visited earlier this year. Tomorrow there are predictions of 90% chance of rain so we may stay a day and wait for better weather before continuing.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
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This morning we were up anchor at 9:30 am. Rich used our scythe to clear away some lines of mussels off of the anchor. Despite the haze and clouds in the distance we were still about to see snow on the Andes to the east. There were pelicans and penguins floating by. The current was with us, pushing us as much as 1.5 - 2 knots favorably and we saw 8.5 knots of speed over the ground for part of the trip.
We are anchored at Caleta Anihue, near Isla Mechanque which we visited earlier this year. Tomorrow there are predictions of 90% chance of rain so we may stay a day and wait for better weather before continuing.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
----------
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Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Back on the road again, Estero Chope 12/3/2014
41 48.896 S, 073 04.862 W
Yesterday we went to the Chilean Armada office and filed our zarpe to Puerto Williams, via Puerto Eden. We estimated our arrival in Puerto Eden mid January and Puerto Williams mid February. It may be sooner but it is better to overestimate. I will send our position information to the Armada plus Search and Rescue daily.
This morning Franck and Maia of SV Petit Prince came by to say goodbye. They have given us lots of information about the canals in the south and we look forward to seeing the places they described.
At 9:45 am we eased out of the slip at Club Nautico Reloncavi. Don and Lauren, his new crewperson, of SV Limbo helped cast off our docklines. It feels good to be one our way and heading southward.
I have not written much of this past month or so. It has been busy doing boat projects like installing new wind instrument and cable (Rich up the mast 3 times), new Iridium GO, repaired heater (very important), reinstalled repaired center fuel tank (high on the list), finding parts and installing 2 fuel prefilters so we may switch from one to another, etc, etc. We also spent time provisioning at Jumbo, Bigger, Santa Isobel and Lider, the supermarkets in Puerto Montt as well as Angelmo, the Saturday morning fresh market for vegetables, fruit, salmon and crab. With our new additional jerry jugs we have 750 liters of fuel total. On deck we have 4 floating lines of 100 plus meters long each in baskets so that when we anchor in tight spots we can tie to trees on shore.
It wasn't all work and no play. We did enjoy lunch at the club with other cruisers including Tom and Dorothy of SV Joyant, Richard and Susan of SV Abrazo, as well as BBQs with Roel and Jacomine of SY Tara of the Netherlands, Franck and Maia and their two children of SV Petit Prince of France. Richard and Susan also took us to Cotele, a restaurant run by an ex-pat cruiser from South Africa (look it up on Trip Advisor). It was a great meal of very thick, very tender filet with sides of salad and potatoes with a special cheesecake like dessert. Yummy. For Thanksgiving we joined Ned, Carol and Rachel on SV Frannie B plus Don and Lauren of SV Limbo, with turkey and all of the trimmings including pumpkin pie and berry pie. The leftovers were great too.
Finally we reached escape velocity and we are on the move. Estero Chope is a long inlet with muscle and salmon farms but a quiet, peaceful anchorage. It is time to chill out.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
----------
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Yesterday we went to the Chilean Armada office and filed our zarpe to Puerto Williams, via Puerto Eden. We estimated our arrival in Puerto Eden mid January and Puerto Williams mid February. It may be sooner but it is better to overestimate. I will send our position information to the Armada plus Search and Rescue daily.
This morning Franck and Maia of SV Petit Prince came by to say goodbye. They have given us lots of information about the canals in the south and we look forward to seeing the places they described.
At 9:45 am we eased out of the slip at Club Nautico Reloncavi. Don and Lauren, his new crewperson, of SV Limbo helped cast off our docklines. It feels good to be one our way and heading southward.
I have not written much of this past month or so. It has been busy doing boat projects like installing new wind instrument and cable (Rich up the mast 3 times), new Iridium GO, repaired heater (very important), reinstalled repaired center fuel tank (high on the list), finding parts and installing 2 fuel prefilters so we may switch from one to another, etc, etc. We also spent time provisioning at Jumbo, Bigger, Santa Isobel and Lider, the supermarkets in Puerto Montt as well as Angelmo, the Saturday morning fresh market for vegetables, fruit, salmon and crab. With our new additional jerry jugs we have 750 liters of fuel total. On deck we have 4 floating lines of 100 plus meters long each in baskets so that when we anchor in tight spots we can tie to trees on shore.
It wasn't all work and no play. We did enjoy lunch at the club with other cruisers including Tom and Dorothy of SV Joyant, Richard and Susan of SV Abrazo, as well as BBQs with Roel and Jacomine of SY Tara of the Netherlands, Franck and Maia and their two children of SV Petit Prince of France. Richard and Susan also took us to Cotele, a restaurant run by an ex-pat cruiser from South Africa (look it up on Trip Advisor). It was a great meal of very thick, very tender filet with sides of salad and potatoes with a special cheesecake like dessert. Yummy. For Thanksgiving we joined Ned, Carol and Rachel on SV Frannie B plus Don and Lauren of SV Limbo, with turkey and all of the trimmings including pumpkin pie and berry pie. The leftovers were great too.
Finally we reached escape velocity and we are on the move. Estero Chope is a long inlet with muscle and salmon farms but a quiet, peaceful anchorage. It is time to chill out.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
----------
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Monday, December 1, 2014
Re: Up the mast
Bon Voyage!
Doug
(In Japan)
Sent from my iPhone
> On Dec 2, 2014, at 6:32 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Yes, Rich came down successfully. If you look at the blog I posted a picture of us having dinner last night at a great Italian restaurant here in Pto Montt. Fresh homemade pasta, pizza and tiramisu. Of course, not as good as Jesse's but not bad for southern Chile! The owner/cook of the restaurant is from Sicily!
>
> Current plan is to get fuel tomorrow, visit the Armada and leave early Wednesday morning.
>
> We will be switching over to sailmail unless we have cell/wifi which will be less and less as we go south.
>
> We have the Iridium working too
>
> Cheers!
> Love you all,
> Elaine and Rich
>
> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
>
>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:48 PM, Rae Wannier <rae.wannier@yale.edu> wrote:
>>
>> And here I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up picture to document that Richard made it safely back down the mast again…
>>
>> In the meantime I will be imagining sunshine and rainbows and that beautiful blue sky in the background. I'm sending off apps like crazy today.
