Ystafell

Sailing from Puyuhuapi to Chiloé in Patagonia

Ystafell’s journey continues, with rain, strong winds and headwinds - and, thankfully, a few calmer periods...

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Publié le 25/09/2023

Par Gilles Ruffet

Numéro : 192

Parution : Nov. / Dec. 2023

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Who: Fanch & Cathy
Where: Patagonia
Multihull: Katalu 42
Blog: www.ystafell.fr

We’re on our way to Chiloé. We arrive at night at the Caleta Porvenir. Fortunately, there’s no discrepancy with the GPS positions and we can make our approach in safety. The beach shines under the moonlight and we can make out the surrounding rocks, but now we have to contend with the tidal currents, as the tidal range is becoming significant, and it would be counter-productive to fight against it. We can’t wait to get up to Chiloé and take advantage of the fine weather that prevails there at this time of year. But for the moment, it’s the northerly wind that’s blocking our way and we’re pottering around, waiting for the anticyclone. This will enable us to discover the Caleta Poza de Oro which is a marvelous place. It’s a lagoon in the middle of the hills. On one of the headlands, a guy has built his house, a terrace, a pontoon and a mooring buoy. We’re going to spend two days there, in the peace and quiet, sheltered from the wind which is gusting over our heads. Then the wind gave us permission to sail again, and we took advantage of the ebbing tide to get out of the Moraleda Channel. We still have forty miles to go to reach Chiloé. It’s going to be difficult to do it on one tide and the Boca del Guafo would refuse me entry. We should have left Melinka an hour earlier. We thought the reversing current would be weak at first, but it quickly increased to five knots and created hellish seas in zero wind conditions. We took refuge in a secondary channel, the Guamblad Channel, where we spent a very good night. Cathy christened it Caleta Fanch, the caleta with no name. Then the engine and the rising tide took us quietly towards Puerto Queilen. A thick fog had fallen, and visibility had dropped to les than 1,000 feet (300 meters). We found a place on the edge of the entrance channel, between two fishing boats. We continued towards Castro, the capital of the island of Chiloé, and enjoyed a pleasant trip under motor. The weather was fine and we skirted the coast and the islands. After Castro, we arrived in Dalcahué, where we were able to buy a bottle of propane, as until now we’d found suppliers willing to exchange an empty bottle for a full one, but they didn’t sell full bottles on their own. We had been stuck with a small 3 kilo emergency cylinder - missing out on eggs with bacon and toast will now be just a bad memory... Finally, Ystafell was lifted out of the water in Valdivia, and we returned to France to enjoy our children, family and friends.

Tags : Patagonia , Postcards

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MM233 - octobre-novembre 2025