Fri 13/04-2012 Day 228

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Gina, Cecilia and Harald, my local friendly hosts!

Pos: here
Loc: Qudico
Acc: Gina´s house
Dist: 58,1 km
Start: 00:00 End: 12:10

Around midnight, I saw the lights of a ship out there which was still quite far away, coming from the south, which looked very much like a Navy boat to me, but I may have been wrong. I was posting around 4.30 pm via sat phone on my blog I´d have to paddle through the night, and as I obviously didn´t call for assistance and it was my 21st ¨night out¨,  and conditions were reasonable easy, I didn´t need an escort, or I´d have called! But just in case the Navy was out there, thanks anyway. The lights of the ship made for a good hour a great ¨light house¨to navigate, then they disappeared in the darkness.

It is always amazing what kind of lights you think you see some times for may be few seconds only, some of them may have been real lights on shore like from a passing car, some may have been reflections, some may have been only on my mind?

At least in the first hour with still open sky I saw four shooting stars, and as you are allowed to make some wishes then, guess what I was wishing for myself? And then there was the bioluminescence in the water, always nice to watch!

But around 2 to maybe 3.30 am, there were no more lights, just dark gray sky with no stars, and the moon was also not visible. For an hour, I was paddling quite some zick zag with only the small arrow of the GPS pointing my way in the dark, and the sound of the breakers increasing or getting less. There was no wind to orientate, and the swell seemed to be low across the now rocky cliffs again and was barely noticeable. When there was just a tiny light on shore somewhere, you could see it appear and disappear in the rhythm of the swell, but now there may only be a bit of wind once surfing downhill of the backside of the swell.

Around 3.30 am, the sky was lit through the clouds that much I at least could just about  make out the cliffs to my right, and was able to reasonably keep my direction. I still stayed quite off shore to have my peace from the noise. Now it was starting to rain, my feet which had been toasty warm so far started to get numb and freezing, and I donned my PFD to have at least a bit additional warmth. Still I was shivering a bit, and had to keep on paddling as hard as possible to keep warm, stay awake and to cover as much ground at night as possible!

Fighting sleep deprivation is just another thing…the seconds I was dropping out in a tiny short sleeps would have been deadly dangerous driving a car, but on the calm water I was stable in my kayak. Still I was hooked to the boat all the time…with two kayaks out there, you may be able to hold on to each other and to catnap for a few minutes. I was not up to sleeping, as I didn´t take any floats with me like on my 7-night crossing of the Gulf of Carpentaria in Australia. It would be too cold any way, and it was too dangerous to drift too close to the cliffs.

Finally, after counting down the minutes to sun rise, some kind of day light came up, though rainy, foggy, gray and ugly. But daylight of any kind gets you awake again! It would have been nicer though if it would be the sun…still 20 km left to paddle.

I was passing the beach of Tirua in the distance, and saw not any corner to land safely, just breakers. I was hoping to have a better shelter in Quidico – this is why I was paddling through the night!

Eventually I was able to turn around the corner toward the village, but the angle was not sharp enough to get the swell down…I had to already give the first corner a very wide berth. Still there were swell waves rolling in which occasional were really thrilling high, maybe around 4-5 meters!

Nothing breaking yet though where I was paddling, but a closed up line of breakers ahead. My worst fears may come true….the ¨safe¨landing would be already closed out with today´s direction and height of the swell…and my night paddling effort was kind of in vain…

I carefully approached closer, the swell went marginal down, still there were those very much threatening high sets, and no real lull. A long distance between each wave though…

I still only saw a closed line of breakers over long jutting out rocks once I was on line with the light house which was marking the last ¨turning point¨ to the ¨sheltered ¨landing….plus seeing a safe landing against the just now glaring sunlight was difficult…and I had to think what to do now…

A dog leg entrance would be most likely, but from my view point the swell reached the beach without much of a gap to turn right. I attached my VHF on my PFD, unhooked myself from the kayak, just in case I´d be badly capsized still quite offshore right in the breaker zone…and I just thought about calling ¨Quidico¨ locals where I may have got an answer from a local fisherman in Spanish, as an open boat was heading at highest speed out sideways through the breaker line…my rescue! A local boat guiding me in…Navy, life guards? No, just a usual open fishing boats with three local guys, which were here probably the best people in knowing what they had to do to get me safely in! Besides, I doubt there would be a Navy or special life guard boat existing here in this small village..

The guys were riding over the huge swell and breakers with their open wooden boat in a manner which made me thinking of young daring motor bikers jumping their offroad bikes over hills, but I frantically waved with my paddle, and they waved back, obviously on the mission the find me and to guide me in!

