Pos: here
Loc: just before Puerto Grau
Acc: tent
Dist: 23,2 km
Start: 7:05 End: 11:30

Tomorrow:
Estimated landing: Ilo
Estimated starting time: Right after sunrise
Estimated landing time: Well before sunset

We started this morning just at the regular time – body clock! Actually it was two more hours later, as we opted to sleep in after the long day yesterday and with the outlook of a short day today! It felt great. The small fishing port of Vila Vila was dead quiet despite it being Saturday night – thank goodness! No barking dogs, no noisy music! We slept well and long.

Although we had planned only a short paddling day, our energy level was low, and we were already looking forward to a half day off on shore.

The sea was calm, the wind was low, actually conditions good enough to fall asleep on the water!

When we were turning around the headland leading to the sheltered port of Puerto Grau, we found a lonely gravel beach which looked very sheltered and quiet with almost no swell surf, just before the port. It had no houses behind, only the road in a bit of a distance. I carefully paddled in, and found a straight open calm line through the rocks. It had almost no swell waves, and I safely landed on a steep gravel beach, which we obviously had for ourselves tonight.

Nice! If there are safe landings other than the official harbour and it is a more remote camp site, we’ll take it!

After a relaxed lunch on our beach, we did a few smaller repairs on our gear, and noticed when the sun eventually came out behind the low hanging clouds, that it is easier to be on the water with this intense sunshine and heat! Yes, we are nearing the equator…

But once done with the work, our tent gave enough shade and it had enough of an afternoon breeze to stay somewhat cool for the rest of the afternoon.

One older fishermen was walking past our tent, and chatted and smiled at us without end, whereas we understood unfortunately just a few sentences of what he was saying. But he was a real Peruvian character! (Or at least what we thought one would be like…)

It will be about 70 km tomorrow to the next safe harbour landing – if we find another safe sheltered bay somewhere or if we judge the surf as landable on the beach before Ilo, we’ll take that option!