In addition to dinghy exploration, we checked out the uninhabited parts of Mechuque on foot
Madrone has started to head south now, taking her crew into the archipelago between the big island of Chiloe and the mainland. The geography and scenery is very much like the San Juan Islands of the US and Gulf Islands of Canada – rolling green hills bisected by what seems like an infinite number of watery channels.
Many of the homes are built on stilts (palafitos) to accommodate high tide
One difference is that while the San Juans and Gulf Islands are largely vacation spots filled with second homes, many of them grand and sprawling, the islands off Chiloe are places where people seem to live and work.
The pedestrian bridge connecting one side of town to another over an inlet
Most of the land is devoted to small farms, and the shoreline is dotted with well-used wooden vessels that trawl for fish, service the numerous aquaculture installations, and ferry folks between islands.
One of the nice things about cruising is meeting other people in the anchorages. Karyn and Steve on S/V Threshold are a great example
The town of Mechuque is filled with houses on stilts to protect against the 20’+ tides, and of course includes an iconic wooden church – one of the symbols of the Chiloe region. It’s what we imagine the San Juans/Gulf Islands were like 50 or more years ago.
