12/3/08
7AM
The wind didn’t really stop last night although it
died down a bit. We have clocked up 5 miles swinging at anchor overnight.
Another monochrome morning and the wind is back up to Force
7/8.
11:00
AM
Before we left at 8:45,
Steve went up the mast with a big spanner to lock off the wind indicator which
had moved again. Retrieving the
tandem anchors and the tripping line in 25 knots of wind while dodging kelp is
quite an exercise. As we rounded the islands to cross the
Tamar
Sea to the North
East, the wind went West later than advertised and the Sun came out. Soon we
were sailing at 10 knots even touching 10.7 for a bit. This will be our last taste of the
Pacific for a while. The Smyth
Canal which we will be entering soon has a reputation for generating very
strong winds from the North, so
long as it stays West it should be no problem, and we’re only in it for a couple
of days.
12:00
We sail 10 miles up the
Smyth
Canal before it
gets so squally we decide to
motor. We look in on Puerto
Produndo to check the GPS coordinates for the Italian authors of the 700 page
guide to Patagonia and Tierra del
Fuego, currently in its second edition with corrections
being prepared for the third.
It is a life times work for this charming couple.
13:00
We arrive at Caleta Colworth, a possible stop, and take another GPS position for
the Italians, but there are too many rocks and the entrance very tight with a
lot of wind we think it dangerous to attempt to enter with a boat our size. Once you were in it would be very safe
but it would be almost impossible to keep control of the boat while the
necessary shore lines were being attached. So we decide to press on another 19
miles to Bahiá Mallet (Bahiá Isthmus) described as a “safe shelter with the
pleasures of a majestic and beautiful setting,, but is unfortunately subject to
strong gusts…rich in animal life…”
16:00
We are anchored in Bahiá Isthmus, so called
because of an isthmus which is only a few hundred meters wide which was used by
the Indians to portage their canoes made from sewn planks, saving 20-25
miles. I’m sure every yacht which
has stopped here has made the same trek.
Again I was touched upon arrival as the welcoming
committee of dolphins was on hand to greet us while we anchored. As soon as the engine was switched off
they disappeared. They must have
realized we were safe.
Today’s run: 57 miles.
Today’s pictures:
No 1: Tamar this morning.
Nos 2-9 Shots along the Canal Smyth including a
big wreck which reminds you of what can happen here.
10: Our anchorage
11: Trekking across the Isthmus
12: The other side of the
Isthmus
