Sun out over the Straits of Magellan
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Mon 17 May 2010 01:42
on church and they turned out to be least of disturbances. We are on the
corner of the main town plaza (square) and sure enough at 9 pm an religious
evangelist decided to play very loud rock music and speak his mind over very
loud speakers until midnight, maybe he was winning over many of the young
church folk on the way home from bars. Then there seemed to be some drag
races down the main street which we on at much latter after the bars, the
boys slept through it, but Tracy and I woke up.
But as morning awoke us through the curtains, the sky was blue, and sun was
trying to work through between the buildings as the locals filed into local
Sunday mass next door to us.
We had a driver for the day and headed out at 11 am down the Straits of
Magellan to on old Fort about 50 km away. The Fort was nice wooden one, but
that was minor compared with the clear day, and the calm blue water
extending over the famous Straits of Magellan to Isla Terra De Fuego and
then on to the Cape Horn, yes we are on the last point of the Americas main
land heading south. These waters were the main water way between Europe and
West coast of America until 1914 when the Panama Canal was opened. I looked
out over the waters on this clear day, a mild 10 knot wind blowing, and to
the south on the other side the white Ice fields of the Beagle channel could
be seen and to the right South East very tall mountains all on the channel
islands extending the Andes south. I though about Captain Cook sailing
through these channels as he did (no motor), Francis Drake and others all
sailed here. Today it looked calm and sunny, no wind, but normally it is
very windy, and cold, and where we are the straits are 10 km wide but latter
they get down to 100 m (how do you take a sail boat against the wind current
through that).
The guide stated he had not seen a day like this for over a year, so we
lucky.
We spent the day exploring the fishing villages coming back, and parts of
town, while the sun was out.
It was nice to see these straits that I have read so much about, I had not
realized the huge mountains on the islands on the other side.
Stay tuned.
