[PUP] Ice Dancer II 01/28/07: Farther south along the Chilean coast

[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 south.

Sunday 1/28/07
Fondeado de (anchored at) Islas Huepan, Bahia Tictoc
43 38.3S  073 00.4W

We are relaxing in a delightful anchorage in Puerto Tictoc, on the 
east side of Gulfo Corcovado.  Thanks to drawings from two cruising 
guides and scanning sonar, we threaded our way into a group of 
islands reminiscent of atolls of Islas Tuomotus, French Polynesia. 
It has a steep-to bottom, so we have 300 feet of chain out and two 
heavy lines tied to shore.  Our stern is sheltered from today's 
rachas, or wind gusts, by the heavily forested islands.  The tall 
mountains above the eastern shore generate williwaw winds during 
unsettled weather.  Low pressure systems pass every three days, on 
average, according to the guides.  We were joined by two small 
fishing boats this morning, but have the spot to ourselves, again.

This morning we photographed from our smaller Zodiac, Magellan 
penguins enjoying sunshine on a rocky shore.  In this basin of about 
one-third mile in diameter, we have sea otters (different from 
Alaska's) porpoises, grebes, cormorants, albatross, gulls and los 
penguinos. All are busily feeding on hapless fish.

If weather allows, we plan for tonight a bonfire and hot dog roast, ashore.

Wednesday 1/24/07
Caleta Andrade
42 05.9S  072 33.5W

After stuffing in the boat as many provisions and as much fuel as 
would fit, we pushed off from Puerto Montt, this morning.  The kind 
treatment by everyone, especially marina management, continued to be 
wonderful.  No one flinched that much over our smashing the Spanish 
language, and when they could, English filled the gaps.

Our first day out brought us to an area on the east side of the 
country, where Douglas Tompkins assembled a conservation zone.  He 
was one of the founders of North Face and Esprit.  He spent a 
considerable fortune to buy an area stretching from the Gulfo de 
Ancud to the Andes mountain range.  His desire was to preserve this 
old-growth temperate forest for future generations.  Tonight, we are 
anchored just outside his domain, in Caleta Andrade, which is crammed 
with salmon farming pens and shellfish aqua culture.  This 
development feeds families, but at a high cost on the environment, 
especially if you consider the wholesale slaughter of sardines for 
fish meal/salmon food.  Additionally, Antarctic krill is harvested 
for the pen-raised salmon, at a cost to the whales and general food 
chain.

Tomorrow, we will see the other fiord bought by Tompkins, then head 
for Puerto Castro on the island of Chiloe.

Tuesday 1/23/07
Puerto Montt

No one will know for sure if we have slime on our waterline, at least 
not for a while.  Ice Dancer II is sitting a little lower since we 
took on 1,636 gallons of fuel at Marina Oxxean, the only source of 
diesel on a floating dock seen since we left Zihautanejo.  Fuel 
loaded at Isla Galapagos was from a ship anchored with us med moored 
stern to stern.  At Antofagasta, we loaded fuel from a tank truck 
while we were tied between a Travel Lift runway and a light-weight 
slip.  We plan to fuel at Ushuaia, Argentina, in Canal Beagle, at 
Valdivia, in Equador and Mexico.

Yates in Puerto Montt were interesting types.  A large portion of the 
sailboats were motor sailers, with large, enclosed cabins.  Most of 
the other sailboats had extensive dodgers.  Two were large Swans. 
There were many trawler style boats, mostly manufactured locally, and 
several large Hatteras yachts with cabins extending to the transom. 
Enclosed designs is probably attributable to the wet climate. 
Trawlers we visited had interiors styled like commercial working 
boats.  Many owners came by to look over our Nordhavn.  They were 
very impressed with what they saw.  Marina del Sur, where we stayed, 
saw one American cruiser in a sailboat last year.  They had never 
seen a motor-driven foreign cruiser come through before Ice Dancer 
II.  At Marina Oxxean, there were six cruising sailboats tied up when 
we fueled, one from Seattle and the remainder from other countries.

Monday 1/22/07
Puerto Montt

Obtained our Zarpe from Armada de Chile, today.  The Armada 
absolutely controls all movement of boats and ships in its waters. 
Conditions require twice daily reporting of position.  This is hard 
to achieve over radio, VHF or HF.  This is especially true if you are 
not fluent in Spanish, which we are not.  Many Chilean radio 
operators freeze when an unfamiliar accent turns up.  It is not just 
us, we hear it when large ships try to communicate with ports.  We 
hear them call over and over again.  Our way out is to e-mail our 
required information, using our Winlink system over ham radio.  We 
still have to communicate with lighthouses and other watch posts as 
we travel along.  It seems that they try harder than the port radio 
stations.

Food and propane were replenished, today.

Saturday 1/20/07
Puerto Montt
41 29.4S  072 58.9W

This afternoon, we shoe-horned our way into Marina del Sur, Puerto 
Montt.  We radioed Marina Oxxean and this marina, but after no 
answer, we spied an end tie with plenty of room for us.  Fenders 
down, lines prepared, we barged our way in.  An employee rushed out 
to tie us up.  The office is closed until Monday, so I guess we have 
the spot until then.

