Weekend Write-In Story Collection

Sailing Through Patagonia

In 500 words, imagine what happens when a character receives unclear instructions. Written for the Weekend Write-In prompt "Instructions", 8-10 January 2016.

Sometimes all you need to do is ask the right person at the right time.

The Zarpe

In late June, we had hauled-out the boat for the winter in Puerto Montt at the northern edge of Chilean Patagonia then had flown back to Vancouver for the northern summer. In late October, we returned south to begin a refit in preparation for a two-month exploration southward through Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego and onward to Cape Horn. This region is widely regarded as being the wildest and most spectacular sailing on the planet. Cape Horn is the Mount Everest for sailors.

Because of the region's remoteness, its poorly-charted waters and its wild weather, the Chilean Armada is extremely strict in allowing sailors access. We dreaded the convoluted application process for our departure clearance. As our refit continued, we heard the ongoing horror stories of boats waiting many days with numerous visits, and then being refused. All the issued zarpes we saw were severely restrictive on what routes were allowed and what areas were forbidden. Exploring was not allowed.

The first week of December, the final parts that we required cleared through Customs and we could complete our preparations. We had been gradually stowing the boat with three months of food and supplies. Once our new forestay fitting was installed and the rig was retuned, we rented a car and did one last supermarket sweep for fresh produce, stowed it aboard and drove across town to the Armada office to apply for our passage zarpe. The office was closed early in preparation for the holiday weekend. The next day was another church holiday, the Feast of the Immaculate Deception.

There was a note on the door, which with our limited Spanish, we deciphered to raise our hopes. The note translated to say that the office would be opened on the holiday for extraordinary purposes. We returned to the Capitaneria the following morning to see Roger of the British ketch, El Vagabond. He was there on his third visit and we chatted with him for half an hour as his very restrictive zarpe was finally completed.

There was only one person in the office for the holiday. When our turn came, we asked for a zarpe for that evening, figuring we'd be best to start there and work our way forward. The young Petty Officer was unfamiliar and asked us what route we wanted to take. I said unrestricted. Within half an hour we had a zarpe for 0700 mañana, and all the way to Puerto William, the most southerly town in the world. We thanked him and left.

Back aboard, we read the zarpe, looking for the routeing instructions. They were very basic: Puerto Montt — Puerto William. No restrictions, except for the standard requirement to report position daily at 0800 and 2000.

We made our reports by text message on our satellite phone as we enjoyed unrestricted explorations, touching bottom gently twice and once a bit harder as we visited thirty-five remote anchorages during our eight weeks through Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego and onward to Cape Horn.