>>
>> Love,
>> Rae
>>
>>
>>> On Nov 30, 2014, at 5:50 PM, Doug Hansmann wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>>>
>>> D
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>>>
>>>> <photo.JPG>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
>>
Doug
(In Japan)
Sent from my iPhone
> On Dec 2, 2014, at 6:32 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Yes, Rich came down successfully. If you look at the blog I posted a picture of us having dinner last night at a great Italian restaurant here in Pto Montt. Fresh homemade pasta, pizza and tiramisu. Of course, not as good as Jesse's but not bad for southern Chile! The owner/cook of the restaurant is from Sicily!
>
> Current plan is to get fuel tomorrow, visit the Armada and leave early Wednesday morning.
>
> We will be switching over to sailmail unless we have cell/wifi which will be less and less as we go south.
>
> We have the Iridium working too
>
> Cheers!
> Love you all,
> Elaine and Rich
>
> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
>
>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:48 PM, Rae Wannier <rae.wannier@yale.edu> wrote:
>>
>> And here I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up picture to document that Richard made it safely back down the mast again…
>>
>> In the meantime I will be imagining sunshine and rainbows and that beautiful blue sky in the background. I'm sending off apps like crazy today.
>>
>> Love,
>> Rae
>>
>>
>>> On Nov 30, 2014, at 5:50 PM, Doug Hansmann wrote:
>>>
>>> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>>>
>>> D
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
>>>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>>>
>>>> <photo.JPG>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
>>
Re: Up the mast
Yes, Rich came down successfully. If you look at the blog I posted a picture of us having dinner last night at a great Italian restaurant here in Pto Montt. Fresh homemade pasta, pizza and tiramisu. Of course, not as good as Jesse's but not bad for southern Chile! The owner/cook of the restaurant is from Sicily!
Current plan is to get fuel tomorrow, visit the Armada and leave early Wednesday morning.
We will be switching over to sailmail unless we have cell/wifi which will be less and less as we go south.
We have the Iridium working too
Cheers!
Love you all,
Elaine and Rich
Sent from Elaine's iPhone
> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:48 PM, Rae Wannier <rae.wannier@yale.edu> wrote:
>
> And here I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up picture to document that Richard made it safely back down the mast again…
>
> In the meantime I will be imagining sunshine and rainbows and that beautiful blue sky in the background. I'm sending off apps like crazy today.
>
> Love,
> Rae
>
>
>> On Nov 30, 2014, at 5:50 PM, Doug Hansmann wrote:
>>
>> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>>
>> D
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>>
>>> <photo.JPG>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
>
Current plan is to get fuel tomorrow, visit the Armada and leave early Wednesday morning.
We will be switching over to sailmail unless we have cell/wifi which will be less and less as we go south.
We have the Iridium working too
Cheers!
Love you all,
Elaine and Rich
Sent from Elaine's iPhone
> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:48 PM, Rae Wannier <rae.wannier@yale.edu> wrote:
>
> And here I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up picture to document that Richard made it safely back down the mast again…
>
> In the meantime I will be imagining sunshine and rainbows and that beautiful blue sky in the background. I'm sending off apps like crazy today.
>
> Love,
> Rae
>
>
>> On Nov 30, 2014, at 5:50 PM, Doug Hansmann wrote:
>>
>> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>>
>> D
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>>
>>> <photo.JPG>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
>
Re: Up the mast
Yes all lights are in good working order as well as the new wind instruments. Certainly out pieces of yard on the shrouds were good and reliable but did not communicate with the autopilot so new instruments were necessary as well as a new cable down the mast.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
Sent from Elaine's iPhone
> On Nov 30, 2014, at 7:50 PM, Doug Hansmann <doug.hansmann@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>
> D
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>
>> <photo.JPG>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
Sent from Elaine's iPhone
> On Nov 30, 2014, at 7:50 PM, Doug Hansmann <doug.hansmann@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>
> D
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>
>> <photo.JPG>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
Re: Up the mast
And here I am eagerly awaiting the follow-up picture to document that Richard made it safely back down the mast again…
In the meantime I will be imagining sunshine and rainbows and that beautiful blue sky in the background. I'm sending off apps like crazy today.
Love,
Rae
On Nov 30, 2014, at 5:50 PM, Doug Hansmann wrote:
> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>
> D
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>
>> <photo.JPG>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
In the meantime I will be imagining sunshine and rainbows and that beautiful blue sky in the background. I'm sending off apps like crazy today.
Love,
Rae
On Nov 30, 2014, at 5:50 PM, Doug Hansmann wrote:
> Hey, buddy...got a light?
>
> D
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>>
>> <photo.JPG>
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Dinner with SV Frannie B
Re: Up the mast
Hey, buddy...got a light?
D
Sent from my iPhone
> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>
> <photo.JPG>
>
>
>
> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
D
Sent from my iPhone
> On Dec 1, 2014, at 3:55 AM, Windarra <svwindarra@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Rich is up the mast now, tidying up where he put on the new wind instruments, 65 ft off the water!
>
> <photo.JPG>
>
>
>
> Sent from Elaine's iPhone
Up the mast
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Hostal to Windarra
Thursday Windarra went back into the water. It is nice to be floating again. Friday was a holiday so many boats were heading out for a long weekend. Rich and I worked on putting Windarra back into shape. We have plenty of boat projects.
Today Rich got the heater working. Yeah! Tomorrow we will move back on board. Hopefully we will find room for all of the boat stuff we brought from the states.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Room with a view
Rich cleaned the prop, shaft, strut and skeg, painted and put on new zincs. He also painted new marks on the anchor chain and installed some star board in the anchor locker.
I have been wiping down everything to remove any mildew that accumulated while we were gone. We had a dehumidifier put on the boat while we were away which helped a lot but it never prevents all of it.
This is the view out our window with the boat yard in the foreground and the mountains beyond.
We hope to be back in the water soon.
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Selfie in a 787
Tuesday night we flew from NYC JFK nonstop to Santiago, Chile on a LAN airlines 787-8, a 10 hour flight. I have to admit that I was a little worried as knowledge can sometimes be a terrible thing.
