Hot Springs Beach to Punta la Ballena, April 6th 2009.

When we launched in the morning the tide was high. I trolled my hand in the water as I crossed the spit but detected nothing of the hot water under the waves. We paddled southeast with a wind at our backs. The wind helped those of us who had sails. Most of the day the sun hid behind a high deck of clouds. Occasionally it peaked out and I became hot but most of the day the clouds kept us cool.

Around lunchtime we rounded Punta Aguia. Just before the point was an oasis of palm trees in an arroyo. The point is almost an island with a narrow spit only crossed by big storms. A concrete house sites in the middle of the spit.

After stopping for lunch we traveled almost straight east along a rugged cliffy coastline. We turned south at Punta la Ballena and around into a south facing cove. The cove was full of yachts. Herb Howe says that camping on a beach next to yachts is like camping in a mobile home park full of generators. So we cut across the cove to an east facing beach. The north end had a nice area protected from the wind, but the beach was cobble stones. I bounced in for a landing to check it out and Herb helped convince everyone else to land after me.