Patagonian Channels
The Chilean channels located south of the Magellan Strait belong to the Biosphere Reserve of Cape Horn (UNESCO) since 2005, thus ensuring their preservation and protection.
sumptuous and passionately interesting places
This territory once only inhabited by the Yagán is a setting of islands, fjords, snow-capped peaks, giant glaciers and virgin forests. Wild and difficult to access, these islands are endowed with an archaeological, biological and more broadly landscape heritage where the purest natural fresh water on our planet flows.
During this 18-day cruise trip, the Milagro sailboat is our comfortable floating base camp for exploring together (members of the organization only) this end of the world only accessible by sea. If the weather is optimal, we do not lose the opportunity to cross Cape Horn (Loköshpi in Yagan language) before visiting grandiose places located around Gordon Island and to the south of Tierra del Fuego, such as example the Seno Garibaldi and the Pia Fjord, both offering breathtaking views of the glaciers of the Darwin Cordillera.
We always alternate activities on the water and on land so that each day spent together allows us to discover the many facets of the region. To do this, we complement sailing by sailboat with shore excursions and angling and trap fishing (the famous centolla (southern king crab), but also salmon, hake, seafood, etc.). We may also sail under the Southern Cross and neighboring star constellations, if conditions permit, in order to give you the magical feeling that the Milky Way is within reach, far from any light pollution.
Also, during all of these 18 days spent together, we are supervised by lovers of the polar regions: Damien, sailing instructor (French State Certificate) and professional skipper (Captain 200UMS sailing) who teaches the sailing cruise navigation since 20 years. And his second, Lauriane, who is a sailor and scientist. She studies the extreme south of Patagonia since 2011, dedicated her doctoral thesis there and led several expeditions. Her in-depth knowledge of the places and what is behind these landscapes, which she shares via the association, makes our navigations in the channels of Patagonia a rich and exciting experience. We will be able to discover more details about our small team on the dedicated page and via the links to podcasts, articles and conferences available online on the association’s website.
In addition to being accompanied by grandiose landscapes and enthusiasts, we have the unique opportunity to discover this region also using place names in Yagan. we are thus participating in the movement to recover toponyms in Yagan languages, a flagship project of our association since 2017 and led by Lauriane. To date, this project represents a little more than 3,000 place names in Yagan, Haush and Selk’nam recorded in a database and which we are gradually replacing throughout the archipelago extending from the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn.
And as these landscapes would be very sad without the faces of those who inhabit them, we make a point of honor to visit the three unique inhabitants of Hoste Island. There we can taste the asado prepared by Eugenio, with a breathtaking view of Yendegaia Bay and the Onashaga (Beagle) Channel. If we did not have the optimal conditions to pass Cape Horn at the start of this trip, we are leaving full of energy to try it again: heading east towards the Wollaston Islands then Hermite, via the Picton Channel, the Gorée passage then Nassau bay. After a sheltered night, we take advantage of a “calm” moment to greet this gateway to Antarctica and the family who reside there. Then we continue our way towards Puerto Toro, a welcoming little fishing village, the southernmost in the world! We then return to Puerto Williams and/or Ushuaia to celebrate this adventure together and the lasting memories that accompany it.
The Milagro ship, a comfortable 20m sailboat
Specifications
LENGTH : 20M
BEAM : 5M25
DRAFT : 2M30
ENGINE : CUMMINS 180CV
FUEL (1500L)
WATER (1000L) + WATERMAKER
GENERATOR
SOLAR PANELS
12 BERTHS
AUTOPILOT
CENTRAL HEATING
TWO WINDLASSES
Sailing area : from Tierra del Fuego island to Cape Horn
Insurance
Our association and the ship are insured for activities taking place on board. We also recommend you to have an additional individual insurance (evacuation and repatriation)
Administrative formalities
To travel to Argentina and Chile, you will need a passport. If your stay does not exceed three months and you are French, Belgian, Swiss, etc. you will automatically benefit from a 3-month tourist visa.
Physical condition
To participate in this course, good overall health is required in order to be able to fully enjoy the activity and during walks on land, the difficulty is systematically adapted to the level of the group.
Health
Although medical services are present in Ushuaia and Puerto Williams and the crew trained in first aid, we recommend that you do a little health check before departure to avoid a dental or other surprise.
The Holy Grail of Navigators
Since the 16th century, Patagonia and its famous Cape Horn have fascinated Europeans, echoing the expeditions and first circumnavigations of navigators like Magellan and Elcano, Jofre de Loaisa, Drake, Van Noort, Bougainville, Cavendish, Cook…
These names have marked European history and fuel the imagination of these “extraordinary” journeys. It is fascinating to look at the technical challenge that these distant navigations represented, by consulting historical maps and imagining venturing into these tumultuous waters without knowing what awaited these men beyond the horizon.
Patagonia was born from “patagon”, the qualifier given by Antonio Pigafetta, chronicler of the expedition of Magellan and Elcano, to name the Tehuelches, the inhabitants of the south of the American continent. The meaning of this word is “people with big feet” and thus illustrates the difference in stature between the Spanish and these hunter-gatherer people from the pampas.
La carte du détroit de Magellan d’Antonio Pigafetta en 1520
The first inhabitants
Far from being as giant as the chronicles of the time made them believe and until the disasters of colonization, the local populations were distributed between maritime (the canals) and land (the pampas and mountainous regions) areas.
The southern lands of southern Hatitelen (more commonly known as the Strait of Magellan) were discovered by man more than 10,000 years ago and populated by different ethnic groups with distinct lifestyles: hunter-gatherers and canal nomads moving from island to island by canoe.
At the crossroads of these peoples is the Great Island of Tierra del Fuego, now divided between Argentina and Chile, where four peoples still live together whose number was extremely reduced during the genocide between 1870 and 1925. It These are the Selk’nam, Haush, Yagan and Kawesqar, today numbering several thousand people who claim their identities and their rights.
From Hatitelen to Loköshpi
Let’s sail together and participate in our mapping project in indigenous languages, from the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn, via the Beagle Channel.
We, members of the Karukinka association founded in 2014, have brought together enthusiasts from different worlds to offer the unique opportunity to go beyond the grandiose landscapes that make up the daily life of sailing. Researcher and founder of Karukinka, Lauriane Lemasson has been studying and exploring these wild places steeped in history since 2011, encouraging us to increasingly respect and discover the knowledge of those who preceded us there. With this unique expertise, we have taken the step of introducing our members to all facets of these places, with her and a crew of enthusiasts and volunteers.
We organize various activities throughout your stay such as hiking and fishing. If you have specific requests (e.g. organization of shipping, access to places requiring special authorizations) the Karukinka association can also support you in carrying out these projects, whether at the logistical or administrative levels and with the Chilean and/or Argentinian local authorities.
Aboard the comfortable Milagro sailboat, we can access places steeped in history and breathtaking, in small groups and where no large boat can access. This exploration experience is completed by meetings, the discovery of certain ancestral Yagan techniques (fishing, basketry, etc.) and the tasting, depending on the season, of what local resources offer (giant sea spiders, berries: calafates, michay and chauras).
Friendly and committed courses
On board Milagro and as during all our trips organized under the aegis of the French Sailing Federation, we are supervised, of course, but above all a full member of the crew. We therefore participate in everything, from maneuvers to tasks inherent to life on board.
Together we will observe whales, seals, southern dolphins and Andean condors, evolve in the wake of the Yagan and explorers of yesterday and today, and taste local flavors while admiring the countless facets of the Patagonian canals . All this while financing the committed projects of our association, in favor of local indigenous populations.
We thank you in advance for your support and we are already happy to share our passion for these preserved places.
