On the way back we stopped at a grocery store in Castro for some fresh items. Today is laundry day. There is a self serve washer but no dryer so we will turn the boat into a clothes line.
Monday, February 24, 2014
At Marina Quinched
On the way back we stopped at a grocery store in Castro for some fresh items. Today is laundry day. There is a self serve washer but no dryer so we will turn the boat into a clothes line.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Santiago
We enjoyed walking around in Santiago near our hostel, Here are a few pictures |
| Typical tree lined street in the Lastarria neighborhood |
One of the building at Santa Lucia Hill
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| The fort at the top of Santa Lucia Hill |
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| Dog art at the Museo de Belles Artes |
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| Interesting Dog art at the same museum |
In Santiago
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Where are we now?
When I last wrote a blog post we were at Marina Quinched, just south of Castro on Isla Chiloe. Well, Windarra is still there but we are not. Sunday morning we received an email from Rich's brother that his mother had passed away on Saturday night, 2/8. She was 93 and it was not an unexpected event. We were lucky that we had just arrived at the marina and it is a safe place to leave Windarra.
We quickly arranged for flights back to Philadelphia to arrive early Thursday morning for the funeral planned for Friday morning. As we would arrive just after midnight we booked a room at an airport by the Philadelphia airport for Wednesday night/Thursday morning. We knew about the bad weather heading for the east coast, so we were prepared with our ski jackets, hiking shoes, gloves, hats, scarves, etc.
On Tuesday we got a ride with William, who owns the marina, to Castro. Here we met Don and Rita of SV Limbo for lunch before catching the Cruz Del Sur bus to Puerto Montt at 2:10 pm, for 12,000 pesos for 2 one way tickets (- $22). We saw the main church of Castro, a wooden church has a metal covering on the outside and it is colorful, a bright yellow affair with purple trim. Inside the woodwork it extensive and includes a large dome over the alter which was made without any nails.
Our bus ride took almost 4 hours and included a ferry ride across the Chacao canal that we had used when first arriving in this area. From the bus terminal on the waterfront, it was a taxi ride to the airport for 12,000 pesos. We waited for 3 hours at the airport for our Sky Airlines flight to Santiago.
From Santiago we flew to Lima, Peru. After 5 gate changes we boarded our original aircraft and flew on to San Jose, Costa Rica.
On arriving at San Jose, we went to our gate to check in for a flight to Miami and then on to Philadelphia. The very nice American Airline representative told us that our flight to Philadelphia had been cancelled and we had been rescheduled to flight out on Thursday from Costa Rica. This was news to us as we did not have any wifi connection since leaving Chile. Could we get to Miami? She called her supervisor and there was some discussion in rapid Spanish but yes, we could get back on our originally scheduled flight to Miami but we could not leave for Philadelphia until Thursday morning. Okay, that at least gets us in to the US and closer to our destination.
Our flight to Miami was fine. We passed through customs and they were a little confused that we had been traveling out of the US since October, visiting Ecuador, Peru and Chile with only our small backpacks. Once we explained that we lived on a sailboat that was currently in Chile, they just nodded and let us in.
We looked to see if there were any flights to Philadelphia but nothing until our scheduled flight for Thursday. Having spent already one night on an airport floor we wanted to find a room for our night in Miami. This was not easy. We went to Starbucks for a snack and some wifi and started checking the web. No joy. We went to the hotel phone kiosk to find a hotel. After several calls we got a room at the Airport Parkway Inn, a small motel a short distance from the airport. It was the same price as our previous booked, no refund room at the hotel at the Philadelphia airport but the quality as not quite the same, but the sheets were clean and it had a shower, so we got some much needed sleep.
Thursday morning we were up early for our flight to Philadelphia. While Rich took his shower, I checked the flight status, on time and leaving at 7:45 am. At the airport we zipped through security, grabbed a coffee and checked status again. Everything was okay. We boarded our half empty airplane and even had an early departure, and expected to arrive early in fact.
So far so good.
At 9:44am, they announced that we have been diverted to Pittsburgh. The first runway at Philadelphia was closed, the second runway was plowed but poor braking conditions and 35 mph crosswind. Not sure what will happen next.
At 12:53 pm, we got back on the plane and went through de-icing. We arrived safely in Philly. The landing was a little tricky but no problem. The roads were clear and we made it to our hotel with no problems.
It was a long trip but we made it with some time to spare as the funeral was scheduled for Saturday and the snow did not start again until afterwards.
We look forward to returning to Chile, the canals, Windarra and warmer weather! Hopefully the trip back will be easier.
Sent from SV Windarra iPad
We quickly arranged for flights back to Philadelphia to arrive early Thursday morning for the funeral planned for Friday morning. As we would arrive just after midnight we booked a room at an airport by the Philadelphia airport for Wednesday night/Thursday morning. We knew about the bad weather heading for the east coast, so we were prepared with our ski jackets, hiking shoes, gloves, hats, scarves, etc.
