On Verra Chronicles

On Verra Chronicles
Captain's log--Star date 11/16/07
Location: Ushuaia -- Cape Horn

Hello to everyone from the bottom of the world,


After 3 months of navigating the Patagonian channels we have arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina!!!

We covered 1487miles, motored 180hrs, and was able to sail more that half the time.

We experienced all kinds of weather but mostly it rained. A general description is wet and cold.

For the first month we did actually get a few days of sun but the last month was rain and snow

every day.

It was an adventure and an experience that we will never forget. The mountain scenery was

amazing, that is when you can see it, and the glaciers were absolutely spectacular.

Our first experience with ice was up the Seno Iceberg right up to a huge glacier with berge bits

half the size of the boat. We tried to dodge the biggest ones.

So yes we were able to stop every night at a new anchorage. There are thousands of islands

and hundreds of little caletas to stop and explore. The next anchorage was never far away.

On average we traveled about twenty miles a day. The fishing wasnt good but we could eat

mussels everyday if we wanted and often in the north we found clams and in the south the centolla

or king crab. We saw whales, dolfins, sea lions, seals, penguins, and lots of bird life.

The boat did great and our new little engine was fantastic, twice we had to push against 50-60 knot

winds to get into the anchorage. Once the wind speed instrument was pinned on 65 plus as a racha

went through, and we were sailing with two reefs, the sea was incredilble to watch, the water taking

to flight. We became accustomed to the wind and didnt think anything of 35 or 40 knots after that.

It is a different type of cruising than most people are use to and (after two days in Ushuaia) I can

recommend it but it is most important to be prepared because you are really at the end of the

world.

We hope to hear some news from everyone now that we have access to internet again.

Best wishes and big hugs,

Alicia and Alfredo



On Verra Chronicles
Captain's log--Star date 11/17/07
Location: Ushuaia -- Cape Horn

caio,

There are so many experiences that I want to pass along but I think I have little
patience writing.
This is a part of the world most extreme and most wild, facinating and beautiful.
When sailing here you are so close to nature, one with the elements. And so remote,
where we found peace and tranquility amongst the labyrinth of islands.
Some days there was not a breadth of wind and you could hear the flapping of the
birds wings or the breathing of the dolfins, you could hear the life of the sea.
We passed three wrecks along the way and we remembered what a history this place
has. How many ships were lost here? How many people lost there lives? How
difficult it was to sail and navigate these waters without charts and all the advantages
we have today. The engine is almost a necessity today.
The wind does blow here and the weather changes very quickly. We listened every
morning to the weather forecasts and also received the weather fax. I thought
it was quite accurate but not always. Often we heard the words, mal tiempo,
forecast, frontal and nuevo frontal, which we saw on the fax as low after low(pressure
systems)
The best anchorages were the smallest ones where we could tuck up close to the
trees and put out 4 lines. It takes practice to manovre the boat, set the anchor,
jump in the banana, pay out the lines, get it attached to a good solid tree, and back
to the boat for the next three lines, all this without going swimming. We carried
2 long polypro lines of 100 metres and 2 at about 50 metres. Sometimes it was a
comedy to watch us I imagine as we used our toy inflatible kayak. The rocks were
always slippery and Alfredo fell in the water on a few occasions.
One experience that we had to laugh about after the fact was on the first day
we reached the Straits of Magallan. We had light winds when we left the anchorage
but we knew a sw wind was coming. One minute later strong gusting winds that clocked
and then visibility disappeared. Snowing and raining. Decided to head to Isla Tamar,
Caleta Rachas. After we anchored it calmed so I went for a paddle in the banana. I was
just returning to the boat when the wind picked up again and the banana blew out from
underneath me and I am left in the water. I instinctivly started to swim after it
but realized that was stupid plan as I had 4 pairs of pants on 4 layers of sweaters
and 3 coats on. Luckily I was close to the boat and Alfredo pulled me out. But I could
not just change because the boat was being blown onto the rocks at this point and
we had to retrieve the kayak and paddle. We had to get another line out. Alfredo was
running around with no shoes and frozen feet. We get the hard dingy in the water
but by this time we have a full on blizard, snowing like the Madonna. The barometer
was at an all time low of 979mb. Alfredo was worried about me being all wet but I was
worried about his frostbite. Everything was wet inside the boat and every towel we
had was wet. The heater wasnt working with the strong winds. But we secured the
boat and retrieved the kayak and we eventually warmed up as we steamed two buckets
of king crab. I said welcome to the Straits of Magellan!! with a laugh.
Thats all for now.
Love,
Alicia and Alfredo
P.S. We saw no other cruising boats until we arrived close to Ushuaia, we shared 2
anchorages with one charter boat each. And in the channels we had only two
anchorages that we shared with fisherman.