They waved at me to turn back toward them, which I did, watching the swell carefully…but now I let them guide me. Once I reached them, still in the swell area with possible breakers of the huge sets, they made me climb in their boat, and we tried to ¨talk¨, all I got was their idea of getting me and now my kayak in their boat! Well, I didn´t refuse after 25 hours of paddling…but lifting the heavy kayak in the boat seemed impossible even with three strong young guys! And I made signs to to unload it first somehow…no time for that! A new big set may be breaking soon, and we already had to drive side by side holding to my now unmanned kayak a bit out again.

Eventually, they signalled me to sit as a counterweight on the other side of the open fishing boat which was just a meter longer than my kayak, the three guys bent over to the other side that the wall of the boat was reaching the water line, and they more or less easily scooped my heavy kayak inside their boat, where it was sitting nicely! Ok!

Now the drive in in the same manner they were driving out to me? Well, besides the high jump, it felt as scary as it can be, watching them speeding up, stopping…but I trusted them they know their waters! And it didn´t take long, and we were safely in the shallows, and they dropped me and my boat out again…thanks, guys! The name of the boat was ¨Barranca¨, but sorry I forgot the name of my three helpful young men…and thanks to the Navy to let them know I may be happy about an escort in in these conditions! Yes, I was happy…

I still remember my approach to the complicated river entrance after the 36 hours paddle along the dangerous Zuytdorp cliffs on the west coast of Australia…a rescue boat came out to guide me in, plus a local paddler on a surfski. The surfski guy found me in the big swell, the rescue boat did not, and came in an hour later, quite embarrassed after we made it already in safely through the reef break…

Once I was dragging my kayak through the shallow water toward the bunch of other fishing boats, about 15 helpful guys came up and carried my heavy loaded boat high and dry up the beach, and once I picked my camera, there came probably 20 more to hold to the boat for the picture! They were seemingly astonished about me being a lady, and once they got the whole story, I was obviously gaining their respect…though I loved to have been able to talk with them and to understand their loud laughing jokes! I assume it was something like ¨now we are all following the command of a lady…¨or such…

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The fishing boats ready to launch

I found a reasonable grassy spot for my tent high above the beach behind some kind of closed up takeaway, where I had to kick away a few fish bones. And it was a bit smelly, but good enough, and better than on the sand. I later saw a bunch of vultures sitting on the five ¨beach umbrellas¨, waiting for more fish left overs. The many fishing boats were constantly coming in, unloading, and obviously selling their catch on the spot. Plus the very close by (fish) market was closing down after lunch and had probably some leftovers…

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My local "rescue" fishermen family

Once I had just erected my tent and unloaded my kayak, the guys from my ¨rescue boat¨came up to invite me to a hot shower in their house – very much welcome! I had no problems leaving my kayak on the beach with the majority of my stuff, the beach was still busy with the fishermen, and just took my electronics and clothing to the house. I had a wonderful hot shower in a nice standard house, and the lady was so friendly to also do my laundry. Thanks very much! But as I could not talk much, and as I was obviously deadly tired, they understood I needed to go back to my tent to have a well deserved rest.

It was eventually HOT in my tent, and I was thinking I´d need an extra tarp against the sun on my next leg…I could not have both entrances open for a bit of ventilation, as the sun was more of a problem to keep out.

I just had closed my eyes more or less, feeling my overtiredness and very sore body and mind, as two friendly Navy guys from the next bigger village of Lebu came up to check on me…though warned from a bunch of fishermen down there ¨No entiendo!¨ But we could talk a bit, I just wondered again what their mission was besides getting private pictures and disturbing my rest…I was posting immediately after my safe landing a text on my blog I was all right!

Soon as they left, another two locals came curiously up to my kayak on my ¨private grassy balcony¨ for a look…well…, I couldn´t rest much anyway in my hot tent.

The next visitors were my luck – two local ladies Gina and her sister Cecilia, inviting me to their house to stay! I was hesitating a bit, packing everything again I just spread it all out in my overtiredness…but soon I realized this invitation was just what I needed! Gina spoke good English, I´d have a private room with wifi internet, a German speaking friend Harald, and she seemed to be very friendly and keen to help me with everything I needed! Somehow I sensed the local fishermen’s ¨bush drum¨would bring sooner or later a nice matching friendly host…and there she was!

Gina is of Italian descent, living in a very nice European standard wooden house high above the village overlooking the sea. I was feeling instantly comfortable at her place! If there wouldn´t be the beautiful but quite scary to me looking white bull dog.. Harald, her friend, had German parents, and was so nice to load my kayak on his truck driving us all to Gina¨s house.

On the drive, Harald was already calling another German friend named Roland, and we chatted for a while on the phone. He was keen to see me tomorrow. So I felt well looked after today! Thanks to Gina, Harald and Cecilia!

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