Pos: here
Loc: North Bay of Los Maitenes headland
Acc: tent
Dist: 50 km
Start: 8:40 End: 16:20

Tomorrow:
Estimated landing: Caleta Higuera
Estimated starting time: Right after sunrise
Estimated landing time: Well before sunset

Our landing yesterday was already in quite some wind, which breezed up during the night. The tent was flattering in the wind, despite being strapped tight to the max. I even got up at midnight for a check, but all was fine. The harbor lighthouse was flashing, and our poor tent just got another sand blast.

In the morning, the surf has lifted a bit, and we were not that much looking forward to go out this morning…still about 20 knots, but the swell was under 4 m and not breaking looking out there. It looked just a bit rough…

Actually, during the day it felt like the wind went down and the swell went up! But first, we had to launch…

I went first in, about 50 m to the left from Peter, who not fully ready to go yet. I was waiting in the shallows nicely afloat for a gap in the breaker, but for some reason there was no obvious one coming very soon! I kept on waiting, the strong wind blew me toward Peter, and meanwhile I saw him just 10 m besides me punching through the waves with male force instead of brain! 🙂 Not that he should have been waiting for me being gone out of the surf zone… He caught about fiver very thick wet ones, fortunately stayed upright and straight, and was eventually free of the surf, while I was still waiting for the “right” low one…which somehow came sooner or later, thought it was still also a bit splashy. The main danger in the sea are the other kayakers…

The paddle itself was quick with 7 km/ h average, until lunchtime, when the tide changed! I did not expect so nice current this morning, as the tidal range is low, but also surely the wind was pushing nicely on smooth but big swell. The last two hours were a bit of tougher to go, the sea broke up with current against wind, and we had to work a bit harder!

It was all rocky coast, with no chance of landing, and some low hanging clouds made me the last hours fighting a bit of seasickness. But it was all good eventually turning around the rugged headland into the very calm landing bay!

A bigger fishing boat with a cabin from Constitucion was moored in the bay, and a bunch of young motorbike campers form Santiago were greeting us also on shore. There were just about three smaller fishing boats anchoring, and one single hut. Not much for such a sheltered place!

I opted for changing first, as I was already “paddling wet”, means in my lightweight Kokatat Gore Tex Paclite Anorak only, plus in the Kokatat surf skin pants. Enough for fast paddling, but not enough to run around wet after landing.

Another miraculous distant Navy car visit happened tonight, they came driving down and were talking to the motor biker but not to us! Well, I don’t mind, as I was just about hiding for a shower behind a large rock which takes me a while, when they came… but I’m still not used NOT to have a visit 🙂 But it may stay like that, as all informations they are usually asking for I have on my website…though anything is still only estimation.

We are hoping for a calm night, as the motor biker are hopefully also tired…?