Thanks a lot to everybody for all the good wishes and notes for my birthday! So many people all over the world following – it’s really overwhelming!!!

I took the chance of that birthday’s morning to do some phone calls to my family and friends- partly cell, partly sat-phone, as the internet wa patchy on Yabooma Island out of Milinginbi. And I managed to download and read many of those best wishes! It felt good. Thanks!

It felt even better to take it slow that morning, knowing that it was simply matching and the short day was actually necessary, if I didn’t want to do a HUGE day crossing Bocaut Bay as well. I do not like to go into the bays. I like to go the direct way – from A to B, from headland to headland, no detour. Althogh it usually is more boring way offshore, but simply shorter. And in the bays, there are the river mouths with those long teeth animals…simply staying way out is best! I haven’t seen any bloody croc tail yet, besides the two little encounters on the two last islands on the east coast, and like to keep it that way!

Approaching False Point’s shallow waters, I saw a dog on the beach – a wild dingo? Behind the dog soon some figures approached, and some more…a whole Aboriginal family was waiting for me to land! To be honest, I’d rather preferred my privacy, wondering how this encounter would come out. I had to go in, as I was already on the very end of the spit of False Point, in some small roughish water in the shallows, and darkness was coming soon. I may have gone around the sheltered corner, but the small dumper was not too bad to land. 

The were friendly, but it seemed to be hard to get a smile out of them. But English was ok, and simple questions about where I came from and where I’m going to and how long I’d like to camp there were answered. I gave them my trip card, and I asked politely if they were ok with me camping right “there” where i landed. They were ok with it and they said they are camping around the corner on the sheltered western side (where I should have landed as well…).

I dragged up my boat and started unloading as usual, whilst they were walking away.

But a few minutes later four of them came back and offered me to camp with them! I said sorry, I’m already unloaded (and actually preferred to have privacy as well). But when I am ready with making camp I’d love to come over for a chat!

This is what I did then, bringing two apples for the expected family at dinner. but amazingly they were breaking camp just then, leaving at 6.30 pm into the night with a small motorboat. Why did they ask me to camp with them then? I hope they didn’t feel uncomfortable with me around the corner unsupervised…they said they had to go as they were low on food after four das of camping there (with about 15 people, from grandma to baby’s…), so ok, I chatted a bit more, but left soon again for my own campchores. But bet I was too shy or too polite to ask them for pictures…

About David’s note below: My legs are NOT swollen every paddling day (they were after the eight day’s crossing…), but my hands are usually a bit swollen at night. But not too bad…

11.57 134.41 False Point. Only an easy 35 kilometers today from 11 to 6 as my birthday treat. I bumped into an Aboriginal family at camp.

Message from Chris Cunningham: Happy Birthday Freya!

If you’d like to leave a birthday greeting for Freya, just click on “Comments” at the bottom of this entry.

Freya celebrated her birthday with a late start and a short day’s paddling. David Winkworth passes along a bit of information following a satellite phone call from Freya: