Ulyanovsk sailor travels the route of Jules Verne's heroes through Magellan Strait
Legend has it that when writing his novel «The Children of Captain Grant,» Jules Verne used travel guides and works by famous explorers. And when he described the passage of the schooner «Duncan» through the Strait of Magellan, he examined the map through a magnifying glass. Ulyanovsk yachtsman Dmitry Startsev, already known to 173.RU readers, has now traveled the same route on a real sailing vessel. The seafarer«s story is in our report.
Under Antarctica«s Nose
The journey, which took place in April–May 2025, began for Dmitry with a call from a company organizing sea expeditions, with which he has long cooperated.
«We needed a chief mate for the schooner »Amazon,« which was setting off on a cruise through the Strait of Magellan. It»s a large two-masted vessel, built in 1963, a classic Dutch sailing ship. At 47 meters long, it can take 21 passengers on board. On March 29, I arrived at the starting point of the journey — the Chilean port of Punta Arenas,« the yachtsman explained.
Dmitry is not just a tourist, but an experienced sailor for whom travel is both work and a way to earn a living. For guests, a cruise on a sailing vessel costs around €10,000 (about $10,700), not including airfare and insurance.
«In the harbor was the yacht »Aurora,« which was already familiar to me and on which I»ve been to sea many times. While waiting for the schooner to arrive, I lived on it for several days,« the yachtsman continued his story.
According to the traveler, there were many tourists in the city — in hiking gear and boots, with backpacks on their shoulders. This is not surprising, as Punta Arenas has the closest airport to Antarctica. Strong westerly winds blow there about 300 days a year. The climate is quite humid, but there is no frost.
«In the city, the »Darwin« restaurant was particularly memorable. The great scientist really did visit these parts. The establishment»s gimmick: they cook meat over an open fire right in front of the visitors. I got to try empanadas — fried pastries. They are especially interesting with a crab filling,« explained Dmitry Startsev.
Mussel Barbecue
Unlike Ferdinand Magellan, who relied only on sails, the schooner «Amazon» traveled through the strait named after him under engine power. As Dmitry Startsev explained, sails are good for long passages. Even though the ship«s crew consists of only six people, there would have been no difficulty in setting the sails.
«The guests are happy to help the crew. After setting a big sail, they feel like real seafarers,» emphasized the yachtsman.
The passengers were from different countries, but all were Russian-speaking, so there were no communication problems. According to the Ulyanovsk resident, the Chilean fjords that the schooner entered are the most beautiful and least touched by humans of all he has seen in his long years of travel. Waterfalls are often seen along the shores, and glaciers descend from mountain peaks. The weather was quite cool: the air temperature did not exceed 41–45°F (5–7°C). It should be remembered that in the Southern Hemisphere, April is an autumn month.
«In one place we decided to go ashore to have a barbecue. While lighting the coals, one of the guests collected a bucket of mussels along the shore. Sausages became irrelevant — we cooked the seafood delicacy,» the traveler explained.
As they approached the Atlantic Ocean, brash ice (loose accumulations of ice) began to appear on the surface of the strait. Also, throughout the entire journey, they met only one vessel — a small yacht. In the end, having covered about 500 miles, the schooner arrived at the final point of the route — the Argentine port of Ushuaia.
Recall that in September 2025, Dmitry Startsev sailed from the icebergs of Greenland to the beaches of Cape Verde in West Africa on the Russian yacht «Aurora.» Read more about this journey here.
