THE INCA TRAIL

the big South American adventure rally

Day 42: Comodoro Rivadavia - Trelew (547km)

Penguins ahoy!

Aaah ...

No snow? Not to worry: these Magellans move north to warmer Brazil for their winter hols.

At the small fishing town of Camarones (the name means 'shrimps') the Classics began today's Regularity section, and the 4x4s an Explorer Section. Within minutes of our Course Cars arriving, it seemed as though the entire population of the place was surrounding us, offering each crew stickers to commemorate their passing. All this on the basis of our final route survey team having left an event programme at each petrol station when they passed through back in July.


A gloriously deserted piece of coastline. Deep sapphire-blue sea; deserted beaches, devoid of buildings. Now if there Europe ...


At Punto Tombo, we turned off the main road to a penguin reservation. Thousands of Magellanic Penguins live here during the summer, in holes in the sandy ground or under bushes. It's the nesting season right now, and if people were lucky they could spot a small chick nestling under its mother, or even an egg hatching open. Magic.


We are in Welsh Patagonia now, and at Trelew in the evening we were treated to a short reception, held at the magnificently presented Dinosaur Museum. The highlight was a performance of harmony singing from a mixed choir: South American songs, maybe, but presented in the traditional Welsh harmonic style. An old tradition mingling with the latterday culture.

Time will tell

At the beginning of the event, we were reporting a lot on mechanical and especially suspension problems faced by the Classics on this tough event. But now the pace is beginning to tell on some of the newer 4x4 machinery as well. The Nelans' Chevy Avalanche has automatic transmission problems, and is limping along in second gear, until they reach Buenos Aires for some major surgery.


The Hyundai Galloper of Barry Aughey, Eugene Courtney and Gerry McGuigan was stricken with engine problems at Rio Grande. They've had it taken to Buenos Aires to be fixed, and meantime are travelling as passengers in a variety of vehicles in the rest of the field.


Even the Audi Allroad of Anna and Jonathan Pelly-Fry finally proved that it is mortal after all, and not a chariot of the gods. Soon after leaving the penguin colony, an air hose on their suspension burst, leaving them to drive on slowly and seek assistance at Trelew. Audis are not common in South America, so maybe we feared the worst. They were lucky: something similar from a Citroen was found and modified, so they can breathe again.


But today it was Chris and Jill Wray's turn to suffer. A holed radiator led to a blown cylinder head gasket, which they discovered at a fuel station: there was oil all down the vehicle's side. They were found by the 'Three Musketeers' - the Toyota Landcruisers of Spencer and Carole Flack, Michael and Margaret Waterhouse and John and Jill May.


They took it in turns to tow Chris (on a short rope) some 200km to Trelew - rather fast. So fast that the stones from the gravel road shattered the windscreen and front lamps. Chris eventually arrived at our hotel covered in dust, but feeling pretty happy.


'We got to a garage here, who pointed us in the direction of a Hyundai specialist. It was around 6.00pm: all his staff were about to go home. But when he knew what we needed, he couldn't do too much to help, and they stayed on to work on the car. He found us a new windscreen, lamps, radiator and head gasket, and promises it'll all be fixed by midnight tonight. Aren't people in South America wonderful?'


Apparently, there was so much dust inside the Hyundai after Chris's mammoth tow that the immaculately-overalled owner of the outfit couldn't get in until he'd found a sheet to cover the seats ...

Guardian angels

The Municipality arranged special guards to look after the rally cars overnight in a central car park. Two 'mounties' arrived on a pair of splendid horses. Their uniforms were an interesting camouflage blue. Were they Marines? Could they have been riding sea horses??