Tierra del Fuego, "Land of the Fire" was first named "Land of the Smoke" by Captain Magellan, referring to the smoke from the campfires from the local Yamana and Ona Indians along the shores of the archipelago, but the Spanish explorer and its crew later agreed upon that "Land of the Smoke" sounds somehow better.

This region has many globally known places and geographical features including Torres del Paine, Cordillera Darwin, Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel, and the Strait of Magellan.

Tierra del Fuego is not just one island, but an archipelago, though the Isla Grande Tierra del Fuego is South America's largest island. Tierra del Fuego is about half Argentinian (the Eastern side) and half Chilean (the Western part).

The entire archipelago of 73,753 km2 (28,476 sq mi) off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The southern point of the archipelago forms Cape Horn.

Isla Grande Tierra Del Fuego is appr. half Argentinian, and half Chilean. The 2 major towns in Tierra Del Fuego are Puerto Willams (Chile) and Ushuaia (Argentina), the start (and hopefully finish) of the Tierra Del Fuego 2010 Sea Kayak Expedition.

Both towns, Puerto Williams and Ushaia claim to be the most Southernmost town of the world with an appr. distance of 750 Miles North to Antarctica.


Ushuaia

Ushuaia, the most Southern town in the world will be the start, and hopefully finish, of our 1,100 mile voyage.

Ushuaia was until recently a penal settlement for Argentina's most infamous and political undesirables. In 1950, authorities decided was too much of a hardship station even for prisoners, and the 600 prisoners were transferred North to a prison in a more temperate climate. 

We expect it to be very windy, with winds mostly between 20 and 30 Miles/hr. Karel Vissel of kayakweather.com will send us daily weather reports by instant message to our satellite phone to give us some idea what we can expect.

The climate in this region is very inhospitable. It is a subpolar oceanic climate with short, cool summers and long, wet, moderate winters: the precipitation averages 3,000 mm (118 in) a year. Temperatures are steady throughout the year: in Ushuaia they hardly surpass 9 °C (50 °F) in summers and average 0 °C (30 °F) in winters. Snowfall can occur in summer. The cold and wet summers help preserve the ancient glaciers.

The southernmost islands possess subantarctic climate typical of tundra that makes the growth of trees impossible. Some areas in the interior have a polar climate. Regions in the world with similar climates to southern Tierra del Fuego are Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula.

Williwaws

The British HO pilot gives the following explanation:
"Unlike the majority of gusty winds of more tropical and temperate areas, williwavs depend greatly, if not entirely, on the existence of strong winds blowing from the sea on lands of high elevation.

When these streams reach the coast of the Chilean archipelago, they generate whirlwinds of different strength and kind. During the most violent williwaws observed West of Cabo Forward (Tierra Del Fuego) and along the continental coast, in one of the stormiest and heaviest sea, gusts may exceed the speed of 100 knots (115 Miles/hr)."

Williwaw

Flag of Patagonia                       Flag of Tierra Del Fuego