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Chau Chau Wolfgang, chau South America, aloha Polynesia

25:38.00S 126:39.00W – 200 Miles East of Pitcairn Island.

Our battered Chilean courtesy flag, now retired

Our battered Chilean courtesy flag, now retired

A week of trade wind sailing at last. We have had only one slow day during the last week and even then we made 100 Miles otherwise we have been averaging somewhere around 120 Miles a day. Today we have under 200 Miles to run to Pitcairn although we haven’t decided whether to stop there or not yet.
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In search of Man Friday

Paula tests a flare

Paula tests a flare
Saturday 13 February 2016
37:14.00S 075:30.00W - Pacific Ocean 260NM SE of Isla Juan Fernandez

Off at last. With the engine repaired we did our final provisions shop in Puerto Montt and got everything stowed. Tuesday we paid the marina fees and arranged for the Armada to come and issue our Zarpe (clearance for any voyage in Chile). The Armada came to make an inspection and of course found that our flares were out of date; this is because it is virtually impossible for foreigners to buy flares under Chile’s sales of firearms laws. We explained the situation to the officers, they were aware of the problem, very sympathetic, and made several calls to ever more superior officials. Read more ›



Ready for the off – almost!

the repaired heat-changer

The repaired heat-exchanger

Sunday 07 February 2016
41:39.14S 073:03.62W - Marina Costa de Huelmo

We eventually got the heat-exchanger back from the shop on Wednesday; not exactly as good as new but I wasn’t going to let them keep it any longer. They had welded up and machined the corroded area but with insufficient weld so the rubber O-rings sealing the ends of the tube stack were not working. I sealed it all up with rubber gasket compound and let is set over-night. Read more ›



Heat-exchanger woes or “that looks expensive”

A distant island on a calm sea in Golfo Ancud

An Island in Golfo Ancud

Last Sunday we motored into Marina Costa de Huelmo with the intention of staying for a week to ten days. We planned to start the servicing and provisioning prior to a short trip across the Andes to visit Paula`s parents to say au revoir; which would also renew our visas for Chile allowing us an unrushed exit from Chile. We would then return to finish stocking up before departing Chile for Polynesia. Read more ›



Mountainous views, Tábanos and a World War I hideaway

22nd January 2016

41:48.90S 073:04.00 W

A tern perched on a polystyrene fishing float

Tern on a fishing float

We have had a change of scenery this week from the low rolling islands on the west side of the Golfo de Ancud to the steep fjords of the Andean foot hills on the East side of the Gulf. We had hoped for a nice sail across the thirty miles or so of open water from the Islas Chauques to Isla Llancahue but there was almost zero breeze and therefore we puttered across enjoying the weather and the respite from the Tábanos. Read more ›



An uneventful week, but not for the pig!

Pig being carried on a pole

Piggy transport

After the excitement of last week we have had a very quiet one this time. Leaving Castro the day after the collision we motored on a very quiet and warm day through the islands to Isla Alao where we anchored for the night near a large Salmonera (Salmon farm) that must have had a lot of fairly mature fish in it, if the noisy splashing from within the cages was a reliable indicator of size. Read more ›



Rescue in Estero Castro

Broken

The impact forced the rudder over smashing the tiller

In this week’s blog I was going to write about the Tábanos a huge biting fly, about visiting a church and getting a stainless steel thing made. But instead I’m going to tell you about an incident that happened to us as we were heading out of Estero Castro this morning. Read more ›



A year in, an overnight trip, national parks and a cultural observation

crab claw on the beach

Crab claw on the beach. Pacific coast of Isla Chiloé

Well that is Christmas done and dusted and as I write this the New Year is just a few hours away. This time last year we were slipping out of Stanley Harbour, Falkland Islands, on a quiet evening about to bring in the New Year somewhere off McBride’s Head. This evening we are anchored in front of the palafitos of Castro. Read more ›



Seaweed Pays

The iconic palafitos in Castro

The iconic palafitos in Castro

Still in Estero Pellu on Isla Apiao, we took a stroll along the coast at low tide to visit the community where we found the usual collection of boats on the beach, some in use some under construction and a church. We found several people busy on the beach working with seaweed that was drying in the Sun. They told us that they harvest the seaweed (that light green slightly rubbery sea lettuce type stuff) at low tide and also dive for it. We had seen many of the boats with rudimentary hookah dive systems on the deck but were not sure what they were diving for. Read more ›



Everything including the kitchen sink – comes on the ferry

The church at Metahue, Isla Buta Chauques

The church at Metahue, Isla Buta Chauques

42:36.66S 073:13.15W
We spent a couple of days in Metahue observing life, chilling and doing chores. We saw the ferry arrive one evening bringing half a dozen people home from their travels and unloading their shopping which included not only the kitchen sink but a wood fired range and its chimney. There were sacks of animal feed, sheets of plywood for the new gymnasium and boxes of fruit for the shop.
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