Pos: here
Loc: Rio Chovellén
Acc: tent
Dist: 39,1 km
Start: 8:30 End: 17:00

The policemen I spoke to last night promised to take care of me this night, which sounded nice. They did it well at midnight – noisy talking, shining strong light on my tent, waking me eventually up, and talking non-understandable Spanish to me. Thanks. You think I have died meanwhile inside my closed tent you needed to check at midnight if I’d be still alive?

The launch from that stupid surfing spot around the “sheltered” corner with a strong side current I was landing last night would be seemingly easy with good timing – if you time it right. I had a bunch of locals as onlookers and helpers, which was nice for getting my gear down, but eventually too “many cooks spoil the meal”. The timing was wrong, I should have waited longer for a 100% safe lull instead of listening to the locals. I should be the boss on giving the launching command! So I got not afloat early enough despite a push, and then got a fat wave on my face, filling my cockpit, but it didn’t capsize me. It was washing me backward, into the strong side current in the shallows and almost onto the one and only rock, which would be fortunately well padded with sea weed. But I got out again in time, and would need to start over again.

I started to empty my cockpit with the help of my “magic” electrical pump (I’m sure the locales were quite impressed about the spout!) and with the help of my helmet, and eventually could put the kayak on the side to empty out the rest of the nice sand water. We dragged the boat back to the spot, and a local was gesticulating to me about I’d need to wait for the low waves…yes, Sir! Thanks for the well meant advise! I was asked if ‘d want a launch with a fishing boat – well, it was way less crazy big crashing surf than in Quidico, so I’d simply try again with better timing. Thanks anyway!

I was waiting again, eventually dared to push a bit closer to the water, and a fat wave was washing my kayak into the strong side current that I was unable to hold it any more by myself. I was hoping my local helper would hold the stern, but he missed it. I needed to let go, and another fat wave was washing the kayak high up the beach. I was just about able to hop over it, as I was standing between the kayak and the beach, but fell flat into the sand water current. If a heavy loaded sea kayak hits you in the surf, this would be quite ugly. My helmet is not only protection from the rocks on a tricky launch!

We dragged it back to the spot a third time, and this time it worked all right, I was out afloat with my legs out, a few strong strokes brought me out of the danger zone. I had to empty my boots which were full of gravel and water, and after a while I was ready to paddle.

The sea was quiet, a very low swell was going, and the scenery looked inspiringly nice with many rocks and seclude beaches. On crossing Rada Buchupureo, I saw about 10 of those big fish trawlers, and one came very close, with the whole crew of eight guys waving and one guy was even dancing frantically, shouting “Television” and such, taking pictures. Well, I must be famous! But the whole bay had a layer of stinky fish residue in tiny pieces (or whatever it was…), plus a bit of oil. Not very nice!

I estimated I’d be able to land safely today on about 80% of all the beach stretches, and there were a bunch of very nice sheltered seclude ones between rocks. But I wanted to be nice and to land where I was announcing, as I would probably be having again a date on my beach with a bunch of Navy officers!

The Navy was calling this morning one of my local helpers about my estimated landing spot, instead of being there in person like the morning before. The locals said to me Curanipe would have the same conditions, thanks, not again, and I’d prefer Chovellén 5 km earlier, which had a nice sheltered looking beach on Google Earth – on the second “hook”, not at the river mouth….

I came closer to my spot, and the bay already after the first hook looked nice on my GPS chart – a jutting out rock to give a wide berth, then just beach…so let’s check on that one! My “alarm” in my brain said Google Earth was showing the second hook as the better spot – go there!!!

But I saw already a Navy car just arriving, and three officers walking down the beach…I should not disappoint them…so this beach should be as good as the next one…but it was actually the same fucking situation as last night! No shelter after the hook, just breaking surf…but which I should be able to cut across on a lull… which I eventually did safely.

But jumping out of my kayak, barely able to pull it out of the strong side wash, made me thinking “What the fuck are you doing here? You did land, but it’s the same ugly launch for tomorrow as this morning! And all because the Navy car was luring you! Your alarm said go around the NEXT hook!”

The beaches all day were steep, with mostly a reasonable small dumper on good timing which would be easy to land and launch again. This was again a village with a river mouth area. A river mouth means shallow water, means no steep beach with a dumper and a bit of shelter after a rocky headland, but long rolling breakers on a shallow beach, and no shelter around the headland. Like last night. Like in Quidico.

I was not in my best mood to greet the three Navy officers, being pissed about myself landing there. Also they didn’t make any attempt to help me dragging my heavy kayak out of the side wash and up the beach, to be eventually high and dry. Maybe my expression on my face said something like “it’s your fault I was landing here, just leave me alone!” – though it was really only my own fault. I was free NOT to land there!

I started unloading as usual, as I needed to get the kayak higher up, and I couldn’t do it fully loaded by myself. The officers were not sure what to do now, and just waited. I saw one guy carried a note pad with a bunch of questions, and I assumed they were already from the next navy port, and the same questions I have answered already all other days would start over again…

But first I finished unloading, and started to drag my now lighter kayak high up. Eventually, one Navy guy was helping me, and a second soon did the same. Thanks! I saw I had to take the chance with my helpers now to get away from this side wash beach, right to the front of the river mouth about 500 meters further along the beach, to be able to launch tomorrow in a reasonable safe way.

I checked the way ahead, and saw we had to cross the river…I waved the two guys to my direction, but I crossed the river myself, wading through knee deep water and dragging my kayak further along the beach to my selected spot myself. The guys stayed on the other side, and signaled if they should pick the bags? Sure, thanks!

The third guy with the note pad was not carrying anything, just the responsibility. He saw me disappearing across the river mouth, and his chances also disappearing about getting his urgent questions answered! He dared to follow me with his note pad across the river mouth, and sure he got wet feet, even a bit further along! Well, I was up to come back across, but the questions seemed to be VERY urgent, that he started already though I saw the two other guys with my bags on the other side of the river, and was thinking it would be more urgent to get them across and to save the two other guys to get also wet feet…

I came back to my note pad officer with my bags, and noticed soon the other two guys made it also across the river – one guy with only low cut shoes and no boots was jumping on the back of the other with the now also wet boots!

My note pad officer kept on asking his questions in a funny English he probably must read with some effort from his pad. Sorry I am not speaking Spanish…

Basically, I could be answering those every night on my blog, if they were to ask me to…:
1: What is your next landing tomorrow? (Best some beach with no village, no river mouth and not accessible for Navy officers or drunken fisher men…)
2: What time will you start tomorrow? (As usual the last weeks – around 8.30 am) – I think he was asking this question three times, and eventually I was writing on his note pad – exactly at 08:25:34 h
3: What time will you land? (As usual after 40 km – around 5 pm – but I’m not a machine!)
4: What are your next planned landings? (Here, here, and there…or not…I need to SEE the beaches and the surf – like today!)

That was basically it…and for that they sent out three guys to meet me in person…well, the most important question was: “Are you feeling physically healthy?” Maybe he should have better asked me if I’d be mentally healthy…see you tomorrow morning, guys! – What for???

But I think especially the guy with the note pad eventually understood my black humor tonight, and I made them smile…the poor guys just have their orders…signature cards, pictures…and bye, bye!