The lighting and layout is impressive as you first get on, comfortable and spacious feeling, soft and not glaring. The cabin lights changed during the flight as we went from night to day time. The overhead bins are spacious and I was able to open it without having to step on a seat to reach it.
As we were boarding we were told not to use any electronic devices as the plane was being fueled. Rich and I were seated in row 32, seats J, K, an aisle and a middle seat on the starboard side. Before the person in the window seat arrived, I played with the electronic dimmer on the window but it was hard to tell the difference as it was around 8 pm and already dusk.
We would have liked a little more legroom but at least the LAN configuration is better than some US domestic flights. There were 110ac outlets under the middle seat and a USB port on the seat back entertainment system which we both though worked very well. There is a sensor so if you wave your hand in front of the monitor, LEDs indicating where the USB and headset ports are light up. It did take a bit to figure out which icon controlled the overhead light versus dimmed the monitor. I thought my overhead light was pointed on my head instead of my tray which I found a little annoying and I wished I could have dimmed it as well. The overhead ventilation was great, easy to control and plenty of air if I needed it.
Takeoff was smooth and it did not take very long for rollout. Impressive since every seat was filled and there was a lot of luggage on board (note: we had 5 checked bags, 3 @ 43 lbs, 2 @ 49, 4 of which had boat parts). It is amazing how much the wing flexed upwards. The plane seemed ready to fly. There was no hydraulic noises like you hear on other airplanes, nor the thud when the landing gear is stowed. Since we both used to work in the Noise Lab, we especially noticed how much more quiet it is inside.
A few times during the flight it seemed like the engine power was increased even though we were in cruise. I suspect it was due to the CACs but just a guess on my part.
There was some turbulence during the flight, with the accompanying announcements to remain in your seats and buckle up.
At the end of the flight we waited until all the other passengers had deplaned and asked if we could see the cockpit. The pilots seemed delighted to be able to show us. They were friendly and gave good reports. The captain had previously flown 767s and said that switching over to the 787 was not difficult. The copilot had flown 707s and remarked that they were trained not to look at the wings on the 707 due to the movement but that there was not a lot of flutter on the 787 wings. They were awed by the CCR - was it a brain or the heart of the airplane. One problem they did mention was load shedding for the ECS. That could lead back to our comments about the engines/CACs. At first the pilots did not like the HUD but now they would miss them if it was removed. They truly seemed to enjoy flying the 787. I asked it they were using the feature to deal with turbulence and they said yes they were and that from their perspective it helps a lot and that they report less turbulence than other airplanes in the same area.
Rich and I were both impressed. You should all feel proud of the 787. I hope you will get a chance to fly on it as a passenger going to some place in the world for fun and not for work or as work. It beats the A330 we flew from Buenos Aires to NYC JFK in May when the plane kept going down the runway for so long I thought we would not take off but arrive at the subway station at NYC. It also provides a better ride than the 777-300 we flew from Toronto to Santiago in February, which surprisingly was my first ride on a 777.
There will be no more airplane flights in our near future. We will be doing some boat projects before continuing to sail south to Puerto Williams and Cabo de Hornas, leaving Puerto Montt hopefully late November.
I feel much better about flying on a 787 now than when I saw all the problems in the lab. It is not to say that there are not any problems but that the flying experience is a great one.
Hopefully our sailing experience will be just as smooth.
Elaine and Rich
Puerto Montt, Chile
The lighting and layout is impressive as you first get on, comfortable and spacious feeling, soft and not glaring. The cabin lights changed during the flight as we went from night to day time. The overhead bins are spacious and I was able to open it without having to step on a seat to reach it.
As we were boarding we were told not to use any electronic devices as the plane was being fueled. Rich and I were seated in row 32, seats J, K, an aisle and a middle seat on the starboard side. Before the person in the window seat arrived, I played with the electronic dimmer on the window but it was hard to tell the difference as it was around 8 pm and already dusk.
We would have liked a little more legroom but at least the LAN configuration is better than some US domestic flights. There were 110ac outlets under the middle seat and a USB port on the seat back entertainment system which we both though worked very well. There is a sensor so if you wave your hand in front of the monitor, LEDs indicating where the USB and headset ports are light up. It did take a bit to figure out which icon controlled the overhead light versus dimmed the monitor. I thought my overhead light was pointed on my head instead of my tray which I found a little annoying and I wished I could have dimmed it as well. The overhead ventilation was great, easy to control and plenty of air if I needed it.
Takeoff was smooth and it did not take very long for rollout. Impressive since every seat was filled and there was a lot of luggage on board (note: we had 5 checked bags, 3 @ 43 lbs, 2 @ 49, 4 of which had boat parts). It is amazing how much the wing flexed upwards. The plane seemed ready to fly. There was no hydraulic noises like you hear on other airplanes, nor the thud when the landing gear is stowed. Since we both used to work in the Noise Lab, we especially noticed how much more quiet it is inside.
A few times during the flight it seemed like the engine power was increased even though we were in cruise. I suspect it was due to the CACs but just a guess on my part.
There was some turbulence during the flight, with the accompanying announcements to remain in your seats and buckle up.
At the end of the flight we waited until all the other passengers had deplaned and asked if we could see the cockpit. The pilots seemed delighted to be able to show us. They were friendly and gave good reports. The captain had previously flown 767s and said that switching over to the 787 was not difficult. The copilot had flown 707s and remarked that they were trained not to look at the wings on the 707 due to the movement but that there was not a lot of flutter on the 787 wings. They were awed by the CCR - was it a brain or the heart of the airplane. One problem they did mention was load shedding for the ECS. That could lead back to our comments about the engines/CACs. At first the pilots did not like the HUD but now they would miss them if it was removed. They truly seemed to enjoy flying the 787. I asked it they were using the feature to deal with turbulence and they said yes they were and that from their perspective it helps a lot and that they report less turbulence than other airplanes in the same area.
