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  Marcelo Sola |
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“ Would you like to go sailing on Sunday?” asked me the people of Sailing Patagonia, who do a very exclusive fishing and contemplative sailing outing in Lake Nahuel Huapi.
It was a tempting invitation, and I accepted immediately. Luckily Sunday was a splendid day, bright and not a bit of wind, what worried me at the beginning.  The appointment was at 9:30 hs., so I took some time to have an exquisite white coffee with toast spread with calafate jam for breakfast, prepared by María, the house keeper of El Ñire Inn in the heart of Bariloche. I took the urban bus Nº 20 to Llao Llao along Bustillo Avenue. I got off at the hotel, crossed the road and went to Puerto Pañuelos, where they were waiting for me. |
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These very nice people who offer the service are Juan Andrés, the Captain; and Mariano, his brother, who is sailor and chef of the ship called Bonita. They introduced themselves and welcomed me. Next to them was Dr. Roberto Sampaolesi, ex regular professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Buenos Aires, his wife Susana and his son Mario, who were willing to share the beautiful journey with us.
I asked for permission to go on board, and was soon on the Bonita.  The main sail and an auxiliary one were set and we went to Isla Victoria. An undescribable pleasure: you must live it. Lake Nahuel Huapi was calm, and suddenly nature gave us a soft wind that inflated the sails enough to start the powerful 40 feet engine. During the journey the Captain told me the itinerary, for what I deduced that we would be sailing all day. I relaxed and started to enjoy the trip and the landscape around us. First we would visit Isla Victoria and do a mini-hike or go fishing from the coast, to go on sailing the cold waters of this lake. |
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The transparent waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi, of glacial origin, are a permanent surprise. As we got far from the coast, I could appreciate the green vegetation on the coast and the snow covered mountains standing out in the horizon, in a landscaspe transformed throughout millions of years.
 Dr. Sampaolesi and his son Mario took their fishing rods and a box full of baits and flies, set up the lines, and taking advantage of the vessel´s speed, did some trolling before arriving at the island. "Do you catch any fish?" asked Mario, and I told him that I had to improve my fly fishing technique. "There it is!" shouted Roberto while his face was filled with joy. It was the first salmon of a promising journey. |
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The trout was deceived by an orange bait that Mario had tied to his father´s line, so the credits were shared by father and son.
The Captain told us to get ready to land because we were near Isla Victoria. I was captured by the incredible natural beauty of the island, which was inhabited thousands of years ago by aborigines who left their traces painted in the caves.  I took a trail near the coast and was soon surrounded by eucaliptus, pine trees, oaks, cypresses and coihues hoping that I could see a pudu pudu, a deer or a pheasant. We went for a walk with Susana while the captain and the chef prepared a table of smoked cuts for lunch and the rest of the crew went on fishing from the coast. |
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We walked in Playa del Toro and Port Gross and saw the road to Port Radal and Port Piedras Blancas, but were soon called for lunch.
Isla Victoria has a maximum length of 20 km. and a maximum width of 4 km. It is divided in three sectors, but only the central part is prepared for tourism while the north and south sectors are intangible areas. After an exquisite lunch with some mild sweet wine from Luigi Bosca´s wine vault, we went on sailing on the Bonita.  From Isla Victoria we sailed to Port Quetrihué on the south of Quetrihué peninsula, where there is a dense arrayanes forest in Quetrihué National Park. We went fishing in a raft near the coast with Juan Andrés and Mario. |
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We started fly fishing from the raft, from where we could see the trout swimming in the transparent water. I just observed and tried to memorize every movement for the next occasion.
Mario was delighted to see a beautiful trout catch the bait, and we were all caught up by his enthusiasm, then returned to the vessel and near sunset started sailing back to Puerto Pañuelo. We celebrated the beautiful journey with a bottle of campagne and toasted for our excursion to be repeated.  |
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See also: Hotels in San Carlos de Bariloche and other accommodation venues |
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