Expeditions

Two New Yorkers get ready for the first-ever paddle around the tip of South America.

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, hope to accomplish this first-ever trip but realize with objective hazards like wind, waves, whale sharks, accountants, pigmies and the excessive luggage surcharges, that their expedition across two oceans and two countries will be the toughest trip of their lives.

"The expedition is evolving like nothing else I have done before," said Demuth in an email to Adventure Kayak.

"It became actually fun planning it. However, we are a little nervous about some sections about the coastline, like in the entrance of the Strait of Magellan where we have to paddle with an 8-knot current westwards into the prevailing wind. It will be interesting what 10 miles-per-hour of current against 30 miles-per-hour of wind will look like!"

Starting in Ushuaia, Argentina – the southernmost city in the world – Demuth and Wruszek will set out 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.”

The expedition will raise funds and paddling gear for Achilles, a non-profit New York-based organization, which enables people with disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics.

For more info visit tierradelfuego2010.com and marcusdemuth.com.