Sailing our way to Puerto Montt.

Last afternoon's landing and cruise finished, canvas set as soon as the anchor comes home, and there the Europa sails north along the Interior Chiloé Sea, leaving behind the unique Nihuel island.

A night of smooth sailing continues into an overcast day.

Lookouts keep reporting fishing buoys close by; at her slow speed sailing downwind in a light breeze, she often manoeuvres slightly, changing her course to avoid them.

Only a few sail adjustments must be done during the journey to accommodate our arrival time at Puerto Montt in the afternoon. There, it will be necessary to embark a harbour pilot to drop anchor at a designated spot.

At the main deck, under Topsails and Course on the fore mast, after pulling down the Topsails on the main a bit earlier, bits of old line are spread all over. Crew engages many of us in a splicing lesson. Learning how to properly interweave the rope strands at their ends, we spend part of the morning.

It is also before lunch when Puerto Montt is in sight, still miles away.

Originally, the site was covered by thick forest and was called Melipulli (which means "four hills" in the native language). Now the city is home to about 270,000 inhabitants, and although the woods grow a bit further from their original extent, the area is still heavily forested. The city itself was founded on February 12, 1853, after government-sponsored immigration from Germany, and named after Manuel Montt, President of Chile between 1851 and 1861, who set in motion the German immigration.

That will be the place where we plan to spend the night. Some of us leave here and the pilots that have been with the ship for already a good couple of weeks are leaving too.

And a swift manoeuvre it was at our arrival, dropping anchor under sail without the aid of engines. Sails come down one by one at the captain's call, spanker is set to finish turning the ship and the call for letting go anchor comes.

Europa will leave the town tomorrow, timing her departure with the tidal currents in the Chacao Channel, which separates Chiloé from the mainland to the north, and joins Golfo de los Coronados with Golfo de Ancud. She has another appointment in just a few days: her arrival in Valparaiso.