Pos: here
Loc: Isla Stewart Bahia Escape
Acc: tent
Dist: 50 km
Start: 7:20 End: 16:05

My calculation regarding the water level of the nights’ high tide reaching the tent site, looking at the grass quality, was correct – the water came up just to my guy line tent peg…still I was sitting vertical for half an hour and looked outside every five minutes…but plan “B” was not necessary. My tent floor held up on the soaking wet grass, and I could continue with my quiet and peaceful long sleep. I needed it!

Still I woke and rose at 6 am, put on my dry suit, as it was still raining lightly, to check outside the inlet what the water looked like…just a few white caps, it looked like I could (and should actually) paddle already…

Packing the tent and gear in rain is not a pleasure, and I had to drag my kayak down from the sharp rocks an even longer distance to the water line this morning…my poor baby’s bottom! But being by myself, there is no other choice, as I wouldn’t want to unload the kayak *completely* every night to carry it on my shoulder…no way! The bulky rocks deform the kayak’s bottom regularly while dragging it, and the front piece of my seat rail came lose in that way – hope the back piece holds up at least to Punta Arenas!

Paddling was the usual hard work against the head wind, and the main “danger” was to fork lift on a small wave a piece of kelp on your bow toggle, which is sometimes hard to get off again…

My chart in my GPS has in this area quite some imprecisions whole drawings of the coastline are shifted diagonal for quite some km. But with some experience of the past few km looking at my tracking line, I can estimate where I should really go and be. Not the first time this happened…but I think I can find my way with the printed chart and that one in my GPS.

I had to fill up my water bags today, and I thought at a steep high mountain, there must be some waterfall coming down. I saw a bigger fall where the mountains formed a circle, and it eventually was a secluded forest pool of about 500 m in diameter where I paddled on a narrow strong current through an about two meter wide gap – to a really beautiful place! I’m sure not many boats have been in here, only the dinghys of the bigger ones – or kayaks – are able to get in here!

I found the waterfall’s base, and filled my bags with the crystal clear fresh water – just help yourself! Nice…

I Caleta Silva, a popular anchoring bay of the sail boats, I found two yachts in there, the Argentine Tari II and a smaller one, travelling together to Punta Arenas. I had met the skipper of the Tari II in Puerto Williams, and we had a nice chat. But later in the afternoon I saw the two boats sailing on the other side of the channel, not heading to Puerto Fanny where we may have met again. I eventually paddled further than that spot anyway!

Again, the whole day I was spotting possible camp sites, and again, it was not easy. But when I eventually spotted a real *white* sandy beach in the distance, right at the entrance of Bahia Escape, I thought this must be a mirage…I haven’t seen a sandy white beach in weeks! This was where Isla Stewart was connected with a shallow sea shell bank to a small island, where I could have camped on as well. The smaller island had the typical white flowers indicating some reasonable grassy spot behind the end of the beach, and this grass will stay dry on high tide!.

But it was only 4 pm…I was hoping to paddle longer today, to make the most of the reasonable calm afternoon – around 12 knots head wind only. But this sandy spot was too beautiful to miss out! And what other better possibility for tonight may open up…I wanted to stay in Bahia Escape to be on the safe side any way. So now I won’t have to paddle into the bay.
But I carefully checked the two high tide lines…this night’s high tide will be the highest of the month – 2,10 m, but still, I’m thinking I won’t be flooded on the highest spot…

Tomorrow’s forecast is quite changing, we’ll see when and how long I may paddle. I eventually have to cross over the channel 12 km to another island, and this needs reasonable head wind and sea state. Sunday seems to be still stronger winds over 20 knots which I don’t need to fight. Monday has sw wind around 15 knots which is all right. So we’ll see…