Chile Patagonia and Lake District

Once again, we’re back in Ushuaia. Our time spent on Whale Song was rewarding for the financial gain, and because both the owner and skipper were very happy with our efforts. The project ended up a lot more work then originally presented. There was a lot of paint work that needed to be done and the location where were were tied up is not a yard but a catamaran manufacturer and could not provide additional labor. So Mark chipped, ground, primed and painted all the major rust spots needing attention. They had left a punch list that was not expected to be completed, but we got through all the items and then some. There may be more work in the future if schedules permit.

We flew from Ushuaia to Puerto Montt, Chile on February 12th and continued on the next day to Balmaceda, Chile, the airport for the town of Coyhaique. Coyhaique is a small town just east of the coastal mountains and the distribution center for the farming area. There was music in the town square the evening we were there and we found the area to be very pleasing. The next morning it was an 80 km drive to the port of Chacabuco where we met Whale Song. We spent the next four days traveling to Puerto Montt, stopping at small coastal communities on the mainland and on the island of Chiloe. It was a preview of what we'll be experiencing on our own trip north in a month. In Puerto Montt the owner, guests and cook departed and the remaining crew, including us, continued on to Valdivia.

Valdivia is located 60 km up the Rio Valdivia and is a very vibrant small university city. This area is know as the Lake District of Chile, an area of lush farmland, dense forest, snow capped volcanoes and deep, clear lakes. Taking only one day off during the project to travel to Lago Panguipulli, we marveled at how much the area reminded us of Vashon Island, Washington, where we had a home for ten years. The boat was tied up at a marina 7 km from town and every morning we woke to the sounds of birds. The weather was very pleasant with very little rain. However during the winter, Valdivia is one of the wettest spots in Chile. The first weekend we were there was the end of Valdivia Week, the end of summer, and there were street fairs, a boat parade and fireworks. After spending three weeks in Valdivia we seriously considered spending the winter there instead of Puerto Montt, but decided against it due to the rain and the fact that more cruisers stay in Puerto Montt.

With four days between the end of the project and our flight from Puerto Montt, we took the bus from Valdivia to Puerto Varas, 20 km north of Puerto Montt on Lago Llanquihue. The plan was to stay in Ensenada on the east shore of Lago Llanquihue, but we had too much stuff to move around easily so decided to base ourselves in Puerto Varas. One a day we took a local bus to Ensenada and on another day Nancy got in a horseback ride, her guide being one of the only "horse whisperer" in Chile. Arriving in Puerto Montt mid-day on Friday, we went to the marinas to see who was in port. Skaedamunska (sp?), crewed by a Belgium family we met in Piriapolis, Uruguay, were the only ones to have arrived, taking two months, reporting that they had a very good trip. We had a nice visit and dinner with them. They are leaving sometime this week for the Pacific.

So we will leave Ushuaia for Puerto Williams, Chile, 20 miles east on the Beagle Channel, in a few days. We will spend about three weeks around Isla Navarina and weather permitting make a trip around Cape Horn. We would like to be on our way north by mid-April.

Chao