The Argentinean coast is not much talked about and good cruising information is hard to come by, but we found it an amazing, though challenging, coast with lots of wildlife and incredibly varied scenery. The following information dates from 2001.
We have arrived in the Chilean channels after cruising down the east coast of Argentina. Not much information is available on this coast as most boats headed to or from the Horn sail right by, going non-stop from Mar del Plata to Ushuaia/Peurto Williams. The British admiralty pilot is the best comprehensive source of cruising information. You definitely need to have some Spanish language capability on board, as that will be the only language spoken by most of the officials, even in the tourist towns. Mar del Plata is clearly the best place to hang out and prepare the boat. The yacht basin is completely protected (38 02.5S, 57 32W). Several large steel mooring buoys are just outside the yacht basin, mostly used by the fishing fleet at lunch hour, but a sailboat can use one for free. A pedestrian swing bridge crosses the entrance to the yacht basin. If you toot your horn, call on VHF 71, or simply motor around in circles the operator will swing it open. The Yacht Club Argentino is very friendly and helpful. When you arrive ask at the club for Luis and he will give you directions and forms for the check-in procedure. The docks are free for a week and then about $6/day. There is both an active sailboat fleet and a large fishing fleet so the repair facilities around town are quite comprehensive including a good North Sail repair loft (ph:451-1451). Fast and inexpensive Internet access is available at the phone office on the corner of Ave. Edison and Ave. 12 de Octobre. A large sea lion colony is in the harbor. Unlike so any other parts of the world, this coast has not yet been over-fished, and is alive with sealife – whales, dolphins, sea lions, albatrosses and even penguins further south.
Sea Lion at Puerto Madryn
The next stop 460 miles south is Puerto Madryn in Gulfo Nuevo. During March to November this Gulf is a birthing ground for the Southern right whale. You anchor off town between the two big piers (42 45.5S, 65 01.5W). This is protected from winds SW to N and the holding ground is good. A 20kts easterly sea breeze can spring up on hot days with light winds. This sends quite an uncomfortable chop into the anchorage, but will die off at night. When you arrive the Prefectura (Argentinean coast guard) will send a launch out to bring you in for the paperwork. Otherwise you land your dinghy on the beach. The Club Nautico is very friendly and offers free hot baths. The Prefectura also recommended the Kotick anchorage just inside the entrance to Gulfo Nuevo, on the South Coast at Ninfas in front of the clump of trees that mark an estancia. This would be a handy anchorage if you just wanted to make a quick stop to sit out a blow from the south.
A number of attractive anchorages are scattered about the Cabo Dos Bahias area 100 miles further south. The best of these are Caleta Hornos and Isle Tova. Caleta Hornos is a small cove at the head of Bahia Gil and is one of the few completely bombproof 360-degree protected anchorages on the coast. You can anchor right inside the entrance to the cove, but if you go in further over a 7’ bar (there is a 15’ tide so getting over the bar is no problem) and around a corner you find a completely enclosed 12’ deep pool (45 02.2S, 65 41.1W). There are some rocks and tidal overfalls around the entrance to Bahia Gil, but they are simple to avoid with the detailed chart (BA 552). The Argentinean navy recommended the harbor on the north side of Isle Tova (45 06S, 65 58.5W). It’s easy to enter and exit in all weather, completely protected from all directions except N (and even from N there is not that much fetch), and has good holding.
Puerto Deseado and Bahia Nodales are 185 miles further south. The entrance to Deseado has 5-6 kt currents so you need to time your arrival for the flood (you definitely need tide tables to cruise this coast safely). We didn’t stop as we passed in 40 knots during a foul tide, but the following description from Evans Hoyt, Finnrose, agrees with that of others who stopped. “Inside you can tie-up to the barge at the Gipsy boatyard, at the west end of the jetty (about 47 45S, 65 55W). The folks are very friendly here and the town is pretty unique – a frontier town for sure. It will be your first view of the corrugated metal buildings typical of Patagonia. The environment is straight out of the New Mexico high desert incongruously placed on the edge of the South Atlantic. You will also be greeted for the first time by the little black and white Commerson's dolphins who will come out and play around the boat.” This is the best place to refuel south of Mar del Plata.
