At about 4am with at least not being pushed back with the ingoing tide, I deployed my sleeping floats like on the BIG crossing, and crunched forward for a deeper nap.

It lasted about ½ hr, then the seas became that big I got frequent splashes in the face and didn’t feel like resting any more. I pulled everything in again, and kept on paddling into the still bright moonlight.

Eventually it became dawn…beautiful, red, like the sunset! Full moon on one side, sun on the other…pure nature…

It seemed like I would be paddling all next day, by sunrise I had 55 km left. I wanted to land at least at light on Pelican Island! So paddling, paddling, paddling…again, fighting for each gained 100m…at least the sea got less rough that afternoon and the tide was a bit less noticeable.

Eventually there was a shadow on the horizon, which turned darker and darker to a stripe of land with one peak which I guessed was Pelican Island…but the peak was on the mainland. Pelican Island was quite flat and much later visible. At least I made it in last light, as already on some other lucky occasions. But I remember I envisioned to land in the late morning or at lunchtime…

I had to switch my watch back 1 ½ hr to Western Australian time, I was crossing the border somewhere on the water, so sunset was at 5.30pm now, and sunrise at 5.30am.

Pelican Island was aptly named after their main residents. It was quite smelly…but I enjoyed watching the impressive birds sitting high on a dune ridge before I disturbed them in their night’s rest.

I first pulled into a beautiful beach with lots of rocks, but soon noticed this one won’t stay dry on high tide. So I launched again to paddle around the corner to the beach where the pelicans were gathered again…another disturbance…but I reckoned they found enough space on the island.

I approached carefully as always, checking to all sides for crocs…but I found only turtle slides. I put up my tent on a corner without slides behind a fallen old tree, and blocked the other side with my kayak.

I happily crashed for a good night’s rest after that paddling ordeal.

It was a quiet night, but quite windy in the morning! It was blowing nicely 20-25 knots from South East as always. It would give a good push for the next day!

Text message from Freya via satellite phone:

14.46 128.46 Pelican Island. Around 120km including doglegs.  9:00 am to 5:30 pm (Western Australia time). Next day 34hrs nasty body of water on spring tide. Slow! 3 shark bumps