[pe2-image src=”http://lh4.ggpht.com/-adB69-p8AHM/UW2JxnfsvmI/AAAAAAAAUqw/0JEY5ecUry8/s144-c-o/P4100003.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867497375042158178″ caption=”Sandblasted camp at Ensenada El Puente” type=”image” alt=”P4100003.JPG” ]

Pos: here
Loc: Ensenada El Puente
Acc: tent
Dist: 22.5 km
Start: 5:35 End: 10:10

I slept well, no one came for further check ups or more exercises tonight. I woke at 4 am, and was ready to go, including breakfast, sitting on my kayak at 5.25 am. But as there was some surf, I rather waited ten more minutes to go safely through it.

I checked all night if the wind went down, and had more than one peep outside if the night looked bright enough and inviting to launch. But honestly, it really didn’t! It was quite dark, no moon, few stars coming through some clouds. If I may have been able to start from a dead calm bay – maybe I might have started.

But turning around the pointy headland of Punta de la Garita almost 90 degrees made me thinking it was better *not* to be out here in dark night – this headland had quite some big seas going! In general, the surface was reasonable calm in the low morning wind, but the swell went over two meters high. And this means a lot here in the Caribbean, as the wave period is so short.

In the Pacific, up to four meters of swell was usually no problem with low to moderate wind on top, just the landings had to be very sheltered.
Here, I learned the increasing wind whips the swell up so confused and ugly you better be prepared any time to land somewhere.

I made progress all right the first hours, certainly noticing  my heavily loaded kayak. Time to eat and drink more to get it lighter! 
But like yesterday, around 9 am the first breeze came up, and at 10 am it was already breaking everywhere. I may have kept on paddling for another half an hour, but my chart showed me another headland, and I spotted a reasonable looking landing and camping beach.

The beach had just two high rise buildings in the background, and some lower bungalows, and it looked like it was privately maintained with some guys sweeping the beach in blue shirts, looking like guards on duty.

But I *had* to land here, no other beach. Only one smaller one I spotted between the cliffs, but coming nearer, the surf upfront there looked too threatening.

So I rather turned in, went all right through the moderate confused but not really trash surf, and landed to the left of the beach guards tent.

I was just busy unloading, as surely four blue-shirted guards with three elderly ladies came up to see who is disturbing them in their privacy. But I greeted them friendly, introduced myself and my trip politely, and the agreed to me putting up my tent in this “case of emergency”. They may have been even a little impressed 🙂

I had to fill a long day now on a hot windy beach, but the breeze through my open tent doors kept the sweat a bit at bay. Just that I am slowly looking like a nicely panaded piece of meat, as the fine sand goes mostly through my bug net doors of the tent. But rather that than no breeze at all, or shaking up and down staying on the small coast guard boat. My computer gets a nice sand blast also…

The guys swapped boats and crew this morning, good for the old team to be able to go home and to recover!
For sure I had to tell the new team where to drive again…but once they get it, I have my privacy and peace. They may have been a bit disappointed not to be able to play “Big Brother is watching you” all day, and as my paddling day was short anyway. They are now anchoring out there in quite some seas…poor guys! I am glad to be on the beach, sand blast or not. And with the private guards probably quite safe here anyway.