Patience and Timing Going South

Nov. 30, 2016
S 42.34.7 W 073 45.4  Isla Chiloe, Chile

Our patience for a good weather window finally paid off after a two week wait in Valdivia.  We departed a lovely anchorage near the exit of river that flows out of a confluence of rivers surrounding Valdivia, in company with our Canadian friends,  David and Margaret on Heart and Soul, on the 23rd of November.  It was a rather uneventful motor sail with somewhat sloppy seas, our good friend, the Humboldt current against us, and engine rpms at 2000, for the 130 mile dash to the Chacao Channel.

Heading to sea

Timing is everything when going through the Chacao Channel (the passage between the mainland and Chiloe Island)  with its strong currents so we spent the night at a little bay, called Godoy, 12 miles north of the channel for an early entrance at 0730.  The passage through the channel was actually a lot of fun.  We were doing 9 to 11.7 knots the entire way with the engine giving rpms for our normal 5 knots of motoring speed.  Marja and I learned long ago that sailing is a wonderful way of life but it ain't exactly life in the fast lane.  We decided we could get used to this ten knot speed!

Young man at Godoy selling seaweed for eating or shampoo

Thanksgiving and Canada Day celebration in Caleta Godoy

Godoy Anchorage

Departing Chacao

In Chacao Channel

After the Canal, we went looking for an anchorage for a couple of days to wait out some pesky rain and ended up Anihue island, which is one of several very pretty islands clustered together in the northern part of the Gulf of Ancud.  

One of the approximately 60 wooden churches in  Chiloe

In the garden of Dora, a resident of Village Anihue and local
oyster woman, with Margaret from Heart and Soul

Low tide in Anihue

After a few days of at Village Anihue, we headed south once again, this time toward Castro.  The city is the largest on Chiloe, and is a nice city known for its large wooden church, houses on stilts, and pastoral surrounding areas.  The church, unfortunately for us but not for the church, is undergoing some major interior construction work, and was closed for the moment.

Iglesia de Castro

                                                                                         

Life on the water in Castro, Chiloe.  Colorful

Palafitos are built on stilts over the water.

After topping up with supplies we returned to Marina Quinched and finished getting ready for points south.  

The wonderful people of Alwoplast - Lorena
our lifesaver and her friend Samantha!

Bariloche, Argentina

Nov. 21
Valdivia (39 50S and 73 19W)

Marja and I woke up this morning and felt like the boy or girl all dressed up for the prom but without a date.

It's sunny and warm here today and we are still tied to the dock at Alwoplast boatyard about nine miles down the river from Valdivia.  We love it here but as local lore goes, when it is sunny and warm in Valdivia, it is windy outside in the ocean.  Windy outside today and for past two weeks means 15 to 30 knots on the nose.  O yes, a sailor must not forget about the Humboldt current that is running about .6 kt average from south.  Things get really interesting when wind shifts to the north and the seas build.

There is a level of hope, however, and we plan to leave dock today and go anchor at a small island, Isla Mancera,  near the river exit for the 130 mile dash down the coast to Channel Chacao and into the Gulf of Ancud, which leaves you only about 200 to 250 miles south to the next ocean crossing, called the Gulf of Penas.

Our Canadian friends, David and Margaret, on Heart and Soul, and our Brazilian friends Kiko, his sister, and friend, Martine (who won an Olympic Gold medal in sailing in the Rio Olympics this past summer)  are also a bee-hive of activity for final jobs you always forget about on a boat until you are ready to untie lines.

On Motu, we have 1150 liters of fuel, 500 liters of water and enough food to feed India for a month, and most importantly the GFS and EURO weather models in agreement.

Today in cruising, it is just as important to be alert to a possible bureaucratic storm as it is to watch the weather.  The officials dealing with yachts in Chile, with the Armada being foremost in these dealings, are fantastic, extremely helpful and friendly, and totally honest.  However, this is really a good thing because there is a lot of paperwork for yacht crews in Chile.

With this in mind, we recently climbed on a bus (paid more for the luxury seats---worth it) and headed to Bariloche, Argentina,  to get new 90-day visas.  We were worried about getting half-way to Puerto Williams, the far south, to discover our visas had run out.

