Explore Chilean Patagonia and the glaciers - under sail from Puerto Montt, Chile

Infos

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  Description

  UPDATE (June 2026) :
  This coming November/December, we will be continuing our journey through Chilean Patagonia. We plan to spend three months in the Channels, sailing to Isla Navarino.
  
  Anyone wishing to join us needs to understand a little bit about this lifestyle.
  The most important thing for you to understand is that a sailing boat is not like a bus or even a ferry. We don't sail to a timetable. If the wind doesn't blow, the boat doesn't go; and, likewise, if the winds blows too hard, we stay in harbour. So far as this particular journey is concerned, we will be travelling through a wilderness of uninhabited islands and fiords. ONCE WE HAVE SET OFF THERE WILL BE VERY FEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR LEAVING OR JOINING THE BOAT. We will not be able to commit ourselves to being in a certain place at a certain time. That's not how sailing works. So, please do NOT write telling us that you'd like to join us for a fortnight. When you do that, you're just wasting your time and ours.
  
  SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION :
  We're a family who have all been born and bred around sailing boats. For the past 30 years we've been slowly travelling the world under sail aboard the 50ft steel ketch which we built in a field in Africa.
  When I say that we're travelling slowly, I mean VERY slowly. We zig-zag to and fro; we loop back on ourselves; we hang out in places for months at a time. And, right now, we're not even living aboard full-time. (We've been distracted by the need to plant trees and look after them...)
  We're not actually trying to get anywhere. It's all about the lifestyle.
  
  As a family, we have experience of sailing in calms and storms and everything in between.
  We're happy sweltering in the tropics and we've also spent time amongst the ice floes and the glaciers of Patagonia. In fact, the captain has spent two seasons working in Antarctica on charter yachts and would like to head back down that way. (Yes, he is also looking for crew for that trip... but any crew for such a tough, potentially dangerous voyage will need to have sailed with us previously.)
  
  We tend to prefer remote anchorages, where we can have the world to ourselves. This might mean an azure lagoon at the heart of an atoll, or it might mean Point Nemo, in the depths of the South Pacific. I guess we're not party people, as such. Sailing with us entails going along with this kind of isolation.
  
  Then again, we do like company. Although we don't actually need any help in handling the boat, we certainly enjoy having other people aboard. We're not particularly interested in giving rides to people who just want to get from A to B. We have been known to do just that, but we're happier hosting people who are eager to learn about the cruising lifestyle. We also welcome young scientists who want to use the vessel as a base for marine research (eg. plankton netting, listening to whales, etc).
  
  One of the drawbacks of this lifestyle is that it's financially difficult. We have to find ways to scrape by.
  The only other major hindrance is the amount of work entailed in keeping the boat in good shape. Our home is made from steel, and that's good news when there are uncharted rocks or when the bergy-bit is a bit bigger than it seemed, but it also means that there's always plenty of rust to be cleaned away and metal to be repainted. While in harbour, we're also eager to hear from people who are skilled welders or carpenters.
  
  We have space for two single travellers. Priority will go to those who have helped prepare her for the voyage.
  Crew need to provide their own warm weather / wet-weather gear.
  We provide safety harnesses and lifejackets.
  
  All meals aboard the boat are vegetarian.
  WE CANNOT ACCOMMODATE SMOKERS. Smoking is not permitted aboard the boat, either below or on deck.

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  Types d'aide et opportunités d'apprendre

  Projets DIY créatifs

  Petits travaux d'entretien
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  Centres d’intérêt

  

  Végétarien ou végan

  

  Dev. durable

  

  Dev. personnel

  

  Ferme

  

  Soin des plantes

  

  Histoire

  

  Art et design

  

  Jardinage

  

  Écriture

  

  Dessin et peinture

  

  Yoga / bien-être

  

  Nature

  

  Camping

  

  Voile / bateau

  

  Sports nautiques

  

  Activités en plein air

  

  Randonnée
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  Echange culturel et opportunités d'apprendre

  Travellers visiting us while we work on the boat will learn a lot about boat maintenance and about the ins and outs of the cruising lifestyle. We are always happy to share our knowledge of yacht design as it relates to seaworthiness, boat-speed, and so forth. Indeed, we're ready to answer your questions on any subject related to boats. Past volunteers have also been taught rowing, the use of various knots, line handling, points of sailing, collision regulations, etcetera.
  
