Third Day of Navigation
“Alegria Marineros. Greetings from the Pacific. We are already facing our third day of sailing. We sailed towards Cook Bay, about 3400 miles in a 120th direction.”
Navigation and Conditions
“We had two days of tight through, quite pleasant and, above all, without forcing the boat. This afternoon it began to get through and will gradually go aft. We expect to have gusts of up to 40 knots and waves of about 5 meters. I believe the Copernicus and his crew will negotiate this with dignity.”
Life on board
“Life on board is being very pleasant. I have very good companions: Paula and Mattia. I hope they think the same of me.”
Teamwork
“The truth is that, adding the wisdom of the three, I think we are following a very good defeat. We all participate in everything and this makes us a team. Mattia, apart from being an excellent companion, cooks wonderfully. I like to sail with him, he’s always in a good mood.”
Valuable contributions
“Paula helps a lot with the organization and her experience. She already has many miles traveled, of which a good percentage has been with me. For my part, I do what I can. I try to make sure that we are all comfortable and I repair what I can too. Yesterday, for example, the pump in the master bathroom broke and I was busy for several hours until it worked again (there’s nothing like the bathroom itself). We try to take advantage to have the ship in good condition and well at sea for when the war comes.”
Meteorological Strategy
“As I said, it seems that we will have 4 or 5 days of sternwind (maybe more), but the weather can change. Here what I think you have to do is monitor the storms to catch them in the north and be aware of their trajectory.
In this hemisphere, the direction of the storms is clockwise. They move from west to east, but sometimes turn a little to the north. You have to be aware so as not to go up or down too much, just in case.
The temperature is slowly dropping. As the sun goes down, the temperature drops rapidly several degrees. I’m still in shorts, but in 3 or 4 days I’ll start dressing as a sailor.”
Challenges of Ocean Navigation
“This ocean navigation is one of the most serious that can be done. Keep in mind that we are going to the south of the world, where they are now in winter and do not stop passing storms one after the other. In addition, being so extensive, it will take between 18 to 25 days. We cannot set sail in a specific window, as the weather is not as accurate and we must build defeat as we go. This is wonderful, intriguing and with some degree of risk.”
Routes and Future Challenges
“There is no shelter from here to Cook Bay, which is the entrance to the Beagle Channel. If the weather forces us, we have the option further north of the entrance to the Strait of Magellan and a little beyond, the Gulf of Penas.”
A complete expedition
“This expedition will be very complete. We depart from Gambier (Polynesia) with warm temperatures to Tierra del Fuego, which will be completely snowed. The days will be very short. I hope to spend a couple of days visiting some Chilean fjords, one of the most beautiful and unspoiled areas in the world. Finally, we will enter Ushuaia to enjoy a… in the famous Viagro (many of you already know it). The place where we danced until morning…”
Coordinates and Perspectives
“I send you the location in case you want to practice the interpretation of meteorology: S 28,11.28 W 133.13.472. Heading 120, Speed 7.5, Wind 16 knots through.”
Hopes and Future
“It seems that another year we will return to the south of the world. I’m very excited. I know it may be the penultimate time I’ll come back. At the end of the season, I will head to Uruguay. I’ll finish adjusting the Copernicus and we’ll see where the wind and life take us…
P.S. Alegria Marineros
“Do not miss the opportunity to visit this area of the world, with or without me, but you have to do it. I liked writing to you again. I hope to continue to do so. My dream is that it will be ours and that I will help you to get closer to it.”