After quelling the mutiny at Port San Julián, Magellan’s fleet settled in for winter repairs. The ships, fouled by seven months at sea, were overhauled: hulls careened, planks replaced, sails stitched, and rigging renewed. Mutineers bore the heaviest labour, though skilled carpenters and caulkers remained indispensable. Provisions, however, were far scarcer than expected, forcing reliance on limited game such as rodents and guanacos, which the crew did not know how to hunt effectively. Bitter cold claimed several lives. During the long stay, the crew encountered the Tehuelche, later mythologised in Europe as “Patagonian giants”. The initial amicable relations collapsed when Magellan’s men tricked two natives into captivity with fetters, sparking a skirmish that left one sailor dead. In August 1520, with repairs complete, the fleet sailed to Santa Cruz, taking the Tehuelche prisoners while abandoning the disgraced leaders Cartagena and Calmette to a grim fate ashore.