What a final we got on our Patagonian tour! But more about that later.

We stayed in Marina Quinched and at our nice hosts untill we got our custom papers in order and the decision was taken for the wintering marina.
The Custom paper almost drove us crazy. In spite we had mailed them in good time, they argued that we where too late with our application. The official we emailed where at another office for two weeks, and nobody looked into his email!! In the end they decided that we had acted in good course and no fine was to be paid. Our new permission is valid for three month, and before that the procedure has to be repeated again...
Our Wintering harbour is now decided. Marina Oxxean in Puerto Montt turned out to be the best choice in comparison with the other marinas in PM and some marinas around Valparaiso. Oxxean charge 4 US$ per day without electricity. Our intension to sail some weeks around Chiloé before we leave for the Pacific contributed to the decision.

The 5 of June we left Quinched after more than four nice weeks in the marina and sailed east into the Chiloé archipelago. After a sunny day with almost perfect sailing conditions we anchored in a nice lagoon, Estéro Pellú, in the middle of Isla Apiao. The entrance is very narrow and partly shallow. Actually it is so shallow that the approach has to be done at high water. The tide reaches 5m at spring, so we really have to keep track of the tide when we are planning when to go and when to leave.
It was almost like starting a new trip, starting from Quinched after four weeks and it felt good to be on the sea again.
We had to wait a few days to let a low pass, but then we continued north to Isla Mechuque where we anchored in one of the many well protected caletas. A sunny day with favoruable winds gave us a nice sailing the 30nm from Apiao to Mechugue. The anchorage, which we reached well before sundown, was overlooking Golfo de Ancud and the Volcanoes on the mainland, not a bad view in the sunset.
The next day we motored west around a reef and then sailed east to the next island, Isla Buta-Chaques for two reasons. We had to shortened the passage to the mainland to be able to anchor in daylight and second, the wind where predicted to be strong north westerly and go around the reef in that condition was not very comfortable and very time-consuming. And of course this added another island to our archive.
We got a nice walk over the island before sunset and the next morning the wind was as predicted, perfect for the goal of the day, Estéro Comau. We had a fast and a little bit bumpy broad reach making sometimes over 7kn (+1kn current), so it didn't last long before we saw the islands on the east side of Golfo de Ancud.
Unfortunately the wind didn't decrease as predicted when we reached Estéro Comau, and it even followed us as we turned 90 degrees into Estéro Cahuelmo, where we planned to anchore in a not so protected spot along the north shore. We turned back to Comau only to experience that going back 10 nm to Isla Llancahué against the sea was not a good option, even if the anchorage itself is very safe and protected. Another option was to go down wind in Estéro Comau 12nm to a caleta, but it was doubtful if that was to give more protection than the one we left. On top of this a thunderstorm began and it seams to have its centre somewhere down in Estero Comau. We where not interested to sail between these 1000m high sloops into a thunderstorm, so despite having left the anchorage in Estéro Cahuelmo once, it turned out to be the only reasonable option, considering everything.
One of the difficulties with this anchorage was the depth and the fact that to get any notible protection from the wind and sea we had to be close to shore. The solution was to tie a 40m rope to our 60m chain and then use a 100m rope ashore to be able to winch us ashore. This is how it was done, but we can tell you tying a rope to a chain hanging 40m free are not an easy job. In fact it is a quite scary operation, releasing the chain from the windlass to be able to put the rope at the end of the chain require some precautions and involves a chain hook, another rope and even the genoawinch. After an hour we where safely tied ashore with two ropes at the stern and one at the bow against the wind, and we thought that this together with the predicted 0-wind in the late night would be safe enough, although a bit uncomfortable.
As predicted the wind died around two o'clock after a crescendo with a hailstorm for some exiting minute.
We woke up to a brilliant and calm but cold morning. The hail was still frozen on deck because we where in the shadow on the north side of the Estéro, the other side looked warm and nice! Now we had to arrange everything for the bath...You don't think that we where aiming to swim around the boat!? Of course not, 10 degrees in the water and minus 2 in the air is not our coup of tea! No the whole idea with this somewhat dangerous trip was to visit the thermal springs in Parque Pumalín at the head of Estéro Cahuelmo.
We put the outboard motor on the dinghy and run away over the, shortly, very shallow water to the spring. In fact most of the trip requires high water even for the dinghy. We moored the dinghy close to the spring one hour before high water, having plenty of time to go back with enough water.
The thermal bath turned out to be a rock where there were cut tubs and small canals for the hot water to reach the tubs from the hot spring. Small stones in the canals made it possible to adjust the temperature in the tub, a perfect place with a wonderfully setting in front of the Estéro. We had the most fantastic view over the snowy mountains around the fjord. It was marvellous, especially since the last time we where into water was in Brazil!
Back in the boat, still frozen in the shadow, we had to hurry up to be able to reach the next anchorage before dark. The days are not very long in mid-winter Chile.
Untie the shore ropes and start the tricky procedure to get the anchor chain with its extra rope on deck. We will with not tire you with all details, but we are very grateful for our 12mm Wichard chain hook!
Finally we made our way out to the sunny side of the Estéro. In Canal Comau south of Isla Llancahué we saw three groups of, what we believe was, Fin whales with spectacular blows in the sun, quite a final to a splendid day.

