Don't cry for me, Argentina
30/07/08 13:17 Filed in: July
Laguna Chascomus, Argentina; a memorable
sailing experience
Away from the hustle and bustle of yacht racing in Brasilia I had another yachting experience, this time, Argentinean style. Imagine out in a light breeze, quite light so no chance of a capsize, a big open “Lightening” dinghy, a couple of very attractive, intelligent, young local ladies and sharing a “Mate” with them as we picked a path of breeze across the lake and back. The venue was Laguna Chascomus an inland water way covering a thousand or so hectares, but just a few meters deep, (not so different from Lake Ngaroto apart from the size) surrounded on one side by the town and scattered affluent housing and areas for camping around the other shores.
The club house was steeped in tradition dating back to 1905, it had seen better days in the rich Argentinean past, still painted in “pink” the same colour as the “Casa Rosada” the parliamentary house in Buenos Aires (incidentally recently the site of very large protests against the government for their unbelievable taxes (near 50% of gross value) on agricultural exports). The wharf would have been better if the decking was intact, but the restaurant inside with polished tables and chairs and sparkling glassware looked immaculate through the large glassed entrance way.
A couple of guys to help with launching and retrieving the yacht into the waters that were also enjoyed by fishermen and holiday makers from Buenos Aires a hundred kms to the north.
I was in the very good company of three friends from Buenos Aires who made sure my first sailing experience in Argentina would be truly one with character. We started with “Mate” a local tea like drink taken every where by many people, in the car on the trip to the laguna (what could be more Argentine), we took the “Mate and Bombilla” and flask of hot water out on to the lake too along with a little to eat. The light breeze may have been a little cool but a little more “Mate” and the company of my friends (Carolina, Barbara and Federico) warmed the memories of the sail. The yacht was a “Lightening” I understand developed in Britain several decades ago. It carries a main and foresail along with a spinnaker and is about 18ft long. This particular boat was constructed of fibreglass back in 1985 (its forerunners were made of wood) and had experienced many a days sailing in the past. A careful restoration by Federico had made her ready for the water again.
No day would have been complete without an “assado” for lunch. This traditional method of cooking meat over wood ashes, the meat in our case lamb ribs and beef seasoned with rock salt before being cooked to perfection and accompanied with hot chips, a salad and a light local beer from a restaurant over looking our sailing waters.
Ross Wrenn
26th July 2008
Away from the hustle and bustle of yacht racing in Brasilia I had another yachting experience, this time, Argentinean style. Imagine out in a light breeze, quite light so no chance of a capsize, a big open “Lightening” dinghy, a couple of very attractive, intelligent, young local ladies and sharing a “Mate” with them as we picked a path of breeze across the lake and back. The venue was Laguna Chascomus an inland water way covering a thousand or so hectares, but just a few meters deep, (not so different from Lake Ngaroto apart from the size) surrounded on one side by the town and scattered affluent housing and areas for camping around the other shores.
The club house was steeped in tradition dating back to 1905, it had seen better days in the rich Argentinean past, still painted in “pink” the same colour as the “Casa Rosada” the parliamentary house in Buenos Aires (incidentally recently the site of very large protests against the government for their unbelievable taxes (near 50% of gross value) on agricultural exports). The wharf would have been better if the decking was intact, but the restaurant inside with polished tables and chairs and sparkling glassware looked immaculate through the large glassed entrance way.
A couple of guys to help with launching and retrieving the yacht into the waters that were also enjoyed by fishermen and holiday makers from Buenos Aires a hundred kms to the north.
I was in the very good company of three friends from Buenos Aires who made sure my first sailing experience in Argentina would be truly one with character. We started with “Mate” a local tea like drink taken every where by many people, in the car on the trip to the laguna (what could be more Argentine), we took the “Mate and Bombilla” and flask of hot water out on to the lake too along with a little to eat. The light breeze may have been a little cool but a little more “Mate” and the company of my friends (Carolina, Barbara and Federico) warmed the memories of the sail. The yacht was a “Lightening” I understand developed in Britain several decades ago. It carries a main and foresail along with a spinnaker and is about 18ft long. This particular boat was constructed of fibreglass back in 1985 (its forerunners were made of wood) and had experienced many a days sailing in the past. A careful restoration by Federico had made her ready for the water again.
No day would have been complete without an “assado” for lunch. This traditional method of cooking meat over wood ashes, the meat in our case lamb ribs and beef seasoned with rock salt before being cooked to perfection and accompanied with hot chips, a salad and a light local beer from a restaurant over looking our sailing waters.
Ross Wrenn
26th July 2008