| s/y Nine of Cups Up the Argentine Coast February - April 2006 |
| The pier at the municipal yacht club is in disrepair,but the views are terrific. |
| From the top of the hill, a good view of Nine of Cups at anchor in the harbor. She's center and just to the right of the red steeple. |
| Winter approached quickly. We woke one morning to find snow on the mountains and frost on our noses. It was time to head north. We made last minute preparations and provisioned and off we sailed (ugh...motor-sailed). |
| The picturesque Faro del Eclaireurs is postcard perfect. |
| We were sailing in "loose company" with Noel Marshal, a single handler, aboard "Sadko".The day was lovely as we headed east out the Beagle Channel to our first anchorage in Bahia Relegada. |
| From our anchorage in Relegada, a short, very pleasant walk brought us to Estancia Harberton, the first estancia (ranch) in Tierra del Fuego and a lovely place to explore. The estancia was established by a missionary Rev. Thomas Bridges in 1886. He is well known for his work with the indigenous Yamana people and developing an English-Yamana dictionary. His son, Lucas, wrote "The Uttermost Part of the Earth", an amazing boyhood memoir of growing up with the Yamana. The estancia is still run by the family, Tommy and Natalie Goodall. Natalie is responsible for the development of the museum there and for identifying and documenting much of the flora and fauna of the area. |
| The Museum Acashutun at the estancia offers a unique collection of marine animal bones. |
| A local inhabitant of the estancia, a gray fox, poses for this photo. |
| Our day in Bahia Relegada was sunny and warm...obviously one of the last warm days. As we progressed along the Beagle, the weather changed drastically. We encountered high winds and a reasonable blizzard in Bahia Aguirre and waited out the snowstorm before heading into the Atlantic, through the Strait of Lemaire and then turning north towards Mar del Plata, Argentina and some warmer temperatures. |
| The entire trip from Ushuaia to Mar del Plata took 19 days. We had a mix of blizzards, gales, big seas and perfect sailing weather, but at last we headed into Mar del Plata and some warmth.. |
| Heading into Mar del Plata harbor, we were greeted by an enormous Jesus statue erected on the breakwater. Marcie referred to him ever after as the "Big Jesus". |
| Mar del Plata, primarily a resort city, is fairly large and an odd mixture of old and new. Here an ornate church steeple mingles with one story homes and skyscrapers. |
| The local water tower blended well with the local architecture. |
| A large sea lion colony lives near the breakwater. You can hear them and smell them long before you see them. |
| The Mar del Plata coast is long and sweeping...great for surfing as well as sunbathing. |
| Ushuaia, southernmost city in the world |
| Estancia Harberton |
| Mar del Plata |
| From Mar del Plata, we headed to Uruguay for boat maintenance, but we plan to return to Argentina in July to do more inland travel. To continue with us to Uruguay, click here. |
| Heading North up the Argentine Coast |
| We arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina at the end of February, a 25 mile motor sail up the Beagle Channel from from Puerto Williams. Ushuaia, touted as the most southern "city" on the planet, is a beautiful little city surrounded by mountains. We arrived in summer and enjoyed cool, but mainly sunny weather and long days. After a month in the canals and Puerto Williams, it was a pleasure to shop at a grocery store, buy an ice cream cone, eat at a restaurant, visit a museum and generally enjoy the advantages of civilization again. |
| Want a closer look at one of the most vibrant cities in the world? Come with us to Buenos Aires! |
| How about an Inland Tour of Argentina? |
| Faro del Eclaireurs (the French name "Les Éclaireurs" means "the Enlighteners" or "the Scouts") stands in the Beagle Channel about 5 miles from Ushuaia on the northeastern- most islet of the five Les Eclaireurs islets, from which it takes its name. The brick-built tower is 22.5 metres (74 ft) above sealevel with flashing white every ten seconds. The lighthouse, still in operation, is remote-controlled, automated, uninhabited, and not open to the public and guards the sea entrance to Ushuaia. Electricity is supplied by solar-panels. It was put into service in 1920 and today is probably the most photographed lighthouse in South America. |
| We spent a wonderful day touring the property and learning more about the Yamana and the early settlers in the region. We took tea in the afternoon at the tiny tea room and wandered the property till early evening. |
| Before leaving Ushuaia, the crew took advantage of a last minute excursion on an expedition vessel to Antarctica. |