Arbol Notable

15th and 16th September, 2015

Caleta Connor, despite offering just enough space for one boat, is one of the most renowned anchorage in Patagonia. Its fame is due to a sort of monument, "the Arbol Notable".

One day someone decided to hang to a tree in Caleta Connoron, a board with the name of his boat. So, through word of mouth to hang once’s “board” has become a tradition for those sailing south till Caleta Connor.

When this tradition began is not known (Joshua Slocum mentioned about it in is book “Sailing alone around the world” when at the end of the nineteen century he solo sailed these waters) however it is so well established that even the official marine charts list the name of the "Arbol Notable". And not only here in Caleta Connor. There are other 2 Arbol Notable in Patagonia!

We have prepared our boat board, made from a beautiful piece of seasoned pine, harvested in Laguna San Rafael. We have engraved the name of the boat, the crew and the date. So once landed to honor the tradition we had to struggle to find the famous tree, now totally covered by dense vegetation.

I must admit that the place exudes a certain spirituality. Reading the names of the boats on the tables, imagining the emotions of men and women while hunging their boards. Sailors, maybe like me, got so far after having dreamed it for a lifetime.

We found only a dozen boards, the oldest dating back to 1988, some almost illegible, others now on the ground.

The tree is obviously exposed to the weather and regardless how much the crews strive to think long-lasting materials and solutions, time and weather will always win. But what really matters is to have been here, leavinng Caleta Connor with all these emotions engraved in our hearts.