Taking advantage of a light wind, sunny day to fly the spinnaker
Heading south, we’re struck by southern Chile’s similarities and differences with the British Columbian/Alaskan coast. Both stretches of water feature similar landscapes – protected channels dotted with green islands – and similar cool, rainy climates.
Stretching our legs ashore at Pozo Marcos
One big difference, though, is in the human population of the two places. In BC/Alaska, there is a thriving sport fishing industry that has resulted in a number of lodges and small towns. There are enough intrepid boaters that it would be a rare day where we didn’t see one or more other cruising boats.
Down here, we see occasional workboat that services the local aquaculture facilities, but we’ve gone a week or more without encountering another recreational boat.
Evening beach fire at Caleta Jacqueline
This lack of nautical tourists also extends to the information available for visiting boats. With many narrow passes between islands, tidal currents can run strong and create whirlpools and standing waves.
Of course we roasted hotdogs and marshmallows
In BC/Alaska, these are well documented and guide books suggest timing and strategies for navigating them. Down here, on the other hand, the guide book simple states “Tide rips have been observed”.
It feels like we’re on our own, and we’re only a couple hundred miles into Patagonia.
