Justine’s Blog

Day 30, Day 5 from Punta Arenas – Sunday 19 February.

6.18am: Back to getting up in the dark as yet another headwind is due to blow up this afternoon. The pressure has been dropping and the trees swaying. It was lovely at first light, though.

1.25pm: The headwind was less than expected and the tide was with us so we made good progress. Camping options are limited. We are on a tiny, uneven patch of grass, worryingly close to the sea.

2.49pm: S54.22.3 W71.26.0,  Isla Amaya. We are camped in a pretty sheltered lagoon between two islands. High tide is about 2am so we’ll need to set our alarm to check the water!

Day 29, Day 4 from Punta Arenas – Saturday 18 February.

6.54am: We are making a fairly early start as another headwind is due later. Lovely pink clouds at sunrise!

2.46pm: S54.21.52 W71.04.16 . We were paddling against a light to moderate headwind for most of the day. It is very cold but the scenery is stunning. We are camped opposite a big glacier, busy cooking on the fire that we have made.

Day 28, Day 3 from Punta Arenas – Friday 17 February

7.28am: We have woken up to a rainy morning and there is a headwind due to blow all day. We have decided to get on the water and see how we get on, as we can’t tell how windy it is from here.

4.15pm: 54.07.63 W71.00.3. A grey, misty morning with the predicted headwind turned into a brighter, mostly calm day. The mist rose revealing peaks and glaciers. We saw seals jumping out of the water and a humpback whale really close. We are in a narrow bay, Puerto Hope! It was hard to find a campsite so we are hoping that the tide doesn’t come up above the tent!

Day 27, Day 2 from Punta Arenas – Thursday 16 Februrary.

6.45am: The nights are getting colder! The wind dropped totally in the night and we shall be on the water about 8.00am.

7.36pm, 3.53.54 W70.54.42 : A long day today with an unforecast south easterly wind blowing for the six mile crossing to Isla Dawson and then a strong headwind making us work hard. The plus side was gorgeous mountains and loads of penguins and albatros along the way. We headed for a campsite that had been recommended to us but it was too windy for us to reach it. We are camped next to a decrepid old house frame. Feeing tired but with a good fire going!