Pos: here
Loc: Bahia Langara
Acc: tent
Dist: 38,6 km
Start: 7:35 End: 14:35

Martin agreed I’d knock on the door when I’d like to go early, as the wind for today was still forecasted strong in the morning, about 20-25 kn, and then easing down to 15 kn in the afternoon.
Around the house at 6 am, it looked quiet, so I couldn’t help but to go back to my usual launch routine, getting up at 6am, on the water between 7 and 7.30 am. Sunshine was waiting as well out there!

The van had a few troubles to start, but with a hammer in one hand and some screwdrivers in the other Martin seemed to solve the problem!

The beach which showed a tricky dumper at high tide two days ago on landing, was looking harmless now on half tide, and with good timing it was easy to slide the kayak into the water on the gravel, to jump *on* it (not *in* it yet!), and to paddle quickly off the back surge. Easy… 🙂

Bur getting out of the bay, the wind started showing that he liked to follow the forecast today, and it was an ugly cold 90 degrees off shore 20-25 kn wind, which slowed mr down a lot, as I had to point my bow toward the shore again and again, and was basically paddling sideways.  The water stayed reasonably calm, but it was freezing cold on my hands, even though I was wearing my open palm mitts!

When the onshore reef section passed after about 10 km, I could get closer to the coast again without getting caught in breakers, and enjoyed a tiny bit wind shelter. I dared to start eating my oats for breakfast…It was still an art to get the box out, clipped in a small bag under my helmet, a water bag unclipped from behind the seat, and water poured on the oat mix with milk powder and sugar, without getting the whole stuff blown into the sea or poured out…not to talk about getting a loaded spoonful into my mouth without a fountain of milk spraying to the side. All to be done with frozen fingers…but for some reason I enjoy having breakfast on the water every morning! I’m simply not hungry at 6 am. And when it’s really too rough for that procedure, bananas and chocolates have to do it…

A tiny headland came up, but it made me sprint out to sea, as the small swell started to break in a long line in an extension of the headland…ugly!

But I was planning already yesterday to paddle only about 40 km today, as I still have to catch up on sleep, and as I simply want to enjoy being out in the bush by myself again.

The highway 3 leads off the coast now, no traffic noise any more! But the selection of reef-free bays here in this area is not really great, and I chose to take the biggest one, Bahia Langara, which seemed to have no breakers all the way in.

But as usual, never underestimate even the tiniest surf onto a shallow sandy beach, this one proved to be 10 lines of low breakers rolling on half tide slowly out in the shallows. Still it made me brace high once and getting my face wet…but nothing serious on such a shallow beach.

Dragging the kayak up was some work again, and my campsite in a spot where big machines have loaded some sand and gravel is not really of the most idyllic either. But – most important for me – I’m by myself again all afternoon and night, and I’ll fall asleep at 9 pm as usual! Not 11.30pm like last night…

A short walk up the highest cliff got me cell phone reception, and a wide look over the now almost dry reef area. My landing spot was perfectly right!

On the walk down, I saw two new animals, a green lizzard-like guy,and the same strange animal Alejandro has in his house – I forgot the name….Hermano I think it was nick-amed…

On my dinner plan, I had to take care I’ll include at least for now three of the 17 hard-boiled eggs Daniela gave me as a farewell-present…if I cluck like a chicken in Puerto Deseado you’ll know why! So it was mashed potatoes with mince eggs for tonight…not sure if I’ll make them all disappear. Martin seems to eat a lot of eggs, obviously worried about getting enough protein as a gymn owner…they had a storage of about 50 eggs at home under the kitchen bench, nicely lined up 5 x 5 in a double storey card board egg holders.
I was wondering when Daniela pulled them out from under the bench, if there would be a hen right down there as well, busy all night lying her eggs nicely one next to the other into the card board box…