[PUP] Ice Dancer II 03/31/07: Heading north from Cape Horn, nonstop

[Georgs Kolesnikovs]

Here's the latest from Dick and Gail Barnes, aboard Ice Dancer II, a 
Nordhavn 57. Copy and paste the co-ordinates provided into 
<http://maps.google.com> to follow their progress north.

Saturday 3/31/07
Puerto Ayora
00 44.9 South  090 18.5 West

At 4 p.m., we dropped anchor at Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Islas 
Galapagos.  The 2,550 nautical mile passage took 12 days and three 
hours.  We arrived with 200 gallons of diesel on board.  Both time 
and remaining fuel were just about as planned.  We arrived rested, 
although rising for watches after the first three hours of sleep 
during the passage was never easy.  Watching dvd movies made staying 
awake less troublesome.  We saw no other boats on the passage, but 
kept watch on radar and AIS, on
all nights.

Unlike our visit to Puerto Ayora in December, there is a cadre of 
about 25 cruising sailboats anchored in the harbor.  This is a 
natural stop for sailboats heading to the Marquesas and on to Tonga 
and New Zealand.  Wind direction and currents are favorable for that 
route.

Family will join us on April 8 and leave on April 15.  On April 16, 
we will fuel at Baltra, a nearby island, and head for Zihautanejo. 
In the meantime, we are not allowed to move Ice Dancer II, so we will 
be using excursion boats to visit various sites in the islands. 
Weather is pleasant with some fog.  On the opposite side of the 
island it is quite warm, if conditions are the same as we experienced 
in December.

3/31/07
Offshore Ecuador
01 44.9 south  089 55.6 west

We are on the glide path to Puerto Ayora--65 nm to go and Nobeltec 
shows that we will arrive around 3:40 this afternoon, CST.

Four different currents converge, here, and one of the interesting 
results is fog, which we have this morning, and 77 degree water, down 
from 87, yesterday.

Uninterrupted sleep, tonight.  What a treat!

Tuesday 3/27/07
Offshore Peru
13 24.6 south  085 42.4 west

Our passage is going along right on plan.  If conditions remain the 
same, we should anchor in Puerto Ayora on Saturday afternoon.

The job of lookout has not been demanding.  Since leaving Valdivia 
eight days ago, we have not seen another boat.  Fishing and transport 
vessels run closer to the coast.  Our route has us 490 miles off of 
Peru, at this point.

Flying squid continue to amaze.  Clean up this morning was 15 squid 
and two flying fish.  The record squirter made it on top of the pilot 
house, although we haven't checked the bimini top.

Fishing has been a little odd, with two released, undersized mahimahi 
and a huge two very large billfish that we were able to shake off the 
hook.

Weather today was overcast, with 20 knots of SE wind on the starboard 
quarter.  Water temperature is up to 79.5 degrees.

Monday 3/26/07
Offshore Peru
17 33.2 south  084 08.1 west

It is hard to imagine that we raised anchor in a snowstorm, on March 
first, and now we are in tropical waters.  Water temperature at noon 
was 75.5 degrees, it is sunny and nice.

We had eight squid and two flying fish on board, this morning.  One 
squid this morning and the same yesterday, managed to land on the 
boat deck, about 15 feet above the water.  One came through the pilot 
house door.  How do they do it?  The seas were fairly mild and no 
water was shipping aboard.

Oil for the main engine was changed this morning.  42 quarts of 175 
degree used oil plus a large filter.  It is easier in a calm 
anchorage, but we were running on our auxiliary engine in a rolling 
sea.  It was time.  Our stabilizers were helping, powered by the 
large hydraulic pump on the auxiliary.

Peru is 500 miles east of us and we have 1070 nautical miles left to 
Puerto Ayora, Islas Galapagos.  One fishing lure is dragging through 
the water, in a half-hearted attempt a catching something.  We may be 
a little south for tuna or mahimahi.

