Patagonia Expedition Race
Blown Away by the Patagonian Winds
Jacqueline Windh / 13.02.2005
I am writing these hurried reports on the afternoon of Day 2, from PC3 Perales Ranch on the northern shore of Ultima Esperanza Sound and just south of Torres del Paine National Park. It has been a crazy 24 hours. Last week, after writing my background articles about the strong winds that we had had here over the previous weeks, the wind suddenly stopped. The teams arrived to Punta Arenas to find warm sunny days, with lazy little waves lapping gently along the seashores – no doubt wondering “What is all the hype about?�
Well, yesterday they found out!
At PC2 Lake Grey, at 1:00 pm, the lake rippled over and within minutes a 40 knot wind was howling. Leaving PC2 by car to get around to PC3, we ran into the team Jean Mermoz Argentina (disqualified for not making the PC by the cut-off time after getting lost), leaning into the wind which was hard to even stand up in, and with eyes closed against the dust, slowly pushing their bikes. It was a sad sight as they fought to make it to the PC.
By late afternoon, it was blowing 50 knot winds (that’s 100 km/h) here at PC3 Perales, driving sheets of water horizontally across the seas. From the dock here I could see waterspouts passing every few minutes – mini-tornadoes full of seawater and spray, that move quickly across the sea in this type of gale.
By evening, all teams were accounted for except two. Most teams were camped on shore, the Americans Fukawi had been rescued on the water by the Chilean Navy, one Russian kayak double had been rescued by a support zodiac – but the other Russian pair was missing.
I have a strong sea-kayaking background, as a former guide and instructor on similar waters at Vancouver Island, and along with the PER race organizers, the local Perales Ranch owners (who have that ever-important “local knowledge�) and the Chilean Navy, I helped work on the rescue operations (hence the rushed and late reporting).
The Perales crew searched the shorelines where they thought that the kayakers might have ended up, and to our immense relief located them at midnight. They had been blown many kilometers past the PC, and had only just made it to shore minutes before we located them.
So none of us have had any sleep ... but all are accounted for, safe and sound. See All Event Posts
