12/3/08 7AM

The wind didn’t really stop last night although it died down a bit. We have clocked up 5 miles swinging at anchor overnight. Another monochrome morning and the wind is back up to Force 7/8.

11:00 AM

Before we left at 8:45, Steve went up the mast with a big spanner to lock off the wind indicator which had moved again.  Retrieving the tandem anchors and the tripping line in 25 knots of wind while dodging kelp is quite an exercise. As we rounded the islands to cross the Tamar Sea to the North East, the wind went West later than advertised and the Sun came out. Soon we were sailing at 10 knots even touching 10.7 for a bit.  This will be our last taste of the Pacific for a while.  The Smyth Canal which we will be entering soon has a reputation for generating very strong  winds from the North, so long as it stays West it should be no problem, and we’re only in it for a couple of days.

12:00

We sail 10 miles up the Smyth Canal before it gets so squally  we decide to motor.  We look in on Puerto Produndo to check the GPS coordinates for the Italian authors of the 700 page guide to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, currently in its second edition with corrections being prepared for the third. 
It is a life times work for this charming couple.

13:00

We arrive at Caleta Colworth, a possible  stop, and take another GPS position for the Italians, but there are too many rocks and the entrance very tight with a lot of wind we think it dangerous to attempt to enter with a boat our size.  Once you were in it would be very safe but it would be almost impossible to keep control of the boat while the necessary shore lines were being attached. So we decide to press on another 19 miles to Bahiá Mallet (Bahiá Isthmus) described as a “safe shelter with the pleasures of a majestic and beautiful setting,, but is unfortunately subject to strong gusts…rich in animal life…”

16:00

We are anchored in Bahiá Isthmus, so called because of an isthmus which is only a few hundred meters wide which was used by the Indians to portage their canoes made from sewn planks, saving 20-25 miles.  I’m sure every yacht which has stopped here has made the same trek.

Again I was touched upon arrival as the welcoming committee of dolphins was on hand to greet us while we anchored.  As soon as the engine was switched off they disappeared.  They must have realized we were safe.

Today’s run: 57 miles.

Today’s pictures:

No 1: Tamar this morning.

Nos 2-9 Shots along the Canal Smyth including a big wreck which reminds you of what can happen here.

10: Our anchorage

11: Trekking across the Isthmus

12: The other side of the Isthmus