The Navimag

We have just got off a four day ferry trip on The Navimag from Peurto Natales to Peurto Montt. It was meant to be a trip with outstanding views of glaciers and the mountain ranges of Chile..We found out as we were getting off the ship that we had just experienced the worst weather in the area for 5 years. The ferry can hold several hundred people and I am sure is a joy to be on in the summer months. It recommends that you bring your own alcohol on board so as usual I over stocked.
I decided to keep a Karl Pilkington style diary while on board to try and keep myself from going mad or getting sick.



Night 1
Started on my whiskey while waiting to board the ferry. I asked the girl at the counter how many people were booked on for the trip. She said 12. I told Ing that I hope at least 1 other, apart from the 2 of us, spoke English. I think the world is small enough now for a universal language. I´d pick English because I can´t be asked learning a new one. It got me to thinking if dogs spoke in different languages...
We found a guy called Evan from Killdare in Ireland.. 3 English speakers..

Got on the boat at 9pm but were not due to set sail untill 6am the next morning. Watched Motorcycle Diaries and drank a half bottle of whiskey. Ing went to bed.
The room we have has 2 sets of bunk beds but we are the only ones in it. I´m not surprised with only 12 people around. Ing took the bottom and I went on top after rearranging it with 2 sets of pillows and blankets.


Day 1
Ing´s alarm went off at 7.45 for breakfast. She asked if I wanted to stay in bed. I told her to come back if it was bacon and eggs, but if it was bread and coffee again, not to bother. She asked how I fell out of the bunk bed last night. I can´t remember.

Ing came back 15 minutes later and told me it was watery eggs and a slice of ham so I got up. The only other times I left my cabin for the day was for lunch and dinner. I did try to go to the common area at one stage but was asked to leave as the staff were watching a video on health and safety. Spent the day reading Dan Browns Digital Fortress in bed. I don´t think I have ever read a 500 page book in one day before.

There are hundreds of cattle in trucks on the cargo deck area. They get sent up north to get fattened during the winter as there is too much snow down south. In summer they ship them back to be slaughtered. If only they knew.



Day 2
Got up for breakfast again at 8am. I noticed one of the workers has his arm in a cast this morning. He mustn´t have been paying attention during the video yesterday.
At noon it was anounced that anyone who suffers from motion sickness should take a tablet. Ing asked if we needed them. I told her that I had travelled enough on the Sealink boat from Dun Laoire to Holyhead and had never been sick. She said she was on a boat once too and was ok. How bad could it get?

Maria, the tour guide told everyone a few simple rules during the rough seas, like no running, always hold the hand rails and if you do feel sick, it helps to lie in the fetus position.
Went back to the cabin to start Anne Tylers, The Accidental Tourist, which Evan had given me.
From 5pm untill 2am I was in the fetus position. Ing asked if cows suffered from sea sickness too. I said I didn´t know.



Day 3
Didn´t get up for breakfast today. Ing did but said not a lot of people were there. Works out nearly everybody except from us two threw up at some stage.
Stayed in the common area most of the day. The seas started getting rough again but it didn´t seem as bad as last night. I went up to the bridge to have a nose around.

The captain spoke to me for about 5 minutes about the different instruments and stuff. I hadn´t got the heart to explain that I didn´t speak Spanish so I just said Si every now and then.
We were due to hit some ¨straight¨ at about 8pm which is one of the worst parts of water in the area. It takes about 7 hours to cross, and there was me thinking it was bad enough the way it was. The waves were already at about 6 meters high. At about 6pm it was decided that it was too rough to go into the straight so we would sit it out for an hour or two.
During dinner I helped the bloke with the broken arm to get his tray of food to his table. Everyone else was just looking at him, wondering how he was going to manage it.

Last night was like lying in a hammock compared to what was ahead. Sealink would never sail in this shit. The waves were 12 meters high and hitting every 5 seconds. The worst bit was they were coming in from all angles so you didn´t know what way to hold on. Ing said she was a bit scared but I told her it was normal and that the crew knew what they were doing.
The calves were shitting it. You could smell it in the cabin.



Day 4
We get off the boat today. Can´t belive we paid money to be put through this. The view was nice the 4 or 5 times that I looked out at it. We were supposed to get in at 7am but what with the bad seas it looks like we will be on board well after noon. It is only 8.30 now and I´m packed and ready to go.