Puerto Eden: Mad dash from boat to boat to boat

Yesterday afternoon, the whole team arrived safely and smoothly to Saoirse after spending two nights aboard the sunny Navimag. Now, we are moments from hoisting anchor and beginning the trek back across the Golfo de Penas.

Disembarking in Puerto Eden is always an exciting experience. When the Navimag enters the small bay of Puerto Eden, there is no dock for passengers to get off on; there is no wharf with which to offload equipment. Instead, the barge simply lowers its bombay doors, and dozens of open, wooden boats come zooming and puttering out from all over the clustered seaside community.

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Like canoes to Captain Cook.  –Photo by Katie McConnell

 

Immediately there is a frenzy of people carrying cargo to and fro, and boats jostling for position. Imagine us trying to offload half a container’s worth of food and equipment!

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Vamos vamos chiquillos! –Photo by Katie McConnell

 

 

We are very grateful to Aliro who came with the Yepayek, boat of the CONAF. After taking everything out of the container, we were able to load everything onto the Yepayek and go directly to the Saoirse, finally united with Keri, Greg and Alex.

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No podimos haber cumplido todo sin la ayuda del CONAF… gracias! –Foto by Katie McConnell
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Just a small mountain of a few things –Video still taken from Keri-Lee Pashuk

 

In a mad rush we moved all the cargo once again, finally to its final destination with the Saoirse.

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Greg on the Saoirse. Saoirse means “Freedom” in Gaelic –Photo by Keri Lee Pashuk

 

 

With all of the boxes of food and equipment, soon we were left barely enough space to even move! We spent the next 4 hours unpacking and storing away everything.

One of the most impressive things about living on a sailboat are the clever ways things are put away. Everything is tidy, neat and efficient. On Saoirse, food is magically stowed away underneath all of the floorboards, walls and seats. Everything has a place, and there is always a way to make more space by organizing more efficiently.

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Anita, Seba and Katie breaking it down –Video still taken from Keri Lee Pashuk

As of time of writing, everything inside the sailboat and on deck has been put away and tied down for travel. Outside, ropes attaching metal boxes to the deck are receiving their last tugs. Inside, leftover coffee cups from breakfast are dried and placed behind locking cabinets. The stove has been unhinged, and is ready to swing with the rocking of Saoirse.

Today we will head north, up Canal Messier, towards the mouth of Golfo de Penas. Just to travel the 90 nautical miles to the entrance of the Golfo takes about 15 hours in good weather, and there we will regroup and stage for the crossing to the north side of Golfo de Penas (an area called Golfo Tres Montes). From the southern entrance to the Golfo, it takes about 10 hours in good weather to cover the 60 nautical miles to the northern peninsula.

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Although the climate is extremely unpredictable, it is still so important to respect weather forecasts and keep a sharp eye on the horizon. Captains Greg and Keri are well seasoned sailors with worldwide experience including multiple Antarctic expeditions, so we are proud to be denizens of the highest safety standards.

Wish us luck, and hasta luego Puerto Eden 🙂

Cheers, Katie

 

 

 

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