Hello from Viña del Mar, Chile

[Jorge M]

I just joined this forum and am very pleased to have friends to get advice on cruising.
I am a former Chilean Navy Captain and currently acting as pilot in the chilean inland waterways, Magellan Strait and Cape Horn.
I have experience in bay and coastal sailing but very few in cruising which I hope to do once retired as pilot in one more year. In doing so, I am planing to buy my first own sailboat.
I wil be pleased to answer any question about patagonia and at the same time I apologize for my english as second language.

[Dsanduril]

Jorge,

Welcome aboard. I spent a very pleasant month at anchor in Viña del Mar some years ago, exploring inland Chile before continuing by sea. Hope to see you down by Cape Horn in a couple of years.

[Jim Cate]

G'day Jorge, and welcome to CF. With all your experience, I suspect that you have more to tell us than we will have to tell you! You might enjoy communicating with El Pinguino here on CF. He too is a retired master mariner and very experienced cruiser and keeps his own boat in Puerto Montt.

I look forward to your contributions, and perhaps being able to offer cruising advice in return.

Cheers,

Jim

[Cheechako]

Welcome!

[El Pinguino]

Hola Jorge,
I am sure your english is better than my spanish...

Sólo hablo un poco de español muy malo, solamente la armada española y un supermercado español, nada más..

Looking forward to seeing you down in Pto Montt one day,
Saludos,
Ping

[stillbuilding]

Hi Jorge,
Where do you hope to cruise?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forums lily hhrn

[Orion Jim]

Welcome! Your English is fine and you have spent a lifetime in a place which we all dream of visiting one day. You must have some wonderful stories to share.

[Don C L]

Hello Jorge, I wish I could catch a ride with you when you are piloting around Patagonia! I have never been there but it is on my short list! Y tambien Ud. puede ayudarme aprender mas. !Tengo que hablar con mis suegros!

[Jorge M]

Originally Posted by stillbuilding

Hi Jorge,
Where do you hope to cruise?


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forums lily hhrn

Hi Lili, my final goal is Antarctica but for now, Patagonia will be fine.
Best regards

[El Pinguino]

Jorge, you are lucky to work in one of the most challenging and, at the same time, most beautiful pilotages in the world.

The pilot boats working the eastern ( Skua) and western ( the orange one) ends of Estrecho de Magallanes give an idea of the conditions experienced.

I've seen the 'western' one, whose name I don't recall, ducking into Cta Cooper Key on occasion , I assume you have a buoy there that you use 'between jobs'?

[Snowpetrel]

Hi Jorge, you live in one of the most amazing countries I have ever visited, and I have good memories of the friendly armada officials helping us out with the paperwork in Puerto Williams and putting up with my very very poor spanish with a smile.

We had a great sail around the Beagle channel, and also around cape Horn and the Peninsular. I look forward to hearing of your travels.