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02/12/06 – 19/01/07
During the break of six weeks while some crew returned home to see family for Christmas, those left on board Celtic Spirit had a unique experience in getting to know their surroundings in Ushuaia. This is the worlds southern most city, population 50 000 people, set below jagged, ice capped mountains and nestling half way up the Beagle Canal.

While some of the crew enjoyed getting to know the locals and nightlife of this town at the end of the world; learning tango, its art form and music, others spent time tuning into nature, taking walks along the beaches of the Beagle Canal, visiting Tierra del Fuego National Park and going walking in the mountains, that which makes Ushuaia unique.

There were plenty of jobs to be done on board and work continued in order to prepare the boat for its next and most important leg. The pontoon at AFAYCN is a small but busy one, boats arriving and leaving daily, many on route to or from Antarctica. Many of the sailors and boats arriving here are people who have sailed many thousands of miles or around the world. There are boats that operate private charter trips to the Antarctic and some are here to explore the Beagle Canal. Amongst those that tied up alongside are Pelagic run by Skip Novak and Wanderer III that used to belong to Eric Hiscock. Meeting the people from the many boats well known or otherwise was humbling. These are people from all over the world from different walks of life and some with vast sailing experience. Willingness to help out and impart knowledge came naturally from those around us and for this we are truly grateful. There are many characters that deserve a mention: Mariolina Rolfo and Giorgio Ardrizzi authors of the Patagonian nautical pilot book (considered to be the definitive authority on the Beagle Canal), Eef Willems of ‘Tooluka’, Jochen and Wolf Kloss of Santa Maria Austraulis, Andy and Alex of ‘Zephyrus’ and especially Donna Lange who has sailed solo around the world on a 28’ boat and who kept us entertained with her jam sessions. Donna was a breath of fresh air, her music and attitude to life will always be remembered. We wish her well and a safe passage home.

Celtic Spirit left for Antarctica on 19th January 2007 to spend a month there exploring part of this remote frozen continent.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to Ushuaia, Argentina
Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Cape Verde to Salvador, Brazil
Canaries to Cape Verde
Portugal to Canaries