Rich and I were both impressed. You should all feel proud of the 787. I hope you will get a chance to fly on it as a passenger going to some place in the world for fun and not for work or as work. It beats the A330 we flew from Buenos Aires to NYC JFK in May when the plane kept going down the runway for so long I thought we would not take off but arrive at the subway station at NYC. It also provides a better ride than the 777-300 we flew from Toronto to Santiago in February, which surprisingly was my first ride on a 777.
There will be no more airplane flights in our near future. We will be doing some boat projects before continuing to sail south to Puerto Williams and Cabo de Hornas, leaving Puerto Montt hopefully late November.
I feel much better about flying on a 787 now than when I saw all the problems in the lab. It is not to say that there are not any problems but that the flying experience is a great one.
Hopefully our sailing experience will be just as smooth.
Elaine and Rich
Puerto Montt, Chile
Sunday, October 19, 2014
The Bocuse - Bon Appetit
On Friday we drove to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) to enjoy a delicious lunch at The Bocuse restaurant. Cooking and serving is part of the instruction for students. We dined on foie gras, sweetbreads, crab, rabbit, duck and beef tenderloin. Dessert included Mont Blanc and Lemon Bar.
It was a fun experience and we had perfect fall weather to enjoy the setting on the Hudson River. After lunch we drove to the Vanderbilt estate to walk around the grounds and aid with digestion!
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Old Friends
Below is Rich, Tony Carozza, Wilda and Jim, Alan Weber and his wife, Cherie.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
New - Windarra on the map
A friend of our, Tucker, of SV Convivia, has put together a website for reporting locations based on reports submitted from cruisers like us. This allows folks like you to click on the "Windarra on the map" link on the right side of the blog or go to Tucker's website www.farkwar.com directly and see a google map with our recent locations.
We think this will be a better GoogleMap view than Pangolin (Where is Windarra now?), which has some time lag or Shiptrak (Where have we been?) which unfortunately lost some of our locations over the past 3 years.
So please take a look and let me know what you think. Through Tucker's website, you may also sign in to follow Windarra and receive emails when we report our new position.
The starting location shows where Windarra is currently, on the hard at Club Nautico Reloncavi in Puerto Montt, Chile. We will returning to the boat in October. When we start travelling again, I will try and post our positions so you may follow along.
Thank you Tucker for setting this up.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Couch surfing, cats and chickens
While we are in Seattle, we have been trying something new. We did not want to spend all of our time sleeping on the couch at Sarah's apartment until her roommate, Jess, left for Australia in mid July. It is fine to stay at friends for a few days but we were looking for something to cover more of the two months. The answer was house sitting. Through friends travelling and friends of friends and a website site, www.housecarers.com, we found 4 different places to house sit. In addition to staying at someone's house, we also took care of watering plants, mowing the lawn, caring for cats and chickens. Rich mentioned that he had some experience with chickens while in boy scouts so he was nominated for that duty. He called the 5 hens, 'the ladies', and they started to recognize him after several days. One home was on Bainbridge Island so we had a chance to visit with friends who also live on the island. Another home was in the Greenlake area so we walked around the lake one day. This was an opportunity to experience different neighborhoods, and also remind us what living in a house was like as we have been liveaboards for the past 14+ years.
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| Hanging out in Ballard near our old house |
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| Rich tending the 'ladies' |
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| A chance to cook in a real kitchen |
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| Views of Lake Washington and the Burke-Gilman trail |
We are liking the experience so well that we will definitely do it in the future and possibly overseas as well.
Now we are back at Sarah's until we head to the east coast of the U.S. to visit before returning to Chile at the end of October. There still are a few more boat parts to pick up and we already have one large suitcase from Goodwill to take some of them back with us.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Visits to Connecticut and New Jersey
After New York City we took the train from Penn Station to New Haven, Connecticut. Unfortunately as we were walking through the station my left contact came out. We sat down and Rich checked my clothes and my hair looking for it. I walked over to where I was standing when I thought it came out and sure enough I found it on the floor. Someone must have stepped on it or rolled their suitcase over it because it is a little flattened out. So I am back to wearing glasses until I can get a replacement.
The train ride was comfortable and on time. Rae met us at the station and we hopped on the Yale shuttle to return to their apartment. We had a wonderful visit with them. One of the days, Rae joined us at the Peabody museum to see their exhibit of dinosaur eggs which also featured hatching emu eggs in an incubator and a new hatched emu for size comparison. Louise, Rae's mother, came up on Thursday and we all had dinner together and had a chance to visit.
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| Rae and her mother, Louise |
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| Jesse painting his WOW figures |
different Tony awards this year, and a fun dinner at Becco's with Anneliese, their daughter. Red Hook is an area of urban renewal. Some of the factory and warehouse buildings are being renovated and now house a winery, a whiskey distillery, a factory that makes chocolate, restaurants, glass blowing to help revitalize the area. Unfortunately this area was also hard hit by the storm Sandy. The Red Hook winery was just opening their doors when Sandy hit but they have been able to clean up, repair and rebuild and are open again.
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| Bill and Stephanie with the Statue of Liberty in the background |
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| A door in Red Hook showing the water level from the Storm Sandy |
More to come.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
New York City photos
We had a great time in New York City, including walking up Broadway and Park Avenue, seeing the pterosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History, and having a great dinner at the Brasserie Cognac, the same restaurant where we had dinner for our 25th anniversary.
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| Rich grabbing the world at Columbia Circle |
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| Spring in Central Park |
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| Pterosaurs! Glad they are not flying today |
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| Elaine at Times Square |
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| The Chrysler Building |
Monday, May 5, 2014
New York City!
Our flight to Santiago was uneventful. From Santiago to Buenos Aires we had seats in first class, even though we paid for economy. It was the first time I had flown in first class. It was nice but it highlighted how awful our seats were for the flight from Buenos Aires to New York. We had two seats on the port side, window and aisle, which is great but... They were next to the bathroom on a A330, and there was a constant line of folks using it, all through the night, and it did not smell good either. But we survived.
Today was a great day in New York City. We walked through Central Park and spent hours in the American Museum of Natural History including a great Pterosaur exhibit. The fact that one of the pterosaurs had a wingspan as big as an F-16, pretty amazing. Makes you feel glad you did not live during that time, imagine one of them landing on your roof. It was a great exhibit and well worth the time. We also went through the Central and South American anthropology areas. It was fun seeing photos and artifacts from places we have visited.
