Kiwi Roa stayed in southern Patagonia over two winters. While cold, the weather tends to remain fine and relatively dry. The region undergoes some remarkable transformations. Below, some of our favorite areas are revisited to witness them in their winter guises.
First Winter
Come autumn, and the scene in Puerto Williams is typical of the sight of coming winter all around the world.
Visual signs of the lowering temperatures are abundant.
Kiwi Roa is not the only yacht brave enough to stay over winter. The folk on this American yacht either have it harder or are more snug, we can’t decide. If the snow on the hills behind is compared to earlier photos of the same coastline, the story of the temperature is told.
Seno Pia does not look drastically different, but we like this scene so here’s a second photo.
And here is another illustration of the crevices on the glacier itself. Note the figure in orange for scale.
The water is clogged with ice and the surface freezes overnight. Shorelines can present problems if they become trapped in or under the ice.
Peter helped an American scientist install a weather station on top of Isla Diablo in the Beagle Channel.
In Ushuaia, the cityscape is now recognizable as the winter resort it likes to market itself as.
Ushuaia is typically wet in the summer and brings snow in the winter.
The salt environment is not enough to prevent this. The driveway will need clearing in the morning.
Ashore, life continues much as before.
The nearby skifields do a good business.
This island just off Ushuaia is home to a dense colony of seals.
These are earless or “true” seals. On land, they are awkward, moving by a combination of sliding and flexing their spines from side to side.
Back in Puerto Williams across the channel in Chile.
The below photo is the same scene as the one at the top of the page – full circle for this season.
More winter landscapes, including Cape Horn, follow on the next and final page where we skip to the second winter.