On Tuesday we got a ride with William, who owns the marina, to Castro. Here we met Don and Rita of SV Limbo for lunch before catching the Cruz Del Sur bus to Puerto Montt at 2:10 pm, for 12,000 pesos for 2 one way tickets (- $22). We saw the main church of Castro, a wooden church has a metal covering on the outside and it is colorful, a bright yellow affair with purple trim. Inside the woodwork it extensive and includes a large dome over the alter which was made without any nails.
Our bus ride took almost 4 hours and included a ferry ride across the Chacao canal that we had used when first arriving in this area. From the bus terminal on the waterfront, it was a taxi ride to the airport for 12,000 pesos. We waited for 3 hours at the airport for our Sky Airlines flight to Santiago.
From Santiago we flew to Lima, Peru. After 5 gate changes we boarded our original aircraft and flew on to San Jose, Costa Rica.
On arriving at San Jose, we went to our gate to check in for a flight to Miami and then on to Philadelphia. The very nice American Airline representative told us that our flight to Philadelphia had been cancelled and we had been rescheduled to flight out on Thursday from Costa Rica. This was news to us as we did not have any wifi connection since leaving Chile. Could we get to Miami? She called her supervisor and there was some discussion in rapid Spanish but yes, we could get back on our originally scheduled flight to Miami but we could not leave for Philadelphia until Thursday morning. Okay, that at least gets us in to the US and closer to our destination.
Our flight to Miami was fine. We passed through customs and they were a little confused that we had been traveling out of the US since October, visiting Ecuador, Peru and Chile with only our small backpacks. Once we explained that we lived on a sailboat that was currently in Chile, they just nodded and let us in.
We looked to see if there were any flights to Philadelphia but nothing until our scheduled flight for Thursday. Having spent already one night on an airport floor we wanted to find a room for our night in Miami. This was not easy. We went to Starbucks for a snack and some wifi and started checking the web. No joy. We went to the hotel phone kiosk to find a hotel. After several calls we got a room at the Airport Parkway Inn, a small motel a short distance from the airport. It was the same price as our previous booked, no refund room at the hotel at the Philadelphia airport but the quality as not quite the same, but the sheets were clean and it had a shower, so we got some much needed sleep.
Thursday morning we were up early for our flight to Philadelphia. While Rich took his shower, I checked the flight status, on time and leaving at 7:45 am. At the airport we zipped through security, grabbed a coffee and checked status again. Everything was okay. We boarded our half empty airplane and even had an early departure, and expected to arrive early in fact.
So far so good.
At 9:44am, they announced that we have been diverted to Pittsburgh. The first runway at Philadelphia was closed, the second runway was plowed but poor braking conditions and 35 mph crosswind. Not sure what will happen next.
At 12:53 pm, we got back on the plane and went through de-icing. We arrived safely in Philly. The landing was a little tricky but no problem. The roads were clear and we made it to our hotel with no problems.
It was a long trip but we made it with some time to spare as the funeral was scheduled for Saturday and the snow did not start again until afterwards.
We look forward to returning to Chile, the canals, Windarra and warmer weather! Hopefully the trip back will be easier.
Sent from SV Windarra iPad
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Isla Mechuque and Marina Quinched
42 34.675'S, 73 45.355'W
We spent the last couple of nights at Isla Mechuque, with a population of 500 souls. On Friday it stopped raining enough for us to get the dingy inflated and in the water and we rowed over to the small village. Many homes are built on stilts which is common in this area. As the tides are as much as 6 meters difference between high and low we saw many boats high and dry on the beach. We walked down to the cemetary and then around the end of the small bay we were anchored in to see where they are building a large fishing boat of wood about 60 feet in length. The wood is cut into planks using a chainsaw, two by eight inches and bent into shape using steam and a steel pipe. It is held together with copper nails and quite amazing wood work.
Today we raised anchor and motored about 32 miles to Marina Quinched. We just arrived about 2 hours ago and we have met sailboats from Germany, the Netherlands and France. They have all come from the Atlantic so we will share information about where we have been, including the South Pacific for information about farther south and the Atlantic.
Tomorrow we are planning to go into Castro, the capital of Chiloe and check it out.
We are doing well and enjoying exploring the canals. The landscape is a cross between British Columbia and New Zealand, very green, lots of pasture land with cows and sheep.
I will post some photos soon.
Cheers
Sent from SV Windarra iPad
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| Isla Mechuque and wooden boat construction on shore |
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| Black necked swans |
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| Rich in downtown Mechuque |
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| Homes on stilts |
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| Rich admiring the wooden boat construction |
Today we raised anchor and motored about 32 miles to Marina Quinched. We just arrived about 2 hours ago and we have met sailboats from Germany, the Netherlands and France. They have all come from the Atlantic so we will share information about where we have been, including the South Pacific for information about farther south and the Atlantic.
Tomorrow we are planning to go into Castro, the capital of Chiloe and check it out.
We are doing well and enjoying exploring the canals. The landscape is a cross between British Columbia and New Zealand, very green, lots of pasture land with cows and sheep.
I will post some photos soon.