Last night we ate at a great Italian restaurant and this evening we went out for Thai food. It is fun to eat some of the cuisines we have been missing in South America.
Not sure what we will do tomorrow...
Sent from SV Windarra iPad
Today was a great day in New York City. We walked through Central Park and spent hours in the American Museum of Natural History including a great Pterosaur exhibit. The fact that one of the pterosaurs had a wingspan as big as an F-16, pretty amazing. Makes you feel glad you did not live during that time, imagine one of them landing on your roof. It was a great exhibit and well worth the time. We also went through the Central and South American anthropology areas. It was fun seeing photos and artifacts from places we have visited.
Last night we ate at a great Italian restaurant and this evening we went out for Thai food. It is fun to eat some of the cuisines we have been missing in South America.
Not sure what we will do tomorrow...
Sent from SV Windarra iPad
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Flying north
We have been spending the last few days preparing to put Windarra on the hard at Club Nautico de Reloncavi. On Thursday afternoon at high tide we moved to the ramp for the lift. After discussions with the folks who operate the lift it was decided that we would back into the lift. We had to loosen the backstay, okay, no problem. Then once we were on the lift everyone realized that the items on the radar arch extended too tall so when the boat was on dry land the lift could not back out. So we had to take down the wind generator, the Iridium, wifi, AIS and DSC antennas. In the process the wifi and DSC antennas came apart. Not good. More things to fix. Anyway we did get to our assigned spot in the yard before the winds came up and it started raining. Friday Juan returned with the center fuel tank repaired and we put it back in place. We removed items from the deck and stowed everything below. We are having someone look after the boat and put in a dehumidifier so it is not a rain forest inside.
When the boat went on the hard we moved to the Hostel de Los Navigantes across the street. Pedro and Erika run a very nice place, warm showers, a heater in the room, a simple breakfast next to the wood stove. We will stay there when we return.
This morning Erika called a taxi for us and we took our first of many flights. Now we are at the airport in Santiago before our flights to Buenos Aires and then on to New York City.
We are ready to leave the southern winter for the northern summer.
When the boat went on the hard we moved to the Hostel de Los Navigantes across the street. Pedro and Erika run a very nice place, warm showers, a heater in the room, a simple breakfast next to the wood stove. We will stay there when we return.
This morning Erika called a taxi for us and we took our first of many flights. Now we are at the airport in Santiago before our flights to Buenos Aires and then on to New York City.
We are ready to leave the southern winter for the northern summer.
Monday, April 28, 2014
Puerto Montt activities
We have been at Puerto Montt for almost a week now. Don and Rita of SV Limbo arrived the same day we did and they are next to us at the dock. All of us are preparing to return to the US.
We will haul the boat on May 1st and store it on stands in the boat yard for the months that we are gone. This is also supposed to stop the clock on the temporary import permit on how long that boat can remain in Chilean waters before we would have to either leave or pay duty.
On Thursday, Rich with a little help from me, removed the fuel tank that is under the salon floor. It has been leaking and Juan the welder came that evening to take it to his shop to pressure test for the leak and to fix the weld. We are hoping it will be returned today so we may reinstall it.
On Friday, Don and Rita showed us the ropes for taking a bus into town and to important places such as the lavadaria, the Unimarc and Jumbo supermercados, the Sodimac hardware store and McDonalds (yes we needed a fix of unhealthy food). We also checked out some other stores looking for dehumidifiers (deshumidificador). It will be necessary to have something to reduce the amount of moisture and condensation in the boat so it will not be totally covered in mildew on the inside.
We have removed the headsails, the side solar panels, the cockpit table stowed them below. More items will be stowed below.
In addition to stowing things from outside, I have been going through some of our clothes that we will not be taking with us and vacuum packing them to reduce the affects of mildew. It will be a while before we are wearing shorts and t-shirts in South America, probably not until next year sometime.
The marina has free wifi and hot showers though the bathrooms are not heated so I dress quickly after my shower. There is a lounge with a pool table but we have not played yet. Maybe tonight.
We are looking forward to seeing friends and family when we return to the states. Please drop us a line if you want to get together. Our plans are still a little nebulous but we will see what we can do.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Mini washing machine
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Puerto Montt
41 29.979 S, 72 59.227 W
This morning we were on our way to Puerto Montt when the engine RPM started to go down. Rich determined that the engine was fuel starved so we slowly motored to a nearby anchorage and dropped the hook. Rich quickly bypased the fuel prefilter and we were good to go. This is only a temporary measure so we could proceed to Puerto Montt.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. We are now at Club Nautico Reloncavi, a marina where we will prepare the boat and put it on the hard before leaving for the northern summer. We now have wi-fi and I was able to do the first of a few loads of laundry.
Cheers.
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This morning we were on our way to Puerto Montt when the engine RPM started to go down. Rich determined that the engine was fuel starved so we slowly motored to a nearby anchorage and dropped the hook. Rich quickly bypased the fuel prefilter and we were good to go. This is only a temporary measure so we could proceed to Puerto Montt.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. We are now at Club Nautico Reloncavi, a marina where we will prepare the boat and put it on the hard before leaving for the northern summer. We now have wi-fi and I was able to do the first of a few loads of laundry.
Cheers.
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Monday, April 21, 2014
Isla Puluqui
41 48.877 S, 73 04.892 W
Today was a simple motor from Isla Cheniao to Isla Puluqui. What made it special was the group of dolphins that swam and dove along the boat for a good 20 minutes as we left the anchorage. The water was perfectly flat so you could see them below the surface diving under the boat, swimming near the bow, surfacing along side the boat, looking at us. It is easy to feel that these graceful creatures who are swimming so effortlessly are doing it because it is fun and they are being social. It was a joy to see.
We are now in a narrow fjord that is chock-a-block full of salmon and mussel farms. On the shore a herd of cows are lowing. At the end of the fjord is a small wooden church, an idyllic scene.
Tomorrow we will go to Puerto Montt and a marina. It will be time for laundry, boat projects and other tasks.
Cheers.
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Today was a simple motor from Isla Cheniao to Isla Puluqui. What made it special was the group of dolphins that swam and dove along the boat for a good 20 minutes as we left the anchorage. The water was perfectly flat so you could see them below the surface diving under the boat, swimming near the bow, surfacing along side the boat, looking at us. It is easy to feel that these graceful creatures who are swimming so effortlessly are doing it because it is fun and they are being social. It was a joy to see.
We are now in a narrow fjord that is chock-a-block full of salmon and mussel farms. On the shore a herd of cows are lowing. At the end of the fjord is a small wooden church, an idyllic scene.
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| Cormorrant condos at one of the mussel farms |
Tomorrow we will go to Puerto Montt and a marina. It will be time for laundry, boat projects and other tasks.
Cheers.
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Sunday, April 20, 2014
Isla Cheniao, still
Last night we had Margie and Chris over for dinner and had a great evening.
This morning it was raining and the grib prediction was for winds from the north so we decided to stay put for another day. Weather permitting we will leave tomorrow to head farther north toward Puerto Montt, possibly stopping at Isla Puluqui.
Cheers
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This morning it was raining and the grib prediction was for winds from the north so we decided to stay put for another day. Weather permitting we will leave tomorrow to head farther north toward Puerto Montt, possibly stopping at Isla Puluqui.
Cheers
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Friday, April 18, 2014
At Isla Cheniao
42 17.649 S, 73 12.781 W
We got some cash, got some food and fuel, recharged the cell phone and we left this morning, with a slight bump on the bottom, but no harm.
With a staysail and the motor we cruised through Canal Dalcahue to Isla Cheniao to meet our friends, Margie and Chris on SV Storm Bay of Hobart. We have been trying to meet them for a while but as you have read, the weather was not permitting. They have invited us over for dinner, so I will close this update.
Cheers.
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We got some cash, got some food and fuel, recharged the cell phone and we left this morning, with a slight bump on the bottom, but no harm.
With a staysail and the motor we cruised through Canal Dalcahue to Isla Cheniao to meet our friends, Margie and Chris on SV Storm Bay of Hobart. We have been trying to meet them for a while but as you have read, the weather was not permitting. They have invited us over for dinner, so I will close this update.
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| Chris and Margie of SV Storm Bay of Hobart |
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| Using oxen to take chairs to the church for Easter |
Cheers.
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Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Penguins
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Marina Quinched
42 34.678 S, 73 45.369 W
We had a very easy motor from Estero Huildad to Marina Quinched and we had positive current the whole way. This afternoon we caught a ride with William to Chonchi and were able to stop at the ATM machine and the supermercado to restock our depleted food supplies.
Tomorrow we will try to get into Castro to recharge the phone, stop at the Unimarc to pick up some more food and take our jerry jugs to the gas station for some more diesel.
Then we should be set to look for a weather window to meet up with Storm Bay of Hobart.
Cheers.
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We had a very easy motor from Estero Huildad to Marina Quinched and we had positive current the whole way. This afternoon we caught a ride with William to Chonchi and were able to stop at the ATM machine and the supermercado to restock our depleted food supplies.
Tomorrow we will try to get into Castro to recharge the phone, stop at the Unimarc to pick up some more food and take our jerry jugs to the gas station for some more diesel.
Then we should be set to look for a weather window to meet up with Storm Bay of Hobart.
Cheers.
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Monday, April 14, 2014
At Estero Huildad, again
43 04.310 S, 73 31.510 W
Today was a slog, a bash, a pound, etc. We were anchor up at Puerto Quellon at 9:30 am and headed out pass number two. There are three passes out. Number one we used when we entered yesterday. Number three is the shortest for going north but it involves a moving sand bar and un-maintained markers and possible strong currents. We decided to go a little bit further, 3 miles or so and avoid any possible mishaps.
While we had the tide/current going in the same direction we wanted to go for most of the morning, the wind was in the opposite direction, on the nose and building. We estimated it at 20 knots since our wind instruments are not working. There was water over the bow and we dodged large patches of floating seaweed. At one point, I saw at least 10 birds sitting on a large patch of seaweed, floating along. Add low clouds and rain to this and it is a ride you are glad when it is done. When we did turn the corner around the headland to head towards the entry to the anchorage with the help of the staysail we went from 4.3 knots speed over the ground to 6.8 knots, a nice improvement.
Estero Huildad was the first anchorage we stayed at when we left Marina Quinched on March 17, almost a month ago. Hopefully we will make it back to the marina tomorrow. We need fuel, cash, provisions and to recharge our cell phone.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
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Today was a slog, a bash, a pound, etc. We were anchor up at Puerto Quellon at 9:30 am and headed out pass number two. There are three passes out. Number one we used when we entered yesterday. Number three is the shortest for going north but it involves a moving sand bar and un-maintained markers and possible strong currents. We decided to go a little bit further, 3 miles or so and avoid any possible mishaps.
While we had the tide/current going in the same direction we wanted to go for most of the morning, the wind was in the opposite direction, on the nose and building. We estimated it at 20 knots since our wind instruments are not working. There was water over the bow and we dodged large patches of floating seaweed. At one point, I saw at least 10 birds sitting on a large patch of seaweed, floating along. Add low clouds and rain to this and it is a ride you are glad when it is done. When we did turn the corner around the headland to head towards the entry to the anchorage with the help of the staysail we went from 4.3 knots speed over the ground to 6.8 knots, a nice improvement.
Estero Huildad was the first anchorage we stayed at when we left Marina Quinched on March 17, almost a month ago. Hopefully we will make it back to the marina tomorrow. We need fuel, cash, provisions and to recharge our cell phone.
Cheers,
Elaine and Rich
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Sunday, April 13, 2014
Puerto Quellon
43 07.598 S, 73 38.245 W
We had hopes of going to Ester Huildad today but the winds on the nose did not permit so we ducked into Puerto Quellon.
Puerto Quellon is the last stop on the PanAmerican highway or Ruta 5. It does not get a very good rating by the Lonely Planet and even the cruising guides say to be careful. We are in the anchorage which is fine. Roberto Taverna, who lives at the house near where we are anchored, came by and introduced himself. He is building a cabin at Puerto San Pedro and plans to develop some facilities to encourage cruisers to stop there. He also plans to build a still and made his own vodka. He was very nice and offered us the use of his truck to go into town to provision. We thanked him for his offer but decided to pass for now.
