Santiago de Chile

Okay, I guess it could happen. One of the Navimag ferries running from Puerto Montt to Puerto Natales did run aground in the middle of the night a few weeks ago. It did manage to make it into port to off load the passengers but not without some difficulties as they had to do it under Coast Guard escort and with only one engine. It was a rude awakening for the poor passengers as they had to assemble at their muster stations in case the abandon ship order was given. Fun at 3:00 am.
We were at the dock to watch the ferry land around 1:00 pm and it took until about 8 pm or a bit later for them to unload. We loaded at 9 pm and got settled into our rooms. The loading was interesting as we all got on this large open sided elevator to get to our deck. Foot passengers and motorcyclists at the same time. There were about 80 passengers total and about two thirds or three quarters of us were foreign travelers. The rest were Chileans. The ferry is a lifeline for the remote communities and all kinds of cargo gets carried including cattle and sheep and horses. It's a working boat.

This is the Puerto Eden of the Navimag Ferries. The other vessel that shares this run was still in dry dock for repairs after running aground.

At the dock unloading in Puerto Natales. Access to the upper deck is by a large elevator. You can see the semi-trailer trucks on the upper deck here. Try to get a feel for how big this boat is. I have a comment later about it.

While we waited in Pto. Natales we watched this boat being returned to the water. They're just hitching the beaching gear to this truck. The bow and stern rig are attached together with ropes only.

Even the locals stop to watch. There is a diver standing in the water near the bow of this boat. He was attaching the beaching gear to this boat beside the boat ramp.

Carefully backing into the water.

Almost done. They just have to remove the ropes as the boat comes afloat.

All done; with the truck dragging the beaching gear ashore.

This was us crammed onto the elevator to take us to the upper car deck of the ferry. There are no sides or safety fences and the lift mechanisms are mostly exposed. Watch your toes and fingers!

He looks impressed. Four of us in this room was cozy.

We slept (or tried to sleep) while the ferry workers loaded the rest of the vehicles. This took most of the night and we were finally underway about 6 am. Breakfast was set for 8 am to be followed by a safety briefing. It started out as a nice day but the weather deteriorated quickly to nasty winds blowing between 60 and 70 knots. It was windy enough that the Captain would not permit passengers on the outside decks.

Dawn on the morning of departure from Puerto Natales

I think this was our narrowest pass at 80 meters wide

The cargo of a working ship. Lots of cattle and sheep. One of the regular passengers was on the ship last year in very rough seas when three cows were washed overboard from a truck like one of  these. That's right.

Nasty weather ahead but it looked nice from here.

Great scenery

More Patagonia icefields

Very nasty outside with winds around 70 knots

Getting our safety briefing. We were a captive audience. Literally; as were weren't allowed outside.

Everything with wheels on it was securely strapped to the deck and some of the semi-trailers on the top deck were strapped to keep from tipping over.

Still quite windy but probably down to 40 knots or so.

It was fun and interesting to meet and chat with other travelers. There were lots of backpackers and a few cyclists. There were people from Australia, The U.S., The U.K., New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland, France, and of course Canada. Some had been traveling for years and others were just starting long trips around the world. I had to admire the cyclists who had already traveled most of South America. Pedaling a loaded bicycle across those mountain passes and the pampas in those winds would be a test of your mettle.
The ships crew does their best to keep everyone entertained with daily briefings in Spanish and English as well as bilingual talks by naturalists who informed us of the different types of flora and fauna in this area of Patagonia.
The food was basic but good quality and they even catered to people with special dietary needs. And there was a cash bar.

The weather improved enough late on the first day so we could take a little side trip to see a glacier. I can't remember the name of it though.

A dusting of fresh snow reminded us that the seasons are changing

This is the small coastal town of Puerto Eden that our ship is named after. We stopped here to pick up and offload some passengers and cargo on the morning of our second day.

This ship has been stuck on a rock here since 1963. It was carrying a load of sugar from Buenos Aires to Valapraiso, Chile. The captain sold the cargo illegally in Uruguay and hoped to scuttle the ship here to collect the insurance. What a boob. The wreck is now a navigation aid we're told.

We even got tours of the bridge when they weren't too busy up there.

During the second day the passengers were being mentally prepared for the open ocean portion of our voyage. We were told that seas are normally 4 to 5 meters but we could expect higher due to the weather. They will cross in 9 meter seas but they have had to wait in sheltered waters as long as 2 days.

That evening around 6 pm we hit the open water and it got fairly rough. Some people were sick within half an hour. It makes it more difficult to concentrate on not getting sick when you can smell someone else's vomit. Both Neil and I survived with no ill effects and I even managed to have a few beers with Pete from the UK. There was a poor showing at dinner though.
I had never been on a ship in a rough sea like that. Going to bed was interesting as at times I felt almost weightless in my bunk. Fortunately I was just the right length for the bunk and my head and feet kept me braced from sliding around too much. When we changed course into a following sea the ride got a lot better. In the morning, in calm seas, we were told that the seas during the crossing of Bahia Penas had been about 7 to 8 meters. There was a full turnout for breakfast.
The third day was uneventful and we had nice weather and calm seas. We did get word from the captain though about the devastating earthquake in Japan. There wasn't a lot of information but we were told of the tsunami warning. We would be in sheltered waters when the tsunami was forecast to hit the Chilean coast so there was no worry for us.

We even had a little party for our last night on board. These were some of our new friends.

A little more festive than the previous night. Thankfully.

We awoke on the fourth day (Saturday, March 11) in the harbour at Puerto Montt. We weren't permitted to dock until the tsunami threat had passed and spent the morning loitering in water deeper than 100 meters. I think we were unloaded by around 11 am.

Near the loading dock in Puerto Montt

Puerto Montt

The unloading process and a last wave goodbye.

Looking down through the elevator to the lower vehicle deck

We then got on the Pan American Highway Ruta 5 and headed for Los Angeles to spend the night. We were headed for Santiago by the most direct route as we weren't sure how long the seal on my final drive was going to last. Hopefully it would last for the 1200 or so kilometers we needed. We hadn't done much riding on the Pan American and while it was nice it was a little boring. Two lanes in each direction bypassed most of the towns enroute but did pass through lots of farmland and managed forests. There was lots going on here and it appeared quite prosperous. On Sunday we passed through more of the same and we rolled into Santiago fairly early and were in a hostel by 5 pm.
Now we're on the hunt for a ride home for the bikes. Santiago is a good place to hang out though and it's not too expensive. Last night dinner with 2 beers and a bottle and a half of wine worked out to about US$33. Our hostel with beakfast is US$60 a night. Not bad.
So, we are nearing the end of our trip. There will be a few more posts to wind it up but that's all for now.
Talk to you in a few.