Puerto Madero is a very attractive destination to undertake a weekend nautical journey. In our case, the time and meeting point was at 10:30 at the intersection of the Luján river with the Linking Channel. All participating boats were communicated Through the vhf channel 80 to receive the necessary information. The idea was, in addition to enjoying the journey, to navigate in a group and, in this way, learn defeat with all your altercations as, for example, the Navigation of the Coastal Canal, highly questioned due to its shallowness. It is a perfect exit for all those who wish to have their first contact with the Río de La Plata, what many call open river. Of course, the first thing we must do is consult the weather service beforehand to have safe and pleasant navigation. It is never advisable to cross it with a wind that exceeds 20 km/h, because the discomfort for those of us who move by motor is mainly the waves produced by the wind. And in this sense, it is not recommended to make the crossing with waves that exceed the height of the freeboard of the boat. Remember that the technical term freeboard refers to the vertical distance measured amidships, between the waterline and the decktherefore it is a variable measurement that depends on the weight that the boat carries.
simple course
As in all navigation, the responsible captain in charge of the ship must check the condition and operation, as well as take on board all the security elements in force and in good condition in case they do not have an expiration date. He should anticipate that there is no refueling in Puerto Madero, although it is not necessary to recharge either because it is a short navigation: three hours lasts the entire route, taking into account that the entire Coastal Canal was made one way at travel speed to enjoy the view of the city. The particularity of coasting Buenos Aires from the river is that most can easily follow the course on a navigation chart, since almost all can locate with some precision characteristic buildings and other distinctive details that allow orientation in a simple way. For example, at the mouth of the Luján river in the De La Plata, at the height of the town of San Isidro, you can see the local cathedral, a notable point that serves as a reference for sports boaters when coming from open waters. There are many others, but this one in particular is the highlight of defeat.
already underway, when leaving the river Luján a red beacon is observed on the port side. We know that we are sailing towards the mouth and that, therefore, the green side markers must be left to starboard and the red ones to port (SIR: leaving red left). As for the Coastal Canal, it is a section that is located between San Isidro and Olivos, approximately, and that must be carefully respected due to the low depth in its surroundings and in its main cause in some sections. past olive treesYeah the depth begins to increase, navigation becomes safer and the entrance to Puerto Madero through the Pistarini Anteport begins to be seen in the distance. Recently, a new stone breakwater for protection has been built, which can be reached by GPS. In our case we have entered by Km 3 of the North Channel (main entrance), previous communication by VHF channel 72 with Control Puerto Madero.
The opening of the entrance bridge was at 12 (depending on the height of the tide, it can be entered, prior notice, without the need for it to be raised). We remember that the boats with internal motor cannot enter Puerto Madero by disposition of the authorities of the Yacht Club. Therefore, they were attached to the multipurpose ship Ciudad de Rosario, as a courtesy of the Argentine Navy, prior coordination with the General Naval Secretariat. The personnel of this ship collaborated at all times with the moorings, making the task easy for sports sailors.
As a courtesy, the Yacht Club Puerto Madero assigned us courtesy moorings for all the boats on this journey and, after carrying out the mooring maneuvers, each captain registered the entry with the authorities. Then we set the meeting time for the return, and the crew and companions chose where you have lunchA. When the agreed time arrived, we left through the Anteport passing through all the docks, through the center of the new stone breakwater and returned to the main route. It is important to take into account the sailboats that navigate the area, since at sunset we will have the sun in front of us, since we will be in the direction of the west cardinal point, which can dazzle and make vision difficult. And we record that the sailboat that sails always has priority of passage.
Undoubtedly, Puerto Madero is a very nice experience for all those who wish to experience the real sensation of sailing on the Río de La Plata. It is a safe navigation, always in close view of the coast, and can make all kinds of boats.
