Yachting

ADVENTURE

42 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MAY 2016

Ecuador to

Chile against

wind and

current

A

fter 3,000 miles beating into

the wind, Sand and Foam

and I did not reach our final

destination. We were bound for

Chile, having travelled overland

from Belize to the Pacific Ocean and then

sailed to Ecuador (YM, May 2015). The

final destination was to be Valparaiso, the

fabled port of the westbound Cape Horn

tall ships, situated in the middle of Chile.

Rather than sailing the longer offshore

route via Easter Island, I decided to take

the shorter coastal route against the wind

and the Humboldt Current.

The southbound coastal voyage is not

easy. Winds of Force 2 to 7 swing from

SE to SW and are usually strongest in the

afternoon and evening before completely

dying during the night. The Humboldt

Michael Marshall sails down

the rugged west coast of South

America and discovers why

yachts rarely cruise there

Current is unavoidably against you as

it runs at a knot or more parallel to the

shore, 300 miles wide. Cold sea air mixes

with desert heat producing fog and wind.

Add to this long, sizeable Pacific swells

from the south and short, steep seas from

local winds, as well as fishing nets, long

lines and large rafts of seaweed. Fishing

fleets, often unlit, work at night in one

of the world’s most productive fishing

grounds. But it’s also beautiful. At night

the plankton gives off magnificent cascades

of bioluminescence and on moonless

nights, there are sparkling displays of

shooting stars, distant galaxies and bright

planets. The desert cliffs are utterly wild,

forbidding and without vegetation.

The rhumb line was 2,090 miles, and

there were three legs: Puerto Lucia Yacht

Club (PLYC) in Ecuador to the Yacht Club

de Peru (YCP) in Callao; Callao to Arica,

Chile and from Arica to Puerto Velero.

Sand and Foam ready for the trip in Ecuador

Barren sea cliffs border the coast, including the Atacama desert

PHOTOS: MICHAEL MARSHALL UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED