[Sailing Patagonian channels] Sébastien’s Logbook part 1

Tuesday, January 28, 2025: Departure of the sailing expedition in the Chilean Patagonian Channels

A tough wake-up this morning; the night was short and the previous day was busy, as always before an 18-day sailing expedition in the Cap Horn biosphere reserve, the southern Chilean fjords : provisioning, supply runs… a host of things that, of course, can only be done last minute in Ushuaia!

So, 8 a.m., breakfast, and quite a crowd for this breakfast. Yesterday, we welcomed 5 new crewmates: Annick and Jacques, the Gers natives aboard, Pascal from Grenoble, Alain from Vannes, and Françoise from Paris; their common point: they’re all happy retirees! With Aude, who simply refuses to leave the boat, Damien, Lauriane, and myself, that makes 9 crew members!

Once everyone is settled, the ritual begins: completing formalities with the local authorities in Ushuaia. For every trip, you have to visit the naval prefecture, immigration, and customs, both on the Argentinian and Chilean side! After this, we get a standard inspection, as often happens, such as at Bahia San Blas during our offshore cruise along the Argentinian Patagonia from Buenos Aires. Usually, it’s mainly a check of the boat’s papers, communication, and safety equipment… and it always goes smoothly!

With all these requirements, we don’t leave Ushuaia until 1 p.m., arriving at Puerto Williams, the southernmost city in the world, on Navarino Island (province of Cape Horn and Chilean Antarctic), after a smooth crossing. We anchor in front of the city, as there is no space at the fishing port, and near the famous Micalvi, the pontoon-boat and historic local heritage known to sailors passing through before heading further south. A bit later, another French sailboat, which has been in the region a long time, anchors next to us: the Podorange.

Wednesday, January 29, 2025: Awaiting formalities → hiking on Navarino Island!

This morning, and since we’re in Chile, it’s back to entry formalities with the various authorities. So, a day on land for everyone: Lauriane and Damien tackle the paperwork marathon, Alain and Annick go for a walk along the Beagle Channel shore, and Pascal, Françoise, Jacques, Aude, and I set out to climb the “school” summit above the village: Cerro Bandera. This 600m peak offers a panoramic view of the surroundings.

Access to this summit is an exception in the region: it’s one of the few with a well-maintained, marked trail, making the climb easy. Most of the time elsewhere, you have to find your own way – nature is everywhere and only reveals itself after real effort!

It’s a beautiful ascent, pleasant after leaving a 4×4 track: we cross remarkable Fuegian forest, then low, dense shrubs battered by winds, before reaching the bare mineral zone, where only moss survives – nearing the summit. The sky is overcast but calm, and visibility excellent. From various points, you admire, at different elevations, the channel and surrounding peaks…

Everyone climbs at their own pace and meets at the top, marked by a cairn capped with a Chilean flag. From the summit, you see various trails suggesting many multi-day hikes to explore this island; it’s quite stirring…!

The kind weather means we have a picnic and a restorative nap, before heading back down the same way, ending up in a cozy tea room. Back on board by 6:30 p.m. for a quiet evening after a great walk.

Thursday, January 30, 2025: heading west in the Beagle channel, toward Hoste island

Up at 6 a.m., departing at 7 a.m., we have a long way to go: we head west again, pass Ushuaia and continue to Hoste Island. Sailing is calm, motoring for lack of wind. In early afternoon comes a surprise: the wind picks up, stormy, gusts up to 45 knots, the Beagle Channel reveals its bad-weather face, and it’s impressive. Only one sensible solution instead of motoring head-on: take cover.

We head for Caleta Letier (Dumas Peninsula, Hoste Island, Chilean fjords). The place is beautiful, a small, well-protected bay with forest trailing right to the shore. Anchoring, though, is less idyllic… The anchor doesn’t catch – so much kelp on the bottom that it’s impossible; it comes up covered with mountains of kelp and a bit of mud. Everything has to be cut away before trying again—exhausting and messy!! Finally, success: Milagro is secure at anchor! Phew!!

Good thing too, because the unforecast storm is fierce: gusts at 40 knots, strong and sudden, tip Milagro on its side, sheltering in the bay. In the channel it’s worse: gusts top 50 knots, the water turns white, wave crests are blown into a whiteout over the sea. The Chilean Navy bans navigation for now, and Ushuaia and Puerto Williams ports close.

The place is harsh but gorgeous: coves, forest, and mountains everywhere….

Friday, January 31, 2025: First glimpse of the Darwin Cordillera glaciers and anchoring in a bay on Gordon Island

8 a.m.: a morning stroll on deck – magnificent! The wind is down, even the channel is calm. A delicious moment of peace, alone at the end of the caleta.

We head west, Hoste Island to port, Tierra del Fuego to starboard, and in the distance, Darwin Range glaciers sparkle in the sun. The scenery is breathtaking – channels bordered by dense Fuegian subantarctic forest, mountains, and glacier-topped peaks. It’s extraordinary to be in one of the last places on Earth where nature reigns and humans are nearly absent.

We enter the southern arm of the channel; Hoste Island remains to port, and now, to starboard, the Gordon Island coast follows Tierra del Fuego. We pass tall glaciers, hugely diminished by climate change: like the mountains, polar zones are most affected…. We turn into an unmapped fjord and follow it up several km to anchor at its end, beneath a waterfall and a stream from a melting glacier. The glacier towers above, fresh and grand: we are in Caleta Eva Luna. The place is sublime, and the joy on Lauriane’s face – who recorded sounds and took photos here in 2018 – says it all.

A short walk along the shore takes me back years too: the dense, impenetrable Fuegian forest, the waterlogged boggy ground, all as I remember. Toupie, our faithful four-legged mascot, delights in playing fetch with abundant sticks on the shore!

It’s a quiet night; we rest up to keep going west tomorrow… To be continued in the next post ;-)

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