Yacht Pelagic's Sailing Programme

TIERRA DEL FUEGO - PUNTA ARENAS TO PUERTO WILLIAMS PROPOSED ITINERARY

Pelagic Australis will be making one cruise from Punta Arenas to Puerto
Williams including a rounding of Cape Horn. This is a relaxing cruise in one of the most spectacular areas in the far south. All navigation is in inshore waters and every night is spent at a dramatic anchorage, although an overnight offshore cruise to Cape Horn is an objective along the way. See below for detailed itinerary. To find out more about the destination generally see charter options link above.

Also see Beagle Channel and Tierra del Fuego background briefing.

DATES

1 - 14 April 2007

LOGISTICS

The voyage would begin in Punta Arenas which is on the Straits of Magellan. The guests would fly in via Santiago and come immediately on board. That night we would sail south into the Cockburn Channel and spend the day at anchorage and then continue on from there eventually into the Beagle Channel, ending with a rounding of Cape Horn . The cruise would finish in Puerto Williams and the guests would fly out with DAP airlines to Punta Arenas to join their international connections.

HOW TO FLY OUT OF PUERTO WILLIAMS

This may confound your travel agent. Puerto Williams is serviced once daily by air by DAP from Punta Arenas on the Straits of Magellan, that is in turn serviced three times daily by Lan Chile from Santiago.

The plane is usually a Dash 7 and you land on a runway right next to the Beagle Channel. We will be there to meet you on arrival. The boat is a five minute car ride away.

To contact DAP:

Tel: +56 61 223340
Fax: +56 61 221693
Contact: Catalina Nanavarrete catalina@dap.cl

COST

5,000 Euros per person which is all inclusive of food and drink once on board. A maximum of eight guests is envisaged. If 2 extra days are added the price is 5,600 Euros.

This cost includes the use of Musto HPX sailing four weather gear, all personal safety equipment for sailing (lifejacket, harness) and the use of the Inmarsat communications equipment.

PROPOSED ITINERARY

click on map for full screen version

It must be borne in mind that this itinerary is only provisional and is an example of the type of cruising we will be doing. We cannot guarantee that we will stop at any of these locations as the schedule and weather may not render them convenient nor desirable at the time. In any case, suitable anchorage to those mentioned below are always an alternative and available.

DAY 1
Guests will fly into Punta Arenas from Santiago and come immediately on board. The afternoon and evening will be spent stowing gear, familiarizing the team with the vessel and having a safety briefing. We will be either tied alongside the commercial jetty or at anchor off the open roads. After dinner we will set sail overnight down the Magellan Straits.

DAY 2
By early morning we will be anchored in a tiny cove within Bahia Queta on the north side of the Darwin Range. If weather conditions are good we can trek into the hills for a view of Mt. Sarmiento to the north, the highest and most famous summit in the area. The night would be spent at this anchorage.

DAY 3
After an all day sail through Canal Cockburn, usually against the wind, we will round the corner of the Peninsula into Seno Ocasion and anchor in Caleta Brecknock which is a cirque-like feature surrounded by bare granite mountains. The night would be spent at anchor here.

Caleta Brecknock

DAY 4
All day would be spent at Caleta Brecknock with a trek into the hills for some spectacular views into the anchorage and also out over the western archipelago. We would also take on some fresh water from the waterfall that empties in to the cove.

DAY 5
After an early start we would sail east through Canals Brecknock and Balenero and into the northern arm of the Beagle Channel and anchor somewhere off the main channel.

DAY 6
We would penetrate into on of the major fjords on the south side of the Darwin Range and navigate through the brash ice to the snout of the glacier. This is a good opportunity to have an al frescoe lunch while watching for the seracs tumbling into the sea. We would spend the night at anchorage within the fjord.

DAY 7
A short sail or steam brings us to Caleta Olla at the eastern end of the Darwin and after tying up to the beach we can take a short or longish walk above the channel underneath the towering slopes of Mt. Francais with Andean Condors guaranteed. This terrain here is dryer than to the west and therefore excellent bush walking. The beech forest underpinned by a carpet of sphagnum bog is a botanist’s paradise. Calafate and several other types of berries are in season!

DAY 8
While continuing east, we would make a quick stop at Estancia Canasaka to vist the Martinez family on Isla Hoste for a traditional ‘asado’ (BBQ). They are the last private land owners still in residence in the area.

DAY 9
We would complete the run down the Beagle Channel, passing by Puerto Williams on the way to Cape Horn.

Cape Horn From the landward side

DAYS 10 -12
We would sail directly for Cape Horn and weather permitting attempt to round the Horn from west to east and then shelter for the night at Caleta Martial on Isla Herschel in the Cape Horn archipelago. Possibly, bad weather would preclude a rounding for a day or two and we would wait at various anchorages in the Wollaston archipelago for safe conditions. In any event, no more than three days would be devoted to an attempt to round with hopefully a landing on Horn Island itself.

DAY 12
We would aim to be back in Puerto Williams by nightfall for a farewell drink at the yacht club on the ex-naval vessel “Micalvi.” Guest would depart the next morning by air for Punta Arenas.

If an option for 14 days is booked, the extra two days will be spent in the Beagle Channel environs.