Pos: here
Loc: across Isla Huepan
Acc: “NOMADS of THE SEAS”
Dist: 38,5 km
Start: 8:15 End: 17:00

This last campsite at Puerto Santo Domingo was really a beautiful place, calm at night (after my neighbor switched his generator off), no water noises, no cow visits. A huge mountain was towering on the other side of the stream which goes into the inlet, and a glacier was to be seen in the distance. It was all beach for the next three km.

A big ship obviously delivered some things to the only house in the “Puerto” the early morning, and almost woke me with his activities. It had to stay far off the coast in the middle of the channel, and a smaller boat was honking loud on approaching the house with whatever it had to deliver. Maybe it was just the mail man.

I could paddle out of what was the last big island channel in Fjordland fortunately with the tide, and was hoping now, when I was nearing the open water bay, the tidal stream was getting less. But later, the turn around Punta Guela, the western tip of Peninsula Coca, was quite slow against the tide. What you are gaining on one end, you are losing on the other again…

I was feeling so happy on another sunny day and eventually reaching what felt like the open sea again, and I could feel the water become “alive” with some low swell. Nice! It was no wind first, then low wind out of west, and the sea surface stayed always quite calm. But the swell was breaking on the headland – a pleasure to watch!

I paddled before the headland through the first group of tiny islands, Islas Hermanos, which was quite a pleasant bird area. The next group of islands in Bahia Tic Toc had bigger size ones, and I was aiming to paddle right through the middle of all of the islands as well, to a point called Puerto Tic Toc on the main land to spend the night there.

But the temptation was lurking before Isla Huepan to make me changing my plans. I saw the strange thing from far of the distance, and thought this must be again one of those working platforms for the fishing industry. The next thing I saw was a helicopter flying past an island, and obviously landing on this thing. Well, it must be a big, fancy “working platform” that they can afford to get supplied by a helicopter!

I came closer, and even changed a little bit of my course to have a closer look – it was obviously not a platform, but a boat! It had two red objects on deck, looking like cars…a ferry here? I couldn’t really tell what kind of boat it may be…but the red objects were two helicopters! A research boat from the Navy? *Red* helicopters by them? Hmmmm….

Coming even more close, it obviously looked like a private boat, with two helicopters and lot of smaller boats on deck. Must be quite an expensive big toy…interesting! I couldn’t help but approaching it fully, and a very friendly nice guy, who was one of the “guides” named Fernando, was leaning over the rail to start a chat, fortunately in good English.

He told me the ship was an “expedition boat” for rich people, equipped with all kind of exploring toys you can imagine. The two helicopters, several small motor zodiacs and boats, plenty of (plastic) kayaks, fishing and diving gear, and so on…made for hosting maximum 28 guests, and run with always 32 crew members…and if I would like to have a look on board? Well…sure, yes! Very interesting!!

He showed me around, and I told him as well about my trip. As much as I was impressed by the big toy boat, he seemed to be impressed by what I was doing, and invited me to wait for the owner being back with the zodiacs from the early afternoon’s activity with the guests. The idea was I may stay for the night, if I’d like to tell the people about my expedition!

If I’d like to? Well, yes..what a question…it was almost the end of my day, only 6 or 7 more km to paddle to where I was planning originally.

I was for sure quite impressed by the “NOMADS of THE SEAS”, and was happy to eventually meet the owner Andres, a Chilean business man, with the ship based in Puerto Montt. He invited me to stay, and I happily agreed! Thank you very much! Muchas gracias! This will be an entertaining evening! He introduced me to the staff, and showed me my cabin.

I mentally already moved in – but there was only one thing…they would move back north toward Puerto Montt during the night…hmmmmm, was I really up to skipping quite some km of my trip? Me, taking so much care to do a “true” circumnavigation? How many km did you say? I think I really didn’t listen properly to that matter…and maybe didn’t want to listen at that point any more?

I was already hooked by this fascinating boat and probably very entertaining and interesting people to talk to…this was too much of a contrast of my last many lonely paddling weeks and simply too tempting…and I agreed. My kayak got loaded on to the deck.

