Pos: here
Loc: north end Peninsula Mejillones
Acc: tent
Dist: 53,5 km
Start: 7:25 End: 17:30

Tomorrow:
Estimated landing: Caleta Michilla
Estimated starting time: Right after sunrise
Estimated landing time: Well before sunset

We loved our island camp! We got up early, packing in almost darkness still, as we saw already the first boat coming, mooring on one of the two buoys, and with a dinghi  the size of a nutshell two men came over to our beach. They seemed to be in a hurry to get to their “workplace”, probably collecting the sea weed of last night’s tide.

Five minutes later, the second boat came, the same nutshell to land, another two men in the same hurry…why? No idea…

We were conveniently launching off the sheltered beach, and were soon again on our way. After the last weeks being “plug in free”, Peter decided this morning to use his mp3 player again, which locks me out of communication. Can’t say I like it, paddling next to a deaf person…and I decided to paddle as close to the rocks as Peter never dares to do any way…

Ok, around lunch, he was online again, and we enjoyed a nice windy push from the right side! The sea was not really big, but it was already advanced paddling.

When we cam closer to Punta Angomos leading into Puerto Mejillones, it was blowing close to 20 knots! We had to give the rocky headland a wide berth, and enjoyed speedy paddling around the big rock full of seal. Once we were in the shelter of the bay, we wanted to land on the first suitable beach. No reason to paddle to Mejillones fully, as we will cross the bay tomorrow.

The first beach right at the headland was narrow under the steep cliffs, but had already a hut with sea weed collectors who were obviously at home. No more space for two other people there…and the landing was yet not sheltered enough.

The next beach just around the first corner was looking already ok, also narrow and steep under some cliffs, but we trusted there would be no land slide happening tonight! We landed at the sandy bottom of a beach with some rocks in the middle, me on the back of a small wave nicely, Peter before a small beach somehow a little inelegant that I had to catch his bow 🙂

The sand top was nowhere even, and we had to dig our space horizontal for the tent site. A small wooden log was my tool to shovel the sand to the side! Unfortunately, we were landing that late that just as we were changing nicely in sunshine, the sun sunk behind the cliffs…and we just wanted to go for a dip… 🙁