Getting to the bottom of it all.....

No better way to start than with a witty pun. This is always the hardest part for me when writing the blog, and I don't make it any easier when I am always trying to catch up. This time nine months has past and I am trying to recapture it all from a world away. I am not sure why it is so difficult for me to stay on top of the blog; it just is. Thankfully we are not looking to generate income from it but rather only using it as a means to keep family and friends up to date (in a not so timely manner) and mostly as a journal for us to look back on and remember all of our adventures.

We have had lots of tiny mishaps and interesting encounters that could keep me busy with daily blog entries but honestly the true story of Chile is its indescribable beauty. The indescribable part being my big road block.

in · de · scrib · a · ble
indəˈskrībəb(ə)l/

adjective

adjective: indescribable
1. too unusual, extreme, or indefinite to be adequately described.
synonyms: inexpressible, indefinable, beyond words/description, ineffable, incommunicable; unutterable, unspeakable.

Okay enough excuses time to get down to it.

My last blog entry left off at our arrival at the Beagle Channel, the pinnacle of this whole crazy adventure that first started taking shape back in Grenada three years prior. Sailing to Puerto Montt, Chile from Ecuador was our objective. Transiting the Patagonian fjords in Karma all the way down to THE BEAGLE was the dream, the part of the goal that we didn't really share in case we didn't make it. Why might we not make it you ask? After my breakdown in The Galapagos and us almost scrapping the whole plan we decided "if" we did make it to Puerto Montt we would just "take the rest from there". Basically pretend it wasn't happening while it was; denial. Clint realized it was just better to put it in motion but not dwell on the end results. I must say the tactic worked well and I am super proud of myself for making it. I am a big ass chicken that can now sail anywhere!

The Beagle Channel is about 150 mi long and 3 mi wide at its narrowest point. It connects the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west. Approximately 30 mi from its western end Isla Gordon (Gordon Island) divides it into two branches, Brazo Noroeste (Northwest Arm) and Brazo Suroeste (Southwest Arm).



Unfortunately, I do not have with me the computer that allowed me to label jpegs like the maps from my previous posts. I got this image off the internet. If you are able to zoom in on it you can get somewhat of an idea of The Beagle. The red dots and writing "Romanche, Alamania, Francia, Italia" are indicating the four glaciers on the eastern end of the Northwest Arm of the Beagle; Rome, Germany, France, and Italy. It is in this area that the two arms unite to form The Beagle proper. Puerto Williams, our destination, is indicated with a black dot and labeled; just below the eastern blue box that says Canal de Beagle.


Brazo Noroeste de Canal Beagle

On October 16, 2016, we finally arrived at The Beagle. Since we were travelling south from Puerto Natales our approach was from the west leaving us with the choice of which branch we wanted to first explore. Knowing we would be in the area for a while we chose to start with the Brazo Noroeste and save the Brazo Suroeste to explore when the kids visited us for Christmas; that way there would be something new for all of us.

The weather since departing Puerto Natales had been spectacular, very stable (not a lot of crazy wind) with lots of sun and clear skies. It was still early in the season so there was also a lot of ice. It is very important to pick your anchorages well in this area. High peaks and numerous glaciers accelerate already gale force winds and the multi-directional fjord walls have the wind bouncing from all directions. In other words, if strong weather is coming you better get someplace safe and secure and there are only a few spots on the Beagle that fit that bill. Fortunately for us we had fairly benign conditions and were able to explore most of the caletas (anchorages).

Our first stop, Seno Girabaldi. Our trusty Italian Guide, aka The Bible, describes two possible fair-weather anchorages in Seno Girabaldi neither of which are particularly great. We knew that ice was also going to be a new factor to consider, so we set out early in the day with plenty of time to find a backup anchorage if necessary.

We spent four hours picking our way slowly through the flow ice in Seno Girabaldi. We checked out both of the suggested anchorages and we were not happy with either of them. Our concern was not with strong wind but getting packed in by the ice.

So we came up with Plan B, Caleta Cinco Estrellas.



Cinco Estrellas is one of our favorite spots. It is extremely well protected and has a lot of great hiking and kayaking opportunities. We spent a week there enjoying the security of the spot. For the first couple of days we had some amazing weather to get out and explore in.

With very little wind the first day we were able to comfortably travel far from Karma on the dinghy out to the entrance of The Beagle. We were able to hike up to an overlook for some amazing views of the channel and its numerous glaciers.

Brazo Noroeste de Canal Beagle looking east:







After a week and with more stable weather in the forecast we headed across the Channel to Seno Pia. Seno Pia branches into two arms, east and west. There are several anchorages, all with their pluses and minuses. Caleta Beaulieu in the eastern arm is by far the most spectacular.



