Dear friends,
How are you all doing? We are interested to know what's
going on in your life. We are very much OK. We did a lot of skiing and since we
are now "residents" of Ushuaia we have very much reduced prices for the lifts. We
have an official document with foto to show.
Unfortunately, some weeks ago I made
a high speed fall on an icy, blue slope (my ski trailed in an ice-ridge) and hurt
my ribs again. I fell on the handle of one of my sticks. Giving me still a similar
feeling as in december after my operation. So Paula continued skiing with all our
friends here, while I have been taking it "sort of easy". But in the mean time I
installed for instance 5 new batteries in Pacific Blue and of course removed the
six old ones. A sixth new one will be added soon because one battery was on a very
low voltage (11,6 V) so I gave it back to be replaced. We will have 720 Amp/hrs
then i.s.o. 600. We bought Gel-batteries that hopefully will last much longer than
the ordinary ones we had till now. It set us back € 2400,-- unfortunately. And carrying
the heavy batteries didn't ad to my recovering from the ribs problem either. But
it had to be done and our electrical system is very good again.
The ribs are on
the mend now and we did already some horse riding. One 8 hour trip to the glacier
at estancia Ferrari where we are anchored again for 20 days until the 25th. I am
wearing a brace from Jose around my ribs. We have been fishing trout, poaching rabbits
and trying to find cattle. We went up some spectacular rocky hills again. We ended
with a spectacular view on the big glacier where we hadn't been yet. At one time
we had to climb ourselves and lead the horses because the rocks were so big and
steep we couldn't stay on. It looked more like a staircase than a hill. One time
my horse (called "Wizard" in Spanish) had me dangling from a tree branch because
it suddenly cut the corner too close to the tree for me to be able to get under
the branches. I dodged the first one but the second was to low for me. The horse
does not realise this of course. At least I hope not. So I had to slip of backwards
in an un-elegant way but the horse stopped immediately.
Yesterday we were treated
by the fishermen that come here regularly. We have a drink with some of them regularly
and with some beer or wine the language problem becomes less and less.
The 18-th
is a National holiday and they celebrate that for a whole week. They made a big
pan with all kinds of food and put it on the fire for 1 1/2 hour. It contained steamed
bread, mussels, chicken, potatoes, bacon etc. We ate it with about 20 people (also
some french guest from a charter boat) in the small house of Jose and Annemie.
All
the dogs were also still loose so it was an anima(la)ted mess. They kept coming
in any time a door would be opened. Very nice! And you could throw the chicken-bones
under the table.
The fishermen and the Border Patrol Station are starting to know
Pacific Blue around here and one skipper is reporting us to the coastguard-station
every day since we can not reach them from here all the time because of the mountains.
In Puerto Williams there was a policeman on the shore at ten a clock at night looking
for us. We were asked to deliver some official documents to the Border Patrol people
across the bay here. So we are also a sort of messenger service now. Today we are
invited to a big roast of lamb on a big sort of BBQ. They call it an Asado. The
lamb is spread flat out on a metal rack or a stick and put more or less straight
up along the fire for a few hours until it is done from both sides. On the 25-th
we will be taking two English mountaineers, Andy and Simon, back to Puerto Williams.
They are trying to conquer the big glacier and one of the 2500 m. icy tops at the
moment. Jose and Annemie took them and all their gear to the glacier with pack-horses
yesterday.
Our further plans are not very firm yet. There is a vague plan to go
to Antarctica after all in Januari. I have the whole set of BA maps copied and the
BA pilot book for Antarctica. One of the important things I want to have repaired
is the HF radio. I do not like to go without it working properly. We may have to
take the whole thing to Punta Arenas by bus or so. But we intended to make that
trip anyway. If we go to Antarctica we will continue north next Autumn (april, may)
to Puerto Mont. That would mean we are late for the Pacific and we will thus have
time to fly to Holland and travel a lot inland of Chili and Argentina.
That would
allow us to enter the Pacific early 2010 via Robinson Crusoe, Gambier and french
Polynesia, Tonga and Fiji and end up in N-Zeeland november 2010. The next big adventure
could (and I emphasise "could") be to return to Chili via the Southern Ocean in
Januari 2011 along 42*S. About 5000 Nm so 6 to 7 weeks sailing. But we have taken
to making one decision at the time. We are slowing down like most long-time sailors
here do. It is worthwhile to spent more time in areas like Patagonia etc. i.s.o
rushing through. This way we are also making many new sailing friends. Many of them
have sailed for many years to remote places like Greenland and the North-West Passage
of Alaska. It is a small group of interesting and very nice people. Compared to
many of them we are merely beginners in the cruising field. But they don't treat
us that way.
They can give us a lot of info about Antarctica as well.
So that's
it for the moment.
Greetings to all, Peter and Paula