Thursday 3/22/07 Noon
Offshore Chile
30 37.7 south 078 29.7 west

Big seas, yesterday, but improving today.  No sign of Humboldt 
current.  No push and 70 degree water.  It should be under 60 degrees 
and pushing.  It may be an El Nino issue.  When we passed Isla 
Robinson Crusoe, in the Juan Fernandez group, the seas were raging. 
We had 36 knots of wind and 12-14 foot seas, on the port quarter and 
beam, so, putting out a fishing line was not a good option. One of 
our autopilot rudder pumps failed.  Fortunately, we have a redundant 
autopilot system.

Fuel is going ok, but the expected Humboldt current would have 
allowed more margin.  I have throttled back a little.  Oil change day 
is Monday or Tuesday.  That should be interesting.  The hardest part 
is the oil filter, which is large.  The filter holds two quarts of 
oil and when it is hot, it is awful to handle without getting burned 
or spilling.  I will turn on the wing engine while the operation is 
underway.

Tuesday 3/20/07 Noon
Offshore Chile
36 49.9 south  075 13.9 West

Weather is clear and bright, due to the S. Pacific high out our port 
window.  Yesterday afternoon was boisterous with large swells and 25 
knots of wind waves on our port quarter and beam.  So far, today, we 
have calmer winds.  The large swells are still with us.  The grib 
file weather forecasts show 25 knot winds tomorrow and the next, on 
our track.  We are enjoying a push of 0.2 to 0.5 knots of Humboldt 
current.  That's nice, but we were due, after coming south against it.

We are trying to get used to three hour watches, again.  It will take 
a few days.

Monday 3/19/07
Offshore from Valdivia
39 25.7 South  073 41.5 West

This morning, we checked out of the country with the Armada's port 
captain, immigration and national police and cast off into Rio 
Valdivia.  Offshore seas were influenced by storms to the south, 
causing high winds and large seas on the port quarter and abeam.

We spent four days in Valdivia, and it was a real treat.  We stayed 
at the dock of a boat builder that makes power and sail catamarans, 
mostly for U.S. clients.  The business is owned by a German that 
arrived 25 years ago on a sailboat, and decided to stay.  The town is 
8 miles up Rio Valdivia from the ocean.  It has a large contingent of 
Germans and its culture, in a positive way, is seen in many ways. 
The weather was clear and mild.  Large trees were growing, 
everywhere.  It was sort of the best
of the Pacific Northwest and the San Juan Islands.

Friday 3/16/07
Rio Valdivia

We took on 1,386 gallons of diesel from a tank truck, today, in 
preparation for our passage to Islas Galapagos.  The fuel came from 
YPF, the national oil company of neighbor country, Argentina.  This 
is the same company that supplied our fuel at Ushuaia, and proved to 
be very clean.  Diesel price was $3.39/gallon.

Thursday 3/15/07
Rio Valdivia
39 51 South  73 19 West

Yesterday's transit of the notorious Canal Chacao came off without a 
hitch.  The overnight run to Rio Valdivia was into a head sea.  We 
entered the river and passed Puerto Corral at 8 a.m., in dense fog. 
Using charts and radar, we made it to Alwoplast's dock, about six 
miles upstream, before nine.  Concrete walls, designed to channel 
flow and protect river banks, subsided below the surface during a 
massive earthquake in 1960.  Now they are a hazard to navigation if 
you stray out of the fairway.

Wednesday 3/14/07
Canal Chacao
42 19.3 South  073 15.4 West

We anchored early yesterday and will leave late this morning from 
Caleta Anihue, near Mechuque.  The plan is to enter Canal Chacao at 
the end of an ebb tide and enter ocean waters when the tide begins to 
flood.  The worst waves are those opposing an ebb tide.  Canal Chacao 
is 15 miles of tidal race, that can reach 10 knots.  If our planned 
schedule works out, we will continue on overnight and enter Rio 
Valdivia on an incoming tide, Thursday morning.  We have a 
reservation at Alwoplast, which is a
boat builder located on the river that accommodates a few visiting yachts.

