Discovering the Strait of Magellan
Descubriendo el Estrecho de Magallanes
Welcome to Chile!” are the first words we typically say to the captains of the vessels we board as they enter Chilean waters from the Atlantic through the eastern mouth of the Strait of Magellan. I am a maritime pilot, a mariner designated by Chile's Maritime Authority to provide navigational assistance to ships that are about to plot their course through this intricate labyrinth of islands at the end of the world. The journey starts at the Straits and then continues north through the Patagonian channels.
In 1520, 500 years ago, the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan entered this same strait, which now bears his name. He opened a route that today is a required passage in the Southern Hemisphere for any boat that wishes to pass safely from
one ocean to another and avoid the alwaysdangerous Cape Horn. Magellan came here in search of a route to the West Indies, a task left unfinished by Christopher Columbus when he encountered the American continent.
Between 1506 and 1509, the publications of explorer Amerigo Vespucci made it clear to the whole world that what Columbus had discovered was a new and unknown continent, not a route to the Indies. This encouraged more explorers to search for a passage between the two oceans. The expedition organized and carried out by Magellan was the first to be successful. But they didn't just discover the Strait. Other very important historical milestones came as a result of this adventurous voyage, including the discovery of a new country (later named “Chile”) and the areas known today as Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and the Pacific Ocean itself, which was called the South Sea at the time. The name Patagonia, according to some versions, originated from the first meeting between the Tehuelches (or Aonikenk) indigenous peoples of eastern Patagonia and Magellan's explorers. With their huge footprints, the indigenous people appeared as giants to the explorers. The expedition, which was largely made up of Portuguese, called the indigenous people “patagaos,” which means “big foot” in that language. In Spanish this translates as “patagones” and eventually the region became known as “Patagonia,” or land of the big foots.
After negotiating the strong currents of the narrows, the route takes us through a wide section of the Strait to the city of Punta Arenas, capital of the Magallanes region. Founded in 1848, the city grew explosively toward the end of the 19th century as it became a major trade route, largely thanks to the advent of steam power. Many ships took this route carrying products from Europe to the west coast of the Americas. But this wasn't the first attempt at establishing a human settlement in the Strait. At the end of the 16th century, a little to the south of Punta Arenas in a place now called Puerto del Hambre (Port Famine), one of the most tragic episodes in the Strait's history took place. Some 300 colonists, including women and children, were left there to populate and protect the bi-oceanic corridor from Spain's enemies. Due mainly to inclement weather, illness, and a lack of food, they all died within three years of arrival. Another 300 years would pass until the Chilean government decided to populate the area, founding the cities of Punta Arenas and, later, Porvenir in Tierra del Fuego.
The view of the Patagonian coastline we see today isn't very different from what Magellan would have seen when he first sailed through these waters. Apart from the cities and industrial activities, man's footprint on this land is almost unnoticeable in the immensity of the Magellan pampas. This becomes even more apparent as we head farther west, where the landscape of the Patagonian plains slowly changes into an intricate array of islands and increasingly high mountains, all of which are constantly whipped by the west winds that predominate throughout the year. In this lonely place, our only company are the lighthouses and Chilean naval personnel that are permanently stationed here to control maritime traffic and come to the rescue if needed. Some of these lighthouses were installed near the end of the 19th century to guide the increasing number of ships that were passing through. Today, most of them are national monuments but still continue to serve their important purpose.
Almost 24 hours after entering the eastern mouth of the Strait, we find ourselves a few miles from passing into the Pacific Ocean, which usually means encountering adverse weather conditions. However, thanks to the route plotted by Magellan and subsequent explorations, ships can now navigate north through the sheltered Patagonian channels, avoiding the hazardous southern Pacific seas while protecting their crews, cargo, and vessels from harsh weather.
This is a welcome option for any crew that has ever experienced fierce seas. And that is where we come in. It is the job of maritime pilots, veterans of the Chilean Navy that have more than 30 years of experience at sea, to come aboard and put our knowledge into practice and safely guide ships of all sizes through the maritime routes of the Patagonian channels.
Five hundred years after its discovery, the extraordinary beauty and unblemished nature of the Strait of Magellan continues to mesmerize all who sail through its waters. Those of us who have the privilege to regularly travel here and chart the same course that Magellan and his crew once did remain in awe of what they achieved given the rudimentary navigational resources they had at their disposal. Every trip is different from the last, and nature never fails to surprise. Sometimes it is the sheer power of the southern winds that buffet even the largest of ships, while other times it is the sun illuminating every corner of this landscape, creating the most incredible and beautiful postcard views that only nature can provide.
“The view of the Patagonian coastline we see today isn’t very different from what Magellan would have seen when he first sailed through these waters.”