Patagonia part 3: Canal Messier to Golfo de Penas

Our passage of the Canal Messier was blessed with faultless weather, inviting for sunbathing on deck and providing mirror images on the water and beautiful evening light in Canal Adalberto later the same day. But the weather provided another pretty strong contrast early next morning, with some rather hard wind blowing in the Canal Fallos. As we were facing an open sea passage across the Golfo de Penas, it was an easy decision to hide in a beautiful natural harbour at the Isla Jungfrauen (island of virgins). Indeed a very virgin, stunning landscape and some of the most beautiful hikes of the whole trip, with amazing scenery and elevated views over islands, channels and the open sea in the distance and many wind-beaten trees!

The Golfo de Penas (“gulf of hardships”, often translated as “gulf of pain”) lived up to its bad reputation. We got our share of wind and waves. Some enjoyed adventurous sailing, the exciting view of the rough open sea, seabirds of all sorts in great numbers and associated photographic challenges, while others preferred to remain on watch in their bunks, waiting for better times. These were, after all, not too far away, as we entered sheltered waters again north of Cabo Tres Montes and the Peninsula de Taitao.