One Of My Favorite Vessels Making Way Chilean Style

[Trim50]

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/lonestarcapehorn/

This should be an interesting blog to follow in the months to come.

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by Trim50

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/lonestarcapehorn/

This should be an interesting blog to follow in the months to come.

Agree. We really have a soft spot for Lone Star. She's a lovely traditionally planked wood boat, well maintained by thoughtful folks and now Lone Star is undertaking an awesome voyage including places that we'd love to see soon (Patagonia, Chile, etc).

They really have set up quite a schedule for themselves. They'll be motoring a lot as it goes but I'm sure they'll be having a blast. They've consistently had a good mix of crew onboard and have a positive attitude about life in general. I've chuckled about some of their little equipment related mishaps--and it seems they chuckle as well.

[Lighthouse]

See where they are headed - Chile on the Cruising Wiki. Looks like a region I would love to see.

[redbopeep]

Originally Posted by Lighthouse

See where they are headed - Chile on the Cruising Wiki. Looks like a region I would love to see.

Now I've got that Sting song about Valparaiso going through my head Link to YouTube Sting Valparaiso

[Trim50]

Originally Posted by Lighthouse

Looks like a region I would love to see.

Prior to reading their blog, the coast of South America had never even crossed my mind for cruising. Now, I find myself spending lots of time on Google Earth exploring the entire coastline down from Panama and wonder why more people don't make this beautiful voyage.

With respect to Lone Star, love the lines. Some of their photos of her sitting on the hook in Panama are spectacular.

Just read through the wiki ... outstanding job! What a photo this is...you don't really appreciate the magnificence till you see the boat anchored in the corner.

[Frank]

Holala,

The reason more people don't do it is that it is a hard place to get to and hard work once you are there. Some coast hop down the Pacific coast but they are in the minority, most come direct from NZ, Tahiti or Galapagos which are fair sorts of sea passages in any one's language.. In the channels? Wet and windy in summer.... cold in winter but not so wet. Last trip - April/May this year - it took us 14 days to make good 80 miles in western Estrecho de Magallanes and the temp didn't get above 2*C for six weeks...

Don't be fooled by the sunny photos... cameras don't come out when it is bucketing down..... mind you the good days make it all worthwhile

Its a place people either love or hate... many come out the far end of the channels moving fast and quit the country for warmer climes as soon as they can.. others end up in the grip of the south.

Saludos

Frank

[Trim50]

I'm always concerned when I see people sailing with ski goggles...either in cold or hot desert sand.

Excellent photos!

[redbopeep]

Oh, this looks wonderful to me!

Our plans are to flip a coin and either go north offshore to Alaska (from San Diego) and then come south seeing the west coast of Canada and Alaska OR go south and venture to the west coast of South America.

We spent our young adult years backcountry skiing and snow camping. We've softened up a bit since then. We'll take a nice warm diesel heater in a boat now. Though, I must admit sailing with ski goggles...makes me think about the fact that only hubby has a drysuit

[Frank]

Originally Posted by redbopeep

Oh, this looks wonderful to me!

..makes me think about the fact that only hubby has a drysuit

Ummm...why do you need the dry suit? diving for crab? I'll get in trouble with the Hermanos de la Costa for telling you this as we try to deter visitors.. place is getting way too crowded.

However..

As a general rule the sailing isn't too hard in fact not really hard at all.... just use patience.. wait for a wx window etc... the hard bit is the cold and the wet.. cooped up below waiting for a break... I've had Canadians tell me they found it colder than they expected...

So standard WWG is plenty good enough... leave the survival suits to the posers...

This was in January... southbound in Canal Washington about 20 miles or so from Cabo de Hornos.. Hal Roth's Mischief ended up on the beach about 5 miles north of here... note well... two thermal underlayers under the fleece... winter that can crank up to 4 layers plus the fleece....and I have been known to sleep with bonnet and gloves on...



Heading back to Pto Williams two days later...

[Frank]

Originally Posted by Frank

This was in January... southbound in Canal Washington about 20 miles or so from Cabo de Hornos.. Hal Roth's Mischief ended up on the beach about 5 miles north of here...

Edited... having managed to find where this post had gorn... ... finger trouble/ senior moment.. should read Hal Roth's Whisper....

that was january 2006... that spin round the bottom took three days Williams Hornos Williams... next one took 3 weeks... waiting on wx in Toro and Maxwell took up 18 of the 21.....

[Nausikaa]

In 1975 I had the great fortune to sail the length of the Chilean coast. From Puerto Montt southwards it is the most wonderful cruising ground ever - as long as your moorings hold.

Aye // Stephen

[redbopeep]

Frank,

On the drysuit--nice to have one that is not for made for diving but is made for sailing in cold weather on a cold ocean. Hubby happens to have his from when he used to fly in the US Navy (required to wear it when air and water temperature combo was bad for survival if one crashed into the ocean). The types of drysuits made for sailing are fairly light weight and are made for you to be able to move around (dingy sailing or on deck when ocean racing). Nice thing to have but I'll likely just don my really fuzzy polypropylene long johns under my storm suit and consider myself lucky if we find our way to sailing of Chile

[Frank]

Originally Posted by redbopeep

Frank,

On the drysuit--nice to have one that is not for made for diving but is made for sailing in cold weather on a cold ocean. Hubby happens to have his from when he used to fly in the US Navy (required to wear it when air and water temperature combo was bad for survival if one crashed into the ocean). The types of drysuits made for sailing are fairly light weight and are made for you to be able to move around (dingy sailing or on deck when ocean racing). Nice thing to have but I'll likely just don my really fuzzy polypropylene long johns under my storm suit and consider myself lucky if we find our way to sailing of Chile

Ah.... point taken re the drysuit. In Chile it isn't an extreme sailing event...unless you want it to be... its very much an inshore daysailing sort of a thing. That said there are days when you do have to go to windward in the wet and a drysuit would be good. I carry a semidry and it has been pressed into service twice now getting fishermen's rubbish off the prop... you can see it in this pic hiding out behind the mast as I try to get it dry.

In late May we had 2 weeks of that sort of weather, light southerlies... brilliant visibility... OK so it was only 2*C and a few days later we had 4 inches of snow on the deck....

Its worth all the hard work to get down to Chile.

Cheers

Frank

[Frank]

Originally Posted by Frank

Edited to add...



Yes my crew is diving for crab...yes it is snowing.. yes he is crazy....

Cheers

Frank

[redbopeep]

Did he get any crab? Yummmm

[Frank]

Originally Posted by redbopeep

Did he get any crab? Yummmm

Nope.... Caleta Olla is pretty much fished out.

Better by far to let someone else do the hard work..... these were caught in pots... although they do dive through the winter for sea urchin and some sort of seaweed both of which go to Japan..



Yummmyumyum...