Crew Available: Anyone near Ushuaia or Puerto Williams?

[PvilleBob]

I'm going to be traveling down to South America and plan to be in the DEEP south around mid February. I'm hoping to find someone down there with a sailboat who might be up for a trip out towards Cape Horn. I'm totally up for contributing for fuel, drinks, food, etc...

If you're down there and planning to head back up north along the eastern coast, I'd be interested in talking about crewing for you.

I know it's a long shot but...

[El Pinguino]

I know of a CFer who managed to get a berth on a well known yacht in the channels year before last prior to arriving in country... not sure how he did it......

Essentially you have two options... get to Ushuaia and ask around when you get there...

Or.... what I would do... catch the DAP down from Punta Arenas to Pto Williams and ask around at Micalvi... you may find someone heading into the Atlantic in Feb....

If not ... there is some good tramping to be had on Navarino so your trip would not be wasted

[PvilleBob]

That is sort of what I was thinking as well. I am taking the bus down to Ushuaia then probably catching the ferry/bus to Puerto Williams. I posted in the Yacht Club's FB page but it's been dead for two years so I am planning on hitting the club in person unless I get lucky with a sailboat I found for rent in the area. For now, I'm crossing my fingers.

[El Pinguino]

No ferries or buses between Ush and Williams...

Catch the weekly ferry - Yaghan - out of P Arenas..... if all else fails you have had a spin through some interesting country.....

[El Pinguino]

And also...
While you can catch a bus from Pto Montt to Punta Arenas... 30 hours... it is the most mind numbing trip you could ever imagine.... Argentine Patagonia has little going for it... esp if you are on an express bus....

Catch the Navimag ferry from Montt to Natales... do the 'Torres del Paine' thing and then bus to P Arenas.

[PvilleBob]

That is really sad to hear. I thought I'd seen a ferry from Ushuaia to Puerto Navarino and a reference to a way to get from there to Puerto Williams.

As you say, if nothing else works, I'll see the Penguins up at Seno Otway and check out Ushuaia then cut that part of my trip a bit shorter than I'd planned so I can move up to Buenos Aires a day or two earlier. Still hoping for the sailboat rental I found though...

[El Pinguino]

The ferry to Pto Navarino is a bit of a 'now you see me now you don't' sort of a thing.

It may be running... and if it is it is $$$$.

You may get a berth on a yacht heading back to Williams after a storing/aduana run...... always worth a try asking around... but they have clamped down on that a bit in recent years....

[PvilleBob]

I'll be sure to have a nice bottle of something to entice a thirsty Skipper.

[saillr]

Another option is to use the aeroclub Ushuaia right next to the yacht club. On weekends there are many private pilots looking to take people up for rides. We had a Russian crew stuck in Puerto Williams and the aeroclub went and picked him up. Just be sure to call customs in Chile ahead of time.

[Jorge M]

Just in case, I am available to crew any boat. I own a 43 feet Benateau in Croatia, I am a former Captain in the Chilean Navy and a former maritime pilot in the chilean inland waterways. I have also a chilean coastal sport captain license

[PvilleBob]

Originally Posted by Jorge M

Just in case, I am available to crew any boat. I own a 43 feet Benateau in Croatia, I am a former Captain in the Chilean Navy and a former maritime pilot in the chilean inland waterways. I have also a chilean coastal sport captain license

Really? That would be awesome if you'll be in the area when I am. I found a small (8m) sailboat that is very reasonably priced that I would rent if I had someone more skilled than myself to be in charge. Are you interested in sailing closer to Isla Hornos? I want to get as far south as I can on this trip but I also want to be safe.

[PvilleBob]

Originally Posted by saillr

Another option is to use the aeroclub Ushuaia right next to the yacht club. On weekends there are many private pilots looking to take people up for rides. We had a Russian crew stuck in Puerto Williams and the aeroclub went and picked him up. Just be sure to call customs in Chile ahead of time.

That's a great idea in case I can't find a way to sail from Ushuaia. I'll check on how to contact customs so I don't get into trouble.

[El Pinguino]

Unfortunately the ferry and aircraft operators charge what the market can bear - plus 50%.. they are not cheap...

And a bit of a story here...
About 2015/16 some bloke was involved in the Williams restaurant business and also wanted to establish a Williams/Ush ferry service...
So he had the Armada shut down the bar on Micalvi as it was unfair competition to his business... it remains shut to this day.
He also pointed out that yachts in the Cabo de Hornos run, the Circuito de Ventisqueros, and the punter trade between Ush and Williams were operating illegally - which was true - and interfering with his business. So he had them shut down as well.

Not sure if it ended all that well for him.... there is still no Williams /Ush ferry..

More about it all here... https://www.yachtmollymawk.com/2016/...und-cape-horn/

[lamadriver]

There some sort of non scheduked service at the moment during high season between Ush- Williams. it runs a couple of times a week when the backpackers fil it up . There may be one or two trips a week from Navarino across aswell at the moment

place is chock full of trampers at the moment


Hi Ping------

LD

[PvilleBob]

The $100+ each way makes the "official" ferry to Puerto Williams just to have a chance of finding someone up for a sail is a bit steep for me. Is the "non scheduled" service more reasonably priced?