Bariloche is an upscale ski resort set up in the Andes next to a big lake.  The scenery is breathtaking but it can get quite chilly at night in the spring and does the wind blow across the lake.  Everything went according to plan so we should avoid the paperwork worries for a time.

Hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving and if your not an American, a nice lovely meal with wine on that date wherever you are.

The colorful and wonderful market of Valdivia

Waterfront of Valdivia

Rio Calle-Calle in Valdivia

Our favorite coffee shop in Teja

Winter fun - insulating!                              

                                                                                                 

Successful haul out at Alwoplast

Bus to Bariloche, Argentina to renew visas

Canadian flagged Heart and Soul
Dave and Margaret aboard

Brazilian Cruisers Kiko, Martine and Marcia

The most excellent yard manager at
Alwoplast boatyard

French Flagged Skoiern with cruising friends
Patrick, Anne Marie and Zoe

The Long Way South----Part Two

Nov. 14, 2016  still in Valdivia

Motu is full of water, fuel, and stores for three months but alas, the weather gods have decided to bring on one spring front after another.  We are trying to  leave here, go nine miles down the river, turn left for about 120 miles and somehow find a favorable current for going through the Chacao Channel where currents can hit nine knots.  The Chacao Channel will dump us into the Bay Ancud with scenery much like you would find in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand.  We are learning that one must have a great deal of patience if one is to sail in these Southern waters.

Rain is currently belting down and we are still tied securely to the dock at Alwoplast boatbuilders.  This is a good time to continue the telling of our voyage so far to here.

As mentioned in last post, we left Ecuador in early February to make a straight shot along the coast---between 10 to 200 miles offshore---against the prevailing wind and the Humboldt current.  We left in late summer  here on the advice of OCC members Bob and Betsy Bailey on Belair and Tom and Dorothy Wadlow on Joyant.  The idea is you get less wind as you start getting into fall.  This was good advice as we really had little bad weather but the current and adverse wind would have gotten quite tiresome but for being able to stop and explore various ports and anchorages down the coast of Chile as far as Valdivia.

Sunset leaving the coast of Ecuador

A young visitor on our way down the Peruvian coast.  

We saw hundreds of small fishing boats off the coasts of
Ecuador and Peru.

Closing the Atacama Desert coast of Chile.

Our first port in Chile, Iquique.  The evening sun turned
the desert mountains red.  Nothing grows in the Atacama.
Nothing.  It never rains.

In the desert, Historical Site Humberstone, a museum of the
Saltpeter (gun powder) industry in Chile 1800-1960.  

Our entrance into Iquique went very smoothly
thanks to Patricio Vargas Herrera, Harbormaster
at the Club de Yates, Iquique.  He also was
our tour director and taxi driver and all around
lifesaver.  

                           

Wind predicted to increase so pulled
into Caleta Cobre, where a small mining
operation was underway.  The desert
here is amazing.

Caleta Cobre - 24.14 South

                                                                                                         

Entering Port Caldera - Fueling stop

MOTU was moving very slowly - discovered goose barnacles
galore when Stephen went over the side to check out the
bottom.  In his Captain America dive suit.  Unfortunately he
didn't scare the barnacles away.  Water temp about 46 F!

Next stop Pichinangui.  Lovely little harbor behind some rocky
islets - and penguins on the islet!!  Picked up a mooring
and Club de Yates very helpful

About 45 miles south of Pichinangui, in ConCon is the
Higuerillas Marina and Club de Yates.  The marina was
badly damaged in an August storm in 2015 and much
work was going on to put it back together.  Great place from which
to visit Vina del Mar and Valparaiso.

The harbor and hills of Valparaiso

                       

Ascensor Artilleria - built in the late 1800s!  The Ascensores
of Valparaiso allow you to ascend to the various neighborhoods
without climbing hundreds of stairs.

Street Art of Valparaiso

                                                                                                 

DOWNWIND SAIL!!!!! FINALLY!!!

And a rip-roaring, wet one at that.  

