Day 4 - Paradise Found
13 December 2011 | 42 09.9'S:72 26.8'W, Chilean Costal / Estero Quintupeu
Zia
We motored on to Est´ro Quintupeu. We were going to take a look around and then sail across Golfo De Ancud to be closer to Castro as we need to drop Sven there in the next few days. However this little piece of the coast captured our hearts. The guide book says, " this wonderful inlet is around 3 miles long and is surrounded by high peaks and thundering waterfalls". Another understatement if you ask me. It was paradise. The waterfalls were many and thundering. The peaks lofty and snowy. The vegetation was lush, green and dense. The water calm. We got out the Hobie kayak for a pedal paddle exploration. Jeff and I peddled around the sandbars and along the shore. Tiny crabs scuttled around on the bottom hiding under pieces of seaweed when our shadow past by. Where the water was too deep to see the bottom, it was velvety greenish black. Sven took the dinghy and fought his way along a river and through dense vegetation to a waterfall. He was soaked and scratched to his upper thighs, but smiling. I collected some wild fushia branches with their ballerina shaped flowers dangling daintily and another small red bell shaped flower that dangled from woody stems. These I displayed in the small vases I brought for just this thing. We all took the dinghy to the largest thundering waterfall. Sven wanted to see if it was climbable. No way! Way too steep and powerful. He commented that it wasn't for kayaking either. Indeed not! But it was spectacular. Jeff and I climbed up the rocks as far as we dared and sat by it. Sven fished nearby, and later climbed much higher and closer to the wild beauty. We decide to stay here overnight even though we will have a long day sailing tomorrow. It is so quiet, peaceful and refreshing. This is why we sail, Jeff and I will return to the paradise of Est´ro Quintupeu someday, hopefully soon.