Heading South to Puerto Williams, Patagonia

Heading South to Puerto Williams

Torres del Paine 

We left Puerto Natales, the gateway to Torres Del Paine National Park on 30 January after getting a taste of the magnificent the park and also the windy anchorages in or near Puerto Natales.  Sailor types are never allowed much time not to think about the wind down here.  To give you an embarrassing example, one day we hauled our dinghy about 70 feet up a beach and put it beside a building only to discover later that the dingy was going past Motu, down the bay without us, in 30-40 knots.  Bad dinghy!

The Anchorage at Pto Consuelo, near Pto Natales

The trip to Natales is really off the main channels that continue south and east toward Puerto Williams and Cape Horn and it was good to finally get free of these channels and back on track since we fought the gusty wind (rachas) and rain on the way to Natales and got the same treatment when we left. I suspect we paid our dues for the beautiful days in Natales and Torres del Paine National Park.

After the "rachas" of Pto Natales

Since we left Valdivia, where we spent much of the last (southern) winter, the scenery has been getting nothing but more dramatic the further south.  We've again been traveling with our good Canadian friends David and Margaret, on Heart and Soul, a Scepter 43.  They are also new members of the Ocean Cruising Club.

Threading our way through kelp into narrow anchorages

Morning in an anchorage off the Magellan

Sailing the Magellan Straits

Our course led us along the waterways that lead to Puerto Williams, the most southern city (big village) in the world.  Puerto Williams is basically a Chilean Navy Base that allows visitors and yachts.   The Navy, called the Armada, also keeps a very close watch on all vessels down here.  It also is the administrative center for their Antarctica claims.

Once out of the channels leading to and from Natales, we entered Canal Smyth and then into the Estrecho de Magellanes (Strait of Magellan).  This big strait begins in the Atlantic and is well known.  at least the eastern stretch, for its history and bad weather.  It is basically one of two ways to get into Southern Chile from the Atlantic, with the other being the Beagle Canal.  Both can be described as "attention getting" for sailors on small boats.  This general area is where the winds can really blow and where sits a big pile of rocks called Cape Horn!

After Canal Smyth we began investigating ways to get out of the Straits of Magellan and into the Beagle as soon as possible to get into a small channel with less chance of seas and wind.

One such Channel was Acwalisnan which is a pretty Channel with a nasty narrow spot at the south that funnels the current at rather alarming rates.  There is not much of a problem when going thru this area at high tide since predictions are good, but going through at low water is another issue.  Much is written about how to calculate slack at low water and none of the models worked for us.  Neither did asking local fishing and work boats.  We stuck our nose into the narrow bits and it didn't seem impossible so we just nudged a little more and soon found we were in five plus knots against us.  The Beta, our engine, got a work out and Marja was a little annoyed that I wasn't a little more patient.  Lesson learned.  You can teach an old dog new tricks - wait for slack!

Anchorage at Caleta Cinco Estrellas - definitely five stars

Hiking with our buddies Dave and Margaret off the Beagle

Eventually we got out of Magellan and into the Brazo Noroeste de Canal Beagle, also known as the Avenue of the Glaciers.  Our pictures below don't really do the route justice.

Brazo de Noroeste

Italia Glacier

It was finally after about 1750 miles traveled, lots of adventures and many unforgettable anchorages, that Puerto Williams pulled into sight and we tied up at the Club de Yates at the Micalvi.  The Micalvi is an old munitions carrier that was grounded by the Armada and now serves as the dock for yachts to raft outside her.  There are a lot of tales about nights at the Micalvi, but I guess there were too many tales because now no alcohol is allowed.  What do you do with a drunken sailor?

The entrance to Micalvi Club de Yates