Hopefully the weather will permit us to continue northward. We are hoping to meet up with our friends Margie and Chris of SV Storm Bay of Hobart who are at Buta Chauques.
Cheers.
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We had hopes of going to Ester Huildad today but the winds on the nose did not permit so we ducked into Puerto Quellon.
Puerto Quellon is the last stop on the PanAmerican highway or Ruta 5. It does not get a very good rating by the Lonely Planet and even the cruising guides say to be careful. We are in the anchorage which is fine. Roberto Taverna, who lives at the house near where we are anchored, came by and introduced himself. He is building a cabin at Puerto San Pedro and plans to develop some facilities to encourage cruisers to stop there. He also plans to build a still and made his own vodka. He was very nice and offered us the use of his truck to go into town to provision. We thanked him for his offer but decided to pass for now.
Hopefully the weather will permit us to continue northward. We are hoping to meet up with our friends Margie and Chris of SV Storm Bay of Hobart who are at Buta Chauques.
Cheers.
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Saturday, April 12, 2014
Puerto San Pedro
43 19.452 S, 73 44.584 W
We are finally on the move. This morning we got up at 5:30 am with the idea of leaving early and catching the rise tide to help us cross the gulf. Well it did not work out quite that way as it was still to dark to leave safely but we did leave around 8:00 am after all of that. Sigh. We did manage to catch some of the tide and the current was pushing us at 9.4 knots for a while but it did not last long enough. We arrived at Puerto San Pedro and were anchor down at 5:00 pm, so it was a long day.
We are safely at anchor. Tomorrow we will head to Estero Huildad where we stopped on our way south. Perhaps we will get a chance to see the lunar eclipse.
Cheers.
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We are finally on the move. This morning we got up at 5:30 am with the idea of leaving early and catching the rise tide to help us cross the gulf. Well it did not work out quite that way as it was still to dark to leave safely but we did leave around 8:00 am after all of that. Sigh. We did manage to catch some of the tide and the current was pushing us at 9.4 knots for a while but it did not last long enough. We arrived at Puerto San Pedro and were anchor down at 5:00 pm, so it was a long day.
We are safely at anchor. Tomorrow we will head to Estero Huildad where we stopped on our way south. Perhaps we will get a chance to see the lunar eclipse.
Cheers.
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Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Still here at Caleta Amita
Yes, we are still here. We have been watching the gribs daily for a system we thought would have been here by now but it is slow in arriving. Forecasting weather has never been an exact science and while the gribs help us, nothing is very sure many days out. We are looking for a window to cross the Golfo de Corcovado to Puerto San Pedro, on Isla Chiloe, where we would have favorable winds (ie not on our noses) and a rising tide to help push us along the way.
In the meantime we wait.
Rich did some further investigation of the heater. The exhaust piping fatigued, which we think might have been due to the failure of one of the rubber vibration isolators on the boiler. We will see if we are able to get any replacement parts in Puerto Montt or else we will get the parts when we return to the states for the northern summer. We run the engine to circulate hot water, warm the boat and charge the batteries. It has been overcast and not much wind so no help from the solar panels or the wind generator.
I have started to do a little baking. I have had success with carrot and pineapple cake and no crust apple pie. My efforts at baking bread still need improvement. My first loaf was a brick, number two was more successful, number three was okay. Now I am out of flour so I will have to wait before I try again. In Chile, it is hard to get regular loaf bread unless you are at a supermercado. In Puyuhuapi there were two bakeries but they only make a sort of bread biscuit that is not light and fluffy like a hamburger bun but more like a dinner roll that did not rise enough.
We have plenty of books to read and there are always some boat projects to keep us busy.
Waiting at Caleta Amita
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In the meantime we wait.
Rich did some further investigation of the heater. The exhaust piping fatigued, which we think might have been due to the failure of one of the rubber vibration isolators on the boiler. We will see if we are able to get any replacement parts in Puerto Montt or else we will get the parts when we return to the states for the northern summer. We run the engine to circulate hot water, warm the boat and charge the batteries. It has been overcast and not much wind so no help from the solar panels or the wind generator.
I have started to do a little baking. I have had success with carrot and pineapple cake and no crust apple pie. My efforts at baking bread still need improvement. My first loaf was a brick, number two was more successful, number three was okay. Now I am out of flour so I will have to wait before I try again. In Chile, it is hard to get regular loaf bread unless you are at a supermercado. In Puyuhuapi there were two bakeries but they only make a sort of bread biscuit that is not light and fluffy like a hamburger bun but more like a dinner roll that did not rise enough.
We have plenty of books to read and there are always some boat projects to keep us busy.
Waiting at Caleta Amita
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Sunday, April 6, 2014
Caleta Amita
44 04.832 S. 73 52.921 W
We are continuing north and now we are at Caleta Amita. Of course now that we are moving north, the winds will be switching to come from the north. Sigh. As this is a secure anchorage and protected from winds in most directions we will stay here until we get a good weather window to continue north, crossing the Golfo de Corcovado and head to Isla Chiloe.
Leaving Puerto Americano marked the first time since leaving Ketchikan, Alaska in 2010 that we have been heading north. Makes you wonder...
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We are continuing north and now we are at Caleta Amita. Of course now that we are moving north, the winds will be switching to come from the north. Sigh. As this is a secure anchorage and protected from winds in most directions we will stay here until we get a good weather window to continue north, crossing the Golfo de Corcovado and head to Isla Chiloe.
Leaving Puerto Americano marked the first time since leaving Ketchikan, Alaska in 2010 that we have been heading north. Makes you wonder...
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Saturday, April 5, 2014
Marina Jechica
Friday, April 4, 2014
Estero Arboles Espectrales
44 39.535 S, 73 53.175 W
Today we motored with a yankee about 32 miles from Puerto Americano to Estero Arboles Espectrales on Isla Benjamin. It is a narrow bay toward the interior of the island. It was so named because of a fire that had stripped the south coast bare of trees and now the forest is completely regenerated and fully back in place.
