Around Patagonia │ Part 3 - Cape Horn Archipelago in Winter

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▶︎ ABOUT THIS TRIP
We spent 28 days sailing the Wollaston-Hermite archipelago onboard “TUPAIA”, our Dufour 35 from 1974. We left Puerto Williams shortly after the austral winter solstice and visited the eastern section of canal Beagle and Isla Lennox while waiting for favorable sailing conditions. After a week, a rare NE wind came in, allowing us to sail downwind across a choppy Bahía Nassau, straight to the Wollaston island group. There, we visited remote, uncharted anchorages that haven’t seen a sailboat in years. The fishing season had just began and we were pleased to meet local fishermen who offered us huge centollas (king crabs) and octopuses, as well as precious information regarding the location of anchorages they use almost all year long. For three windless days, we motor-sailed and visited places that are otherwise difficult to access in normal (windy) conditions. We then found shelter in Puerto Maxwell, on Isla Hermite, as a series of strong westerlies blew up to 65 knots for 8 days. Despite the non-stop williwaws in the anchorage, the six lines tied to shore made us feel perfectly safe. We even managed to go on land to witness the incredible raw power of the infamous “furious fifties”. When the calm returned, the temperature had increased by 5°C and all the peaks in the archipelago had lost their beautiful snow blanket. We were able to round Cape Horn in good (though variable) weather, but the onshore wind made it impossible for us to land on Isla Hornos, so we tacked our way back into the safety of the channels. After a few more days exploring the East coast, we sailed back to Puerto Williams via Isla Lennox and Isla Picton.

Though sailing Cape Horn in winter may sound like a bad idea, we highly recommend it because the weather is in fact more stable and the many anchorages possibilities make it easy to safely wait for good weather. The only downside is that the days are shorter and colder than in summer, but that is a low price for having this entire place to yourself. We were the only sailboat in the area and probably the southern most sailboat in the world during that time! This circuit can easily be done in just a couple of days, but we believe this incredible and wild part of the world deserves more time to be fully experienced. Some of the anchorages we visited didn’t have names on the charts so we named them after other (named) features in the surrounding area.

▶︎ TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Aerial Intro
01:10 - Puerto Williams to Isla Lennox
04:40 - Bahia Nassau crossing and sailing in Paso Picton
07:20 - North Wollaston
10:45 - Storm on Isla Hermite
14:35 - Rounding Cape Horn
18:23 - East Wollaston
20:33 - Outro & stats

#patagonia #capehorn #tierradelfuego #sailing #hiking