Pos: here
Loc: Bahia Clift
Acc: tent
Dist: 23,3 km
Start: 6:20 End: 15:50

Magellan Strait shows it’s farewell from the toughest side…the forecast for today was in the morning 10-15 knots, afternoon breezing up to 20-30 knots as usual…

So I crossed my bay and where I stayed the night it was quite calm – I didn’t even need to secure my freestanding tent! This first kilometer of the bay crossing was the only easy km of the day.

As soon as I came out into the Strait, the wind was there with 15-20 knots, and with a sea – where does that come from? Yes, for sure, the opening of Magellan Strait to the ocean is not too far any more, and almost in direct line to my paddling spot! I felt the larger chop than usual already yesterday, but today…the first km around the corner were 3-4 meter seas, breaking on the top in this strong wind! No joke! And this in Fjordland…it must have been piling up right at that corner, with the wind whipping it up even more and the backwash of the massive cliffs did the rest. How funny…and this without any breakfast so far…I was fighting for each single meter, just hoping it would calm down a tad as the coast goes a little inward before I’d reach the headland.

Ok, it may have calmed down about 10 % the second and third km, but no way to relax. Just the sea may have been “only” 2-3 meters, and with less breakers washing over me, the wind and my effort stayed the same.

Kilometer four until the headland was about the same as kilometer one, and I was really fighting for each single meter and counting them down until I could turn around the top and go north east – it means having the wind from the back!

I had only once chance – to pass those 4 km offshore in those conditions, or to go back and to stay at my old camp site. Eventually, after a long, hard fight, I turned around the headland, but my work was not over yet! No sheltered spot to relax anywhere! I had to pass the about 500 m wide headland front, and another 3,5 km through the gap to the headland of Isla Santa Anna, before I could even think about having shelter! It was a bit of less seas as soon as I left the reflection of the headland, and the crossing to Isla Santa Anna was very windy, but not as big any more. Maybe 1,5 to 2 m seas. Still full attention, as the sea was still occasionally breaking in this 20 knot wind! Isla Blaxland gave a little shelter, but it was too far a way to make a big difference.

I was aiming to pass through the gap of Isla Pilloico and Isla Santa Anna, the first time where I got shelter and had the wind in my back! I was ready to find a campsite at Isla Santa Anna. It took me almost full 4 hours for 8,2 km…I turned around the headland of Isla Santa Anna with really the last bit of power. Everything was hurting, a nerve in my left bum cheek the most.

I landed for a pee on a very rocky island, had a look from the distance into the small fjord of Isla Santa Anna, where the only possible campsite on this island may be. The was a beach, but as it was pointing fully west inward, I could even see the massive amount of sea weed piled up the from the wind whipping on the probably rocky beach. Not the place to stay maybe two more weather days, not even worth to paddle the 800 m into the fjord.

My body and mind fortunately recovers very fast, and after the quick pee my fingers were already checking on the GPS the distance to the main land…5 km…it was still sunny, and the crossing didn’t look too bad…I would have the choice of several bays there to find a reasonable camp site. Nothing around here, or even at the small long island 2 km into the crossing.

Fortunately, this 5 km paddle to the coast was still windy, but the seas became lower and lower. I landed in the first reasonable bay, sheltered from the seas, but not from the wind at all. I barely landed on a very rocky beach to have eventually my break fast at 12.30! Four dolphins were greeting me, nice…

The beach had a man made harbor between the sharp 50 cm boulders, where some one moved the big boulders to the side for about 1,5 m, to have a better boat landing. I found as well an old campsite, equipped with a white woven (rainproof??) tarp on broken wooden poles, a fire place and lots of rubbish like rusty tins and old bones…Nothing inviting, as there was no even ground for a tent. Even if I’d clean up the rubbish and the tarp with the poles…

Just another kilometer into the next bay, where there seem to be a lot more camp site possibilities! I fought the short way against the wind in no shelter to the wide Bahia Clift, and was checking in the eastern arm for a spot. I found two beaches, each of them very marginal camp sites on top of the gravel, just besides the small river mouth. Fortunately, it is just now very low tide on the highest tide, so I would not have to worry about the water coming up too high.

I filled my water bags for possible three days, and thought it is still too early not to check the other side of the bay for a better spot…

Another tough 1,5 km across the reasonable calm, but still very windy bay, and I was aiming for a tiny spot I found on my chart – an inlet with a very narrow opening.

I found the opening after almost looking on the wrong spot – about 1,5 meters wide only, and with some current on the flooding tide. Inside was a very shallow calm bay, about 800 m in diameter, sheltered by the wind, and it had a small gravel beach!

This beach was the most amazing one I ever have stepped on – black sharp edged 8-12 cm gravel for about 10 meter into the beach, but when I was jumping out of the boat, I felt like I was on a trampoline! The gravel rocks were obviously laid up on a soft layer of thick grass or moss! Very strange feeling…but the beach became harder the more you walked up, and at the end it seemed to stay dry on high tide. It was even almost as packed with the rocks so that I might have put up my tent there, if I hadn’t been walking to the right, where I heard a small river.

There was one of the rare dry grassy even spots in Fjordland, where I only had to trample down a few long grass bundles and flowers – sorry – to have the best camp site ever! Dry, sheltered from the wind and no noisy breakers, with fresh water on a softly dripping tiny river…a what else do I need for the next days?

I just have to decide not to paddle tomorrow morning where it is supposed to be “only” 20-25 knots, before it turns into 25-35 knots…Monday will probably be the same…maybe Tuesday only around 20 knots. All west to north west wind, for sure…

How much I am yearning to turn into the north going channel, to be able to hide on the sheltered western side on paddling most of the time…this should be possible! Or will the wind then be due north only???

I was hoping to have turned already around the headland of Peninsula Munoz Gamero today, to paddle a bit north east until I would be reaching the narrow gap of Isla Emiliano Figueroa, but my energy was spent for today…and the possible camp sites after having paddled another 9 km on the windy side and eventually turning around the headland going north east were vague…so finish for today already!

If I keep on going in this f…… slow speed with so many weather rest days (btw., it is raining again…), I’d be a bit worried about my fuel supply for cooking…I have still  1 1/2 gas cans, and this should reach until Puerto Montt…I don’t need much, but just in case…food and water (anyway) should be enough, and possible to resupply in Puerto Eden. But the gas can?

Is there a possibility the get another one or even two gas cans (those round cylindrical screw on ones, about 15 cm in diameter, and 10 cm high, Butane and Propane mix…) sent by ferry to Puerto Eden? If you know some one who could possibly help organizing that, please contact peter@unold.dk !