22.12.2015: Tierra del Fuego

Tierra del Fuego

In the southern hemisphere of our earth summer has begun. When there are no cold winds coming down from the mountains, we can wear our t-shirts on board. It seems strange right now to think of Christmas. If you take a close look, however, you can find signs of this festive time here in Tierra del Fuego. First of all you have the snow-covered peaks on Isla Navarinho the largest island south of Beagle Canal.

In the Argentine port Ushuaia we discover a small Christmas tree with loads of artificial snow in a store window. On the Isla Hornos at the legendary Cape Horn, the station commander and his family have put up a plastic tree with blinking light chains. On the central square of Puerto Williams – the southern-most city in the world – with its 2100 inhabitants, there even stands a big decorated tree and beside this there is a manger with waist-high wooden figures. Wherever we find a Christmas tree in Argentina or Chile it is a plastic replica of a northern pine although these trees do not grow here.

Micalvi Yacht Club

North-European customs have, therefore, established themselves in the southern-most regions of the world. In some of the windows in the small wooden houses in Puerto Williams there are Christmas garlands hung. And even on the Micalvi there stands a small plastic tree. The Micalvi is an old German Rhine steamer which was sold to Chile in 1928 and which sunk in the seventies in the port of Puerto Williams. The whole ship still lies there. The structures which are above the water are used for the club house of the Micalvi Yacht Club, the southern-most sailing club in the world.

Ships here from all over the world are tied together in groups of up to six. We are going to celebrate Christmas here too. The first indications of the most festive time of the year can already be found on board. Matze has brought two red pointed caps with him Michael is wildly determined to bake Christmas cookies after his mother’s recipe and mulled wine spice has been sighted.

Following extensive maintenance work on the ship, we would all like to enjoy some peaceful and relaxed festive days in the circle of the world-wide family of sailors. There has been a further change of crew on board. The film crew members Thomas and Marcel have left the ship. Arved’s wife Brigitte has come on board and Matze is pleased that his wife Gabi and his son Nick have come to visit us on board the “Dagmar Aaen”.

There will be no Christmas presents this year, but that doesn’t matter because being on board the “Dagmar Aaen” on Christmas Eve in Tierra del Fuego is the biggest present we can imagine.

Matze Steiner