Booked long before we left Sydney, we planned to get out of Patagonia by boat. The Navimag is a working cargo boat that moves large goods along the west coast of Chile. There were trucks, and cars, and large containers being loaded. Oh and cows. There were a few cows.
Because of the unique route it takes along the Chilean fjords, it also offers cabins to tourists wanting to see a unique part of Chile.
We thought it had been cold prior to the Navimag, but once there the combination of wind, sailing, and baseline outside temperatures was somewhat cooler than expected. Though the outside scenery was worth battling the cold for some periods of time.
There were at time extremely narrow sections, as little as 80m across, and we would have to wait for the winds to settle a little before passing between some points.
On the second day we passed Puerto Eden. This small town of around 70 people is otherwise completely cut off from the world and the Navimag brings in supplies and takes out goods to be sold. The boat stops for around an hour and the town people come out into the fjord in their small boats to meet it and exchange goods. Unfortunately Claire and I had both begun to feel unwell and the idea of going outside to take photos was a bit much.
Late on the second day and passing into the third day we entered open water with 8m swells that rocked us back and forth though thankfully neither of us were sea sick. There was a lot of rain out on the open seas as well which made for a quiet day in doors.
The final morning we sailed past the islands of Chiloe but arriving in Puerto Montt in the early afternoon. The boat had left a little late and taken a little longer to get there so we ended up staying overnight in this otherwise uneventful town before getting on the bus once again to go to Pucon. Pucon, where it all began.
24 449 Km (14011Km Flights, 7831Km Sailing, 2292Km Bus, 77km Hiking, 18Km Horse riding)