Our passage through Canal Chacao was interesting.  We arrived at the 
inlet while the ebb tide was running strong, about four knots, and 
against swells and wind waves.  That was very mixed up.  We 
persevered through the break of daylight and got beyond the mix zone. 
We slowly worked our way upstream against the continued ebb flow, but 
in fairly smooth waters.  By the time we reached the first of two 
squeeze zones, we had slack or flooding tides and the rest was easy. 
Interesting.

Tomorrow and Monday, we will do our provisioning and get our zarpe 
for the run south.  Weather is fair and warm.  Water temperatures are 
13 degrees warmer than out in the Humboldt Current.

Friday 1/19/07 5 p.m.
Offshore
39 55.7S  073 41.6W

Friday at 3 p.m., we pulled anchor at Rio Valdivia and started toward 
Canal Chacao.  Chacao is similar to spots in Alaska and British 
Columbia, where large volumes of tidal water move through a narrow 
slot.  Timing is everything.  This slot is 10 miles long, so it is 
impossible to hit the whole thing on slack or flood.  If our progress 
goes as planned, we will be riding into Chile's inside passage on the 
morning flood.  Once through, we will head for Puerto Montt for 
supplies, fuel and a new zarpe permit, covering the south.  This is 
the last city of any size until Ushuaia, Argentina, which is located 
in Canal Beagle.

Yesterday was clear and beautiful.  We used the Zodiac to move close 
and photograph groups of black-necked swans.  Afterward, we went 
ashore at Isla Mancera to view the ruins of a baroque church built in 
1774 and the nearby fortress used by the Spaniards to defend the 
river mouth.

Seas and winds are favorable, so far.

Wednesday 1/17/07
Puerto Corral, Rio Valdivia
39 53.6S 073 23.1W

After a bumpy night, we anchored this afternoon behind an island is 
the mouth of Rio Valdivia.  The Spanish occupied this little island 
from the 1760's to the early 1900's.  Unlike the rivers of the 
northwest U.S., there is no bar to deal with entering this sanctuary, 
which is a welcome advantage.  The vista is reminiscent of the San 
Juan Islands, north of Seattle, except the hillsides are even more 
lush with trees.

Last night we had sustained winds to 37 apparent when we were making 
about 7, slowed down to soften the ride.  That's why we are enjoying 
the clear, brisk weather here near Valdivia.  The town is 10 miles 
upstream, and if we were to go up, the Armada would have a cow 
because we didn't include it in our Zarpe.  We will hit it on the way 
back and probably make our last Chilean fuel stop, with the intention 
of refueling in Ecuador.

We may wait for a few days for the weather to settle down.  The 
mantra here is fair skies, big winds.  Wishing for cloudy, wet days 
seems unusual, but it beats harsh seas.  Our next move is about 110 
nm to Canal Chagao, a high-velocity-current entry into the Gulf of 
Ancud, Puerto Montt and interior waters.  Flood tide runs at 8 knots, 
like spots in British Columbia.

It can't last long, but still we have seen only one other cruiser 
since Zihautenejo, a French family in Islas Galapagos, with a sailing 
catamaran.

This place is another surprise around the corner.

Tuesday 1/16/07
Offshore, Chile
37 30.3S 073 44.6W

We enjoyed a quiet Monday-night anchorage among large fishing boats 
at Ensenada Rere, Bahia Coliumo, which is just north of Concepcion, 
Chile (36 31.9S  072 57.2W).  The bay is about one mile square and 
has good protection from the prevailing south swell.  Hillsides look 
like Oregon, with a mix of pines and ornamental trees.  Two very nice 
beaches are being exploited for what seems like a strong appetite for 
vacation homes and high-rise condos.  New earthmover scars show plans 
for more.  The beach attraction is surprising, considering the 55 
degree water temperature.

This morning, we weighed anchor in heavy fog and moved on south. 
Large-boat traffic was heavy passing the ports around Concepcion, 
then we dodged large fishing boats dragging nets in circular 
patterns.  By afternoon, we rounded a cape with typical magnified 
seas and winds.

Tonight, we will continue on with a planned arrival at Puerto Corral 
(39 53.1S  073 25.6W), in the mouth of the Valdivia River, early 
tomorrow afternoon.  We put off until our return trip the 10-mile run 
upriver to the city of Valdivia.  Weather permitting, we will press 
on toward Puerto Montt, on Thursday.

Sunday 1/14/07
Offshore, Chile
33 50.1S  072 01.1W

Our grandson, Diego, and seven of his Chilean relatives drove from 
Santiago to Algarrobo to be with us, on Saturday.  We had four or 
five days to scrub the boat clean: inside, outside and underneath. 
We had two Zodiacs and the kayak all ready for the boys.  Gail cooked 
for a hearty lunch.  Then came the winds.  We had 20 to 27 knots all 
day out of the northwest, which left us totally unprotected in this 
anchorage.  By the scheduled arrival time, we had five to six-foot 
waves rolling by the boat.  The swim step was going from underwater 
to about three feet above.  We decided to join them onshore, and took 
the kids to a beach to play and had a nice lunch at the clubhouse, 
afterward.  We had a wonderful visit and it was well worth the wait 
to see them.

