Pos: here
Loc: Cabo Chico
Acc: tent
Dist: 58,1 km
Start: 8:45 End: 19:00

I woke again at 7.30 after a short hop to the bathroom at 6 am and a look out of the window at the river with no water in it. But now there was! Time to pack and to go as planned!

Yesterday I announced I’d be leaving between 8 and 9 am, about two hours before high tide at 10.30 am. With my language barrier it must have come across like I’d be leaving at high tide as I was asking for the time of it, and as it would be reasonable for a river exit, but I’m not always reasonable and this would be simply too late for me. I estimated I’d make it out against the tide at that time already.

But leaving at this time I had only Alejandro and Juan Pablo waving me good bye, Pablo Komer just made it when I was already on the water, and the rest was missing…sorry! Thanks again to the Club Nautico, especially Fabio, for their hospitality! It was a great and successful stay!

I probably didn’t take the best path out, heading to the other side first, and then rounding close the roughish Punta Popper! But Fabian was waiting there with his professional camera! Great! I’m looking forward to see the pics!

The paddle around that point was the fun part of the day, as getting through the tidal race against the still incoming tide and strong wind was a bit of work, but doable and quite fun! Especially when you have to smile for the camera 🙂

The next half day was strong west wind, which made a constant paddle to the shore necessary, and not really great progress on lively water. Rounding Cabo Penas was a beauty of a headland, but the crossing of the bay Ensenada de la Colonia not the most pleasurable part of the day in that strong wind and choppy seas.

It gradually calmed down with the day proceeding, and soon a large fat long rocky reef was blocking the coast on low tide! I had to paddle far out, and got almost stuck between the rocky edge and the outer shallows break, as it was developing by the minute on the outgoing tide! A few ten min hard paddle out, and I was free of breakers. A pity, I’d rather follow the coastline close bye!

But the Highway 3 from Rio Grande to Ushuaia was following the coast line, so maybe I was happy so far out there…

I felt my tiredness from the last three days short of sleep, and was happy to see a nice bay in the distance. But the reef break didn’t want to end…I had to stay out until either the tide got higher or the shallows less shallow and I could turn in and land about half tide. Dragging the kayak to the beach was a reasonable distance of maybe 150 m, I had it worse! And no strong wind this time…

I had a quick look over the sandy dunes into the hinterland – I saw a real wide green meadow, a real forest with low shrubby trees, but you could call them trees! And a real river with real water…not much, but wet, and flowing out to sea…what a nice view! I’m out of the desert and into the green again…Tierra del Fuego is becoming pleasant!

But I have to sleep now…catching up a bit!