Day3 PATAGONIA Channel Southern Chile Heading South Part 5 Puerto Eden

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Mon 10 May 2010 15:19
Location: Puerto Eden (pop 50) in PATAGONIA Channel Southern Chile, Chile
(49:7.57S 74:24.33W)
I woke to the anchor being lifted the rattle of the chain over the windless
and rollers, it as 6 am the sun had not yet appeared as I climbed on the for
deck, after stumbling in the dark down from the top bunk, trying not to wake
the rest of the family. Sean had been up a lot since 3 am with night mares,
so it was best to allow them to sleep on.
It was a partly cloudy morning but a lot of potential blue, to the starboard
side the islands had significant peaks of snow and rock which were catching
the early dawn light in a yellow glint, and we started to make our way out
past the island that we had anchored behind last night, and through for the
next 2 hours a maze of islands and what is meant to be a channel. You could
determine the channel by a series of small red and white light houses on the
islands, and the odd channel marker, but the land came within 40 feet at
times and we had a running current with us. But the morning was fresh, and
invigorating as the sun peaked above the mountains on the port side (left)
and reflected on those on the starboard side (right). The other passengers
made there way out to the decks with cameras in hand, I even got Tracy up,
and out early to catch some of the shots, we all greet each other and
comment, as we have all formed a sort of bond over the last 3 days on the
ship. Breakfast was called while we on the fore deck, and we mingled back
getting the boys up, and looking forward to hot chocolate and coffee to warm
up.
It is now 10 am we pulled into Puerto Eden a small village / port population
of 50 people with brightly painted houses nestled in a small set of islands
below some towering peaks with snow and Ice on them. The was is a mirror and
the color of the yellow boats that came out to greet us and drop off people
and collect cargo reflected against the water as the sun made its way to the
lower part of the valley. This little port is a salmon fishing spot, with a
number of salmon farms around, as well as the last outpost of the last
surviving full blooded Indians of the area there are 5.
We unloaded a significant amount of supplies each load been taken by a
different boat, and the loading was by more luck than good management, a
broken wooden pallets and a series of ropes loosely holding each pile of
goods on as it went over the side to the positioning small boat. We dropped
off 3 passengers and took on another 6, some of them hikers who had finished
here. In the small harbor there is a red sail boat about 45 feet a ketch at
anchor a picture post card but it was very cold without the sun beating down
as the wind chill went through you, I wonder if this boat is going north, I
assume so or just staying here it would be tempting if they had heating on
board, but it looked like a steel boat and rigged out for cold weather.
As we pull out, the many small boats (you will see in the photos when we get
to port) head back many of the boats the same color as the houses, it is
strange to see people paint their houses yellow, red, blue, pink etc, the
cottages are made out of wood, and smoke comes from the cookers and heaters
providing a wood smoke fragrance to the morning. The town is about a house
deep following the coast everyone seems to have a water front property,
there are no roads to this town, as it is not on the mainland side, so this
ferry twice a week is the real outlet to the outside world. But the scenery
for these houses is stunning with the top peaks in snow, the water here does
not freeze in the winter and they are protected from the southern ocean
storms by the high mountains behind them, it is a very peaceful place.
The rest of the day should yield more great scenery.