Commerson's dolphins at Puerto San Julian
Bahia Nodales, just south of Deseado, is a large attractive and easy to enter bay. There are anchorages at both the NW and SW (48 04S, 65 55.5W) corners of the bay. These are safe for winds SW to NE. However I would not want to be in the anchorage in a SW gale, as there is usually a period of strong S and SE winds at the end of these gales that would send a large swell into the bay.
Puerto San Julian is a river estuary with a difficult entrance about 150 miles north of the Straits of Magellan. This is the harbor where both Magellan and Drake put down mutinees on their circumnavigations. We were the first yacht to enter "in recent memory," and we sat our a 50-knot, two-day blow anchored securely in a sandy bottom despite the 2-3 knot river current.
The entrance to Puerto San Julian is moderately tricky; you definitely need a detailed chart (BA 3226), and should try to do it at low tide. If you set your GPS datum to “CMI” the BA chart is exactly accurate. The entrance is well marked with leading lines, but note as clearly shown on the chart, that the entrance sand bar has shifted since the leading marks were set and you need to stay about 100 yards south of the first leading line. This initial leading line was extremely difficult to spot – a small black hut/tower on the shore and further back a metal scaffolding tower, the top of which is supposed to be yellow and black, but has been bleached white by the weather. The much more clearly visible round red and white tower leading marks are actually for the third leading line. The best anchorage is to the west of town (49 19S, 67 42.5W), right off the leading mark tower, where you will see a number of dinghies on moorings, in about 20’ at low tide. The holding is very good and the current not too strong– we sat out a 50kts SW gale here. We asked the Prefectura how many sailboats had visited, they looked around at each other and no one could remember one ever visiting before. Dolphins, albatrosses, cormorants and penguins play around the boat all the way to the anchorage.
The next protected anchorage is 388 miles south at Puerto Hoppner on Staten Island. Hoppner’s outer bay (entrance 54 45.2S 64 25.8W) is too deep to anchor, but there is a narrow gorge (least depth about 4m) at the back of this bay into a completely protected inner lagoon (Entrance 54 46.4S, 64 24.8W). There is a rock exactly in the middle of this narrow channel that should be left to port. 5kts currents run thru the channel so it should be traversed at low or high tide (tides are about Bahia Crossley – 30 minutes). There are three good spots to tie up, but the best is at 54 46.8S 64 24.3W between the small island and shore. It’s possible to pass around the North end of the island with least depths of 3m but it is narrow with little room to maneuver. Approaching around the South end there is more room and least depths of 5m, but you need to be careful of the rocks that extend out SW from the island.
Steering in a Gale
It’s 145 miles further on to Ushuaia. You should start the passage through the straits of Le Maire at high tide in order to have the current with you. There are overfalls along both coasts so it’s safest to stay in the middle of the straits. If surprised by strong winds on the way to Ushuaia, there are two good anchorages in Argentinean waters (Espanol 54 55S 65 57.5W, Harberton 54 53S 67 20W). You should not anchor in Chilean waters until checked out of Argentina (Ushuaia) and into Chile (Puerto Williams).
Very little information is available on this coast as most boats headed to or from the Horn sail right by, going nonstop from Mar del Plata to Ushuaia/Peurto Williams. The British Admiralty pilot (South America Pilot Volumes I and II) offers the most comprehensive cruising information. Tide tables are a necessity given the 15 to 20 foot tides along the coast and the strong currents in the river anchorages. Don’t leave without some Spanish language capability – that will be the only language spoken by most of the officials even in tourist areas.
Mar del Plata (38°02.5'S 57°32' W), with its completely protected yacht basin and all the amenities of a moderately large city, is by far the best place to prepare the boat and wait for weather. The Yacht Club Argentino is very friendly and helpful. Dockage is free for a week and then about $6/day. An active sailboat fleet and a large fishing fleet ensure comprehensive repair facilities including a good North Sail repair loft.
Peninsula Valdés 460 miles south offers the next viable set of anchorages. The open roadstead anchorage at Puerto Madryn in Gulfo Nuevo (42°45.5'S 65°01.5'W) is reasonably well protected from winds out of the southwest through to the north and the holding is good. A 20-knot easterly sea breeze comes up in the late afternoon on hot days with light winds. This sends quite an uncomfortable chop into the anchorage, but will die off at night. The Prefectura also recommended the Kotick anchorage just inside the entrance to Gulfo Nuevo, on the south coast at Ninfas. This would be a handy anchorage for a quick stop sit out a blow from the south.
