Pos 45:02.2S 41:2W at anchor

Puerto Madryn pics:

                   Commodore Puerto Madryn                                   Deputy

                                          Our Pilot

07112011 Caleta Horno

                               The fog lifts                                                                          Long lines ashore

Another line run to a wire strop attached to rocks ahead of us and the boat now sits securely between the two lines and its anchor, ready for any blow.

                                Slippery                                                                                            Long lines 

1030 Lars and Thomas return from their "reckky" having found a suitable landing site.

All aboard the dinghy and armed with walking boots and cameras we weave our way through the kelps fronds to land on sand and shingle beach.

                                 Landing beach                                                              Boots on

Boots on, cameras at the ready, we climb the sloping beach to the to the scrub covered plane above.

We set out in different directions some follow the cliff line overlooking “Dawnbreaker” in the bay below, while others head out along a track that runs inland.

                              Entrance                                                                                 Up the creek

We spot a small herd of Guanacos?, foxy brown coloured, llama like in size and shape, off in the distance and apart from a well camouflaged lizard

and a couple black buzzards like birds circling overhead there’s not a lot of life.

                                Guanacos?                                                                               Bird!

Lars and I set off to the next bay to investigate a large structure on the shore. Following a track with signs of recent activity and repair where past rains

have wash it away we reach what turns out to be a large navigation lead in mark constructed of concrete pillars.

From here we are heading to the beach when in the distance we spot the “Traffic” in the form of a quad bike and its occupants talking to Thomas.

                                                                                                      Paper police

Apparently they are from the Prefectura who we contacted last night and have driven across country from Camarone some 30 kilometres away with the inevitable papers to be signed.

Fun and games getting into the dinghy as the incoming tide has produced a few breakers which crash over the transom as we try to board and chaos ensues.

Back aboard and its lunch while Lars has the chart out and having spotted the highest point on land insist we head for it this afternoon.

Thomas ferries us ashore and continues his exploration of the creek by dinghy. We meet up with him as we cross the sands flats and small stream at the head of the creek.

                               Striding out                                                                        How do we get across?

                             Shall I jump?                                                                              Thomas up the creek

A route march across valleys and hills till we get to our objective and add a few more rocks to the cairn that someone has started then back.

As we work our way down the final valley to the beach it gets narrower and starts looking like a mini grand canyon.

Then there’s a six foot drop with a dead sheep at the bottom which either came to grief when it fell over or died of lack of water/ food trapped in the cove.

                            Top at last                                                                         Late sheep

Back aboard and a well deserved beer or two and a shower off the stern. Peter decides to try the water, we watch, silly boy! He’s out in a flash though it is 13C .

                                    Silly boy                                                                                    Whats the problem

The weather has been kind, hot in the sun but the wind is from the south and the Antarctic and it certainly feels like it with a cold cutting edge.

Bob the Blog