knots – but that was calm compared to what we’d just
endured and relatively normal for the Southern Ocean.
Up to her first spreaders, Infinity was plastered with a
thick coating of ice. Smashing the ice off was both
necessary from a stability and functional perspective, and
also highly therapeutic for the crew.
Days later, I felt comparatively refreshed but Clemens
kept telling me I looked exhausted and needed more rest.
Unbeknown to me, he ordered no-one to wake me for my
next watch and covered it himself. I slept for 17 hours.
Following dinner, I thanked Clemens for his concern, did
my watch and went for another
uninterrupted 12 hours of deep sleep.
Having survived hurricane force
winds, torn most of our sails, and
already been at sea for over a month,
we were now tackling a 4,500 mile
Southern Ocean passage to
Patagonia. The final leg dragged.
The main event was behind us, the
cold was relentless, the sun barely
shone and each day was a repeat of
the previous.Lightening the mood
Like the sky, the mood was often grey, so keeping spirits
buoyant became important. Movie nights, games, any
extra effort on the food front, fancy dress parties and a sea
shanty writing competition all helped break the
monotony. Storm sailing became the norm, more sails
were torn, more sail repairs were carried out. Ice was
spotted every day until we were two days away from Chile.
All this time, we were also busy trying to resolve many
mechanical problems. Somehow, during the depths of the
storm, we had syphoned seawater into our diesel. Despite
our best attempts at polishing the fuel, stripping down
the entire system and rebuilding everything from
injectors to pumps, we never quite got on top of it. If the
engine could just hold out for the final hurdle of the
rock-strewn Chilean fjords, without seizing too badly, then
we would be OK. At least engine maintenance got me out
of sail repair duty.
After what felt like an eternity, Chile was finally spotted.
Davey Jones blessed us with another rare sunny day whilst
we navigated the fjords of Patagonia. Birds soared
overhead, we could smell land and trees, we could see
glacier-covered mountains and even passed a lighthouse
whose cheery keeper hailed us on the radio. We’d gone
from sensory deprivation to sensory overload and were
high on life. The bars of Puerto Natales did very good
business that night.
With hindsight, it seems almost unfathomable that we
did the trip: an 8,300-mile Southern Ocean passage. I
hadn’t given the prospect of a foray to Antarctica serious
thought but simply jumped at the opportunity. I don’t
regret the trip but definitely underestimated the gravity
of such a voyage and wouldn’t repeat it.
Our experience in the extremes of the Southern Ocean
will be put to practice next summer when we attempt the
North West Passage. Infinity’s adventures continue.Andy Jamieson
describes himself as a
lifelong adventurer
whose other passions
include skiing, diving
and climbing. He is a
professional captain and
currently running a
luxury yacht in the
Caribbean.Above: sharing
an Antarctic
anchorage with
the locals
Right: heavily
reefed downwind
in big Southern
Ocean seas
ADVENTURE
64 December 2017