13112011 Leaving Comodoro Rivadavia

Early in the morning Thomas returns from his musical interlude ashore and finds the same problem with the gangplank,

but he’s having none of and eventually attracts the attention of the nightwatch guard and get him to pull it onboard.

At 0930 after and extreemly trying night of banging boats and warps shrieking in protest as they were stretched to the limit we cast off

and head out into the main harbour to hoist the main and set out for Puerto Deseado.

The wind is extremely fluky every time we turn into it, it changes direction so that in the end we are chasing our.

Its also very gusty and as we head out of the shelter of the harbour it shots up from 13kts to 50 putting us over on our beam ends until it moderates and we regain control.

And so it was for the rest of the trip. One minute we’re screaming down 3metre surfs at 12 knots under a reefed main and a half out number 2 jib

then we have the engine on as we’re barely making 2kts as the wind dies.

14112011 Puerto Deseado

We arrive off the river entrance just as the tide is changing but their’s a 30kt headwind blasting down the entrance.

All of sudden we are in the company of two black and white “Commerson’s” dolphin and surrounded by penguins as well as a flock of Tern we have disturbed of a little island nearby.

                            Commersons dolphins                                                                    Brittannia-Piedra Torro                         

It’s a busy fishing port with a massive dock and nowhere suitable for us to tie up to and mooring buoys are too close to shore for a yacht our size

in the end we are invited to tie up alongside a harbour service boat. This great except we know have another precarious climb up the wheelhouse of this boat, jump across onto a large dock fender then up a rope ladder. Who said sailing wasn’t fun!

                             A leap of faith(2)                                                                     Alongside

                                Fishing for Calamares                                                              luring lights                 

The Perfectura who had followed us in have by now advised their shoreside colleagues of our arrival and they meet us after our clamber and invite us up to the office for more paperwork.

Peter and I head for the tour boat office and restaurant to meet up with with his contact Dani. He’s not there but as we walk back we bump into him looking for and get invited back.

                              Watched over by the Prefectura

The Wi-fi is on but the bar is closed as they haven’t official opened for the season yet but never mind he takes Peter into town and problem solved as he  returns with an armful of coldies.

By this time there is quite a gathering Lar and Thomas have arrived and a group of locals. One wants to meet me in particular as he tells me his surname

is Evans (Marcos Olivia Day) and his great grandfather came from Cardiff and his grandmother is buried their. It turns out he is a retired Judge and a really nice guy as are Dani, Peters contact and Xavier.

                     New friends from Darwin expeditions

We are taken on a tour first to his house to meet some of the kids on his rehab programme called “Respect” where they are taught sailing and

all about the history fauna and flora of their home town so that they can have pride in their neighbourhood and its natural beauty etc.

He is a font of knowledge and we learn that this was the stop off point for Charles Darwin and the “Beagle” expedition amongst others  who like us

were fascinated by a peculiar rock formation he named “Britania” on the opposite shore.

Our tour continues and includes the railway station and museum, the service having closed in 1979, and trip up to the highest point over looking the town.

                               Railway Museum                                                                      Station house

That evening we invite Dani and his German girlfriend, Yvonne to join us for dinner but its not that simple as the Coast Guards won’t let them into the port.

So the trot of to the Perfectura office and the problem is passed up the chain of command and still come back no.

But there is a chink in the chain ! they can come aboard by boat if they are picked up from the shore line.

                           Danny and Yvonne                                                                Chicken Curry

Eventually they arrive and Thomas’s chicken curry and our wine cellars best rewards their patience, needless to say a good time was had by all.

                          Church tower and Lighthouse combo                                             Lost carriage

Bob the blog.