On to Frannie B
20 November 2014 | Puerto Montt, Chile
Carol/rain, sun, wind, no wind typical
The airlines down here are sooo nice. When the info says one checked bag for domestic flights, we ready ourselves with the credit card. Instead, we get lots of smiles and all 320+ pounds of luggage sails through. Frannie B looks pretty much as we left her and we can't resist getting to work immediately upon our arrival. No surprises for the first few days and we are feeling pretty smug. We are comfortable at our Hostal de los Navigantes across the street although the breakfast of dry local rolls and instant coffee is a long shot from the Holiday Inn in town. However, the price is right, the water is hot, the location convenient, and Patricio sneaks in some eggs revueltos when Pedro is not around monitoring the goings on.
Launching is smooth until the docking into a slip less than 2 feet wider than FB in a cross wind. Due to our fine crew of Rachel and me no damage is done. Trouble starts with some preventative maintenance by cleaning the fuel tanks and trying to start up the generator. I proudly make my first totally Spanish phone call to Juan the welder for some needed help. Then, Rachel and I steer clear of Ned for a few days going off to begin the provisioning. Just to add to the disaster area the FB looks like down below, we bring piles of stores in preparation for our 6 week journey to Puerto Williams the southeastern most town in Chile and also our jumping off point to Cape Horn. We will pretty much not see fresh food or any stores south of Puerto Montt. God forbid we missed a meal or ran out of dark chocolate or coffee.