Monthly Archives: March 2019

Robinson Crusoe and Easter Island

Live Blog: Traversing the Pacific

We interrupt this program for a live message (for those of you old enough to remember when they said that on TV).  Matt and I are starting a long passage across the Pacific Ocean. We will suspend our normal, narrative blogs while we live blog.  We will resume the narrative blogs around mid-April.

Our journey will start today, from Valdivia, Chile.

It will take us 4-5 days to make it to Robinson Crusoe island.  We hope to see how the original Robinson Crusoe (Alexander Selkirk) entertained himself for four years on a deserted island.

After a day or two of rest, we will head to Easter island, also known as Isla Pasqua and Rapa Nui.  This passage should take us 2-2.5 weeks.

Hopefully we will get 3-4 days to recover and explore the Moai before setting sail for Pitcarin Island.  We may or may not stop here, depends on the weather and protection of the anchorage.  This passage should take us 8-9 days.

After Pitcarin, we will make our way to Mangareva, Gambier (first archipelago of French Polynesia).  We hope to arrive here by mid-April.

The map shows Santiago.  Valdivia is south by 500nm miles.  You will then see Robinson Crusoe and Rapa Nui.  The other islands are off the charts.

Robinson Crusoe and Easter Island

Robinson Crusoe and Easter Island

The Pacific is a huge ocean and can be both beautiful and inspiring while also fraught with danger.  We hold a great deal of respect for the Pacific and will take all pre-cautionary measures to ensure our safety and the safety of the boat.

The “live blogs” use a satellite service, so we are not actually online.  We won’t be able to see any comments until we get back to wifi.  However, our blog will automatically post to the Sugar Shack Facebook Page so be sure to follow that to get updates. (Christine’s personal FB page will not be updated)

If you want to track our progress across the Pacific, you can click on “Current Location” tab on our blog svSugarShack.com.

Chile at 9p at night

The Hunt for Necessities

It is summertime here in Chile.  Which is strange as it is chilly to me, in Chile!  The sunrises before 0700 and sets after 1900 which makes for a long day of light.  As much as we wanted to, we could not sleep in.  We had a lot to discover and some necessities to find.

This photo was taken at sunset, just before 9:00pm.

Chile at 9p at night

Chile at 9p at night

First things first, we had to get Ron and Sally on a flight to Santiago where they could catch their connecting flights.  With no wifi we had to resort to using GoogleFi to book the flights.  After some trial and tribulations, we got them confirmed.

Our next goal was to walk around town in search of necessities: local sim cards, laundry service, port captain, bank-ATM, and markets.

Theo, from the marina, gave us the lay of the land and some directions.  We walked around a little on New Years Day, but everything was closed.  However, it was bustling with activity today.

The Necessities:

First order of business – find the port captain.  We had a “general” idea of where the port captain office was located, but we got a little turned around.  We finally stumbling upon their building after asking a few people.  Everyone was super nice and very efficient.  Luckily, we stopped at an ATM earlier to get pesos (local currency is about 650 pesos to $1).  We were able to pay 5600 pesos (or about $8.00) and were on our way within 20 minutes.  Easy peasy.

We stopped at Boraton Columbiano for some brunch.  Matt ordered a traditional Chilean chicken lunch which came with soup, rice, beans, salad, and a ¼ chicken. Poor thing struggled to eat it all.  The rest of us ordered a super yummy ham and cheese empenada.

Right down the road was an Entel office which was or is the best data provider in town.  We bought a sim card, topped it up and went on our way.  A little giddy at being “wired” again.

We found one of the local fresh fish and veggie markets, right next to the marina.  It was a little different than other fish markets in that they had little eateries along with the fisherman vendors.  So, the smells did not make it a pleasant place to eat.  They had lots of unrecognizable fish and some we knew.  Lots of clams, squid, and red fish.  Check out the huge partial fish in the middle photo.

Fresh Meat Market Antofagasta

Fresh Meat Market Antofagasta

The lavandaria evaded us.  We asked several people who seemed to think they knew where one was, but we couldn’t find it.

SEA WOLVES – LOBOS

The lobos, or sea wolves of Chile are absolutely enormous.  It just cracks me up watching them swim, waddle, and jump up on the docks.  And they have this massive head of hair.  They really look like the mastiff of the sea.  They are well over 300-400lbs a piece and bark like they are in pain.

Los Lobos or Sea Wolves

Los Lobos or Sea Wolves

The next day we said “goodbye” to Ron and Sally.  They had to catch a flight to Santiago where they were each getting on connecting flights.  Ron was going to see a car rally in Peru and Sally was going to house sit for a friend in California.  Sure, was awesome to have their help on the passage, thanx guys!

Ron and Sally

Ron and Sally

The main square in town has a beautiful church and tower proudly flying the Chilean flag.

Antofagasta Town Square

Antofagasta Town Square

Realtime Passage South in Chile to Valdivia part deux

sWell sWell sWell.
Leaving the anchorage is sweet, running out into the chaos is not. Out the channel between the islands, incoming current, waves and wind. The trifecta of uncomfortable, almost turned back but finally broke past the chaotic pounding and got settled into a rhythmic pounding. Well past where we turned around. Still slow going but all is well. Foggy, and dodging 70 meter fishing boats in the dark with 34 knots of wind on the nose and when they do not respond on the radio makes for a long night. Started with 160 miles to go, have traveled 133 miles with still 60 miles to go, very efficient we are NOT when beating.
We found a little groove during the day, the winds came down a bit, and we could see the wave direction in the daylight and picked an angle to “skate” over the waves made for a much more comfortable daylight trip. We hugged the shoreline, trying to keep the main sail full, currents played havoc on our southbound progress. The fog did not lift till dinner time, just in time to see the Mocha island as we went by. There was a cruise ship on the other side of Mocha that was bound for Punta Arenas. One of the very southern most parts of Chile. We would need more clothes to go that far south.
New favorite meal, pulled pork over a baked sweet potato. Pressure cooker style of course.
One more night to go. We will arrive at the mouth of the river bright and early in the morning then its about 2 hours up the river to the “club de yates” where we will make home base for a bit and provision for the run west. And wash the salt spray off everything. And see what Valdivia is all about.
They say “head south till the butter melts then turn right”, we are heading south but we have New Zealand butter in a can, how can you tell when it melts?
They say “gentlemen don’t go to weather” Well this trip south has proved that I’m no gentlemen, and we are ready for some downwind sails. Or course knowing our history, somehow someway there will only be upwind sailing as we head west.
Onward through the fog, all good on board Cheers and Happy Friday.
At 3/1/2019 @ 1:25 AM UTC Our position: 38°54.02’S, 073°36.00’W Traveling 6.0 heading 170T
Google says we are here www.google.com/maps/place/-38.90033,-73.60000