East Pacific
30th January 2019
1400hrs
Destination and her crew were ready for the planned 0800hrs departure this morning. Echoes of the Spanish culture permeate the otherwise quite regimented Chilean way of life; everyone was late this morning. The marina office decided to open at 0900hrs rather than the usual 0700hrs and the compulsory Pilot who joins us through the canal out of Puerto Montt into the Seno Reloncavi also seemed to be taking the scenic route to arrive two hours late. The seals that call our pontoon home barked and snorted in excitement as our thrusters kicked up the sea below their blubbery bodies. Finally at 1000hrs we cast our lines to start the second stage of this epic trip half way across the world. The quick break in Puerto Montt broke the flow of our travel up quite nicely; gliding through the Patagonian canals was our intermediary stage, though incredible in its own right, it was an appropriate easing from the sustained state of the disbelief and awe that we had just experienced. Now we venture on to a different world: the Pacific Tropics.
Considering our course is taking us on a West North West line from Puerto Montt, the best place to come out of the large and well-sheltered gulf would be to head West out of Canal Chacao, which is another hotspot for whale watching (they travel through the narrow passage on their migratory path). However, we are over the maximum allowed tonnage to pass through Chacao, so we must take the long way round via Boca del Gualfo. Taking this longer route means we must hug the Eastern coastline of Isla Chiloe before rounding the foot of the island to head back North. This is a bit of a disheartening u-turn, but a good interim period to get ourselves and the boat into the right mood for crossing our planets largest ocean.
8th February 2019
1400hrs
30° 15’.000S, 109°49’.000W
My last plot on our paper charts shows us at exactly one hundred and eighty miles due South of Easter Island. At the early stages of our passage plan, we were planning on making a pit stop at the island considering it is ‘on the way’, as it were, however it does not quite fit in to our recent forecast reports. There are a few low pressure systems below us that are threatening to arc up into our rhumbline, so we are making as many miles as possible while the going is good.
This last week has been everything I expected from my first experience crossing the Pacific Ocean. Seemingly worlds away from our recent frozen past, we have been experiencing steady increases in water and air temperature. As we approach the equator the boat and her crew thaw out in the glorious tropical sunshine and the water has become the most beautiful shade of blue, bringing with it an abundance of colourful fish. The long Pacific swell moves ever so slowly, I have never seen such thick and high waves in an unthreatening light, but as our high pressure hangs with us at this latitude there is no cause for concern with regard to weather.
The freezer is now bursting at the seams, Rory pulled in a monster Tuna (we somehow succeeded in convincing him that it was worthy of a bite into the still-beating heart) and Rich reeled in a Mahi Mahi, both fed us very well and filled our stores, so the hooks are off the reels for the time being. Aside from our twice-daily watch of four hours each, we knock off some odd jobs that carried forward from Puerto Montt and carry on with our respective duties in daily maintenance of the yacht; Rory and Rich keep outside clean and polished, chef has our plates filled with two fantastic meals a day, the girls keep the interior vacuumed and wiped, Ish and I focus on daily engineering and proper general maintenance. The lessons in engineering I have been fortunate enough to learn over these few months far surpass any basic course currently on offer by the MCA or RYA, having the right mentor has been a gift. Aside from our daily tasks we are keeping fit and healthy with consistent mental and physical exercise; some reading, some backgammon, some card games and lots of outdoor workouts.
As we pass Robinson Crusoe Island one can’t help but feel connected to the history of the area. So many fantastic stories, true and fictional have been born out of these mystic islands. In fact, we will soon be entering South East Polynesia, a playground of incredible islands and atolls, everyone I know that has been there has sent me a recommendation based on their experience at a specific island. The reality is that each of these islands has a touch of magic in its own right; they are nearly all quite incredible.