Pos: here
Loc: Isla Basket
Acc: tent
Dist: 3,9 km
Start: 13:15 End: 14:20

I fell asleep last night with a very sore feeling all over my body after this challenging headwind paddle for 40 km, and woke accordingly sore, barely able to move. But I knew I could sleep in this morning regarding the wind forecast, and I just about opened my eyes at 8.30 am. I could hear it by the sound of the wind with the strong gusts in between, that it was much stronger than yesterday when I landed…no paddling today…and tomorrow…maybe Thursday morning…but Friday to Sunday seemed to be easier wind.

I read all morning, but around noon I felt the gusts got less strong and frequent…but my tent site was in a sheltered bay…was it really possible to go? Well, what can happen…only that I either have to turn around, or to find another camp site further along the way. The water is sheltered and not big, just wind choppy, but the wind may be still ugly…

The final decision made my feet…they were warm and cozy, and my body felt not too sore any more. I thought I should rather give it a try instead of sitting around for another two days, and packed…

Paddling out of the bay was already tough, as there was additionally a strong counter current coming around the corner. I decided to change course and to cross south directly to Isla Brecknock (?), where I was hoping to find shelter from the west wind. Tough paddling, abut I made headway into the small lee of a tiny island in between, then continued to the main island.

But the was no shelter at all to be found, even in the kelp area it was still blowing. the wind in those channels was really funnelling into every corner! Well, if here is no shelter, where else…the crossing west to the next island would even be more ugly.

I spotted a small beach, guessed I at least gave it a try today and can’t feel guilty about not having paddled, and rather looked for a new campsite. The beach was marginal as all beaches are here, but besides the mouth of a tiny creek there is usually a bit wider, higher gravel or sand bar, just about big enough to stay dry for one single tent.

Well, you always have to do a bit of leveling work with the feet to have an even surface to sleep on. But I rather take those spots, accepting high tide coming close to the tent, than camping on the soft but soaking and uneven higher grass and moss, if possible at all. There you never know if you press harder with a foot or elbow if the tent floor holds up and won’t fill with water…though my Hilleberg tent floor usually is fully waterproof. But the rough treatment on Isla Deceit left some tiny rock holes allover, and I’m not sure of it any more.

Reading high tide mark in the beach sand is usually no problem, still I rather wake up at night and have a look :-). Pitching the tent with rock weights sometimes feels like an old kiddy game, building a new “cave” home! But it rather gave me ugly memories back to my Isla Deceit camp site…I really would like to forget that spot! The whole experience around Cape Horn, including the pictures of Alejandro’s death, made me actually a little more carefully on each paddle…maybe it’s good…how was that one comment? “There are old pilots and there are bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots…” – how true…

A real *catastrophe* just happened – my e-book’s battery is empty! Never have I run it fully down so far…I connected it to my computer to charge, see whatwill last longer longer…computer battery, or e-book battery…but I rather want to go *paddling* than reading!!!

The ducks outside are making protesting noise I’m here…actually, no animal is more stupid than those ducks… when I’m approaching a family with a bundle of young ducklings, both parents pretend to be sick and “fly” with lame wings ahead of you for half an hour, pretending they are the easier prey to catch. This is quite annoying, to have such a “clever” stupid duck in front of you that long… 🙂