Pos: here
Loc: Isla San Pedro
Acc: Navy Station
Dist: 29,7 km
Start: 7:10 End: 12:30

The noise of this night was the increasing lapping swell on my rock – earplugs…it was quite a fresh breeze during the night, but my rock was sheltered, I could just hear the noise of the trees moving in the wind! Yesterday, I felt sorry to have to pick such a shady place, just around the corner was still sunshine for a few hours in the night, but no rock place to camp on. And it would have been windy there!

All day today I tried to spot campsites – hard to find some, very hard…just rock spots, more or less good and accessible. The last two beautiful white cobblestone beaches were withing the reach of an old glacier site, I assume, as the water before it was quite milky coming down the glacier range. But who knows what is creating nice beaches? I really tried to figure it out during the last weeks, but where you assume must be one, is not always one, and sometimes a most beautiful one is along a main channel. But so far, I always found a reasonable camp spot in reasonable time. Not always reasonable for two people, though…

My first check again this morning was about the weather – first, if it would hold up to reach the Navy station safely (no problem), and second, how the long term outlook would be – very bad! So still direction “detour” to the Navy station… 🙁

I easily paddled out into the main channel again up to Isla San Pedro, leaving the “dead water area” of the quiet “Canal Pluddemann” where my campsite was, behind me. Paddling on the very calm millpond like water in the channels is like having sex with a dead body – you like to move your hips around with your eventually grown tight to you long pointy thing, but no response…

I was finding another “dead boat” – a yellow fishing boat with a small cabin parked along the eastern side of Isla Juan Stuven nicely sideways on the rocks – I’d give him no ticket for that! – and another two dead whales, one from the distance- I assumed it was one, and one close by at Isla Penguin. He was at a more rotten stage than that other one close by two days ago, stinking already miles ahead. He was quite dissolved, as I saw bones and vertebrae in the clear water on the ground and on the rocks. Only the blubber seemed to still float, more or less in one piece…

As soon as I turned around the corner of Isla Penguin, I could spot the house of the Navy station and a few antennas on Isla San Pedro. I was calling the station on my VHF radio, now within view in reach of the antenna, to announce my arrival within about 2 1/2 hours and just leaving Isla Penguin, as I was not sure if the people on the station or any other Navy person informing them read my blog and knew I’d be coming today!

The guy on the radio seemed to have understood what I was saying, and I kept on paddling. I left my VHF on, just in case…

I got a call from the station about 40 min close to Isla San Pedro. They wanted to know my estimated arrival time and my position. Ok, again…

The house and the landing was easily visible, and I had no doubt I had to land there and no where else! But I was looking in vain for a welcome committee! No kids excited about a visitor, no smart Navy guy in uniform waiting for me at the landing like at Isla Hornos or like at all the other four Navy stations I visited! Strange…I called the station again to let them know I was just down there now at the landing, and they seemed to have understood.

The landing was not easy, but I was keen to make it myself now! They had a nice high jetty built on the rocks, made for good size boats to tie up and to unload, but no beach for small boats, or another low jetty to make it easy! And there was some swell on the rocks! Not much, but so much, that it was spraying high running into a very narrow gully at the end of the jetty. This was quite scary looking!

I checked around, but there was no other landing option besides close, almost under the jetty on the rocks. No help in sight, but fortunately a square meter of just flooded flat rocks which made landing at least possible. Still not easy not to damage my kayak in the up and down sucking swell! But it could have been worse.

I jumped out in a no swell second, with my bow rope in my hand, just in case it would catch me in a bad second, and quickly dragged my boat higher up at least out of the main swell danger zone. I could tie it to an old iron pole, and started unloading. But for sure, a wave washed it a bit up and on to the side, that I lost a dry bag and my gas can temporarily stored in the cockpit while unloading, which bailed out floated in the water! No other choice than to jump in and to catch it quickly before it washed away!!! Almost a full swim…thank goodness to a dry dry suit…

Still no people in sight! Well…the boat was eventually fully empty, and I felt so sorry I had to drag it up the rocks a few meters by myself…but no other choice for my baby! I eventually pulled it over the wooden edge of the board walk, secured it, lined up my bags, and decided simply to walk now up to the house!

