Straits of Magellan

Our arrival in the Straits of Magellan has been hard won. Low pressure systems seem to arrive quickly, every 12 hours or so, making choosing a "good" time to leave anchorages difficult.

We checked our grib weather files and left Brecknock Cove early Thursday morning. It looked like our only chance to travel the Cockburn Channel in the next few days. After we had untied the shore lines the wind began to gust from the north. As we were hauling the anchor the williwaws became stronger and we were forced to leave the cove with the dinghy alongside. We hoped for shelter from one of the small points along the mile long fiord but as we found none we finally hauled the dinghy in a relative lull. The wind was blowing very hard and the gusts were heeling the boat half way over toward the dinghy. We were in reverse at 1600 rpm and still making forward way at three knots. As we blew away from our anchorage and rounded the corner into Occasion Channel we had brief respite from full force of the weather. We threaded our way through a fisherman's pass, Paso Gonzales, protected from the swell by some small treeless islands. The visibility was about a quarter of a mile with heavy rain making the radar unusable at times. Our charts were good (enough) and the pilot guide directions were perfect. We made it to the middle of the pass with the wind building and decided to duck into a small cove, La India, rumored to have protection from the wind. We anchored, had a hot drink and some oatmeal, launched the dinghy and set some shore lines and a second anchor.

As soon as we were settled in the cove the wind died to nothing and the water was flat calm. We decided we had just been about four hours too early for the light weather we expected. It was only 10AM so after our rest we hauled in all the lines and anchors and continued on. Out front it seemed better at first. We cleared the second part of the fisherman's channel and stuck our nose out into the middle of the Cockburn Channel. The wind was coming from the north west making it a trip close to the wind. As we made progress further north the wind built and we could see the gusts raising sea smoke 100 feet into the air from the water. We rounded our final protection island and checked the possibility of heading to our namesake bay "Puerto Niemann" but it was upwind and we knew we couldn't motor the five miles into the now fierce wind and waves. We changed course to an anchorage further east and rocked and rolled our way across the last few miles of channel. The dread tide against wind made very steep waves as we approached the point we were to duck behind. Just as we thought we were almost out of the maelstrom we got tossed on our ear by a very steep wave dousing the cockpit, dinghy and even sending water through the vent in our sleeping cabin. Yes, we've now got a system for closing those vents with a seal from inside but it was open for this "inland passage" to try to let some condensation out of the boat. Below decks some things were tossed across the cabin that have never been dislodged before. The big waves were a strong hint that it was time to give the autopilot a rest and hand steer the last 45 minutes out of the channel.

Finally in the protection of the land we found rest at Parmelita Cove with a mud bottom, 20 feet deep. After running two lines ashore and putting out 2 anchors we felt we could ride out the gusts that were rocking our anchorage. By morning, with sore muscles from all the line setting and hauling the previous day we were ready to move on as the weather seemed better. Our trip north was uneventful and we spent two days at Murray Cove waiting for less wind to enter the Magellan Straits. This morning, Saturday we were able to cross the Magellan Straits, seven miles wide here and motor 20 miles up wind at an average of 3.5 knots. The waves were short and steep and the wind was, as expected, a head wind. We finally pulled in at lunch time to wait for the tide change and with luck, better weather soon. We needed a warm up and some hot soup because though it's the middle of summer here it's raining hard and 47° F and we're getting chilled sitting in the damp cockpit.

As we sit watching the rain streak the ports and contemplate what might be lighter conditions and another opportunity to move we glance at the barometer and see that it has just fallen six hPa in the last hour and we have another high wind warning. Maybe we'll just give Peter a snack and a beer and work on boat jobs this afternoon.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Marcy Exploring Chilean Channels

Marcy is pinned down at the moment. We are sharing a small cove with a Belgian sloop, neither of us wanting to move in the current weather. It's pouring rain and windy, and the wind is strong enough to make the next hop impractical. It's not a question of sailing or motoring, rather a question of motoring into strong wind, thus wasting fuel, or motoring efficiently in calm conditions. And it's all about conserving fuel because there are no opportunities to refuel in this area. The next available spot to refuel is over 400 miles away, miles of beautiful, wild, deserted and windy canals and narrow fiords. And we've already gone 125 miles since we refueled at Puerto Williams. Marcy has sailed the world for over three years without ever needing to augment the 70 gallons of diesel tankage we carry. In fact during our time in trade wind areas we have sometimes worried about not running the motor enough to keep the fuel fresh – diesel can go bad or grow slime with time. Solar panels and a wind/water powered generator take care of electrical needs without running the motor, and we enjoy sailing whenever possible, often sailing to and from anchor. But now we need to motor most of the time as here in the Chilean channels heading north as we are there are only two wind conditions we can expect– dead calm or gale on the nose!

To increase our range, about 360 miles in light conditions, we are now carrying diesel on deck in these extra containers:
a big orange bag on the cabin top, 120 liters
and a big blue drum in the cockpit, 200 liters
and 6 (!) jerry cans lashed to the rail, total 160 liters
We also consume diesel for heat – a Webasto furnace up forward, used mostly only to warm the boat up in the mornings, and a Sig drip stove in the saloon, which we are running day and night to combat the chill and damp.

When the weather breaks we will stow the spider web of shore lines that hold us in place, pull the two anchors we have run out, and motor onward. In the meantime we peer out the ports and admire the scenery we can make out between the sheets of rain – sheer cliffs, dramatic waterfalls, and thick mossy stunted forests. Every now and then a williwaw, or "racha"as it's called here in Chile, roars down the mountainside and blasts Marcy almost rail down. Yesterday we hiked around the area, squelching through bogs in rubber boots. Today we're thankful that we're snug and warm and content to go about cooking, reading, eating, yoga, and waiting for that break in the weather.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Cape Horn to Starboard!

Marcy tacked past Cape Horn in light winds on Friday January 8, 2010.



The Horn is a place of sailor's legend. We spent a quiet moment thinking of all the maritime history linked to this cape, and reflected on all the sea miles that had led us here. And, make no mistake, we were grateful for the quiet weather!

The image of Marcy is courtesy of Yorikke, flying the South African flag but still wearing Washington State registration stickers. She followed us out of a little cove close to the Horn where we had anchored the night before. We agreed to swap photos.



Now, of course, we are entitled to wear the gold earring..........

Cape Horn

Today, January 8, we rounded Cape Horn. Now we begin our trip through the Chilean channels toward Puerto Montt.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com