Fri 10/02-2012 Day 165

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A marginal camp beach - will do for that night

Pos: here
Loc: between Bahia Hannant and Bahia Bell
Acc: tent
Dist: 48,2 km
Start: 6:35 End: 17:35

Why is Fjordland not always like this? Calm to moderate headwinds (well, the other direction would be nicer…), sunny sky, reasonable temperatures, nice view…still I assumed the second half of the day won’t be that windy (15 knots, with gusts to 20 knots), and quite choppy on the windy side of Magellan Strait….so “only” 48,2 km for today. Still not too bad…

I had to find a campsite as well before crossing the next fjord arm in those conditions, and, honestly, I enjoyed a bit of sunshine at my camp site tonight! I dried every thing out, had a small shower, and sucked myself full of sun…tomorrow afternoon it will be raining again.

I’m paddling eastwards around Isla Emiliano Figueroa, and to this very narrow gap it’s already 46 km. It is way more sheltered there, so I hope I’ll make it until the afternoon wind breezes up tomorrow way over 20 knots. And then for Sunday and Monday I’ll have to find a good campsite again…it will be blowing again all day over 25 knots. Unfortunately, I won’t reach the Navy station for spending nicely those probably two more weather days…can’t be helped…but would have been nice! If the long term forecast is correct, Tuesday will be better again.

Boats today were two fishing boats, two freighters and one “floating hotel”…nothing special, but quite some traffic! But not as many yachts as I was thinking, the trip between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas seem to be more popular.

Peter brought me some news of “the competition” today :-)) – Justine and Barry, who were aiming to become the first people to circumnavigate Tierra del Fuego, turned around their second leg of the trip and are now paddling south from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia where the had spent a few days. Hey, guys, you are kicking yourself out of the league!!! This is as if your are doing two times downhills instead of the uphill climb…well, it’s your trip. But nothing for the records…I can fully understand this decision though, only crazy people are paddling north 🙂 ! Their main goal is to take great footage for the next TITS movie and to have a good time. Not everyone is as stubborn and ambitious as I am… They had the “live” report of the four Argentine guys who just paddled that leg in this direction, and my own really not too motivating blog entries from me paddling the other way…Amazingly, I exactly had this vision today before I got the news, as they stayed so long in Ushuaia! I wish you good luck…and think of me who is crawling hard the other way! 🙂

3 comments on “Fri 10/02-2012 Day 165

Jörg Hofferbert

By my card material you are on the isla tamar. Which way you go now ? Over the canal smith, between the isla manuel rodriguez and peninsula munoz gamero ? Or further along the magellan straigt on western direction to the pacific ?

Good winds and good weather (nomore rain)

Jörg

Ken

Don’t count on there being less wind deeper in the Fjords.

Where I live, the outflow winds from fjords can be deadly.

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