March 1st - Puerto Williams, Chile

Chris here: We are now docked in Puerto Williams having survived our
second crossing of the Drake Passage. I must admit to feeling much better
than on the journey south - I could eat but reading or trying to type caused
a real sense of nausea. The final part of the voyage last night was
impressive. As Alan has already said the wind got up to 30 or even 35 knots
from the west. With not such big swells as we had seen further south and
three sails up the Evohe was fairly rattling along. It was impressive to
hear the steel hull smacking into the waves with the noise reverberating
throughout the yacht. With such a wind the Evohe was heeled over and this
made sleeping difficult. In my bunk I was either tipped down onto my head
or had to brace my feet against the bulkhead to prevent being piled up in a
heap at the foot of the bunk. Most of the other folk on board did not sleep
well either. However, once we entered the Beagle Channel the motion stopped
and we all managed a few hours of sleep before arriving in Puerto Williams.
The highlight of the passage was definitively the sight of 30 or 40 pilot
whales plus a few hourglass dolphins following the yacht for 30 minutes or
so yesterday. Even though the sea appeared grey and inhospitable we could
see the whales and dolphins quite clearly through the water. Amazing to see
these creatures in the open ocean where they are truly in their element.

Arriving here we no longer have to conserve water so once docked it was a
queue for the shower. As we were getting towards the bottom of the water
tanks, with more salinated water, the crew brought out bottled water for
everyone to drink, from you guessed it Campsie Spring in Lennoxtown, the
next village to where Alan and I live. Bizarre to be drinking water from
Scotland on a yacht from New Zealand in Chile! Everyone felt much better
after a good wash and getting into clean clothes which we have all been
saving for this occasion. Most of us also celebrated with a change of
underwear and socks. It took 4 hours after arrival for the Chilean
authorities to arrive and stamp passports. This may be due to siesta time
or the fact that they want to spare themselves the chance of being amongst
some very smelly climbers. The weather was fair this morning and soon after
docking the Evohe was decorated with sleeping bags, mattresses, freshly
rinsed thermal tops and sheets hanging from every available rope and mast.
After a three weeks in the damp confines of our cabins the bedding was glad
to see the light of day.

Puerto Williams bills itself as being the town at the end of the earth. If
you can imagine a South American town at the end of the earth, Puerto
Williams will fit all the stereotypes. Walking around town there is a
feeling of being on the set of a spaghetti western, without the sunshine.
It's not difficult to imagine tumbleweed blowing down the main street.
Despite this, there is a certain charm to the place - look closely and there
are most things you would need - internet cafe, supermarket and tourist
office. Beyond that, most of the town is a naval base for the Chilean Navy,
with a couple of gunboats tied up at the wharf and a lot of identical new
housing to contrast with the ramshackle development of the civilian part of
town All the roads are gravel and there are not many cars - all of which
are dust 4 wheel drives. It took an hour to take a couple of turns round
town and then go to the bar for a quiet beer.

We are tied up alongside yachts from New Zealand, USA and Holland. The
"yacht club" consists of a half submerged old tugboat called the McKelvie.
The superstructure functions as a bar and occasional restaurant with
intermittent opening hours. The crew seem to be well acquainted with this
from previous visits - sometimes it opens around 9pm, sometimes later and
sometimes not at all!

Our plan for the next few days is to check on the weather and then explore
some trails in the mountains to the south. If the weather is good tomorrow
we may take the tents and set up camp about 5 or 6 hours walk from here
staying and exploring for a couple of nights. It is sad to have left
Antarctica, but it was great to have experienced so much whilst there. The
scenery around here reminds me of the west coast of Scotland, with
mountains, forests and water. The weather reminiscent of Scotland as well -
we are having a barbecue tonight and it looks like rain. Fortunately there
are no midges.

We will keep you updated on our travels in South America - please stay
tuned.