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Today we motored with a yankee about 32 miles from Puerto Americano to Estero Arboles Espectrales on Isla Benjamin. It is a narrow bay toward the interior of the island. It was so named because of a fire that had stripped the south coast bare of trees and now the forest is completely regenerated and fully back in place.
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Thursday, April 3, 2014
Puerto Americano
45 00.796 S, 73 42.479 W
We are now at Puerto Americano in a small bay between Isla Dar and Isla Tangbac on the west side of Canal Moraldeda and we have it all to ourselves.
We are starting to make our way back north as we want to be back in Puerto Montt by mid month and there are predictions of adverse weather next week that we might have to sit out and wait for it to go by.
The scenery never ceases to amaze and we see plenty of Imperial cormorants, sea gulls, and dolphins. Occasionally we see a fishing boat but the only cruising boats we have seen are SV Limbo and SV Louise.
Last night at Isla Hilda, the water around us was so still that you could see the reflection of the stars in the water. How cool is that?
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We are now at Puerto Americano in a small bay between Isla Dar and Isla Tangbac on the west side of Canal Moraldeda and we have it all to ourselves.
We are starting to make our way back north as we want to be back in Puerto Montt by mid month and there are predictions of adverse weather next week that we might have to sit out and wait for it to go by.
The scenery never ceases to amaze and we see plenty of Imperial cormorants, sea gulls, and dolphins. Occasionally we see a fishing boat but the only cruising boats we have seen are SV Limbo and SV Louise.
Last night at Isla Hilda, the water around us was so still that you could see the reflection of the stars in the water. How cool is that?
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Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Earthquake? Tsunami?
This morning I got up to send out our email to the Chilean Armada and read several messages about the 8.2 earthquake off of Iquique and tsunami warning. We are tucked into a very secure anchorage, with a stern tie and we slept through whatever might have passed this way.
We hope that people in the rest of Chile are just as safe and that there was no loss of live.
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We hope that people in the rest of Chile are just as safe and that there was no loss of live.
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Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Isla Hilda
45 04.497'S, 73 26.819'W
This morning we left Seno Morra as the mist was rising off the water. The mountain across the canal that we could see at anchor has lifted her skirts and the snow shown brightly in the sun.
We left this picturesque scene and continued down Canal Puyuhuapi, along Isla Magdalena. Our stop was a small island, Isla Hilda, that is owned by Pedro Pablo & Patricia Pizarro, whom we met in Algarrobo and are friends of Fernendo and Paulina Carlin who introduced us. Before we left Algarrobo, he pointed out places to visit in the canals, including this beautiful spot. It is totally undeveloped and pristine. We are sitting in a small bay with a stern line to shore. Some dolphins helped show us the way as they jumped along side Windarra as we motored in.
Our friends, Don and Rita are here with us before they leave and head south to Laguna San Rafael. We went and toured the island on their dingy before evening drinks on Windarra.
I think we might stay here another night, it is so beautiful.
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This morning we left Seno Morra as the mist was rising off the water. The mountain across the canal that we could see at anchor has lifted her skirts and the snow shown brightly in the sun.
Our friends, Don and Rita are here with us before they leave and head south to Laguna San Rafael. We went and toured the island on their dingy before evening drinks on Windarra.
I think we might stay here another night, it is so beautiful.
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| Windarra and Limbo as Isla Hilda |
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Monday, March 31, 2014
At Seno Morras
44 46.006'S, 72 54.434'W
This morning we awoke to a very chilly boat, frost on the dock and trees, ice on the dodger and snow in the hills. On Sunday Rich worked on the heater that was not behaving only to find that the exhaust tubing had fatigued and we can no longer use the heater until it is fix. This is NOT perfect timing. It is getting colder! We are able to heat water for showers and heat water for circulation in the heater system when we run the engine only.
So we wear more fleece and it is a little hard to get up in the morning to a cold boat.
On the bright side, it was sunny today as we left Puyuhuapi and motored to Seno Morras, an anchorage tucked into the east side of Isla Magdalena. We are travelling with SV Limbo and they have invited us over for dinner tonight as we share this calm, protected anchorage.
Tomorrow we will head toward, Isla Hilda.
Trying to keep warm....
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This morning we awoke to a very chilly boat, frost on the dock and trees, ice on the dodger and snow in the hills. On Sunday Rich worked on the heater that was not behaving only to find that the exhaust tubing had fatigued and we can no longer use the heater until it is fix. This is NOT perfect timing. It is getting colder! We are able to heat water for showers and heat water for circulation in the heater system when we run the engine only.
So we wear more fleece and it is a little hard to get up in the morning to a cold boat.
On the bright side, it was sunny today as we left Puyuhuapi and motored to Seno Morras, an anchorage tucked into the east side of Isla Magdalena. We are travelling with SV Limbo and they have invited us over for dinner tonight as we share this calm, protected anchorage.
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| A view of Colgante Glacier as seen from the water on a clear day |
Trying to keep warm....
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Sunday, March 30, 2014
Broken heater
When we were in Puyuhuapi, Rich discovered that the heater was broken and he had chance to do more thorough investigation. Of course, any boat project is never simple and never involves just a small area and this project was no exception.
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| Some of the small heater spare parts were under the v-berth |
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| The pelican case with the spare units was in the forward head shower. Special caulking for the exhaust is in the cabinet by the head. |
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| Tools are under the lower bunk in the Pullman berth |
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| The salon is a staging and work area, plus more tools and manual |
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| The heater is located under the vanity on the starboard side of the aft stateroom.
Rich discovered that the vibration isolators on the boiler had failed. This caused fatigue of the exhaust ducting. Not all of the exhaust from the heater was going through the duct work and muffler and out the exit on the transom. This was definitely not a good thing so we are unable to use the heater.
As an alternative to heat the boat, we run the engine to heat water and circulate through the radiators to heat the boat. It is not very efficient but when it is 57 degrees F in the morning inside the boat, something is better than nothing.
We are not sure if we will be able to fix this in Puerto Montt, as the duct is made of a special steel that can take high temperatures ( > 700 degrees F). If we can not get it here we will get the parts when we return to the US and bring them back in the southern spring.
Until then we wear our fleece!
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