We anchored just before sunset in Canal Zapatero, south east of Hornopirén, and this became to be our last night on anchor in Patagonia on this trip. After quiet and calm night, but again cold, we started with an early breakfast so we could get full use of the predicted easterly wind towards Seno Reloncaví and Isla Guar where we aimed to anchor, 20nm south of Puerto Montt. We sailed north east just 2nm out from the mainland with the sun from a clear sky and perfect tailwind, adding one knots of current to our speed. Couldn't be better this time of the year! We where supposed to sail over a shallow area, 3m minimum, adding 5 m high water it made sense in this calm sea state conditions. But some extra outlook and no autopilot was our "alert" to take care.
Björn was at the helm when suddenly the water became completely greenish ahead and just to the left of the bow!
But it moved!
Annika was down in the boat and where rapidly called on deck with the camera. We had a gigantic Blue whale just in front of us, and thanks to the extra outlook and no autopilot we managed to change course enough avoid touching the whale in spite we where sailing downwind with the sails pooled out.
The normal size of a Blue whale is 25-27m and above 100 ton, the biggest known seen in the Antarctic was 33m and 190ton! Somewhat bigger than Lindisfarne - 11m and 10ton.
They are huge, and like icebergs, most of it is below water and still what you see is quite impressive. We had a small Hummingbird on the boat just before we spotted the biggest animal on earth, talk about differing size.
Only one hour earlier, sailing in the sun under perfect conditions, we said to ourselves: "now is only a whale missing" talk about having your dreams fulfilled with extremely good measure!

After this the passage of the shallow area was not exiting at all, in spite it was only five meter and we could see the wave pattern in the sand on the bottom.
After another two hours we reached Paso Nao and turned north into Seno Reloncavi. We had the current against us with tailwind through Paso Nao, but the waves became never to steep so the passage where quite comfortable despite the confused sea.
In Seno Reloncavi we soon realised another problem to solve. The wind, which was supposed to haul east and decrease, did increase and kept on from the south straight into our planned anchorage in Isla Guar. This was not a possible choice, and the only alternative to this anchorage was to continue the extra 20nm to Puerto Montt. Although we believed to reach PM in darkness, this was not a problem. PM is a harbour with lighthouse and lit beacons and an approach at night is very common. Another side of the coin was that this had so far been a perfect day, and to end the one year trip in South America with all this for your eyes seemed to be a good idea.
It even turned out better than expected, the tailwind increased, letting us sail out pooled in full speed the last 25nm, and the current gave us one extra knot in spite the water was going out of Seno Reloncavi.
Obviously local phenomena makes the main flow run quite westerly in the Seno, creating a counter current where we where coming. Sometimes you don't know how skilled you are... (pure luck!)

All this together made us reach Isla Tenglo just at sunset and we got a marvellous sunset on the snowy Volcano Calbuco just north east of Puerto Montt. This became the ultimate final picture to remember from the whole Patagonia trip.
The last mile between the mainland and Isla Tenglo to "our" pontoon at Marina Oxxean was easy between all the beacons and we moored just before the final evening light disappeared.
Need we tell you that we where really overwhelmed from all experiences the last two days. It is astonishing that your mind still can be so perceptive after all these month with strong impressions from Antarctica to the glaciers in the Canals and close jumping Humpacks. Of course some pictures are still strong, but they don't prevent us from fully appreciate new views. On the contrary it seems that our eyes have been trained to see even details in the sceneries.

After a welcoming glass of vine in Mannis boat, a Finnish gay living and working here since several years, we stumbled in bed, needing a long night to recover from all that air and sun the last two days.
After a few days we where fully acclimatised, knowing where to by bread, having preserved the water maker, and dried out Lindisfarne at the pier to examine the underwater hull.
Now we have some web-work and boat maintenance before we leave by air to Easter Island for a week and then to Sweden via Santiago – Madrid - Gothenburg.
We will be back in South America for some inland travel in early November. Sailing in the Chiloé archipelago in January-February before leaving for Tuamoto and Gambier in late February.
Our overall plan includes New Zeeland in November 2008 before the Cyclone season starts in Polynesian.
After that we don't know what the grib will tell us to go...
           
19 juni 2007
Annika & Björn
S/Y Lindisfarne

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