Dear Aussie GEM sailors,

After sailing my Microtonner in lakes, racing around buoys, I decided to convert it into a coastal cruiser.
VHF radio, Man Overboard, Bengali lights, Flares, Fire extinguishers, Tide tables, Piloting books, Charts, Inflatable boat, Fog horn, Depth sounder,and all the etc. imaginable were cramped to pass the very strict Naval regulations. So now I have the smallest coastal sailboat in Chile. The concept of coastal sailing means that you must have have the coast visible, here in Chile about 50 miles offshore.

So now my MT-19- “Doctor Jazz”- (Named after King Oliver’s famous classical jazz tune, made famous by Jelly Roll Morton) is the smallest naval aproved coastal cruiser in Chile.

And my sailing grounds are located in Chiloe, the beautifull island zone located in southern Chile, south of Latitude 42º S, about 1100 Km from my hometown Santiago, where my boat spends winter and is trailed behind my 2000 cc Daewoo car.

My locally made MT-19 has four bunks, but not more than three can really sleep on board, a forward and aft peak polyutherane filled gives positive flotation, making the boat unsinkable, but sacrificing habitable space; nevertheless, I have managed to have a removable dinnette-chart table, which stores above the starboard quarter berth (or is it bunk?).

The beauty of all is that in these cruising raids I have participated, I leave behind all the Macgregors, Hunters & other 21 to 26 footers. My GPS has recorded ground speeds up to burst of 9.5 knots, semiplanning above waves., hull speed being 6.5 knts, easily reached with sail and my 5 HP aircooled Yamaha o/b. Speed to Lenght ratio of 1.5. With tide variations of up to 6 plus metres, tidal currents have to be considered when planning a cruise, or you run the risk of sailing at zero or negative ground speed, even if your knotmeter shows a healthy 6 knts!

I enclose some pictures of my boat, but if you really want to see the beauties of sailing in Chile, take a look in my three albums dedicated to sailing. These are good resolution Photos and can be unloaded. The two last albums are of this season. Click or Copy-Paste in your Navigator.

http://community.webshots.com/user/osbroughat

Well, I would like to exchange experiences with GEM owners, and let all you know that we welcome all sailors. There are good Marinas, charter possibilities, etc.

Best regards,
Alfredo Puga, alfpuga@vtr.net
Doctor Jazz
(el velero que no queda atrás)