Grazie! Davvero interessante

On Verra Chronicles
Captain's log--Star date 11/26/07
Location: Ushuaia -- Cape Horn

We had a fantastic day here yesterday, a day full of sun, blue skies and no wind.
We got up early, rowed ashore, biked up the hill, then hiked about 2-3 hours up the mountain
to the Martial Glacier. There is still plenty of snow on the mountain and guys were
snow boarding and skiing. There are great views of the channel and the mountains on
the Chillian side of Tierra del Fuego. The sun was intense and the reflection off the snow
gave me a bright red sunburn.
It really is great to be able to leave the boat in the morning and have hiking in the
mountains just minutes away.
The weather changed again by evening and was blowing 40 knots half the night.
Today we have the wind and rain but not too bad.
Vision, a New Zealand boat, arrived two days ago. Edward, Spirit of Rema, just entered
the Straits of Magallan two days ago. It is very tough for him as a single hander on a 28fter
and with only a small 5hp outboard.
So we will be here for awhile since we like it but havent found a place for mail to be sent yet.
Hope all is well with everyone,
ciao for now,
love alicia and alfredo

On Verra Chronicles
Captain's log--Star date 12/19/07
Location: Ushuaia -- Cape Horn

E gia'...qui a quasi 56 lat. la notte buia comincia alle 23 e solo dopo poche ore alle 3 e' gia' chiaro. Come si puo' dormirer...specialmente a sole 10 miglia dal Cabo de Hornos!L'emozione e l'eccitamento sono troppo forti, ma il corpo deve pur riposare dopo 70 miglia da Puerto Williams ,attraverso la Baia Nassau e giungere finalmente alla Caleta Martial.

Alfredo." Cerca di riposare, Alicia, cosi' domani se le previsioni si confermano NW/N 20/30 nodi, alpiamo presto e affrontiamo il passaggio del Capo. Buonanotte amio amor e sogni d'oro".
Alle 3,15, siamo saltati giu dalla branda.
Alicia:" Dai coraggio controlliamo come e' la situazione fuori...il barometro....annusiamo il vento....le nuvole...il mare fuori dalla Caleta..Pare tutto Ok e' arrivato il momento. Via verso Cabo de Hornos.
Mentre percorriamo queste 10 miglia di avvicinamento siamo felici, anche perche' il momento scelto e' giusto.
Il vento 15 nodi, cielo sereno, il sole alle 4 e' gia' tiepido, e il mare calmo...cosa vuoi di piu'?
Di fronte a quest'isola che ha rappresentato e rappresentera' per la sua posizione, un punto cosi' importante per chi naviga, restiamo in silenzio rispettoso, contemplando tutti i suoi particolari.
Ora che siamo cosi' vicino e' cosi' calma, illuminata da una luce di un alba meravigliosa e si offre alla ns vista come "UNICO MITICO TESTIMONE" di infernali naufragi, vittime, e passaggi da panico in condizioni di tempo Apocalittici...

Nel ns intimo siamo emozionati e basta guardarci negli occhi, per interpretare cosa sentiamo reciprocamente.
E' un altro grande momento che ci unisce, ci lega, ci amalgama in questa ns vita di amore per il mare.
Alicia:" Sai che e' tradizione marinara, che quando si passa l'Hornos, ci si mette un orecchino dalla parte che lo si e' lasciato?
Alf:" Per carita', anche se sono al 7 cielo per resta sempre un persing...non ci tengo assolutamente!!!
Alicia:" Gia' e ' vero non abbiamo proprio nessun bisogno di tali cose per imprimere in noi un ricordo similie, ci basta quel che sentiamo dentro e insieme!! e poi avremmo bisogno di 2 orecchini visto che lo passiamo da entrambi i lati!!!".
Ora il vento e' rinforzto , ovviamente e' gia a 30 nodi e il mare si comporta di conseguenza.
Pian , piano risaliamo di bolina , la piu' stretta possibile verso il nostro ancoraggio di Martial.
Avremo potuto inventarci di circumnavigare l'isola Hershel, per dare una variante, ma alla fine abbiamo preferito lasciare protagonista di questo giorno la visita al Cabo.

Una volta all'ancora, dopo aver logicamente riordinato tutta l'atrezzatura della barca, ci siamo rilassati.
Sdraiati in pozzetto, l'uno accanto all'altr ci siamo lasciati scorrere addosso tutte le immagini, e mentre il vento fischiava forte tra le sartie, e il consueto rumore del mare si sintonizzava con lui, pensavamo dolcemente di addormentarci!!!!
Ma Haime', la troppa emozione ancora non ci ha lasciato e abbiamo aspettato un altr brevissima notte...buia... dalle 11 alle 3 per dormire un po'...
NESSUN DORMA !!! QUI siamo AL CABO dE HORNOS!!!!!

Alfredo & Alicia