A quiet straight

A first light departure from Caleta Banner yesterday set us up for a nice trip along the southern coast of the eastern tip of Isla Grande of Tierra del Fuego. It was mostly motor sailing with a few hours of sailing when there was some breeze. Our arrival at the southern end of the Le Maire straight was perfectly timed and we were shunted through by the rising tide. Also transiting the straight at the same time was the USA’s Antarctic program vessel Laurence M Gould. The Argentine navy station in Bahia Buen Suceso called us to check our destination etc.. and asked if we had a permit to sail to the Falklands under there stupid decree two hundred and whatever. I informed them that we were exercising our right to free passage for innocent navigation under the UNCLOS and didn’t require a permit. He advised that the information would be exchanged with the British government and wished us a good voyage to “Port Stanley in Islas Falkland”; I wished them a pleasant posting in Bahia Buen Suceso and that was that. We alternated sailing and motor sailing for most of the night but are now sailing along under clear early morning skies at five knots with a gentle northerly breeze.