We spend a few days between the small fishing ports of Puerto Aguirre and Melinka enjoying the good weather that we missed during our ascent from Chilean Patagonia. Fishing here is focused on shellfish collection and, above all, large-scale salmon farming. Fish farms are everywhere and render some anchorages unusable. Chile is indeed the second-largest producer of farmed salmon globally, with notable environmental consequences such as the massive use of antibiotics. The other striking point upon returning to civilization is the presence of plastic waste and beer and soda cans along the entire coastline...
On Wednesday, February 12, we leave Melinka in the late afternoon for a night crossing of the Corcovado Gulf with a beautiful sunset that tints the summit of the imposing eponymous volcano. We thus reach the large island of Chiloé and anchor in the small pastoral fjord of Pailad. We quickly get acquainted with a warm Chilean family enjoying their summer vacation home with their children and grandchildren. We are fortunate to be invited to a "curanto" after the baptism of one of the children. The curanto is a culinary specialty of Chiloé prepared in an earth oven where shellfish, chicken, pork, fruits, and vegetables are cooked, covered with Nalca leaves (a type of rhubarb) and pangue (an endemic plant)... hearty but delicious! We stay almost a week in this pleasant anchorage between walks and swims, especially since we are joined by the French sailboat Tonga, arriving from the Pacific with two friends on board for Nina and Diane. We continue our exploration of the island by spending a night at the active fishing port of Queilen and then anchor for two nights in the Ichuac estuary of Lemuy Island. After a brief visit to the charming church, we go blackberry picking and return with more than 2 kg, it's time to make jam! Chiloé is home to about sixty wooden churches, 16 of which are listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, including the San Francisco de Castro church. We arrive in Castro on February 21, the island's capital, noisy, lively but a bit too touristy. The city is lined with typical palafitos, wooden houses built on stilts, many of which have been renovated into hotels. Still under the sun, we then reach the small island of Quehuy and then Mechuque Island with its pleasant trails where we reunite with the friends from Tonga for an evening. Our journey north continues with the peaceful anchorage of Linao to wait for the favorable current to reach the town of Ancud via the Chacao Channel. On March 3, we weigh anchor to reach Valdivia where we are currently for a month to prepare for the Pacific crossing while awaiting the visit of the grandparents!