Once again, the contrast between the rugged and rough south and the 
upper, inside passage area is striking.  The hills here have softer 
contours and much of it is cultivated for crops or pasture. It looks 
very much like the San Juan Islands.  Every available cove seems to 
have aqua-culture businesses.  Many are employed in the trade, 
considering caring for the fish, transporting supplies, people and 
product.

Monday 3/12/07
Golfo de Corcovado
43 15.9 South  073 12.3 West

The good and bad news about southern Chile storms is that they move 
through very quickly.  This morning was very benign and sunny. 
Sunday was raging.  The further north we travel, the more protection 
we will get from the South American high.  You can see the isobars on 
the weather fax spreading further apart, indicating less wind.

We plan to stop at a small village this afternoon, and anchor where 
we can pick up critical supplies (wine, fruit and veggies). 
Wednesday afternoon, we will traverse Canal Chacao and out to sea. 
This is equivalent to exiting the Columbia River into the North 
Pacific, except with greater tides.  We will run overnight for a 
morning tide that will help us up Rio Valdivia.  After getting fuel 
and provisions, we will exit Chile from Valdivia, rather than 
continue up the coast to Iquique, as previously
planned.

Sunday 3/11/07
Puerto Juan Yates
43 38.6 South  073 00.6 West

Weather cleared and seas were calm when we crossed Golfo de Cocovado 
to Puerto Juan Yates.  On rocky islets in our anchorage were penguins 
with young chicks.  The cove was rich with sea mammals and birds.

Saturday 3/10/07
Caleta Amita
44 04.9 South  073 52.8 West

It was tough sledding in the main inside channel, Canal Moreleda, so 
we moved in among the islands and worked our way north, through Canal 
Perez.  At least the rain is warmer, and so is the water temperature. 
Both are up 10 to 15 degrees from the far south.

Friday 3/9/07
Puerto Americano
45 01.5 South 073 41.9 West

Anchored last night at Caleta Yate, in Canal Darwin.  Decided not to 
continue in Darwin, today, because of adverse currents and poor 
charts.  Instead, we returned to outside waters and moved north to 
Canal Ninualac.  The route was wide, straight forward and well 
charted.  We anchored in Puerto Americano and enjoyed a picnic on the 
beach.

Thursday 3/8/07
Offshore Patagonia
45 30.2 South  074 54.6 West

In another two hours, we will be turning into Canal Darwin. 
Yesterday, we crossed the Golfo de Penas in benign conditions and our 
luck continues today, with very little wind.  We saw several minke 
whales and a freighter.

We are a little tired after a late arrival at Caleta Cliff, then 
changing oil in the main.  Before leaving this morning, the job was 
completed by changing the oil filter, which was too hot to deal with 
last night.

Tonight, we will be back to inside-passage waters, so we will be less 
exposed to gales.  The further north we go, the fewer storms we 
should see.  The twin to the stationary North Pacific high sits a bit 
further north.

Wednesday 3/7/07
Golfo de Penas
47 25.6 South  075 03.3 West

We did have a lovely evening, yesterday.  At anchor, our boat kept 
its bow toward the wind, and as luck had it, the sun was shinning 
from the opposite direction.  Lounging in our deck chairs, behind the 
cabin, it was shorts and short sleeves and cold beer.  The flying 
bridge was untenable, with 15 knots coming over the top at 55 degrees 
temperature.  One day of clear weather was all that we were afforded. 
Today, we are crossing the Golfo de Penas in overcast.  Winds are off 
the starboard quarter,
which helps knock down the usual SW swell.  We have a full day of it, 
so we will see if our good luck endures.  One of our cruising guide 
books says that freighters don't cross when the weather is stormy. 
Now that's a thought.