This is not the anchorage location described in the Italian Guide; however, when we arrived at their anchorage it was completely blocked with ice. Not willing to be deterred from this spectacular spot we decided to come up with an alternative. We were not super excited with the spot but we were confident that we would have very calm conditions for at least a couple of days.

There is some great hiking and we were able to hike up to a high clearing and get some great views of the glacier.



Do you see Karma tucked in 1/3rd of the way up the peninsula on the right side?

When there is not ice flow blocking the way it is possible to dinghy all the way up to the face of the glacier. At low tide large bits get left high and dry providing a great opportunity for a Duke photo shoot.



With a change in the weather coming we decided to check out a more protected anchorage in the western arm of Seno Pia. Even though we refer to our Italian Guide as "The Bible" we have learned to take their suggestions with a grain of salt. The book describes a spot where you can do a 2-point tie off, stern to shore and the bow to a small islet. There was in fact a small islet; however, there was not a single thing to tie to, not even a rock to wrap a line around. Always having a Plan B, we opted for Caleta Sur but with a different tie off then suggested in the book.

Although the anchorage was not one of our favorites it was secure and was close enough to the glacier at the end of the western arm of Seno Pia that we could dinghy up to check it out



The walls along the western arm were spectacular with a combination of various ores melded together over thousands of years. They were like pieces of art.



While anchored in Caleta Sur, we had a dolphin encounter like no others. When Clint started the outboard of the dinghy two dolphins came zooming over to us out of nowhere. They clearly had not seen people in a while and wanted to play. We zipped all over the place with them chasing us and swimming under the dinghy. We would slow down and they would swim under the dinghy and pop up out of the water just in front of the bow. We played with them for at least twenty minutes. They never tired. Wanting to explore the glacier we left them to entertain themselves. After several hours of exploring in the dinghy we returned to our anchorage. We had forgotten about the dolphins. As we were zipping into the Caleta we felt a bump that scared the crap out of us, we thought we had hit a rock. It was not a rock it was one of the dolphins giving us a friendly tap. They were back to play. It was seriously one of the coolest experiences.

After five days in Seno Pia, we decided it was time to move on. Caleta Olla was our next stop, located at the eastern end of the Northwest Arm of the Beagle Channel where the two arms meet to form The Beagle Channel. Caleta Olla is one of those anchorages that we had heard many cruisers talk about and we were excited to finally see it for ourselves.



The picture above is looking west up the Northwest Arm of the Beagle Channel. If you look closely you can see Karma tied off to the shore in the foreground of the picture. We found this anchorage to be very well protected. The wind comes screaming down the Northwest Arm right over the top of the mast. The trees on shore provide a strong tying point and great protection from the wind. In really strong conditions the boat is sitting in water that looks like glass but just past the bow foam is being blown of the top of the water. Very cool. There are great hiking opportunities at this anchorage. We were able to hike up to an area that overlooks a lake and large beautiful glacier. The lake has a stream that dumps into the anchorage.

It was still crab season and Caleta Olla is a popular spot for the fishing boats. For a trade of some powdered milk, two chicken breasts, and some eggs we received a 40 lb bag of fresh (still alive) King crab. The fishermen were extremely grateful for the trade. It was close to the end off season and they had been eating crab for a very long time. The chicken and eggs were a much appreciated change in their diet.



After our last crab exchange I was not overly excited about spending an entire day in the galley cooking and cleaning crab. This time we chose to just cook the legs and forgo the body. I felt bad about the waste but honestly there is not much meat in the body and without having to cook it I had a lot more room for the legs. I also froze some legs for when the kids would be visiting.

With the kids' visit quickly approaching, we decided it was time to stop playing and get somewhere with internet so we could talk with our families and start ordering all the stuff the kids would be mule-ing down for us.


Can you tell I had been slaying over a steaming pot of crab, for hours!

After three days of exploring and eating crab we left Caleta Olla and headed for Puerto Williams, our final destination. It was on the final stretch that it really hit home for us that we had achieved what we set out to do. As always it was nothing we expected. We were particularly surprised by the calm conditions. We were in The Beagle motoring with the wind on our nose out of the east, an unusual direction. The wind was not helping our progress and we did not want to arrive at Puerto Williams late so we decided to lay up in an anchorage 15 miles short of Puerto Williams.

On November 1, 2017 we arrived Puerto Williams and the infamous Club de Yates Micalvi.



The Southernmost yacht club in the world in the southernmost town in the world!