Up at 4:30 and it looks like this might be the day that we can move, at least across the bay. The wind has mostly died, the waves have become mellow and there are a lot of clouds in the sky. All good omens for a weather window. Hope it lasts, being near town was okay, but would rather be away and looking at the mountains and sea rather than buildings. We paddled over 200 miles to get here and now are planning on reversing with a side trip to an island if the weather lets us. At first light were were loaded and ready to push off. Not too far out Don can not find his glasses so we quickly return to the beach, but no luck. Then as he is getting back into his boat there are the glasses. We try to keep our systems exact, but then there are the occasional slip up. Onward and with a steady pace we make it to the other side of the bay, By the time we had crossed though the wind started picking up and the swells increased. Quickly there were white caps and we knew that it was time to get off of the water. Since we had camped in Don Juan before we knew that as soon as we rounded the point we should have some good protection. Sure enough as we surfed the swells into the bay we soon saw calm water before us. It was only 8:30, not a long paddle day, but a good move to get away from the town and to set us up for the next moves. Since we had plenty of time, we paddled around the bay and checked out potential camp sites. We chose a well protected one and soon had a cozy camp for the day. Seemed like we should go hiking so we headed up the hill behind camp. Soon the next hill beckoned us and when we went over it we ended up on a flat volcanic plain. Lots of boulders were thrown in a explosion type event. On the horizon we could see the next bay. We may be doing some inching down the coast if the wind just gives us morning hours to paddle. Back at camp we explore an old fishing boat that is up on the shore. Always fun to think about the story it may tell. Don finds an old spoon covered in many years of sea growth, I think it is probably from an early explorer. The tide is going way out this evening, we are still confused about the pattern and the tide charts are of little help. Make pizza and rolls tonight. Lately most of our meals that we make while hiking are ones that we have dried and the cook time is minimal. This trip is a different approach and a lot of our time is food prep. To bed by 6:30 with hopes that we can get up early and do a move.
