VISIT TO RELONCALVÍ YACHT CLUB

PUERTO MONTT, CHILE

Hi Fellow Sailors!

Yesterday David and I finally fulfilled one of our dreams on this trip: a visit to a local yacht club. The Reloncalví Club is located just 7 km. outside Puerto Montt, which is located 1000 km. south of Santiago. Puerto Montt was settled in the mid-19th century by German immigrants who had been invited to settle the region by Chile͛s then-president Manuel Montt. 150 immigrants arrived in the late 1850s, more followed, and the entire area reveals this cultural heritage.

It was our 5th time here so we were quite delighted to make contact with the commodore of the local yacht club and have the opportunity to visit. There were two problems, as it turned out. One was that low tide happened late morning and here the tides are extremeͶup to 7 meters. It didn͛t help that there had been a full moon a couple nights before. So, no boats were leaving port. The other problem is that the club house is closed on Sunday and it seems to be a day of rest for those who are not out for a week-long or weekend cruise.

There are boats in the marinaͶwhich has 70 slips on floating docksͶfrom several countries, including France, Switzerland, and New Zealand. There are

also a number of yachtsͶboth sail and powerͶthat are down from Valparaiso for the summer. Reloncalví is the only marina between Punta Arenas, 1600 km. south, and Puerto Montt so sailors from all over the world stop here, some for several months.

Christian, the commodore, came over from his cottage on an island across the channel in his small outboard dingy and welcomed us warmly. After showing us around the marina we went into the clubhouse and exchanged burgees.

Then Christian showed us around the hard and directed our attention to two new boats that are replicas of traditional lanchas chilotas, wide-beam cargo boats with full keels and tiller. These boats have been used on Chiloe Island, south of Puerto Montt, for decades because their design both allows them to carry a lot of cargo and they can be easily beached and floated with the extreme tides.

These new versions do have an engine and prop but are otherwise genuine reproductions of the originalsͶof which there now are only about 20 in existence.

We made our good-byes to Christian and went to lunch at the Kiel Restaurant, established by Danish- German immigrants decades ago. With a fantastic view of the same channel on which the marina is located, we enjoyed fresh Chilean king crab (on which we have dined several times while in Chile).

Today we are on our way to Robinson Crusoe Island, which will be the subject of another journal. After that, 2 days in Valparaiso, where we look forward to having lunch at the Naval Yacht Club.

Below are some more pix from our outing. The first are people, along the shore in the marina digging for musselsͶa popular pastime at low tide all along the beaches. The 2nd is a model of the lanchas chilotas in the Kiel Restaurant. At the bottom, the Reloncaví Club House.

Home next Monday! Yessssssss!!!!! Cheers!

Tommie Sue