Anchored off the Armada docks in Talcahuano, in Bahia Concepcion

Colorful fishing vessels off of Tumbes, near Talcahuano

We made wonderful friends while in Talcahuano, awaiting a good weather window.   Navy
Chief Andres Palma drove us all over looking for fan belts and oil filters
and then we visited his family home.

 And Chief Petty Officer Louis and his wife Marcela,
invited us into their home for a lovely meal and visit.  Louis
was most helpful in guiding us through the Armada requirements.

The Long Way South

Nov. 3 2016
Valdivia, Chile

PART ONE --- Voyage South

Today it is rainy and a little chilly but view out pilothouse windows is of forested green hills, boats from the "summer station" of the Valdivia Yacht Club.  This is all framed by the blue of the travel-lift legs in our elevated perch. Yes, we are still hauled out but delayed by a few days with weather---rainfall here is 2 to 3 meters per year.

We recently got involved in a discussion about the best way to go Patagonia from the States or Europe.  Here are some of our thoughts:

The first decision is to decide whether you go down the east or west coast of South America.  Either way is doable but neither way is extremely easy.  When you go down the east coast, you need to have a lot of easting to be able to get initially south.  This is not that much of a problem if coming from Europe but it is a problem if leaving from east coast of USA or Caribbean.   Many European boats head to Brazil and make their way south along the coast but after Uruguay, the good harbors start getting few and far, however, often the  winds will be on the beam for much of the way with coast of South America offering a lee until quite far south.  There are some boats that go to the Falklands, which is windy but hospitable.  The problem is the last 400 to 500 miles to Beagle Channel.  Some boats going down east coast go via Magellan Straits but that can and probably will be very challenging.  The same for boats going from Falklands or continuing south to Beagle.

The other alternative is the west coast.  Here the decisions are basically to go along the coast, sail out to the so-called "clipper route" or go via Easter Island with perhaps a first stop in the Galapagos.  This is assuming your destination departure is from say Panama or Ecuador.  Boats heading east from say New Zealand need to stay south where it blows westerly and hopefully not too strongly.

We decided to go along the west coast for several reasons but mainly so we could stop and see things.  Also, many of our Ocean Cruising Club (OCC) friends had luck going this way.  This route is beset by contrary winds on the nose and, of course, the Humbolt Current (aka Peru Current), and perhaps, worst of all, way too many small fish boats off Ecuador and Peru.

We left Virginia in the beginning of Nov. 2014.  We made our way south via the East Coast, sometimes and some times out of the ICW but more in than we prefer due to weather.  We then headed over to the Bahamas  February 2015, and made our way south via Cuba, the Cayman Islands, Isla Providencia, and Panama.  We spent much of the summer and fall in Bocas Del Toro before going through The Panama Canal on Dec. 4th, 2015.  This entire portion of the trip was made in company with OCC members and very good friends, Steve and Vicki Austin on Tango and Michael and Anne Hartshorn on Nimue. After the canal, both boats turned right and we went left.

City Transport --- Cuba

Windward Passage on way to Cuba

Rural Transport---Cuba

Entering Santiago de Cuba

You know you're in Cuba (Cienfuegos)

Vicki, Steve, Michael, Anne, Stephen & Marja Grand Cayman 

Motu anchored at Providencia, Colombia

The beauty of Providencia

Entering Bocas del Toro in the rain

Found one!!

Motu At Red Frog Marina in Bocas

Taking it Easy

                                     

The Toucans of Shelter Bay

Heading into the Gatun Locks

San Blas Sailors

Our first stop after the Las Perlas Islands in the Gulf of Panama was Bahia de Caraquez, Ecuador.  This is a river anchorage after a rather intimidating entrance into Rio Chone where we highly recommend you use one of the pilots from the Puerto Amistad Yacht Club. (Note:  the city was a victim of the strong earthquake on April 16, this year.   We were lucky to be sailing south then, and we understand our fellow cruisers made it through fine.   The Yacht Club is up and running again under new ownership.)  The voyage south along Ecuador, Peru and Chile will follow in another blog.

Rigging Check Las Perlas, Panama

Malpelo on Way to Ecuador

Puerto Amistad YC---Bahia  de Caraquez