Seno Pia
Position 54:46.35 S
069:40.61 W
Yesterday we set off
for the Western arm of Seno Pia. This
is a glacier strewn fjord about 40 miles from Puerto Engano. A serious chill has engulfed us here with
the snowline now down to sea level in parts.
Departing from Engano
we eventually entered the famous Beagle Channel, commonly referred to
as
“Glacier Alley” and it wasn’t too long before we saw a stray “berg”
heading
towards us. Stewart estimated the
weight to be about a ton, which by ice standards is tiny, but which
could still
do a considerable amount of damage if we just rammed into it. As we headed into the fjord, we saw more and
more brash ice, and spectacular glaciers.
Our anchorage was well protected but we were very close to an
advancing
pack of ice coming down the fjord to close it off over the winter. This
morning our aim
was to head off, up to the glacier at the end of the Western arm of
Seno Pia,
but the pack ice stood in our way.
Although it wasn’t thick by Shackleton standards, it was still
always
risky entering the ice.
Stewart let me take
the boat off the anchorage before we attempted to get up to the glacier. “Crunch” as the boat
first hit the ice, followed by a continuous cracking as the boat
pierced the
ice sheet. Looking at it from the bow,
the ice would shatter with “lightning streaks” radiating out as if
watching a
magnificent display of sheet lightning in a storm. After about a
quarter of a
mile the ice became thicker, with a higher concentration of bergy bits,
which
caused us concern, so much so that we had to abandon our quest to get to the face of the glacier, so as not risking
having to winter up here in Seno Pia.
We are now of to
Caleta Olla where I will be mooring up the boat, so I will write again
soon,
Ian Jinks on Pelagic
signing out |