I packed two of my gear bags, and climbed the more or less well maintained boardwalk to the house I could see far from the distance. The door on the office side was open, so they expected me! But coming closer, just about to take the side boardwalk leading to the open office door, I noticed with some fright this big Navy house, looking very good and inviting from the distance, was abandoned! A ghost house! And the side board walk was fully rotten…where the heck was that guy of the Faro San Pedro Radio Station then I was talking to, and who obviously existed and not a ghost? This was Isla San Pedro, this was a well maintained landing, this was the only board walk, and this was the only house I could see…

I called them again, to tell them I’m at the old house, where is the new one? But the conversation felt a bit confused in English, though he told me if I’d need food or something else I should come up to his house, and then he told me to stay tuned on channel 16…would he come and eventually pick me up?

Well, no reason to wait, there was only one other option to find the new house, if this one was simply the old abandoned Navy station…just to keep on walking on the board walk which lead to the antennas on the further north eastern side of the island.

The only problem was the board walk itself…I was already loaded with heavy gear bags, and the planks were really not looking reliable at all…the handrail was either missing partially, or that loose that you better not touch it, and with each step I was thinking I’d break through the wood…was this really the right way to the new house?

Soon I heard the noise of the electricity generator all remote housing sites have running, and turning around the next corner after about 2,5 km of really not trustworthy, partially quite high above the ground, boardwalk I could see a few buildings…a small green house, a shed, an huge new sat antenna, and there it was! The new house! Ok, it eventually turned out to be also no *that* new, but at least *newer* and in all right condition.

One guy came out to greet me, not really looking like the smart Navy husband of a well maintained family of four I was expecting, and now the mystery was solved!

This was a “bachelor’s” station! Yes, four people were living here, like I was told, but not a family like in all the other five stations I visited! Four *guys* were living and working here! Ok…was I arriving in a lion’s den?

It was actually not that bad…the station was built for such a configuration, and Juan, the boss, was keeping a good eye that everything was looking very clean and organized! Good guy… 🙂

I chatted to the guys as much as possible in “Spanglish”, and we checked Windguru for the long term forecast. Almost the whole week looks horrible! North wind every day over 20 knots, only two half days have around 15 knots…well…I think I need asylum here! And came just right in time! Lets see how this develops… at least I won’t starve now or later, and will not run out of battery power.

I was really yearningly looking all day while paddling to the other side of the exit out of the channel where I should be continuing, as it was still a beautiful day, but I think my decision to detour was right and to stop here. My body, especially my quite swollen finger joints, really needs some full days rest…and I think I made the best out of the long great weather spell!

I walked back with the two younger fellows once more the 2,5 km on the suspect board walk to the landing site to pick my other gear bags. One guy told me he is running this way every day to stay fit…a trampoline run? It sometimes feels like it…but without safety net!

A hot shower was a treat again, though freezing times are (hopefully not only temporarily) over. Before my shower, they showed me my room to sleep. It was equipped with a little messed up looking bunk bed, covered with whatever crap, no carpet and a piece of gym gear. Ok, I can sleep on the floor…but when I was done with my shower, the room had a freshly made, inviting looking single bed, a carpet, was very clean, and had even a cozy lit lamp on the side board! “Hotelier Navy” Juan directed his guys into action! Thanks very much for that attention! And even a hot lunch was already waiting…

I could have picked a worse place to stay! Though the expected “family life” to be part of again will be looking a bit different this time…I spotted already a tiny well equipped bar in one corner of the huge living room, a table tennis and pool billiard, plus a small simple gym…men’s toys! But the kitchen was clean and organized, the lunch table nicely laid, the food was great – thank you, guys!

In the afternoon I walked down to my kayak again to check on possible repairs and to take a few pictures while the weather was nice. I’m quite sure I’ll notice tomorrow in my legs the now seven times walk on this long board walk! I’m just not used to walking any more …I felt the same after the short stop in Puerto Eden, walking only a bit back and forth!

I’ll sleep well tonight – the noises of this night? Not sure about the engine and emergency radio running in the office all night, and there are chicken in the back yard… 🙂