RYA Course 24’. The Beagle Channel.
Early on an expedition, weeks seem to be longer than land life ones. It’s been just two days since we left Puerto Williams, but the succession of events, fishing, hiking, barbeques on the beach, and beautiful scenery after the other one, could well seem that time here is set to pass much slower.
Bahía Yendegaia
But just a week ago, we started the RYA Yachtmaster Ocean Theory course in the classroom at Cedena, the sailing center in Puerto Williams. For five days, they learned how to fix their position in the ocean by understanding the sun and other celestial bodies’ movement without artificial satellites or electrically fed devices. Eight enthusiastic students gave all of what they had in their brain cells to put the system together in such a short amount of time.
Puerto Williams stands for being the southernmost village on the planet where you can go alongside a dock and do the last preparations before venturing into Tierra del Fuego (Spanish for ‘Land of Fires’) or before deepening into the southern latitudes bound for Antarctica. Well, you don’t go alongside a dock; you do it alongside a hundred years old ship, the “Micalvi.”
Vinson alongside the “Micalvi”.
Originally built in Germany, this steel steamboat served as a cabotage ship for the Chilean Navy for over thirty years. But she was put out of service in the sixties after hitting a rock in the Magellan Straits. Somehow, she was scuttled in shallow water in a creek immediately west of Puerto Williams, with the idea that she would serve as a pontoon.
At Vinson of Antarctica, this yearly activity starts in Chile by the end of March and finishes forty-five days later in South Africa. It closes a long and demanding high-latitude season. A ten-day trip along the Beagle Channel follows the course. The celestial navigation books are kept in their cabins for a few days, and exploring starts. In just two days, We have seen humpback whales, black-browed albatross, southern and chimango caracaras, condors, beavers in their pools, southern giant petrels, terns, guanaco, fur seals, magellanic penguins, and more…
Kingfisher on a mooring line.
Chimango Caracara on Vinson’s gantry.
Beavers in Monte Francés, above Caleta Olla.
All this while observing these magnanimous glaciers passing by the side of Vinson or walking on top of a hill and seeing them much closer.
Caleta Olla
We are under the hook tonight, sheltered by a spectacular fjord. About eighty nautical miles from Puerto Williams is the entrance of the Seno Pia, a fjord tucked into the mountain range with enormous landscapes. After a short navigation through its central section, the fjord divides into two almost parallel arms that go deeper into the mountains until they end in imposing glaciers.
Tor and Dennis fishing in Yendegaia.
Holly and Phil on deck.
We will continue sailing westward until we can enter the open sea to round Cape Horn. From that moment, and since the official RYA Course finished a few days ago in the classroom, “Vinson of Antarctica” turned into a unique mile-building program, sailing to Cape Town, South Africa, on a long South Atlantic passage. During the passage, we provide an exceptional platform to practice and consolidate all of the celestial navigation by blinding the electronic positioning systems on board- and an extraordinary reward after crossing the challenging South Atlantic Ocean.
Kenneth Perdigón
RYA Yachtmaster instructor
