Tierra Del Fuego Expedition 2010
"I have been very lucky. The kayak has been my passport."
Paul Caffyn
Not as planned ...
Tierra Del Fuego Expedition 2010
On December 16th, 2009, New York based paddlers Marcus Demuth and Biff Wruszek set out to the southernmost tip of Patagonia to attempt the first circumnavigation of Isla Grande Tierra del Fuego – South America 's largest island. The expedition raised funds and paddling gear for Achilles, a non-profit New York-based organization, which enables people with disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics.
Demuth, a German-born musician turned kayak guide who’s circumnavigated Ireland and the Falkland Islands, and Wruszek, a British-born rock climber turned paddler embarking on her first major paddling venture, hoped to accomplish this first-ever trip but realized with objective hazards like wind, waves, whale sharks, accountants, pigmies and the excessive luggage surcharges, that their expedition across two oceans and two countries was not only cut short, but was also be the toughest trip of their lives.
Starting in Punta Arenas, Chile, Demuth and Wruszek set out with the goal to complete the 1,100-mile trip counter-clockwise in what is considered one of the harshest maritime climates in the world. "The Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego Pilot book" calls the exposed coastline "one of the toughest a yacht is likely to meet". Nevertheless, Demuth and Wruszek are fueled by the desire to experience the beauty of the 100 mile wide Cordillera Darwin; the abundant wildlife; and the charm of the people living in this sparsely populated region which the Anglo-Argentine author and explorer Lucas Bridges called “The Uttermost part of the Earth.” However, the expedition came to a grinding halt after rounding Cabo San Diego, the far South eastern tip of Tierra Del Fuego, where the duo was plagued by strong and persistent winds which had no intention to abate.
To read more about the trip, pleas click here to access the article from Ocean paddle Magazine #20 (April/May 2010), or here to watch the video on Adventure Kayak's Magazine's website, summarizing the trip.
Thank you!!
- Peter Orton, and the crew at Valley Sea Kayaks in Nottingham, UK for building me 2 kayaks within 6 months (one for Tierra Del Fuego, and one for my UK trip starting May of 2010)
- Marta and Lisa at Kokatat
- Jim at Werner Paddles
- Karel from kayakweather.com, who sent us daily text weather forecasts to our sat phone.
- Eric Stiller, my friend and boss at Manhattan Kayak Company
- All paddlers from Pier 66 in NYC, and all kayakers and sailors at Sebago Canoe Club in NYC.
- And of course the people we met in Argentina and Chile. All kayakers we met invited us in their houses, treated us like good old friends, and started immediately cooking. My special thank you goes to Kiko, his wife Veronica, and their kids Macka and Vincent in Punta Arenas. Kiko drove us trough Punta Arenas for many days, helping us to get the kayaks out of customs, to deal with the Coast Guard permits, and with so any small and larger problems we faced in our first days (or better: weeks) in Argentina and Punta Arenas.
- Alejandro and Walter from Buenos Aires. We met Walter and Alejandro in Ushuaia, they arranged Argentinian kayaks for us free of charge from the manufacturers in case our kayaks will not arrive. On top of that, they invited us for many dinners in Ushuaia, and helped us with so many other issues in Ushuaia, the list would be too long to list here.
- The kayakers from the kayak club "Eco Deportes" in Ushuaia, Argentina who helped us so much before and during our trip.
Thank you all!!!