Cheers
Sent from SV Windarra iPad
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Isla Mechuque
42 18.783'S, 073 15.922'W
Yesterday we stayed inside and read books while it rained outside. It was nice and relaxing
This morning we weighed anchor and motored to Isla Mechuque, a small island a bit farther south. Don and Rita of SV Limbo are anchored here and we joined them. Now there are 9 sailboats in this small harbor, with a tidal range of 5 meters. This is the most sailboats we have seen at anchor since we left Panama.
On shore there are farms with sheep and cows and a small village. If it does not rain too much tomorrow we will go investigate.
Cheers.
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Yesterday we stayed inside and read books while it rained outside. It was nice and relaxing
This morning we weighed anchor and motored to Isla Mechuque, a small island a bit farther south. Don and Rita of SV Limbo are anchored here and we joined them. Now there are 9 sailboats in this small harbor, with a tidal range of 5 meters. This is the most sailboats we have seen at anchor since we left Panama.
On shore there are farms with sheep and cows and a small village. If it does not rain too much tomorrow we will go investigate.
Cheers.
----------
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for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
Monday, February 3, 2014
Day 2 to Isla Chiloe
42 07.265'S, 73 28.318'W
Estero Tubildad
Who won?
Last night my watch was from 9 pm - midnight and 3 am - 6 am. Since we were relatively close to shore and we had cell reception on our phone earlier I was hoping to check on the Super Bowl during my watch as we are two hours later than east coast time. I waited until 9:30 pm figuring an hour into the game should have some score.
But wait.... instead I got the dreaded 'No Service' on the cell phone. Arrgghhh! Were we the only Washington residents in the world that did not know the score?
Sigh, I waited until just before the end of my first watch to check again. No joy, still no service.
Rich came on watch and I tried to get some sleep in between rain showers and the sudden rocking and rolling of the boat due to the cross seas.
At 3 am I tried again. Joy!, Cell reception, I saw we had an email from Rae, YES THE SEAHAWKS HAD WON! I quickly checked Google News and verified the score, and woke Rich up to give him the news. We must be the last people to find out but it was worth it.
This morning we anchored near the entrance to Canal Chacoa to wait for slack tide and the start of the flood before entering the channel at 11:30 am. At times our boat speed was 5.4 knots but our speed over the ground was 13.8 knots! It was like speeding down a freeway.
We have finally entered the Chilean canals and we look forward to doing some exploring.
Now we are anchored in Estero Tubildad, in between fish and mussel farms. We are both looking forward to a peaceful night's sleep.
More exploring to come.
----------
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Estero Tubildad
Who won?
Last night my watch was from 9 pm - midnight and 3 am - 6 am. Since we were relatively close to shore and we had cell reception on our phone earlier I was hoping to check on the Super Bowl during my watch as we are two hours later than east coast time. I waited until 9:30 pm figuring an hour into the game should have some score.
But wait.... instead I got the dreaded 'No Service' on the cell phone. Arrgghhh! Were we the only Washington residents in the world that did not know the score?
Sigh, I waited until just before the end of my first watch to check again. No joy, still no service.
Rich came on watch and I tried to get some sleep in between rain showers and the sudden rocking and rolling of the boat due to the cross seas.
At 3 am I tried again. Joy!, Cell reception, I saw we had an email from Rae, YES THE SEAHAWKS HAD WON! I quickly checked Google News and verified the score, and woke Rich up to give him the news. We must be the last people to find out but it was worth it.
This morning we anchored near the entrance to Canal Chacoa to wait for slack tide and the start of the flood before entering the channel at 11:30 am. At times our boat speed was 5.4 knots but our speed over the ground was 13.8 knots! It was like speeding down a freeway.
We have finally entered the Chilean canals and we look forward to doing some exploring.
Now we are anchored in Estero Tubildad, in between fish and mussel farms. We are both looking forward to a peaceful night's sleep.
 |
| Looking across mussel farm at the hillside |
More exploring to come.
----------
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Day 1 to Isla Chiloe
40 37.313'S, 73 54.348'W
We left the marina at 9:15 am and headed down river and out into the ocean. It was overcast and hazy but the fog cleared as we were leaving the river behind.
Since then we have had very sloppy seas with swells of 3 meters, at 5-6 seconds apart, some of them cross swells which causes the boat to rock back and forth. On top of this we have periodic rain showers. We are motorsailing with the main but not enough wind to sail in.
Not much traffic but we did see a large ketch running north with bare poles except for a small mizzen.
We will be so glad when we get out of this.
Cheer on the Seahawks for us!!!
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
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We left the marina at 9:15 am and headed down river and out into the ocean. It was overcast and hazy but the fog cleared as we were leaving the river behind.
Since then we have had very sloppy seas with swells of 3 meters, at 5-6 seconds apart, some of them cross swells which causes the boat to rock back and forth. On top of this we have periodic rain showers. We are motorsailing with the main but not enough wind to sail in.
Not much traffic but we did see a large ketch running north with bare poles except for a small mizzen.
We will be so glad when we get out of this.
Cheer on the Seahawks for us!!!
----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com
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