[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-57mMLEiCMks/VRhHb4tO_iI/AAAAAAAAnTw/KpfOAqXbLcs/s144-c-o/IMG_1782.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6131729437069082146″ caption=”‘Lagoon Zombies’ are also native here, living well on cow pads” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1782.JPG” ]

trip days left: 42
straight distance left: 853,47 km
Loc: Lagoa dos Patos
Acc: tent

The wind breezed up around 1 am from basically nothing to tent-shaking and I was really looking forward to sleep in. My body needed a full rest day. Paddling half days in between replaces not a full rest day time to recover my physique.

The morning made the yesterday dead calm water now rather looking like the open sea with white caps and a wide but very low surf belt. And the yesterday evening dead calm landscape was replaced by the ever running noise of small waves. The”tide” had come in, the lines of dry sandbanks were now all covered with water from the strong sw wind pushing it up to my shore. I realized around 10 am my just about higher camp site sand dune may be in danger to sink, or at least being surrounded by water too soon, and rather moved my tent to a little higher line of dunes about 100 m further inland. A wise decision, as the grass in between was also soon being mostly flooded. The cow heard has moved high up inland and obviously did not like the wind and waves either.

[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-V9HWNIQRhGE/VRhHreqC3FI/AAAAAAAAnTw/2nhrtpXlqyQ/s144-c-o/IMG_1783.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection3Stage24Brazil7UruguayArgentinaFlorianapolisToBuenosAires#6131729704954289234″ caption=”Nandu traces? Or just herons?” type=”image” alt=”IMG_1783.JPG” ]

It was mostly dark sky all day, but with no rain. I stayed inside my tent, sleeping, reading, writing and sewing many worn out things. In the distance I spotted a lonely cowboy riding in between his cow herd, but he did either not see me or had no interest to check on me. Both good. I have no “normal” possibility to receive the weather via sat phone message, but may down load my sat e-mail tonight. If the fore cast stays like it was when I left Leo, it will be still sw head wind but much less tomorrow. See if I paddle and how far I am getting! The good thing is I may be able to land mostly anywhere here!