After a night anchored at the entrance of Puerto Hoppner on Staten Island, we pass through the narrow channel at high tide to anchor at the end of the magnificent fjord. We meet the crew of the Franco-Swiss sailboat Wallis returning from the Falklands and are soon joined by our Belgian friends from Grand Jack en Liberté who are also returning from the archipelago with their holds full of freshly slaughtered lamb... So an impromptu French-speaking barbecue at the end of the world is organized! You have to reach these latitudes to find yourself with 3 sailboats at anchor!
We spend 3 days on this beautiful wild island, the only inhabitants being 4 military personnel living in a fjord to the east, Puerto Parry. The landscape has changed, the rolling arid plains of coastal Patagonia give way to mountainous scenery with dense vegetation and sometimes a bit of snow on the peaks. An intense atmosphere emanates from this somewhat surreal setting, and it's the perfect opportunity to gain some altitude during our hikes. The seabed is generous with centollas (large red Patagonian crabs) and we're very happy to have a crab pot on board!
On Saturday March 24 in the late afternoon, the weather and tide are favorable for crossing the Le Maire Strait that separates us from the Patagonian channels. We alternate between engine and mainsail/jib as the wind is very irregular in the Beagle Channel due to the terrain: either dead calm or 25 knots on a tight close haul. We arrive at noon on Sunday in Cambaceres after spotting many whales. The landscape is more pastoral, and our short walks ashore give us the opportunity to see horses, foxes, and a multitude of seabirds (albatrosses, cormorants, terns...).
On Monday we anchor among sea lions a few miles further in front of the Harberton estancia which we visit along with its small museum on local marine wildlife. This was the first estancia (sheep farming ranch) in Tierra del Fuego, founded in 1886 by English missionary Thomas Bridges and his family. The next morning we stop to say hello to the colony of Gentoo and Magellanic penguins on Martillo Island before reaching Caleta Martinez Pena, our last anchorage before Ushuaïa 30 miles away.
While navigation often requires the engine in the channels, the weather has been high pressure for a week (quite exceptional for the season) and allows us to appreciate the beauty of the surrounding landscape under the sun, and we're already charmed by these latitudes... We can't wait to discover more!
We arrived in Ushuaïa at noon today, moored alongside the French sailboat La Cardinale. After a short walk in town, it feels like being in the mountains except the altitude is at sea level. The temperature has dropped significantly, and according to locals it won't be long before it snows, the whole crew eagerly awaits the first flakes. We'll stay moored at the AFaSyN dock for a few days for a technical stop with laundry, provisions, and boat maintenance before heading to Chile. Currently the wifi connection doesn't allow sending photos, we'll work on that as soon as possible!
