Pos: here
Loc: Isla Brecknock
Acc: tent
Dist: 42,2 km
Start: 5:20 End: 14:40

This kind of paddling I don’t wish my worst enemy…jumping into damp fleece underwear and into a wet feeling dry suit, packing the gear in rain, and especially stuffing with the utmost pleasure the soaking wet, cold and sandy tent into it’s bag!

Headwinds all day again, and I had to do some open water crossings. At least that early morning the head winds were still “only” around 15, rarely up to 20 knots, and the crossing north north west from the end of Bahia Escape to the islands west of Isla Smoke was going with probably some good current and the wind just quartering from south west, with at least 5-6 km/h and with no rain squall, just with continuous drizzly rain. Two cruise boats were crossing paths in front of me. The passengers probably just had breakfast, warm and dry, not even thinking about a lonely paddler out there in the freezing cold water and wind and rain…

The next crossing going west north west to the main group of islands in the west was as hard work as it can be with now 20 knots due west wind, two extra rain squalls with probably the wind breezing up to 25-30 knots, and the rain almost felt like hail, so freezing cold it was. My feet I couldn’t feel any more, and my hands are still burning now, despite wearing my double layer open palm mitts gloves.

No relaxing bay in sight or even a beach to stop at on the island in the middle, and on the beginning of the western island group also no beach or reasonable bay. At least the water calmed down, which was quite swelly and choppy on the crossing, coming right from the open sea with not much shelter.

Still, paddling on calm water with 20 knots headwinds is no pleasure, and not after 40 km constant around 20 knots head wind. I was yearning to stop to thaw my numb frozen feet and hands, and to get out of this f…… wind.
Across the channel I spotted a river coming down, with something looking like a beach. See if there is some dry space for my tent,and I was already ready to call it a day.

The beach was good to land, but if there hadn’t be an attempt of an old hut with some marginal gravel space high up, the beach space wouldn’t be sufficient for my tent. The beaches here are all “fake”, you can nicely land, but not camp. There would have been one and a half square meter just on the edge of the river which may have stayed dry on high tide, but I preferred to clean the hut site of useless logs, and had just about a space for my tent, reasonable dry, wind sheltered and level. Just wonder who made that start with that hut here…in the middle of nowhere.

At least putting up camp was without rain, and if I’d have still energy left, I could have kept on paddling a bit in even one or two sunny spells now…but there was no energy left any more, and most important, no motivation to keep on going with frozen feet and hands and in freezing head winds after 40 km already.

Fjordland is not a real pleasure to paddle so far in this corner and in this direction, for sure…I’m hoping it shows itself a bit more friendly further north. If I’d be paddling the other direction, I’d be through it like a flash of lightning!

The long term forecast Peter gave me on the phone says around 20 knots the next three days, and then maybe two days with less. I think I won’t go round the corner with even more wind before Friday… but we’ll see how tomorrow feels.