You may think now what ever you like about the “correctness” of my circumnavigation. It’s my decision, and don’t even think I was not feeling very sorry for the probably missed out beautiful coast line on eventually mostly open sea again which I was yearning to have again for so long! But this was one off chance…and such chances you should take.

There were only six guests on this trip, which were all friends of the owner Andres Ergas, all members from an international business networking group called YPO, Young President’s Organization. There was Campbell from Melbourne, Ricardo from Panama, Bill from Salt Lake City, Thomas from Hamburg and Jorge and Alberto (Tito) were from Chile. They were dealing with different businesses, from banking, mine developing, steel business, logistics, outdoor companies, and some more I couldn’t remember. I had a lot of nice chats after I got into a reasonable shape again with my hot shower in my nice private cabin!

While I had my shower, Andres and the guys were up to another activity, this time flying out with the helicopters to get dropped on a nearby glacier to have some sun downing drinks and snacks…the chopper was quite busy with groups of guests and staff flying back and forth.

Eventually all back on board, we got drinks and some starters served before the upcoming dinner, and I was really looking forward to some different and pleasant food. It was the start of a seemingly pleasant night!

But the little trip devil didn’t let me get away with this…there was something I   didn’t take into account…the boat slowly started moving out of the small archipelago, and I felt already once sitting down with the guys I had to watch something very carefully…NOT to get sea sick! If you have read my updates, you may know I’m quite prone to get sea sick, even in my own kayak!

Once they turned north, the captain was speeding up as well, and my GPS showed later 40 km/h at the beginning, turning into steady 20 km/h, which is quite a speed for such a huge boat. And now the open offshore seas played their treacherous game, the ship started to roll and jump, and my stomach started to do the same…I was staring out of the window looking for fixed objects, stripped my jacket and shoes and socks to not get too hot, drank some ginger ale, but all too late…at 7.45 pm I had to rush downstairs to my cabin – sorry, guys! I’ll be back soon!

I quickly hung over the sink in my bathroom, fortunately in time, and released the ginger ale and that one piece of food I ate from the starters…well…  did I feel better now? I had to lay down on my bed. How could I be entertaining in this state? The noise of the boat jumping on the waves was banging heavy, and my stomach felt like being rolled back and forth in those seas.

But this was not what I had payed for! I mean, this was not how I was to pay off my stay on board! I felt very miserable…but I knew there was no chance in those sea conditions I could get up. I once brushed my teeth very fast, and quickly got back to the horizontal again, where I was feeling kind of all right.

I was close to dozing off, when I felt the sea and with it the ship got much calmer.  I looked on my GPS, and it showed we were turning a bit north east, into the shelter of the large island to the west, Isla Grande de Chiloe. It stayed calm, and I dared to get up and to walk around in my cabin a bit…shall I give it another try to be social?

I dared to go upstairs again, the guys just finished dinner and were busy with the desert. Hello again! Some desert? I preferred to stick to water, and after 1 1/2 hr of “absence” i could at least join them for another hour of pleasant talk. But they all went to bed early, as the next days was full of activities again! At 10.15 h I was also hitting my cabin.

The night was calm on driving, but the boat didn’t really stop driving…where the hell would they go? I had something like “100 km” in my ears, a distance I may be able to paddle back for the pleasure of being on the boat. I had my GPS tracking on, and the miles were adding up…I couldn’t really get much sleep, my bad “trip conscience” didn’t let me…did I really make the right decision staying on the boat? Were those few hours of being social, reduced by my sea sickness,  really worth it – for both sides? I really felt bad, as once the boat eventually stopped moving at 6 am, we had covered about 250 km into Caleta Leptepu!!! Well, we were going north and then turned into a fjord east and eventually south again, but the remaining distance to my hosts close to Puerto Montt was only a mere 118 km in calm Fjord waters, opposed to 205 km originally around a bit of open sea coast!

I had to find a way to get back to the pick up point…we may find another boat going back south? Or maybe this boat will move south again? Or maybe – crazy idea – I may get a helicopter flight back to the pick up point???