Puerto Profundo
Today we sailed through the rather choppy waters of the western entrance of the Strait of Magellan. We passed Carlos III, one of the narrowest sectors, while looking for Humpback whales, as they have been reported in these areas. Porpoising sea lion puppies greeted us instead, as clouds and sun blew by overhead.
After leaving the Strait of Magellan, the ship steamed into Canal Smyth to anchor at Puerto Profundo. Anchoring interrupted (overlapped for many of us) a most educative wine tasting session. In a clearly amicable gesture, our Chilean expert, Max, introduced us to Argentinean chardonnay, sauvignon, malbec, and pinot noirs even though we were in Chilean territory. He promised to let us try samples of Chilean wines in the next few days.
Puerto Profundo is a unique place. Surrounded by little islands and narrow inlets, the area could be named the fueguian Venice. A thick forest on the lower 30 feet directly above the sea level harbors a most diverse community of plants: Notophagus beech trees, ferns, blooming coicopihues, grass, and dwarf cypresses (cypress de las Guaitecas). Given enough protection from the wild weather of the roaring forties, these trees can grow on rocky substrates covered only by a thin film of soil. A band of barnacles and a packed belt of mussles characterized the intertidal, and a narrow belt of kelp beds (Macrocystis pyrifera) decorated the subsurface waters.
As the weather was nice, sunny and warm, with little wind and in very sheltered waters, kayaks were offered as well as Zodiacs. We will not soon forget this miniature archipelago, which reminded us of a tropical forest or a garden in its diversity and color.
This very protected environment must have been a safe harbor or a settlement for aborigines and/or local fishermen in the past or in present days, as indicated by a midden or shell deposit of giant mussels that we discovered at the entrance of the main inlet west of Isla Carreta.
After departing, dolphins interrupted the recap and later on at Paso Shoal, several whales (probably sperm whales for their V-shaped spouts) interrupted dinner.
Finally, we continued toward the narrows that will lead us into Golfo Almirante Montt and Puerto Natales, the gate to Torres del Paine National Park.
Today we sailed through the rather choppy waters of the western entrance of the Strait of Magellan. We passed Carlos III, one of the narrowest sectors, while looking for Humpback whales, as they have been reported in these areas. Porpoising sea lion puppies greeted us instead, as clouds and sun blew by overhead.
After leaving the Strait of Magellan, the ship steamed into Canal Smyth to anchor at Puerto Profundo. Anchoring interrupted (overlapped for many of us) a most educative wine tasting session. In a clearly amicable gesture, our Chilean expert, Max, introduced us to Argentinean chardonnay, sauvignon, malbec, and pinot noirs even though we were in Chilean territory. He promised to let us try samples of Chilean wines in the next few days.
Puerto Profundo is a unique place. Surrounded by little islands and narrow inlets, the area could be named the fueguian Venice. A thick forest on the lower 30 feet directly above the sea level harbors a most diverse community of plants: Notophagus beech trees, ferns, blooming coicopihues, grass, and dwarf cypresses (cypress de las Guaitecas). Given enough protection from the wild weather of the roaring forties, these trees can grow on rocky substrates covered only by a thin film of soil. A band of barnacles and a packed belt of mussles characterized the intertidal, and a narrow belt of kelp beds (Macrocystis pyrifera) decorated the subsurface waters.
As the weather was nice, sunny and warm, with little wind and in very sheltered waters, kayaks were offered as well as Zodiacs. We will not soon forget this miniature archipelago, which reminded us of a tropical forest or a garden in its diversity and color.
This very protected environment must have been a safe harbor or a settlement for aborigines and/or local fishermen in the past or in present days, as indicated by a midden or shell deposit of giant mussels that we discovered at the entrance of the main inlet west of Isla Carreta.
After departing, dolphins interrupted the recap and later on at Paso Shoal, several whales (probably sperm whales for their V-shaped spouts) interrupted dinner.
Finally, we continued toward the narrows that will lead us into Golfo Almirante Montt and Puerto Natales, the gate to Torres del Paine National Park.