We plan to use Caleta Cliff for an anchorage tonight.  We left marks 
on our chart plotter from our last ocean entry, so it should be an 
easy landing.  Charts, both paper and electronic are way off from 
reality.  It will be time to change oil in the main (42 quarts), so 
there will be that chore to tend to after we anchor.

Tuesday 3/6/07
Canal Messier
48 47.6 South  074 24.9 West

We passed through Angostura Inglesa this morning, a tight spot that 
sports high velocity currents.  Moving through between ebb and flood 
tides tames the ride.

Complaints about the weather seem to have made an impact.  Today is 
without clouds; bright and sunny.  The barometer has risen from 980 
to 1020 in a day and a half.  Traveling through the channels without 
seeing the scenery is not much fun.

Tonight, we plan to anchor near Faro San Pedro and cross the Gulfo de 
Penas, tomorrow, weather permittng.

Monday 3/5/07
Caleta Lucas
48 59.9 South  74 24.7 West

Passed Puerto Eden, in improving weather, this morning.  We reported 
by radio to the Armada station all of our boat and navigation 
information.

Sunday 3/4/07
Canal Concepcion
50 16.1 South  074 35.2 West

Left Puerto Mayne in heavy rain but reduced headwind.  The storms and 
seas, here, are easy to recognize.  Conditions are just like Alaska. 
When summer is over, it's over, and a parade of storms begin.  The 
season is over--even the tour boats have disappeared from the 
channels.  About five minutes of sunshine peaked through, this 
afternoon.  Maybe it is a good sign.  We have had wind and rain for 
several days.  Yesterday, it was 35 to 40 knots on the nose, as a 
cold front passed.  Added to the opposing
current, we only made 6 to 7 knots of headway.    We need to get up 
to 30 degrees south.  After that, it should be reliably nice.

One of our autopilot compasses is acting a little schizophrenic, but 
other than that, everything is working properly.  We are warm and 
dry.  We continue to pick up a few centolla crabs while at anchor 
overnight.  They are so sweet and good, there is no need for melted 
butter.

Anchored at Caleta Bolina with lines to trees.

Friday 3/2/07
Caleta Darde
52 28.6 South  073 35.4 West

Rain most of the day.  Estrecho de Magallanes was very rough toward 
the west end, with some 40 knot winds.  Current caused fits. 
Anchored in Caleta Darde in light rain.

Thursday 3/1/07
Caleta Playa Parda
53 21.4 South  072 58.2 West

We raised anchor this morning in a snowstorm.  Good news was four 
centolla or small king crabs in our crab pot.  We should have put the 
pot out weeks ago.

Weather is squally in the Straits of Magellan.  We start and anchor 
up early, to beat the afternoon winds.  We are headed toward Caleta 
Playa Parda, about five miles ahead, and should have anchor down by 
3:15 p.m.  Winter is not far away, here.

Wednesday 2/28/07
Caleta Hidden, Estrecho de Magallanes
53 56.9 South  071 35.2 West

Rough crop early, but improving later.  Humpback whales were passed, 
making their own journey through these waters.  Anchored, swinging on 
a single-point with ample room.  Wind and rain heavy.

Tuesday, 2/27/07
Canal Balenero
54 26.1 South  071 59.4 West

We are making progress to the west, which must come before turning 
north.  We have just made a transition from Canal Brechnock into 
Canal Cockburn.  The junction is located at an ocean entrance, which 
gives all kinds of interesting flows of currents, tides, winds, chop 
and swell.

This morning, we were greeted by snow accumulations, half way down 
the mountains.  The change of season is moving right along, and so 
must we.  We finally put out a crab trap last night and caught a 
small king crab.  Guess we better drop it again, tonight.

