The day started with a very basic but effective day hatch repair, I have had a problem with the day hatch leaking the entire trip so have resorted to duck tap to solve the problem. My kayak is so low in the water that the back of the boat spends a lot of its time underwater. A Sea Eagle farewelled us from Burrum heads, it was the last living thing we saw for four hours of ocean paddling – we both commented that it was like paddling through a liquid desert.
The surf landing at Elliot heads saw Marty execute a very effective right hand broach, a tough manoeuvre in a kayak weighing almost 200kgs. We both celebrated.
Tonight we are sitting around a fire with good friends at Bagara, yes another hot shower, great food, some red wine and plans for future adventures. All this is soon to be followed by a comfortable bed, the first for a couple of weeks. Some tough paddling to come over the coming days with northerly winds forecast which will test our paddling skill. The coast has turned from sand to rock, so our planning has to be bullet proof over the coming week.
You will have noticed the marine maps on my kayak in some of the photos – we plan several days ahead and record weather, wind and tide forecasts on the map so we can plan our trip. I estimate nautical miles covered against our paddling speed to determine where we will likely be in relation to the wind and tide forecasts. Much of the success of the days paddling is owed to the planning that has gone in days before, I am loving ocean navigation. DT
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