Pos: here
Loc: Punta Durazno Chico
Acc: tent
Dist: 32 km
Start: 7:15 End: 13:30

The baby seal which already showed up in the morning close to my boat adopted my kayak again last night. It was heart warming and heart breaking at the same time, seeing him looking for a mom…sorry, my baby, this is just my kayak…

He slept all night close to the boat, and in the morning I heard a licking and sucking sound…no idea what he found so yummy! I just hoped he was not chewing on something like some young dog puppies do…

Later it came to my mind, he may have found the spot with tuna oil I was pouring out of a tin I opened for yesterday’s lunch…he may have sucked on the cobblestones like on candies…mhhhhhm, yummy, tuna candies…just what a lonely baby seal wants! :-))

I launched this morning on very high tide from the steep cobblestone beach like a perfect seal…I sat in my kayak on the edge of a ledge which was occasionally flooded by a dumper. my bow was hanging in the air, and my seat was just on the edge, with me, dry, and ready to go on the next big dumper flooding the ledge I was sitting on. This time the dumpers were perpendicular to the beach, so the risk of getting washed sideways before afloat was low. I even could pull out my rudder up, as the stones on that ledge were too big to get it stuck – so all in all a perfect launch! No jumping in the water to release the rudder from stuck stones…

But though it was calm seas and not too bad winds, I felt today even after a rest day a lack of energy. No idea why…maybe the little virus which infected a corner of my lips was weakening the whole body.

The distance to Playa Union harbor was 71 km, but I didn’t feel like pushing it hard to make it in one day. The wind was supposed to breeze up again later up to 20 and more knots. And though almost following North, I decided to cut the distance into two days. And I’m expecting a parcel from Buenos Aires in Rawson, not sure when it will arrive!

It was a good decision! Ale pointed out a nice landing spot for me on the map via GPS position, and I was supposed to get a visitor there, looking after me with fruit and some fresh water. Well…

First I had to land again! On the short paddle of 32 km there was occasionally a horrible big swell rolling up to the beach, but amazingly it was creating not too much of a big dumper – for what I could see from the water. Steep gravel beach, more or less wide, with high cliffs behind, lined up all the way long.

I was passing the biggest elephant seal colony with about 200 females! Not sure if that was directed by the usual one BIG male only, as I couldn’t really get close enough.If so, he was the king of harem! Normally, from what I saw, the male elephant seals  are very territorial, not letting any other male coming close and watching well over the females. So if so many females, all with puppies, were on one spot with only one BIG guy…he must be pretty busy!

I passed an obviously popular spot on the beach were the cliffs were lower, probably a river mouth or such, and could spot beside the usual seal colonies two groups of humans on the beach. Not that I was interested to land there…

The beach got less steep, and the dumping surf developed with the rising tide to an almost negotiable level…I was glad I was supposed to land soon! The wind was already very strong, and I couldn’t tell what would happen with the landing chances later further down the beach. Better land now on the planned spot…

So I called it a day, stuck my legs out of the cockpit, waited just behind the dumper for a good chance to go in, and after two or three higher ones I rode in on the back of a lower one, jumping out instantly and dragging my boat quickly out of the back surge of the next bigger one.

So far, so good! Now it was time to enjoy the remaining hours of the sunny day!

I made camp high in a low cliff bay, just a bit hidden from the main gap in the cliffs, where obviously people could get access to the beach with 4-wheel cars or ATV’s.

I enjoyed in the lee of my fast drying tent (it was soaked from the morning dew) two hours in the warm sun, working on my allover body tan! What a life sea kayaking offers! Heaven – and heaven’s hell close together – and you never know what’s next…

I kept my ears open for an engine sound, as I was expecting soon my visitor Alejandro organized to arrive. He might otherwise get from right on  top of the low cliffs above me a too much of a nice view! 🙂

And there the engine sound was…I quickly jumped in my shirt and pants, and walked up the low cliffs.

Ariel was standing besides his ATV, three young boys loaded on the back seat and in the front basket, looking through his binoculars out to the sea if he could spot me.

He must have been a bit surprised as I came up from behind, pointing down to my tent and kayak: “This is where you better should look! Nice to meet you, and thanks for coming!” :-))

He was a keen fisher man, bringing on his ATV about 6 fishing rods, which he was about to use in the now strong wind and big dumping surf as well! The kids had fun helping, and they caught a bunch of smaller fish.

I got some bananas, apples and chocolates, and didn’t really need the fresh water he also offered me. Thanks for looking after me, Ariel! He will also be my host in Playa Union, he told me. Thanks!

Soon a car showed up on top of the cliffs, and four Prefectura guys came down to the beach! Prefectura Rawson was on the spot! Well, it may have looked rather like a nice beach visit, as I was not really in need of their help, and the guys enjoyed watching the elephant seals mating as well as helping Ariel and the boys fishing…it was an entertaining hour anyway! Pictures here and there, and everybody was talking a bit English.

Later when I was alone again, I had to repair a belt on my back rest. No problem, Mrs. Handy Woman can do it (mostly) all…

I thought I could leave my kayak a bit further down the beach, not dragging it up fully onto the limestone ledge where I was camping. But the view of two lonely reasonable big male elephant seals in obvious need of a harem made me thinking: “If the young puppy liked my kayak that much, maybe a love sick male elephant seal will be as blind as the puppy? Better have it close to my tent…”

We were just watching 50 meters down the beach a BIG guy with 12 females making love to one of them…or trying to…he is wrapping his flippers around her, not letting her escape (though she obviously loved to…), his weight half on the side, half on her…not sure if my kayak would have liked that sort of rough cuddling…

The sea went up quite a bit all afternoon in the strong north wind. North direction sounds fine, but it is mostly developing into too much of a North wind with big seas. Let’s see how it is tomorrow! It is again fore casted strong north winds…
But one day paddling, one day off can’t be my future rhythm here on this coast!

I have ahead the next 300 km one of the most beautiful coastlines Argentina has to offer – I assume…plenty of bays, islands and headlands – means plenty of sheltered landing spots as well. Looking forward to that stretch! I hate open beaches…rolling surf or single dumper…both as ugly as it can be.