Straits of Magellan

[Stu Jackson]

Don't know if you've read Sequitur's blog. Welcome Aboard | SEQUITUR

Of course, they did it the other way around, but has great weather info.

[brookiesailor]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Don't know if you've read Sequitur's blog. Welcome Aboard | SEQUITUR

Of course, they did it the other way around, but has great weather info.

Stu,
I just ordered it as a Father's Day present! Looks interesting. I guess we have lots of reading to do!


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[belle-isle]

Hi,

I really recommend cruising Patagonia if you're attracted to the place. Definitely worth the experience although for sure it has challenges to match.

Patagonia is doable at any season, with the Tierra del Fuego area apparently somewhat drier and less windy in the wintertime but of course colder and with shorter days. Coming down the Chilean coast has the advantage of being downwind. We did it in summertime and from Argentina to Chile so against the wind, so hardly the best conditions but enjoyed it very much anyhow.

Have a look at https://vimeo.com/belleisle/argentina and https://vimeo.com/belleisle/chile if you would like. I thoroughly suggest acquiring this nautical guide : http://www.capehorn-pilot.com . About the best guide I ever had and once you've been there you'll realize just how much work was put into it.

I also wrote a full document about how to prepare on your cruise down South but it's in French! Maybe you can do something with it using Google Translate... http://journal.belle-isle.eu/2011/06...ere-grand-sud/

Definitely I would recommend the Beagle Channel over the eastern Strait of Magellan. Much less tides and currents and far more scenic. Isla de los Estados is also a high point. Higher on the Argentinian side, I recommend the Caleta Horno and Puerto Santa Elena area. And on the Chilean side the whole area South of Golfo de Penas is fabulous. Try Estero de las Montañas if you can and you can sail to the Puerto Natales area to visit Torres del Paine and renew your visa by visiting the Perito Moreno in Argentina.

Lots more to be said. PM me if you have specific questions and if you seriously plan on going there. I agree with Skipmac, though, the stretch from the Caribbean to Brazil could be a nightmare.



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[brookiesailor]

We are looking at skipping the Caribbean completely and going Bermuda directly to Brazil by swinging out mud Atlantic to miss most of the nasty current. It is still talk at this stage. Spent the day looking up the different types of diesel heaters...


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[jdazey]

Ah, yes, diesel heaters. I spent yesterday researching the options as well. It's a very interesting thread you've got here Brookiesailor. It's generated a lot of helpful information for those of us planning exploring that area.

Joe

[s/v Beth]

While we are on the topic, what would you consider the ideal time to go east through the channel and catch the winds on the east coast toward the Caribbean ?

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by s/v Beth

While we are on the topic, what would you consider the ideal time to go east through the channel and catch the winds on the east coast toward the Caribbean ?

From the Pacific side to the Atlantic?
I have made both April and Octoberish departures from Pto Montt. If you leave in Octoberish you miss so very much scenery... if you leave in April it is getting pretty dark, bleak - and a bit worrysome if you haven't done it before - by the time you get to Williams. Early September would probably be a good time to leave.
If you do that and then don't overwinter in Williams and do a Circuito de Ventisqueros when the snow is down to sea level then you are missing an awful lot.
I have left as late as April from Williams en route to Mar del Plata and had good weather almost all the way but earlier in the year is probably better.

Pics.. near Natales in late May, Monte Sarmiento in December ( from the west) and again in May (from the south)

[brookiesailor]

Beautiful pictures.

We are discussing our options and how to get to port Williams by November. An idea is to head north to Finland, do the fjords in May and the work our way south and west to the canaries, then over to Brazil, Argentina, Faulklins and then onto port Williams by November. It would be a bit of a hurried pace but I have to look at that closer. There is the hurricane belt to consider so we will have to determine the best place to make the crossing.




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[markpierce]

Be sure to stop and take the train.

[brookiesailor]

I meant Norway... It is early here.. Coffee hasn't kicked in..


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[brookiesailor]

Ps I know the train is in Argentina.


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[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by brookiesailor

Beautiful pictures.

We are discussing our options and how to get to port Williams by November. An idea is to head north to Finland, do the fjords in May and the work our way south and west to the canaries, then over to Brazil, Argentina, Faulklins and then onto port Williams by November. .......

You will have issues doing Argentina..Falklands... Williams..... you will need a note from the Vaca Loca who lives in Casa Rosada giving you permission and then have to go BA ( or where-ever )/ Falklands/ Ushuaia while all the time the 3 month visa and the 4 month permit for your boat keeps on ticking.
The option is Uruguay , Falklands, Williams but then you can't go to Ushuaia...
Sad to say if coming from the Atlantic the simple option is simply to skip the Falklands.... or skip Argentina.
The latter is always an option... go to Pireapolis and or Colonia and take the ferry to BA then sail directo to the Falklands.

Of course then you still can't take the boat to Ushuaia but missing Ush isn't a biggy.

That train is good... only truly functional one in Argentina....

[belle-isle]

Originally Posted by brookiesailor

Beautiful pictures.

We are discussing our options and how to get to port Williams by November. An idea is to head north to Finland, do the fjords in May and the work our way south and west to the canaries, then over to Brazil, Argentina, Faulklins and then onto port Williams by November. It would be a bit of a hurried pace but I have to look at that closer. There is the hurricane belt to consider so we will have to determine the best place to make the crossing.




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Hi brookiesailor,

You probably meant Norway instead of Finland, right ? ;-) Unless you were speaking about Iceland, where there are some fjords too.

Anyways, first of all be aware that to be there in May, and supposing you leave from the US, implies a very tough North Atlantic crossing very early in the season. Have a look at the current thread about the Azores being a bad year and the very bad storm that hit several boats.

Second, Norway is a great destination. You might want to spend the whole of summer there ! We sailed it up to the Lofoten archipelago and back and enjoyed it immensely, but it's a long coastline. Don't be fooled into thinking it's a box you can tick in a week ! Plus sailing the fjords is actually tricky : you don't actually "sail" the fjords, you will probably have to motor in them and look for the very rare anchorages if you go into the deep ones. Most people sail the "skjaergard", that is the whole maze of waterways just along the coast, which is also made up of fjords (these just being sounds or bodies of water, just not the very steep-to fjords usually referred to).

Working your way down Europe, you might want to visit Scotland and Ireland as well, and both of these require time on your hands. Actually, we did all of this early on in our trip in order to test the boat and the crew, in order to be sure we could handle the cold, the remoteness, the weather, etc. It was a great school to start with before going on to something even more challenging like Patagonia. If you suffer gear failure in Scotland, while serious, things are still going to be immensely easier than in the deep South of South America !
Have a look at this of you would like to : https://vimeo.com/belleisle/europe-n

Now, from Western Europe to the Canaries to Brazil to Argentina is sure feasible in a few months, but that would be nearly non-stop ! Why not, it all depends on how big a boat you have, how long passages you're ready to make, and how much time you've got. But if you feel it's a bit tight, it will surely be !

Why not spend a whole long summer in NW Europe, and then sail down the Brittany, Galician and Portuguese coasts in October, November and December, go on to the Canaries into the New Year (https://vimeo.com/belleisle/galicia-portugal-canarias), the Cape Verdes and/or Senegal thereafter, and then hop to Brazil say by April or May. Brazil's got a huge coastline too. It will probably take you 3 months (the duration of your visa) to sail down to Uruguay, which you will reach by September or so, have time to visit the Rio de la Plata and go dancing a little tango in Buenos Aires. And then you'll have good 2 months to sail down the exposed Argentine coast. Well, there you have it, it almost seems you've been rushing through it all, but it took you 18 months, not a crazy 6 ! We've done this whole route, feel free to ask if you want more advice.

[El Pinguino]

Originally Posted by belle-isle

Well, there you have it, it almost seems you've been rushing through it all, but it took you 18 months, not a crazy 6 ! We've done this whole route, feel free to ask if you want more advice.

Exactly....why rush..... Chile is worth a year or two..... my boat is currently into the 23 year of her circumnavigation.... still 55* of longitude before she ticks the box.

[markpierce]

Chile has fjords and glaciers also.