Location 54° 56S, 67° 37W
Wednesday 12.05.2007

We are moored safely in Puerto Williams near the Club Naval de Yates Micalvi, at 54° 56S, 67° 37W. Micalvi is a former Chilean Navy ammunition ship, sunk on purpose to be the base for the Club de Yates. It has a variety of boats scattered around it like a sow with piglets. Micalvi looks as if it would have sunk by now, even if not sunk on purpose. There is just a little bar that opens occasionally in the old wheel house. Last week the electricity to the boat blew up so there are no lights, no washing machines, no showers.

The raft of boats around the Micalvi didn’t have room for us to join the pile, and many promised to be off early the next day to make space for us, so we went out to a huge Armada mooring buoy, scaring off a nesting gull (sorry WWF). Alden did an upside-down trapeze stunt while trying to set lines, but somehow managed to stay out of the water.

We cleared through the Armada for arrival. Our plan is to watch the weather, load up on supplies, and wander the town a bit. Puerto Williams is a depressed naval base with only a little civilian dressing on it. I suspect that they look across the Beagle Channel at Ushuaia and envy their success at being a tourist destination. We were rather astounded to see perhaps half a dozen tourist boats skittering around the Beagle Channel in the snow, obviously showing hearty visitors a seal, a porpoise and an albatross.

If things work perfectly, including the weather cooperating, we will be off early tomorrow for the Horn.

All is well.