[password] rachel25
[position] 43 53.051s 073 45.051w
[status] Anchored in Melinka. Crossed the Golfo Corcovado overnight last night in light headwinds. Very pleasant sail with a full moon but cold - hats, gloves, long johns, full waterproofs. Porridge for breakfast warmed us up. Janet and Ana now catching up on their sleep. We will visit the town and then move onto a quieter caleta (anchorage) this afternoon. We enjoyed the island of Chiloe, its lush green fields, wooded hills, quiet inlets and many places to buy fruit and veg. The wooden houses and churches are works of art in their own ways. We did not enjoy the many, many salmonera (salmon farms)which fill all the inlets and even extend out into the straights between the islands, and the associated plastic rubbish which adorns every beach. Fish farming seems to be the right thing to do as there is no , in my mind, that the wild fish are being fished to extinction and the oceans turned into deserts. However, in the Chiloe area it seems to be too intensive. Earlier this year 28000 tonnes of fish died, and were subsequently dumped in the sea causing further environmental pollution, because of the warmer than usual water (el nino). Worse still, these are operated by foreign rather than Chilean companies who are benefiting from what seems to be a very poorly regulated industry
From now on we are expecting harsher scenery and harsher weather. The snow covered Andes are always just to our east and the SE wind is blowing straight from them this morning. Yesterday I bought a typical knitted chilean hat with ear flaps. I've been wearing it ever since!
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