Necessity is in Puerto Williams

Necessity
Eva and Jan Fr. Mack
Sat 14 Jan 2012 00:30
Our position is 54:56:05S 67:37:28W
The Chilean call it the southernmost town in the world. The Argentineans say it is only a naval base, and that Ushuaia in Argentina is the record holder. Whatever, this is a meeting point for sailors going around South America. The little yacht club is full of boats from multiple nations. There are two other boats with Norwegian flags. Like everywhere cruisers meet, the discussion is on destinations and weather. The latter is important down here, for the climate is harsh. The "town" has a couple of small restaurants and a few shops. There is internet in the yacht club. There is a semblance of civilisation. In reality the Armada (Navy) rules. There are more navy personnel than civilians. There must be a priority supply of paper. The Armada seems to be floating in a sea of papers. Please fill in these to pages with information (all questions in Spanish). Then these 5. You need fuel? Another set, with mostly the same questions. Is it bad? Not really. I almost believe them when t
hey say that their intention is our safety. The quarter master smiles, and we never experience any irregularities. Just a bit of frustration.
At the moment we ponder whether to go up to Ushuaia. It is against wind and current, often strong, in the narrow Beagle Channel. It is possible to go there by bus and ferry. Maybe a better solutions. Necessity is likely to check out for a place further north here in Puerto Williams. Necessity will probably be off in a few days.
jfm 13.01.12
ps It has been rather windy today, and this blog post has been delayed. We are still waiting for a place in the marina. Some boats were scheduled to leave today, but the harbor has been closed. We are still sitting outside with two anchors deployed. Necessity will probably not get in tonight. It is more and more unlikely that we will go to Ushuaia.