Pos: here
Loc: Mar Chiquita
Acc: tent
Dist: 26 km
Start: 7:45 End: 14:45

Ok, after I sent the update yesterday, I *really* had to look after my tent – as the wind had changed to almost south and my original dune shelter was nothing then… I decided to move the tent deeper into the dunes around the corner.

I just had the bags packed, as some rain started…I left some of my lose clothing and the unrolled sleeping pad inside the

tent to have some weight with the now lose flying tent- thanks goodness it was all the stuff that was NOT inside a dry bag…

I hurried to erect the tent again behind another dune which promised to be somewhat more of a wind shelter, and made *very* sure the guy lines were tight and the sand pegs buried deep into the ground.

Then I could relax – I thought…no way, the tent was fluttering like hell in the now really stormy wind, but good Hilleberg quality held up. It got sandblasted about 6 long hours like  in a wind channel – mixed again and again with rain. I couldn’t really make out a difference in the sounds of blasting sand or rain…

At some point before dusk I decided the noise is sand blast only and not rain any more, and I wanted to have a look at the sea – my bandana rolled over my whole face to resist the sand storm in my eyes. Works well! I just could see enough through the fabric to be able to walk up a dune without stumbling – and to see then the sea!

I left her with solid whitecaps every where – maybe 20 kn winds – now, the rainstorm with probably up to 30+ knots had whipped her up like I haven’t seen here here yet – white breaking rollers all over the next couple of km out from the coast – thank goodness I didn’t have to be out there…

My next thought was tomorrow morning – if the wind calmed down a bit – would the sea already be quiet enough to paddle all right?

My thoughts were correct – though I decided to paddle in the still ugly headwinds, the launch was one of the more tricky ones – but with good lucky timing amazingly dry.

The really ugly thing was only the clear, but freezing cold morning now – the wind relaxed at 10pm last night, and to pack the wet, sand and almost freezing tent is one of my least favorite jobs in the morning. That’s expedition’s life! My hands usually get warm in my open palm mitts working hard on paddling, but my toes and later my whole feet didn’t really wanted to be back to normal life again – woman’s disease? As long as my sleeping bag plus my fleecy fluffy sleeping bag liner are warm and dry at night – they are!

The paddling was a one and only fight against 20-15 kn headwinds coming from 2 o’clock offshore – on a rest, I’m getting blown out to sea and blown back wards. So no rest…a constant fight against the elements. And against myself – what am I doing here? I should not paddle…but conditions promised to become better – well, if you call better from 2 m swell and 20 kn headwinds with bumpy jumps “down” to 15 kn headwinds with only choppy seas and the outlook of an easier landing on the endless sandy beach.

My goal was “civilisation” today – as I actually had agreed to paddle with Alejandro and his friend today – and I was hoping they would come up to me at some point, launching from Mar Chiquita. But no friends in sight anywhere…

I decided to stop there anyway, as I wouldn’t make it today to Mar del Plata anyway. And honestly – I was again sick and worn out from the constant headwind fight…I urgently need to regain energy and heal my blisters fully on a full rest day in Mar del Plata – being online to read emails and all your nice encouraging comments, to skype friends, to do some fresh food shopping, and simply to do something other than paddling only and looking after my campsite. A full rest day should be due after a week and not after two weeks…my business to organize!