Monday 2/26/07
Caleta Silva
54 56.9 South  070 46.5 West

We have been at anchor since 2 p.m., yesterday, waiting for weather 
to improve.  There is a crush zone between the permanent high and a 
deep low system pressing against it.  Pressures dropped 2 mb per hour 
yesterday and last night; it is rebounding this afternoon, although 
winds are still brisk.  Winds in the anchorage, today, have 
alternated between 15 and 40 knots, with frozen rain every twenty 
minutes.  Our next segment, through Canal Brechnock and Canal 
Cockburn are exposed to ocean swell.  So,
we decided to hold up until winds calmed.  We plan to leave early, Tuesday.

Sunday 2/25/07
Brazo Noroeste
54 52.4 South  070 05.3 West

We are back on the road, again, after enjoying two days in Caleta 
Olla (54 56.4S 69 09.4W).  We anchored along with Egret, a 46 
Nordhavn and two sailboats--one from Sweeden and the other from 
Norway. Scott and Nancy Flanders are living aboard full time and are 
having a grand adventure on Egret.

Two stern lines ashore from each boat and tall trees on a  wooded 
rise behind the beach, kept the brisk winds above us.  Nearby, tall 
mountains made high frequency radio propagation impossible, so, we 
had no news from friends and family.  We enjoyed dinners on our boat 
and on the other Nordhavn, where we swapped cruising experiences. 
Egret came to the Cape from the Mediterranean and plans to spend the 
winter in Ushuaia.

Southern Patagonia shares many similarities with Alaska, including 
progressively stormier weather in the fall.  We are beginning to see 
fresh snow on the hillsides, added to prior years' accumulations that 
have not melted.  The sea-level squalls do a great job of washing the 
boat.

Thursday 2/22/07
Caleta Lewaia, Chile
54 55.7 South  068 20.4 West

Most of our time since rounding Cape Horn last Wednesday has been 
spent being patient.  It took us just over a week, but we cleared out 
of Chile, into Argentina, fueled the boat, bought groceries and 
checked back into Chile.  Okay, Gail got in some good shopping, too.

We had to wait four days for a tanker to unload bunkers before we 
could fuel, at the same dock.  We rigged up three large fenders, tied 
together, to make a single, mid pivot point to ride up and down a 
concrete pier, then strategically tied lines from the dock to hold us 
tight.  It worked fine, but again, pulling up to a floating fuel dock 
seems like a basic facility.  But, more often than not, it doesn't 
occur in the third world.  The good news is that diesel is subsidized 
in Usuaia, up to the first 4,000 liters, which fit our needs, 
perfectly.  The policy is for economic development of a frontier 
area.  The effective cost was $2.03 per gallon.  For this end of the 
world location, that is extremely good.  The cruising sailboats at 
Ushuaia, took plastic jugs to the service station then transferred 
fuel into the boats.  Others rolled drums down the dock and pumped 
diesel aboard.

Ushuaia is a thriving town of over 70,000 population.  We saw five or 
six ships arriving each day and several jet airline arrivals.  It is 
a jump off for Cape Horn, Antarctic and Patagonia cruise ships.  The 
government makes natural gas and liquid fuels available at a 
discount.  It isn't apparent what else it does to support the 
economy, but it is probably a big factor.  The people are well 
educated, upwardly mobile types, attracted by favorable earnings and 
reasonable prices.  You can drive to Ushuaia
from Buenos Aires, an important issue for freight and individuals.

Puerto Williams, as a contrast, is a Naval Base with a modest 
population living astride.  Earnings appear low, compared to Ushuaia, 
only 28 miles away.  Housing is very modest and the population 
appears more Native, in Puerto Williams.  Accommodation for yachts is 
minimal, even though the Armada insists on stopping those passing by, 
for paperwork and fees.  Legitimate reason is hard to discern.

Ice Dancer II is pointed north.  After getting a new Zarpe from 
Puerto Williams and checking through the police, immigration, and the 
Armada, we are set to go.

Winds on Canal Beagle have been hostile for the past week.  We had 
great luck with calm conditions for our fueling.  With that 
exception, we have seen 35 knots or better, every day, including our 
beat up Canal Beagle, today.  It is fall, and the weather is turning. 
It is time for us to head north.

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