On December 16th, 2009, New York paddlers Marcus Demuth and Biff Wruszek will 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 will raise funds and awareness, and collect gently-used paddling gear, for Achilles, a New York based nonprofit that enables people with all types of disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics. Starting at the southernmost city in the world – Ushuaia, Argentina – Marcus and Biff will complete the 1,000-mile trip in an anti-clockwise direction, in one of the harshest maritime climates in the world. The Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego Pilot book describes the coastline as “without exaggeration, one of the toughest a yacht is likely to meet”. Nevertheless, fueled by the prospect of experiencing the beauty of the 100-mile-wide Cordillera Darwin; the abundant maritime wildlife; and the charm of the Patagonian people living in this remote region; Marcus and Biff are confident the expedition will not only be a success, but also the most intense trip of their lives.

Here’s what Marcus has to say about their preparation for the expedition: On an autumnal Monday evening, my expedition partner – Biff Wruszek – and I fell out of our Monday night Spanish class into our favorite tavern in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City. After months of careful planning, we were giddy as we realized we had done it! We had planned, paid for and committed ourselves to a 10 week attempt to circumnavigate Tierra del Fuego by kayak! The excitement rose and the beers went down as we tried to imagine the surroundings, the people, the issues we would encounter, and the seas! We were really going! What’s more, after weeks of…

• poring over charts, photographs and internet descriptions of the area
• attending weekly Spanish classes so we could try and communicate with the Fuegians
• buying and sorting gear
• setting up a website and blog for the expedition (click for link)
• setting up a fundraising website (click for link)
• holding a fundraiser at Manhattan’s Pier 66 boathouse
• modifying Biff’s KayakPro Nemo boat to withstand months of paddling in a harsh maritime climate
• assembling / building a crate to ship the Nemo and, last but not least
• finalizing the shipping arrangements for our kayaks: the KayakPro Nemo and the Valley Nordkapp 3-piece

and…we were READY!…Or so we thought! With just 2 weeks to go before our flights took off to Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Ushuaia [!], one of the cargo companies called to query the length of the KayakPro Nemo. They had had the dimensions for 2 months, but when it came to the ‘doing’ part, they were uneasy. “Do you know its 18’ long” they asked Biff. She did [see the crate building photos]. Much to our angst – due to the length of the boat and a couple of export / import issues – the order was momentarily cancelled. Luckily the day was saved when a kayaker within the company heard the sorry tale, and made it their personal agenda to get to Biff’s kayak to Ushuaia. Hooray for the paddling community! It was around this time that Biff read the small print on the LAN Airlines web site. Faster than we could say “The small print applies to us?” the airline informed us they would not accept kayaks – or paddles – as checked luggage (they did 2 years ago). With 8 days until take off, we’re in the midst of the drama, coming up with strategies to get the NordKapp to Ushuaia. If worst comes to worst and the Nordkapp cannot be shipped, there will be a scramble to find a boat upon our arrival. All that said – Nordkapp or no Nordkapp – Nemo or no Nemo [should it arrive, it will still have to be extricated from Argentinean customs] – neither of us can wait to be on that flight to Lima.

Marcus and Biff will be wearing the Kokatat GORE-TEX Expedition Dry Suit (click for link)