[password] rachel25
[position] 54 47.782s 069 37.772w
[status] Anchored in Caleta Beaulieu, Seno Pia, Tierra del Fuego
We stayed in Caleta Cinco Estrallas for 2 nights. Yesterday we hiked up the mountain to the NW of the caleta. The weather was good, even some sun, and we watched the condors soaring above the ridges, and occasionally also below us, sometimes under attack from the much smaller but more nimble skuas. We were joined in the caleta by a French yacht, an OVNI 365, slightly smaller and much newer than Ithaka, and crewed by a lovely couple from Brittany, Frank and Marlena. An Argentinian yacht also arrived and stayed for a very short night before heading on west in the good weather at 4.30 this morning.
Today we set off for Seno Pia. As we sailed past the eastern side of the entrance to Bahia Tres Brazos we came upon a dead whale on the beach. We swooped in to take a closer look. Hundreds of birds, mainly giant petrels but also our condors from yesterday, all having a great party. We were wondering how the condors survived as there are very few land mammals in Patagonia. Now we know!
In Seno Pia we explored the glacier in the eastern bay of the eastern arm. There was less floating ice than in Seno Ventisquero so with keel and rudder up, we were able to take Ithaka very close to the towering ice face. The regular crash of small lumps of ice into the bay persuaded us to maintain a healthy distance from the fissured and overhanging face which at a guess was some 50 - 75 metres high. The ice was streaked with grey - bands of grit dragged off the mountain in the glaciers progress to the sea. Because of her draft, Aleko had anchored Beduin on the seaward side of the shallow bar, an ancient moraine, which crosses the entrance to the bay. He then paddled his way to the ice face on his paddle board, a braver man than me.
We have now retired to this caleta some 2 miles from the glacier. Its raining outside and we are content to hide here until the weather improves before we explore more of Seno Pia.
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