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Passage in Antarctica
A first Passage in Antarctica. We sailed
during 1990-1991 to prepare this new adventure.
Passage, was our first boat, a 37ft sloop. We bought
a bare hull, spend a few years of week-ends and vacations to complete sand blasting,
weld-on deck fittings, and complete below deck accommodations. Years spent
between home made work during days-off and a passionate job in the oil
drilling.
A nine months trip around Mediterranean sea
before to sail South with some friends in 1990-1991.
Departure
On August 1990, first anchoring below Collioure
church. First day, first anchoring, first boat. We never left Mediterranean,
despite we head for Antarctica. It'll be the first time.
First times are not always best. Therefore
today we return back South.
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Pile up 5 hundred fifty
pounds guys in a dinghy, set a very small headsail, reef the main , and
fly on the sea with a 40 knots winds. The story started like that. And by
this day of August the &0th, we were heading to the Hercules columns, first
stage of our unknown world. A little stress, we wanted to be courageous
but not presumptuous..
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Three weeks after Ilha do Sal in Cabo
Verde, great shower under the waterfall of Itaparica, an island facing
Salvador de Bahia. In the back ground, a new Zealander, seduced forever by
his pretty Brazilian woman.. |
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Sailing
At night, I will stitch and
I am , after the
left with the endless refrain
one stitch, one stitch, one |
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Oh! wet misery of the Patagonia sailor. Where
is the sun? Believe me, this is snorkeling, no longer sailing, so big the
amount of water pouring onto our heads. |
| The Big cape, Cape Horn, is on the left side.
Therefore will turn on the depth sounder, just to avoid the shallow just
in front of it. And you see; it will grow up a foot more, a shoal made
from all the bottles of Champaign that the today sailors drop facing teh
great Cap Horn! |
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Melchior Island, first Antarctica
anchorage; On the beach there is a Waddell seal taking a little nap under
the rain, and then behind me, at 30feet a sea Lion preventing the access
to to the top of the hill; not friendly the chief!
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Anchorage besides the abandoned Videla
scientific base. penguins settle there.
At high tide (4ft), I wanted to have a
look at that cave under the ice cliff. I tell you, the petrol engine is
far less ecologic, but far more efficient that the muscle power, because a
ice piece fell from the cliff ant it didn't fit well for a whisky on the rock; I
should have use a glass the boat size!!
Got hot spot there, it was time for a
nice shower on deck: 18 degree Celsius .
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But everyone was hot that day!
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Hi guy! you are not serious, nobody will
take us as adventurers or heroes now! We said , needs foul weather gears,
storms, high winds, ....behave man!
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Plenneau island anchorage. This will be our
southern most spot. We missed Osiris a small centerboard boat that spent the
all winter after the narrow after Passage. The glacier in the background is
really red, not as much as on the picture but still red. We dig into it, but
could find nothing. With Argonaute III we bring a microscope: just to see .
And to understand why the ice is so reddish.
That year, an Norwegian/American couple
spent the winter here, they reached this spot 2 weeks later. |
| I passed an Antarctica can of beer (Brazilian
trade). She didn't like beer. Fine , I drank both!. |
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From that spot, we're heading North, back
home.
I swear, we'll come back!
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