Day 2
Awoke not feeling too bad given the unfamiliar and extended exercise of yesterday. The clouds had rolled in, however, and the forecast of rain was looking more and more accurate.
After an amazing breakfast on board the Don Miguel, we suited up in our kayaking gear and headed off towards Quintupeu Fjord.
The weather progressively got worse over the 2.5 hours we were paddling, and for the last 1/2 hour to the waterfall, we were paddling in the rain. Not cold (too much exercise for that), and initially not unpleasant. But we were glad to abandon the kayaks and retreat to the mothership when the rain started pelting down about 15 minutes after arriving.
We were meant to continue paddling up Quintupeu Fjord and stay the night at the end of it, but given the weather and the abysmal forecast for the rest of the day, we agreed that we’d actually motor around to the next Fjord and cut short the super-long paddle (20 miles!) scheduled for Day 3. Given my struggles with the paddle, I was all for it.
Once we arrived in Cahuelmó Fjord, we found a sheltered spot and tied up alongside some fishermen who were diving for mussels. They very generously gave us some of their haul, and we sat around drinking coffee and eating mussels for the next 7 hours – waiting out the very impressive storm (horizontal bullets of rain, incredibly strong winds, huge swell, low visibility) in the wheelhouse of the Don Miguel. At this point, the others all agreed that abandoning the original plan for the day was a great idea!
Eventually, the storm abated, and we were able to head out and enjoy the sunset – having decided to roll out sleeping bags in the bottom of the mothership, rather than trying to find somewhere dry to camp.
Thought for the day: who knew kayaking hurt the knees so much?! Though it has occurred to me that it would be the perfect sport given my arthritic toes.
