Have you ever heard the expression, "When life gives you lemons you make lemonade"? Well when your boat gets de-masted you go to Patagonia according to Petr Petr and Tracy Trace, aka PP and TT.



Petr and Tracy live aboard their catamaran, "Genesis", in Grenada (lots about them in our 2013 Grenada posts). They both work extremely hard running a very successful charter business. Never in a million years did we ever think they would have the time to come visit us but then misfortune struck, they lost their mast. They had to cancel all of their charters and park the boat while they waited for a new one to arrive from France. So, why not come visit us? At first we thought they were joking but before we knew it the tickets were purchased, they were coming for three whole weeks!

The image below is a digital copy of the Chilean paper chart of the area we explored on Karma. I numbered each of our stops.



Number 1, Puerto Consuelo

We started our adventure in Puerto Consuelo where we were anchored off Estancia Eberhardt.





To say Petr and Tracy are beer "drinkers" is putting it lightly. We were a little worried about where we were going to put it all. Fortunately down here we can stow it on the deck and it stays nice and cold.



We spent their first day exploring the estancia and playing with the horses.



Tracy the Horse Whisperer, who knew?



The next day we were up early and underway up Estéro Última Esperanza.





Number 2, Puerto Bellavista





We did some trailblazing...













Petr and Tracy had us foraging for mushrooms everywhere we went.



some kayaking...





My merken;)



and a little fishing.





We were not having any luck at catching fish so Clint decided to do a GoPro video of Tracy bringing in the big one, "Duke". Would have been a great video except the captain forgot to turn on the camera. Duke did not think it was that funny.

After a couple of days we were ready to move. We woke early to a beautiful sunrise.



When Clint went to lift the anchor the windlass was not operating. Normally at this point there would be widespread panic but not this time, we had are very own technician aboard.



I would rather not post this rather "flamboyant" picture of Clint but it is a tribute to Kurt and the US Navy. Petr donned Kurt's jumpsuit and went to work on the windlass. Of course Petr had us up and running in no time and we were back in business.



Number 3, Puerto Toro

This was a new spot for us. Puerto Toro is a very short and easy dinghy ride to Bernardo O'Higgins Park and Glacier Serrano which we could see from the boat.







An up close look at the glacier,



and of course some ice for our scotch.



We towed the kayaks up the Río Serrano looking for a nice spot for a picnic and some kayaking. The river goes all the way into Torres del Paine Park which we could see in the distance.









The current in the river was too strong for us to get very far but we enjoyed our picnic and the stunning view.

Another beautiful sunrise and another day on the move.



We headed out of Estéro Última Esperanza towards Puerto Natales. It was a beautiful day and we even got to pull out the sails.



Some dolphins getting in on the action.



Number 4, Puerto Natales





We stopped just off of Puerto Natales for the night. We needed to stock up on some more beer, can you believe it? We also got some fresh salmon, mussels, and clams at the local fish market.





Less than $1 for 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of mussels!

After our night on the town we headed west towards Estéro de las Montañas.



Tracy got some smoked mussels in town, Petr was not a fan.



Number 5, Caleta Desaparecidos aka Sealville



This spot is one of our all-time favorites. It is just teaming with wildlife, especially seals and sea lions.

One of the funniest moments on our trip was when Petr kayaked to shore to tie off our bow. Clint, Tracy, and I were watching from the bow and spotted a HUGE South American Sea Lion exactly where Petr was headed. The expression on Petr's face when he finally saw it was priceless.









I think this was one of Petr and Tracy's favorite spots too. They had a great time kayaking with the seals while Clint and I watched from the deck.



As always, when Tracy is around good food is sure to follow. She is an amazing chef and likes to experiment with new things. When we stopped in Puerto Natales we loaded up on some more steak for our red meat deprived friends (they can not buy steak in Grenada). While at the butcher shop Tracy spotted these and just had to have them.







Have you ever heard of Rocky Mountain Oysters? These are Patagonian Cajones. Like everything Tracy makes they were yummy!

Back on the move all the way to the top of Estéro de las Montañas.



Number 6, Caleta Pelagic



This was another new spot for us. We had some strong weather coming and wanted a good secure spot to hang out in until it passed.



We did manage to get some exploring in before the snow and sleet started.





We celebrated a very special day in this spot, MY birthday, and we did not let the wet and cold keep us from observing it properly with a cookout.











My super bitchin biker look, thanks TT and PP (notice the crown on the table?).



Every night we tried desperately to catch crabs in our handy dandy homemade crab pot but to no avail. We did however catch a bunch of these guys.



What are they you ask...squat lobsters. We did not know that at the time, my very smart friend went home and googled it. We thought they were a type of crawfish and we did eat them, what little of them there was.

We let this guy go.



With the weather cleared we decided it was time to move on.

Number 7, Caleta Mist

From Caleta Mist we kayaked up the small fjord to the glacier.













Petr and Tracy made a friend.





We also did some extreme hiking at the blue lagoon.



Not too far into the hike up and over the very slippery rocks the girls bailed and the boys continued on.







They even got a little artsy.

After a couple of days exploring from Caleta Mist we decided to start our return to Puerto Consuelo.



We went back to Sealville (#5) so Petr and Tracy could get in a little more play time with the seals.



From Sealville we had a beautiful run back to Puerto Consuelo.



Tracy soaking it all in.





Petr and his "little buddy".



Number 1, Puerto Consuelo



After almost three weeks on Karma we were all looking forward to a little road trip. We loaded into Putty, boys in the front girls in the back (with the Bloody Mary's), and headed to Torres del Paine National Park to hike around Lago Grey to view Glacier Grey.



















Petr and Tracy's last two days were spectacular. The sun was out in full force and the visibility was remarkable. We spent those last two days exploring the area at the head of Estéro Eberhardt, Villa Luisa.







The fall colors were in full force.

















Right before Petr and Tracy arrived the flamingos started to arrive in Estéro Eberhardt. Tons of them. I mentioned to Tracy to keep an eye out for them on her bus ride from Punta Arenas. She thought I was pulling her leg. Flamingos in Patagonia??? Apparently flamingos aren't just in the tropics.









It is not every day that you get the cows to pose in your boat picture.



The visibility was so clear that Petr was able to snap this incredible shot of the moon on their last night with us.



So here's to 23 days, 2987 pictures, and endless memories. Cheers!



Oh in case you were wondering who Llarry the Llama is...



Yes we realize he is a lamb but we like the way Llarry the Llama rolls of the tongue.

Oh and by the way sometimes a "cigar is just a cigar".

P.S. Petr shot some unbelievable video of his play time with the seals at Sealville. We have not edited the videos yet. We are leaving tomorrow for our long passage south to Puerto Williams. It was really important to us that we post this blog of our special time with Petr and Tracy before we left so the videos will have to wait until we get to Puerto Williams. Sorry Petr.