Cabo Dos Bahias a hundred miles further south offers a number of attractive anchorages. The best of these are Caleta Hornos and Isla Tova. Caleta Hornos, a small cove at the head of Bahia Gil, is one of the few completely bombproof, fully protected anchorages on the coast. Anchorage can be found right inside the entrance to the cove, but further in over a seven-foot bar lies a completely enclosed twelve-foot deep pool (45°02.2'S 65°41.1'W). The detailed chart (BA 552) details the rocks and tidal overfalls around the entrance to Bahia Gil. The Argentinean navy recommended the harbor on the north side of Isle Tova (45°06'S 65°58.5'W). This anchorage has good holding, can be easily entered and exited in all weather and provides complete protection from all directions except due north.
Puerto Deseado and Bahia Nodales are 185 miles further south. Puerto Deseado lies up a river with five to six knot currents; entrance should be timed for the flood. The anchorage in the river is reputed to have poor holding and be subject to strong currents. Boats that stopped tied up to a barge at the Gipsy boatyard, at the west end of the jetty (about 47°45'S 65°55'W). The best place to refuel south of Mar del Plata, fuel can be purchased by the drum. Bahia Nodales, just south of Deseado, is a large, attractive and easy to enter bay. There are anchorages at both the northwest and southwest (48°04'S 65°55.5'W) corners protected from winds out of the southwest to northeast. Being in the anchorage in a southwest gale could be dangerous, however, as there is usually a period of strong south and southeast winds for several hours at the end of these gales that would send a large swell into the bay.
Puerto San Julian, 110 miles further south, should not be attempted without a detailed chart (BA 3226). Slack water at low tide is the best time to negotiate the moderately tricky entrance. The BA chart proved accurate to within feet with the GPS chart datum set to “CMI”. The best anchorage lies just beyond the town (49°19'S 67°42.5'W) in about 20 feet at low tide. The holding is excellent and the current not too strong.
Puerto Hoppner Staten Island is 388 miles south of Puerto San Julian. The Argentinean authorities have prohibited anchoring on Staten Island in the past, but they didn’t seem to mind when we were there. Puerto Hoppner’s outer bay (entrance at 54°45.2'S 64°25.8'W) is too deep to anchor, but there is a narrow gorge (least depth about 12 feet) at the back of this bay into a completely protected inner lagoon (entrance at 54°46.4'S 64°24.8'W). The rock in the middle of this narrow channel should be left to port, the opposite of the instructions in the Pilot. Currents run at five knots through the channel so it should be traversed at low or high tide (tides are roughly Bahia Crossley minus 30 minutes). There are three good spots to tie up, but the best is at 54°46.8'S 64°24.3'W between a small island and shore. There’s lots of room to maneuver but no detailed chart. Take a dinghy in through the channel first to locate the many rocks and shoals patches.
Ushuaia lies 145 miles from Staten Island through the Straits of Le Maire and up the Beagle Channel. The straits of Le Maire should be entered at high tide to have favorable current. Dangerous overfalls and standing waves develop along both coasts so it’s best to stay in the middle of the straits. If surprised by strong winds on the way to Ushuaia, two good anchorages lie in Argentinean waters (Puerto Espaola at 54°55'S 65°57.5'W, Puerto Harberton 54°53'S 67°20'W). Anchoring in Chilean waters is prohibited until the boat has been checked out of Argentina (Ushuaia) and into Chile(Puerto Williams).
Strong weather systems cruise through this area about every four days, with 30 knots sustained and gusts over 40 not uncommon. The strongest winds come out of the southwest on the rise of the barometer; a falling barometer tends to bring more moderate (but often 25-30 knots) northwest winds. The Chilean navy puts out weather faxes on 4222.2, 8675.2 and 17144.6 mHz (frequencies to actually tune to), with surface charts at 11:15, 16:30 and 22:00 UT and a prognosis at 23:10 UT. A number of Internet weather sites also cover the area – the www.Accuweather.com ten-day text forecast and www.wetteronline.de/segal_namk.htm wind maps seemed most accurate.