05.01.2016: The New Year

The New Year

The holidays are now over and we are making preparations for our next task. We used the days in Puerto Williams to thoroughly overhaul the ship. The Dagmar Aaen had travelled 9,500 sea miles and there had not been much opportunity for maintenance work. The weather remained good and gave us the chance to complete some paint jobs, while I went down to the machine room to check and do maintenance work on the technical equipment. Apart from working, however, there still remained enough time to explore Navarino Island. I was especially impressed by the crooked trees (photo) which grow everywhere and are proof of just who is the significant creative force here. The wind or better still the storm.

Alongside the Micalvi we lie in complete safety (photo). We have nice neighbors moored around us, especially Greg and Keri with their yacht Northhanger whom we have known since the nineties.  They now have a second boat which they use to carry out projects in cooperation with scientists.

Gabi, Matthias and Nick have now left us and Peter Sandmeyer, Harald Schmitt and Volker Wenzel have returned on board. Tomorrow we are going to cast off and head once again to Cape Horn. The weather forecast is, however, anything but favourable: wind force 8, with gusts of 9-10 Beaufort with wave heights of 4 meters. A landing will be out of the question. It is supposed to remain windy until Friday – yes, Cape Horn weather – and then conditions should improve.
Arved Fuchs