Glaciers

Just before reaching Puerto Natales we decided to make a 60nm detour to see glacier world up here. It was well worth it. Estrecho de las montanas shows one glacier after the other on one side and rock with some trees on the other side of this dead end passage, which ends at a glacier. At one inlet, Ventisquero Hermann, we stopped and took the dinghy to go inside the river to the glacier. A beautiful scene opened up with turqoise waters where Cormorans fly around with caribbean feelings, lots of waterfalls coming down the steep cliffs and lots of ice everywhere. The ice on the top of the mountians lies there looking down as if asking itself "should I jump now or wait til the sun melts my boundaries and then I fall?". At our overnight anchorage, right across from the glaciers, we could hear a huge noise about three times, like a very strong thunder. Ice must have decided to jump. Glad it did not do so when we were in our little dinghy underneath it....

We're in position 51 degrees 54,7 minutes S, 073 degrees 17,9 minutes W now, on our way towards Puerto Natales. We have to pass a passage, Anostura Kirke, at 22UTC in order to be able to get through, since the stream gets up to 14knots! So wee need to be there at slack time, meaning when there is just no stream. We'll anchor again tonight in a bay and then reach Puerto Natales in the morning.

On the 13th, Willi and Alexandra will leave us and Iris (probably) and I will go to Argentina to see the world famous glacier Perito Moreno. Our new crew member, Jens, will board on the 17th and once he is on board we will leave Puerto Natales the same day to head north to Puerto Chacabuco (where Iris goes off board) and Puerto Montt (where Jens leaves us), where we'll arrive two weeks later.

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