Pos: here
Loc: Caleta Villena
Acc: tent
Dist: 0 km

Why the heck did I dare to camp in a non-wind protected place? Well, maybe because campsites are rare here…what makes a good camp site? It needs to be dry from water from underneath and from water from the rising tide. It needs to be reasonable flat to have a good rest. And it should be wind sheltered – or you need to have a good tent, good anchoring creativity and good nerves.

I probably have to have the latter, but still I had to get out of the tent at midnight to make it “Isla Deceit” proof – means I had to attach my additional kevlar lines on each corner of the tent, spread out in different angles. This makes it way more stable than on line only each corner. I didn’t really expect it would be necessary…plus I added more heavy rocks out of the close by river to anchor the lines. Nice sport at midnight! I should leave the additional lines at each corner to remind me what may be necessary in weather rest days like today and tomorrow. And thank goodness for the snow flaps…the tent is buried to the max in gravel.

I have never seen the Strait or the Fjordland channels in general whipped up like that. Real surf is crashing noisly on this unprotected beach.No way of even thinking to be out there, not even going into the other direction. Maybe I have always camped in more sheltered places not to see it like this! But this one was so inviting after a freezing cold wet paddling day…but no excuse. When I can’t wait finding a more suitable place, I have to show strong nerves. And to reinforce my tent.

As the two guy lines on the wind side of the tent on each corner were reaching right down to the second platform of the gravel beach, the angle of attack is not as good as it could be to hold the tent. It is already out of shape quite a bit! So I grabbed my last tent securing device, my split paddle, and squeezed each half into one endangered corner inside, padding it on both ends with scarves and towels. It holds well in the gravel on the bottom. Fortunately, the gravel and rocks here are all nice and round, so I’m hoping neither to get damage on the guy lines secured with the heavy rocks nor poking a hole in my tent floor and wall with the additional “paddle tent poles”. Now the tent seems to be as stable as possible, if something happens now to the tent, I’m lost. But I know this won’t happen!

I really would like to put ear plugs in against the wind, rain, surf and river noise, but though I’m very sure now the tent is secured to the max, and the surf won’t reach up in the early morning 4 am highest tide, I’d rather hear it just in case something changes… but the nerves….

Heavy rain has been pouring down all night and morning, now it is amazingly dry (no, not amazingly, but as forecast from Karel!), but still very windy.Tomorrow will be the same windy day, plus heavy rain all day…I rather find next time a more wind sheltered place, if possible. This place is too nerve wrecking, though nice and high and dry and flat and with round gravel and rocks and enough fresh water, just in case. And I can see and feel why I’m not paddling…but is it really two “rest” days?

If I like to cook tonight, I would need a wind shelter for my small gas camp stove even inside my tent! So much wind is still blowing inside! But it at least dries my gear. I even now spread out my dry suit, hoping it will feel a bit friendlier when putting it on again. But what a difference a new good dry suit makes…my fleece underwear is almost dry jumping out at night. And I do the effort to wipe the suit from outside with a small kitchen towel before stripping it. This makes it much easier to get it more dry and to store it inside the tent for that purpose, instead of having a dripping suit. the same I did with my rain pants and jacket from last night’s work outside. The small kitchen towel can be soaking wet, but squeezed out easy and hung to dry as well.

The long term forecast at least shows Fri, Sat and maybe Sun calmer winds, and even little rain! I hope to turn north out of Magallan Strait by then, and have a short break at a “Hotel Navy” at the beginning of the north wards turning channel. It is located on a small tiny island and I’m hoping to be welcome!