Chiloe Regatta Sail

The cabin sides are freshly painted, the cabin trim is newly varnished, and the whole boat was refreshed last Sunday, with a six-hour sail in 15 knot winds and sunshine across Reloncavi Bay and back.  We motored away from the dock at 10 a.m. so as to be out in front of the hundred or so boats sailing the "Travel Races" for the last day of the 2016 Chiloe Regatta.  Our passengers included our friend Hernán and his family, whose son/brother, Ignacio, was sailing on the S/V Tridente, one of several Naval Academy boats in the regatta.  Also on board: our friend Cristina, who took these wonderful photos:

Motoring away from the marina.  Suz takes direction from the Captain about getting those bumpers up.  In days gone by, all four bumpers would be tied to the staysail base in the bow by now.  How much we forget after years away from crewing!

Hernán hauled the halyards for both main and genoa.  Gracias, caballero!

We love that part, after the diesel engine is shut down, when the boat flies on her own wings.

Your faithful Scribe, hanging on to the ratlines.

Hernán and El Capitan study the operations of the self-steering wind vane system.

Several classes raced ... this one about as different from Abrazo as you can get, not least because of that wrinkled luff! 

Racer tacking along the shore.

One of the Escuela Naval boats ... we couldn't tell if it was Tridente or not, yet.  But we got the idea that the racers were all going around the island up there.  We decided to hang around and wait for them to come back with their spinakers flying.   

And soon they began to pass us going back toward the finish line near the Costanera.

Captain Richard was careful not to interfere with anybody's wind, but he was aiming to get close to the Navy School boats for the family's sake.  Could be that Navy helicopter came out to investigate US, as they buzzed very low right between Abrazo and the other boats.  It was the helicopter's wind that interfered with some of the spinakers. 

Not this one, tho.  How fast do you think that boat is flying? 

Here comes the first Naval School boat returning.

Along with the corporate-sponsored racers.

Volcán Osorno, what a sight!  That curve of highway so prominently featured is the new road to Pichi Pelluco and the Carretera Austral.  The Valle de Volcanes neighborhood, where R and I have an apartment, is just below the dark ridge line directly vertical from Osorno's cone. 

There's the second Naval School boat, at last.

And smiling at the center there is Ignacio, Hernán's son.

El Capitan, himself, at the helm.  Focused, as usual.  I wish you could have seen how smoothly he backed Abrazo into her slip.  Everybody helped get the sails bagged and covered, after which we went below to enjoy the fine torte Hernán's family brought to the party.