On January 20, we leave Caleta Moonlight Shadow at nightfall and sail until the next noon through the Sarmiento and Pitt channels to anchor at Caleta Colibri before the north wind strengthens. Landing possibilities are very limited due to the dense vegetation, so we stay only one day and prefer Caletas Refugio and Lucrecia in the Wide and Grapper channels, respectively, much more suitable for walks, especially when the sun shines all day!
We arrive at the small village of Puerto Eden on January 26; it has been a month and a half since we were last in civilization. However, the return is very gradual since this somewhat sad little town has barely a hundred inhabitants, mostly fishermen and their families. Puerto Eden holds the world record for annual rainfall... That gives you an idea of the weather conditions here! We cross back below 50° South; Libertaire hadn’t been this far north in almost two years! We leave two days later for Caleta Sabauda in the Messier Channel, where we stay one night before reaching Caleta Lamento del Indio after 70 miles of night sailing in calm conditions. The weather window announced for crossing the Gulf of Penas is very favorable for this weekend, and even though we passed through this last part of the channels faster, we’re starting to get our fill of rain, and the lush vegetation makes walks less enjoyable for Nina and Diane. We’ll have more time to enjoy the large and unique island of Chiloe further north. We are currently at sea off the Taito Peninsula with the snow-capped peaks of the Andes in the background. A 15-knot favorable wind pushes us gently on the Pacific swell, and the cloudless blue sky is forecast for several days due to the very southern position of the South Pacific anticyclone. We should arrive tonight.