Puerto Madryn-Cabo Hornos

Dawnbreaker
Lars Alfredson
Sun 6 Nov 2011 16:16
Pos 43:50S 64:33W Noon 6th of November. At sea.



05112011 Leaving for Caleta Horno



We spend the morning working on repairing the deckwash pump. Thomas goes ashore to get new containers and petrol for the outboard, I'm back on blogging and Lars is down in engine room refitting the pump. Unfortunately coming back in the dinghy last night the drain plug had been left out and we filled with water submerging the pump and motor before correcting the situation.



Thomas returns with the Club Commodore who gives him a lift back in his RIB and is he is invited to tour "Dawnbreaker". Suitably impressed he derides a fellow club member on a nearby yacht to get a proper sailing boat like this one



Lunch, the need to update the Blog and the inevitable visit to the Prefecture Naval for more paperwork sends us ashore. After another wasted hour filling in forms to leave harbour to continue our voyage we eventually find a restaurant located near to a supermarket for our next mission. Suitably stuffed with an impressive Hamburger Classica which included bacon, cheese, a fried egg and peppers we set off to the supermarket.



Peter and Thomas take the stores back by taxi while Lars and I search for a money machine to refill the wallet. Back at the club Thomas and I shower and on arrival at the beach the onshore wind has produced nasty surf. Here we find Peter abandon in his underwear and the dinghy and Lars having departed for the yacht.



Apparently an oar had been washed overboard when trying to launch and Peter jumped overboard to rescue it and got left behind. This did not bode well for our impending voyage with the complete electronic package in each of our rucksacks.



And so it was, as Lars motored in to the surf line it was everyman for himself. As we launch ourselves onto the dinghy, all traces of our recent shower were washed away in the bow wave that leapt into air and was blown across the gunwales. If that wasn't bad enough at the other end we had to try and exit the dinghy and leap onto a stern platform that was leaping up and down like a bucking bronco.



The drama over, groceries were dried off and put away, clothing rinse in freshwater and hung to dry and with the timely arrival of 6pm happy hour was declared.

At 6:45 (A Short hour) and we prepared for sea. By 7 all hatches battened down, the main set with one reef and the decks cleared we cast off our mooring line and head out for Caleta Horno some 200 miles further south and a 24hour sail which is home Armadillo, Guanacos, Nando and Sheep and is excellent walking country.



Were off to a good start making 9,3 kts in 20kts of wind with a reef in the main, it looks like another night arrival though down here a lot can change in 24hours.





06112011 At Sea



As predicted the wind went through various stages during night from 25 to 0 kts and as we exited the Golfo Nuevo and turned south it moved to the beam eventually creeping around to the stern. We had some good sailing, until it dropped and so then we fired up the "Tin Topsail" the engine to you landlubbers, to maintain some progress.



Come midday the seas flattened and the wind died totally and its engine on again. So much for the "Roaring Forties"? This is no time for a false sense of security. We have just down-loaded the days "Grib" wind file which shows we have enter the centre of a low and that winds will be getting up to 35 knots in the next day or so and worsening over the three days after that, so its imperative we reach the shelter of Cabo Horno before the blow.



Thomas has disappeared below and is preparing lunch which smells delicicious ...



To be continued..

Bob the Blog