Location 49° 31S, 74° 26W
Wednesday 11.28.2007

The Schooner Maggie B was at 49° 31S, 074° 28W at noon on November 28th. We are off the northern tip of Isla Saumarez (yes, the famous English Admiral) in the Paso Abismo (no translation necessary). We are heading south under power, making 8-9 knots with the current. The wind is northerly at 15, blowing in fits and spurts out of the different intersecting fjords. It is overcast with very rare bright intervals. Rain with occasional sleet. This northerly breeze is due to continue for at least the next several days. The barometer is down to 1008 and continuing to fall.

We have come 690 NM since Puerto Montt and have 468 NM to go to the Horn.

The landscape is definitely changing. Now on the high hills there aren’t occasional waterfalls any more, often the whole hillside is a waterfall. All the hills have snow on the top, not just the distant Andes. Trees hide along the shore and in gullies. Low tundra is spread across the open slopes. The water is cold and choppy. Winds alternate from NE and NW, making sailing essentially impossible as we would be gibing every minute. If only Nigel would have let me have a proper yard!

Hannah is making good progress on sewing up or rip in the main. Curtis and I believe that we have traced the Onan generator problem to some feed restriction from the port tank. More investigation to come. Freddie is working on the verses and score to Barrett’s Privateers and painting the scenery; Alden is reading 1421 and Curtis is everywhere.

We are getting good at setting up and clearing from three point anchorages, improving every time.
Tonight we are planning on being in Bahia Hugh, tucked behind Isla Bun on Isla Figueroa, at 50° 24.2S, 074° 45.7W. The Italians describe the entrance as “delicate and difficult to find,” being encumbered with islets and submerged rocks, but once inside “a hurricane proof cove of great beauty.”

All is well.

Location 48° 59S, 74° 27W
Tuesday 11.27.2007

At noon on November 27th, the Schooner Maggie B’s noon position was at the Angostura Inglesa, 48° 59S, 74° 27W. I used to think that Angostura was a secret brew that my parents put in special alcoholic drinks. In fact, it means “narrows” in Spanish. This narrows is transited by very large ships, which must be quite wild at times. There is a tight 90 degree turn in the middle and currents run at up to eight knots. The small island at the tight turn has a statue of the Virgin, which is no surprise. After the narrows, we stopped at Puerto Eden to check in with the Armada (obligatory) and to buy whatever supplies we could. That consisted of three kilos of potatoes (US$3) and 60 liters of diesel (pesos 650/liter or about US$1.25). Sixty liters isn’t much, but that is 60 NM of steaming.

The Lieutenant at the Armada office didn’t have a secretary, so we escaped with only a long entry in a big book. He was enthusiastic and helpful. Also he had no English, so I had my first full successful technical conversation in Spanish. He had a big iron stove with a wood fire, which was very welcome.

Yesterday we motored up to the Seno Glacier. It was stunning. The incredible fractures and the deepest, lapis lazuli, blues. We stopped the engine for 1/2 hour just outside the bergy bits field and listened to the glacier crack, groan and explode. It threw off Volkswagen bus-sized pieces every few minutes. The experience was only slightly diminished by the intermittent rain and sleet.

As we circled around after the glacier, we went by a small prefab house with one resident glacier scientist. He was the first human we had seen since Bahia Dorata, several days ago. He called us on the radio and said “come my house” but there was, unfortunately, no safe anchorage.

After the glacier we motored out to Caleta Ivonne at 48deg39.8S/074deg19W. It was a spot so tight we could have tied up on all four corners with 100 meters of line and had rope left over. It was marvelous. We had captured one bergy bit at the glacier and it made for perfect ice for our Mt. Gay and Laphroaig.

Tonight (writing at 2130) we are anchored at Puerto Riofrio, named after Lieutenant Mauel Riofrio of the Chilean Schooner Covadonga, which sailed these waters in 1872. It is at 49° 11.8S, 074° 24W.

Outside, according to the GRIB files, it is blowing 35-40 knots from the NW. It was supposedly blowing 25 knots the day before yesterday when we experienced 40 knots sustained. We are SO happy to be safe in the canals with two lines ashore and the anchor out with 6 to 1 of chain. The clouds are streaming by overhead and we rarely have more than 20 knots in the anchorage, which is picture-postcard pretty.

Alden, with help from many sous-chef’s, made a stunning dinner of onions, carrots and sausages, chopped fine, wrapped in spring roll wrappers with ship-made mango sweet and spicy salsa.

We have come 664 NM from Puerto Montt and have 483 NM to go to the Horn. Perhaps we will knock off another good 100 NM.

I just paid to have our insurance restrictions eased as we will pass south of 50 degrees south tomorrow.

All is well.