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USHUAIA
- CAPE HORN - DARWIN GLACIERS
- USHUAIA
(2 Wochen)
1. DAY
USHUAIA (54°56'S / 68°06'W)
Beautiful view from the plane across the Beagle Channel and glaciers - we meet
at the jetty of Club Nautico - you choose your bunk and get familiar with the
boat - last big shopping for 2 weeks - sailing across the Beagle Channel - we
pass 'Isla dos Lobos': Sea Lions and Cormorants.
2. DAY PUERTO
WILLIAMS (54°56'S / 67°36'W)
We anchor at 'Seno Lauro', the best natural harbour of this region - the wreck
of the 'Micalvi' is our jetty and provides at the same time all harbour
facilities: pub and shower - here are a handful of boats tied off already,
getting ready for Antarctica or just coming down from the Chilean Channels -
Yamana Indians - Martin Gusinde Museum - last shower at Micalvi.
3. DAY PUERTO
TORO (55°05'S / 67°06'W)
Laid back Puerto Williams - one thousend two hundred inhabitants - high military
presence but totally out of date - no private telephone lines - sailing the
Beagle Channel - Puerto Toro: most southern settlement of the world - fifty
inhabitants - dealing one bottle of whisky for a crate full of King Crabs -
detailed weather analysis for the right moment to go to the Horn.
4. DAY BAHIA
SCOURFIELD (55°45'S / 67°20'W)
Early in the morning we can watch the beavers - passing 'Isla Lennox' and 'Isla
Nueva' - at 'Isla Evout' we might sight some Albatross, since this island is an
important breeding place for them - we anchor at Bahia Scourfield, Wollaston
Group, and do some trekking to an inland lake.
5. DAY CAPE
HORN (55°50'S / 67°18'W)
"The classic aspect of Cape Horn is the cliff face to the southern headland.
Well below its summit, the old lighthouse I saw burning back in 1977, still
stands, but shines no more below the clouds. On exposed rocks, a mile offshore,
the sea breaks heavily even on a calm day, as the rollers coming in from the
Southern Ocean pile up on shelf water, 75 miles away to the south-west."
Cape of the ultimate challenge - many destinies and catastrophes have taken
place here - symbol for the end of the world. - visit to the island: Chilean
navy control post - passport stamps - chapel - monument - wildlife - deep
tussock grass.
6. DAY
ROUNDING CAPE HORN
This will most probably be a tough day, the sea is very rough, we get short
waves, we get changing local winds, its cold and wet - we have to fight - last
radio contact with navy patrol station at 'Cabo de Hornos', they will contact
Puerto Williams and have our names registered: we have rounded Cape Horn - on
our way to a well deserved rest Commerson- & Dusky Dolphins, Seals, -
Wandering Albatross, Condor, Giant Petrels, Wild Goose, Skuas, follow us to
Caleta Martial.
7. DAY CALETA
MARTIAL (55°40'S / 67°25'W)
We get a bit of rest - we can make a beautiful long trekking along the coast -
Yamana Indians have lived here with their open canoes: they had no clothing,
rowed in open canoes with an open fire in the middle, the women dived for King
Crab, the coast was full of mussel heaps, they ate the 'Pan de Indios' - we head
up north again towards Puerto Williams.
8. DAY PUERTO
WILLIAMS (54°56'S / 67°36'W)
We fill up our tanks and might are lucky to get some fresh bread - we get our 'zarpa',
our permission to head west - if the weather allows, we continue west along the
Beagle Channel.
9. DAY
YENDEGAIA (54°54'S / 68°42'W)
We pass the Argentinean Ushuaia - we can see the first glaciers on the horizon -
we anchor near to the farm, where the 'Gauchos' guard twenty to thirty thousend
cattle: they do not know how may they have.
10. DAY
CALETA MORNING (54°56'S/69°09'W)
We pass 'Punta Divide', where the Beagle splits into the 'Brazo del Noroeste'
and 'Brazo del Sudoeste' - can see the first floating ice - glacier ice breaks
off the glacier and produces tremendous noise - more ice comes floating towards
us - we reach the 'Ventisquero Hollanda' - with the dinghy we can come closer by
- the glaciers are huge and push their massive icewalls into the Beagle - the
ice is blue and crystal clear: a result of some thousand years of pressing.
11. DAY
VENTISQUERO SAN CHRISTOBAL (54°4'7S/69°37'W)
We can get ashore and reach the outskirts of this glacier - "We gazed in
awe at the stupendous display of beauty all around us. The trees on the hillside
close by looked too filigreed to be true; the white mountains and gleaming
glaciers against a clear sky completed the picture." (Gerry Clark: 'The
Totorore Voyage').
12. DAY
YENDEGAIA (54°54'S / 68°42'W)
We slowly have to head back towards Puerto Williams - depending on the weather
and our 'Zarpa' we can still explore the creeks to the south - to save time we
might sail during the night back towards Puerto Williams.
13. DAY
PUERTO WILLIAMS (54°56'S/67°36'W)
At the navy control post we can pick up our Cape Horn certificate - make a
splendid trekking up to the 'Pico Navarino' from where we get a tremendous view
across the Beagle Channel - we exchange our experiences with the other yachts
around - yachtlife.
14.
DAY USHUAIA
For the last time we sail the Beagle - fresh bread and cheese - transport to the
airport.
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