Pos: here
Loc: Punta Hermosa
Acc: Sofia’s house
Dist: 42,3 km
Start: 8:30 End: 16:30

Tomorrow:
No paddling tomorrow!

We took our time this morning to sleep in a bit – only 30 km were planned for tomorrow! Then we would have three days off in Lima!

We had a great night’s rest, and I did already an early morning’s office hour to update the last two missing days while Peter was sorting out his gear.

At 8.30 am, we were launching through low surf into a calm day – but it again developed into a light to moderate headwind day!!! Day no three with headwind, though south west fore casted. It must be just the few degrees missing to make it feeling following…

We were crossing over to Punta Lobos with squeezing some last work effort out of our sore bodies, knowing after turning around this point and going more north it would be much easier going.

The safe harbor of Pucusana was also around the corner, and many fishing boats were around already before. We saw two of them entering and exiting the port through the narrow rock gap behind Isla Chaca, also named Isla Galapagos. Thank goodness we didin’t paddle also through there when we later saw it from the other end…

Outside the island it was anyway well worth to visit! What an amazing place, littered with caves and many kind of lounging animals from birds to seals.

But when we were curious to paddle into the Caleta Pucasana, this scenery was even more stunning! South America’s colors and fishing port atmosphere of the finest. There were not only hundreds of boats moored in the most beautiful harbors, but also the houses around were creatively built. It was fish market, and every one was squeezing on the docks from the water (to sell) and from the land (to buy). We were floating around for over an hour, watching this for us very exotic scenery! Please have a look at our pictures.

We almost were forgetting our planned arrival time at Punta Hermosa at 4 pm, and when we eventually were filled up to the limit with impressions of the amazing port, we had to chase again our ETA at 4 pm.

The bays became more and more fancy again, but our planned landing in the Caleta Punta Hermosa didn’t look as harmless any more as it seemed to be on Google Earth! Surf was breaking all over the bay, and even or carefully approaching, our judgment was fully all right – this is one of the best surfer’s bays of Peru! The breaks at the headlands were filling out this bay, and the a calm line in was not really visible from our place.

Later we should learn were are supposed to stay the first night at a world’s champion surfer’s house at Punta Hermosa…

We remembered there were a few more bays coming up, and we decided to keep on going. though we heard some people frantically shouting, and a surfer heavily waving from his board…but sorry, no way we would land in this
bay!!! Our hosts from THULE would need to pick us up a few bays further north – they’d be able to find us!

Two bays further and a big dogleg around an outer break, the picture into another bay was looking very different – no breakers in the middle between the headland breaks. We slowly paddled in, always on the watch for unexpected ones…but the sandy beach was very steep, and had only one dumper of a reasonable size, no rollers. I landed safely, but had a hard job to drag up my boat, though almost empty of food and water. Not that a watching surfer was jumping by to help…

Peter landed also all right, and mutually we were dragging the boats higher. Soon our THULE hosts were also arriving – perfect timing!

The first night, we got hosted in Sofia Mulanovich’s pretty beach house, a surfing world champion! Thanks a lot for your friendly hospitality! Though being absent herself, we would be able to meet her tomorrow.