Caleta Mejillones, here were living the last yaghans before they were “transfered” en Ukika, near Puerto Williams. Remain the grave yard, some houses, free cattle, birds, Martin’s shed, the one who still knows how to do bark canoes, when they are not beautiful boats made of cypres. There is also a replica of a “chiajous”who hosted before the iniciation ceremonies. Here where taken the pictures of Rosa Yaghan, the last of the Wollaston. In Puerto Williams we will meet Cristina Calderon, the last yaghan who speaks the language and her nephew Ariel, the gran child of Martin. Even if they are not numerous, even if they are without roots, their culture is still living, the yaghan is teached at the kindergarten, the Martin Gusinde Museum is devoted to them. Whom, who where denied any culture, when their vocabulary is rich of more of 30 000 words, whom, who had no chiefs, nor gods or religion, whom for whom the private property was restricted to the tools, arms and canoe, whom who were nearly exterminated for the pretext of civilizied them, they are still here.
Puerto Williams it’s also the Micalvi, an old cargo ship now serving as yacht club, even if the Armada closed her famous bar, it’s the sailing school, the southermost of the world, where a hundred of kids learn how to sail, whatever the weather, for free. With the friends Mauro and Roberto as teachers they will soon be champions ! We will make the showing of the “Boton de nacar” , the Patricio Guzman movie, the time of an asado, great moments…Puerto Williams it’s also the “Chez Patty” restaurant, it’s John the fisherman, always ready for help, they are the reunions, Carmen and Bernard, met in Polynesia, with whom we will climb the Cerro Bandera which overlook the Beagle Canal, Juan Pedro, met 4 years ago in Quequen, he is going North. It’s also the colonies of kelp and Scoresby’s gulls, a few steps from the port, free horses grazing everywhere, austral parakeets, herons, geese and others…
On the way for the Cape Horn, Puerto Toro, the southernmost village of the world, then the acrobats dolphins of Bahia Nassau, the Horn, fortress who will let us pass quietly in a moment of calm. We will end the year in Puerto Maxwell, alone in this wonderfull anchorage, bathing in the kelp, fascinated by this pure nature.
When, in the early morning of our departure, we will find the presents let by Francis and Mauro during the night, we will promise to ourselves, if we can, to come back here one day, this part of the world bewitch us.

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Once passed the Golfo de Penas, at least we are in the channels : First Messier channel, wide, impressive and we are lucky to sail downwind. The anchorages in the caletas follow one another , always closer to the trees, moss and lichens, well sheltered when the wind is howling. We will pass too quickly in Puerto Eden, last refuge for the kawesqars, but the bad weather will not permit us to linger. There is only a few indian families here, the others are in Puerto Natales or Punta Arenas, they have not disappeared. Now the children celebrate Haloween…
For nearly 2 months we will live isolated in this nature which has not changed since 10 000 years. No roads, no houses, a few fishermen, wrecks, birds, dolphins, otters and sea lions. We think of those who came before us, we read again Slocum, we watch once more the movie “Feurland”, the german expedition of 1928, with Gunther Plüschow, Captain of his sailing boat and seaplane. They had met the last canoeros and you can see in their look that they know they are a condemned folk, living on borrowed time. We come too late, of course, but we keep the feeling to share the same environment, to drink at the same springs, to cut the same wood to keep us warm, to meet the same animals. We think of their nomade life, devoid of everything, in the cold, the wind and the rain when we come back to our warm stove.
We progrees slowly in the channels : Concepcion, Inocentes, Sarmiento, Magallanes, Cockburn, Brecknock….to end in the Beagle and its fantastics icefields. Here we will meet again the same scenery than in Alaska, the same alpine vegetation, but the condors have replaced the eagles. The Darwin Cordillera and the Romanche icefield fascinate us. In Caleta Beaulieu we will leave our track, perhaps one day will we come back ?

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Puerto Montt, now we are far from the quiet rios of valdivia, the port, overlooked by volcanos, facing the ocean and the close Chiloé island. Fishing boats are packed in the Tenglo canal, we make our shopping at Angelmo, a turistic place where the people of Chiloé sell their vegetables. We will attend the “Fiesta Patria”, with cavalcade, dances, children and parents in traditional dress, fairstands, we will take the opportunity to be in the Club de Yates Reloncavi to haul out and paint our Skoiern before sailing to Chiloé.
Just a little tour to Argentina, by bus, to renew our visas ( we are now since 6 months in Chile), then we croos the Andes for Bariloche, the “Argentin Swiss”, and make provisions of chocolate, books, kisses to the Saint Bernard and wonderfull sceneries.
Mechuque, outpost of Chiloé, where wooden boat are still built in cypres, caulked with alerce bark, where the house are on piles, the palafitos we will meet again in Castro, where the sheeps wander in the streets, and where swans, cormorans, steamer ducks surround us.
Quemchi, home of Francisco coloane, with his museum, its fishermen changed in artists. Castro, the colorfull, its splendid wooden church, then Quellon, far in the south, where a huge fishing fleet take shelter.
We go on South, the weather is fine to cross the Bocas del Guafo, the volcanos follow us, we arrive in the Chonos islands, last archipelago before the Gulf of Penas and the Patagonian channels. There is nothing left of the Chonos, they have disappeared a long time ago, swallowed by history, without leaving any track.

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Nearly five months that we are in Valdivia, we didn’t see time flying, and we could want to stay longer, as we love this country so much. Valdivia, where so many sailers,  famous and unknown, came trough, where we will have news of those who came before us, where we will met our friends of “Fleur de Passion”, met Arnaud and Morgane of “Paradise”, Marja and Stephen, on “Motu”, met Tite,  companion for the South seas of Willy de Ross…In the Club de Yates of Valdivia as much as in  La Estancilla we will be welcomed, helped, spoiled by Jorge, Marcelo, Humberto, Jonathan, the friend Chacho… The dogs Samanta and Maxima will stuck to us.  Valdivia, it’s also our gate of entry for Chile, a country we wanted to reach for a long time. We will discover it, the soil is rich here, the fluvial market is realy gorgeous, the food is good, the vine too, the beer flows, inheritage of the German colons whose print and presence are strong. There are the  Mapuches, dwellers of this land since millenniums, facing the modern world, there is the marks of the past, deep, witness of men’s folly and of the wrath of nature. there is the rios, the woods of eucalyptus, the mimosa, the copihue, the emblematic flower of Chile, multituds of birds, grebs, pelicans, swans, kingfishers….ibis, vultures. There are the horses, splendids. There is rain too, of course, but sun also, the climate is warming….

We will soon sail for Puerto Montt, then Chiloe, we will tell you.

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