Day3 PATAGONIA Channel Southern Chile Heading South Part 6

Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Mon 10 May 2010 22:49
Location: PATAGONIA Channel Southern Chile, Chile (50:25.46S 74:46.17W)
After a spectacular morning we passed out of the mid channels and the cloud
and mist rain settled in, our viability stayed at a certain level to across
the straits. Now the channel is back to 3 miles across much wider than this
morning which got down to 50feet each side of the boat. The wind came up
running with us, and the landscape has changed to a much steeper and rocky
sides as the mountains around us appear to get higher and steeper. We could
see a glacier in the distance and in the main channel we saw small icebergs
floating on the edge. This was good for Sean who we have studying icebergs
and water, even doing experiments and again he sees them. During this trip
we have had a number of nature lectures which are good, and bring reality
for us and Sean is enjoying seeing us all "go to school". We now entering
the highest Andes mountain range with it's huge peaks, which famous Torres
De Paine is part of, (we will see it tomorrow and next day), but already the
height and the shear rock faces, that come down to water, and Snow caps, we
can only look forward to the next week, as this is great introduction.
Tonight we continue on with the hope that we will get to port by morning 10
am, certainly trip has been spectacular, long and size of what we have been
through has taken me back, I knew it existed but reality helps. This is area
is made up of so many islands and passages we discussed how would the
original explorers have found their way, under sail only, reading Captain
Cook's account earlier this year he sailed through the Magellan Straits
(like where we are) the currents, the wind or lack of it, and then the 100s
of false passages, my respect goes out even further.
I have often been fascinated by the way teams and cultures are developed,
and how you build effective working teams, where trust and respect is
developed, and cultures mix into a new unique culture. One thing which has
been very interesting on this trip is 20 of us have been thrown together on
a boat for 4 days, initially we talked a little but kept to ourselves,
gradually the walls have come down. Now we share, and we talk, we discuss
new places, or items we see, this has happened naturally, not forced by a
"team build" that a natural companionship has developed and the different
backgrounds and personalities have merged, we now pay attention to each
other. Even a young pair from Netherlands which have stayed separate have
now fallen into the group, and discussions, and sharing, as if a temporary
family has formed. This trip adds to this learning, that time is an effect
and isolation but with a common thread or interest, in this case travel and
wanting to come on this trip, we often in the corporate world of "team
building" exercise but we only do them for an afternoon or weekend, I am
gradually realizing that they need to simple and longer so people break down
their barriers yet meld, "just a theory" but worth a look. This team would
not have developed if we had 300 people on board, so this is where small
teams of people can come together not big, we often said in software
development is 12, "thought of the day" for what it is worth, admittedly
this group here are not set any goals to execute so things would change in
that situation, but it is "food for thought".