  Everyone who sails with us does their own watch, after we've taught them how to steer and how to keep a good look-out for other vessels. Those who wish to can also learn more about how the boat sails and how to manage her and balance her in different winds. We're also happy to teach people how to navigate with the GPS and/or with a sextant.
  
  We also have a reasonably good knowledge of astronomy, of ocean meteorology, and of marine life (especially birds and cetaceans) which we're always happy to share.

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  Aide

  The boat has just undergone an extensive refit, but there are always things aboard a boat which need to be done in order to keep her seaworthy, and crew are expected to join in, according to their abilities.
  
  All crew help with the handling of the boat. We all take watches and take the helm (= steer). We all help to moor the boat. No experience of sailing is necessary. We're happy to pass along our knowledge and skills.
  
  We all take turns at the cooking and the washing up.
  
  We are always keen to hear from any young biologists who might want to grasp the opportunity to study the local wildlife.
  In the event that no biologists are available, we'll happily take along somebody else who is fit and enthusiastic, with a happy disposition and with a life-outlook which meshes well with our own. This is, in fact, more important than a biology degree, because when a group of people is trapped aboard a small, crowded 'island', compatibility is absolutely essential.
  So, what is our outlook?
  - We appreciate discussions about philosophy, about local wildlife, and about self-sufficient living and sustainable civilisation.
  - We are completely ignorant about football, pop-stars, films, TV, fashion, and card games, and we have no particular desire to improve upon this ignorance.
  - We like music, but we don't generally like to have 'canned music' blaring in the cabin. (However, if you want to play the guitar on passage, that's another matter entirely!)
  - When in harbour, we like to explore. In Patagonia this involves hiking up mountains, finding or making a path as we go.
  If this outlook meshes with yours, we'd like to hear from you.
  
  We're obsessed with the environment and with trying to protect it. To be honest, there doesn't seem to be much point in focusing on anything else these days, while eco-systems are collapsing and the climate is falling apart around us. In keeping with this philosophy, we do our best to live clean, green lives, leaving only bubbles in our wake. Our electricity comes from the wind and the sun. Our food is vegetarian, and we try to buy local stuff.
  
  Most important of all, so far as any would-be companions are concerned, is the fact that we use the engine as little as possible. If it takes us all day to beat five miles up a channel, making 24 tacks, then that's what we'll do. And we'll do it even if it's freezing cold and pouring with rain - because, to us, there doesn't seem to be much choice in the matter. If we want the planet to remain inhabitable, we mustn't use the engine unless we have to. If this sounds tiresome to you - if you can't see yourself happily steering the boat while the rain pours down - then please don't apply to join us!
  
  Based on previous experience of inviting guests into our floating home, we tend to prioritise applications from people aged over 25 - which is to say, we prefer to sail with people who are mature enough to clear up after themselves and to keep the place tidy without having to be asked. Our home is not a hostel.
  
  The sailing life is unpredictable, largely because the weather is unpredictable. We might be becalmed for a week, or we might be storm-bound for a fortnight. Or we might break something important and have to spend time in tucked up in some remote 'caleta', mending it. As a result, a journey of this sort does not suit the type of traveller who has mapped out an exact itinerary. Specifically: expecting us to get from A to B in order for you to catch a plane or pursue some other goal is unrealistic. Deadlines put the captain under pressure and spoil the whole thing for everybody.

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  Langues

  Langues parlées
  Anglais: Courant
  Espagnol: Intermédiaire
  Portugais: Intermédiaire
  Français: Débutant

  Cet hôte propose un échange linguistique
  Our first language is English. The captain is fluent in Spanish. We also speak mediocre French, and we can get by in Portuguese.
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  Hébergement

  We have space for two guests in two small cabins in the for'ard (front) part of the boat.
  
  Please be aware that there is very little privacy on a small boat. There are, for example, no doors anywhere on the boat. (We don't have anything against doors; we just don't have space for them.)
  THERE IS NO SHOWER. We wash in the cockpit or ashore - or not at all. We have some charming photos of the skipper showering under a waterfall in the snow...
  Guests should understand that the boat is very seaworthy and safe but also very basic. It's definitely NOT a charter yacht.
  
  For many people, the lack of privacy aboard a small boat is not an issue, but others find it intolerable. Please consider carefully whether you will be able to cope, and cope happily.

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  Informations complémentaires

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    Accès Internet

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    Accès Internet limité

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    Nous avons des animaux

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    Nous sommes fumeurs

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    Familles bienvenues

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  Combien de volontaires pouvez-vous accueillir ?

  Deux

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  Mes animaux

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