One casualty of the hobby-horse action of the boat was the parting of 
our 5/8" double braid stern anchor line.  It caught around a sharp 
rock and chafed in two.  Leaving our large, FX-55 Fortress anchor on 
the bottom wasn't a good option, so the scuba gear was dragged out 
for a salvage dive.  I tried to snag the line with a heavy jig 
dragged around in the dinghy.  I found it, but couldn't pull the line 
up.  It was wedged under rocks at one end and tied to the set anchor 
at the other.  I spooled the pole back to the boat, so I had a direct 
marker to the lost anchor line.  It all worked out.

By the time we stowed three boats, two anchors and the flopper 
stopper rig, it was 2:20 p.m. when we left this afternoon.  We will 
run overnight and arrive at Bahia Coliumo (36 31.7S  072 57.2W) at 
about four tomorrow afternoon.  The wind shut down today.  It is a 
good thing, because we are rolling along over 8 to 12-foot, glassy 
swells.

Tuesday 1/9/07
Algarrobo
33 21.7S  071 40.9W

We dropped anchor at Algarrobo at 8 a.m. this morning, after 
traveling overnight from Bahia Tongoy.

This is an upscale resort, west of Santiago.  It has two small 
marinas, one a yacht club and the other a commercial marina.  Between 
the two, they put at least 100 sabot-sized sailboats on the water 
this afternoon.  We are anchored out in roadstead style.  Squeezing 
into the marina looked like more grief than it was worth.

What a difference 200 miles makes in the vegetation.  From the scrub 
area of Bahia Tongoy to the pine-covered hills here, the difference 
is remarkable.  Scattered among the pines are eucalyptus, Norfolk 
pines and many other large trees.

Monday 1/8/07
Bahia Tongoy
31 14.0S   071 42.3W

Sunday night we anchored in Bahia Tongoy (30 17.4S  071 35.9W), a 
wide bay with high-rise vacation condos on one side and modest homes 
strung across the balance.  It was a breezy place to anchor, with 20 
to 30 kts, but no swell, so no roll.

Our current voyage is an overnight jaunt.  Tomorrow morning we will 
show up unannounced at Algarrobo and try to get into the harbor.  I 
say unannounced because every time I call the marina on sat phone, 
the girl listens to my Spanish for a minute and hangs up.  Maybe it 
is just a wrong number and I am talking to the hairdresser.

Sunday 1/7/07
Offshore, Chile
29 48.6S  071 30.1W

Today, we are making a 65 nm run to Bahia Tongoy.  That's the one 
right next to Bahia Barnes.  Winds are calm and skies are mostly 
clear.  Water and air temperatures are 65 degrees.

We toured the protected coast of Isla Damas yesterday, first in our 
kayak and then in our smaller Zodiac.  Swells made the shore break 
too large for a comfortable landing.  So, we viewed wildlife from the 
sea.   It was a very pleasant setting.

The Chileans are getting the hang of exploiting eco tourism, it 
appears.  Pangas run back and forth to the island with visitors. 
Some stay to use small dome tents, clustered about.

The pangueros stopped to take pictures of our Nordhavn, a unique boat 
to these waters.  Since leaving Zihuatanejo, Mexico 3,300 nm back, we 
have seen only one other cruising boat, a French family in a sailing 
catamaran on its way to the Marquesas.

Friday 1/5/07
Isla Damas
29 14.2S  071 31.2W

We are anchored in a spectacular cove on a little island called Isla 
Damas.  The island is designated as a national park of Chile.  This 
afternoon we saw several large pangas bringing tourists back and 
forth from a town on the mainland.

Tomorrow, we will stay here and explore the island, rather than 
pushing on down the coast.

Thursday 1/2/07
Caleta Cifuncho
25 39.1S  070 38.7W

Last night, we enjoyed Caleta Blanco Enclada, a hook and rock pile 
that is protected from the predominant south wind.  The cove had 
several skiffs of double ended design, brightly painted in red. 
Ashore were fishermen's shacks, but no people.  One guess is they 
were at home for the holidays.

Sea birds keep changing as we head south.  More surprising than the 
shapes, sizes and plumage are the songs they sing; different from 
anywhere we have traveled.  Large fur sea lions look somewhat like 
the shaggy male lions of Africa.  Air temperatures are moderate for 
the latitude, cooled by the Humboldt Current.  The backdrop for all 
of this is the stark, barren desert that rises sharply from the coast.

This afternoon, we anchored at Caleta Cifuncho, about 125 miles south 
of Antofagasto.  In this well-protected cove is a fishing village of 
perhaps 25 houses.  A handful of tent campers are scattered along the 
sandy beach.

Days are getting longer, with the sun up from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 
Tomorrow, we will run another 80 or 90 miles down the coast.

###