Terry Bolland, my host in Perth, launched me from Hillary’s Boat Harbor early morning again. I laft all my gear at his house, and had an empty boat! It is 1-1,5km/h faster, but quite a different balancing feeling as well. All daily things like eating, peeing, realxing or changing gear or such are to be done with more attention than if you are sitting in my loaded cargo bus… 

It was forecasted nice following winds, but those happened only for the first half an hour. At 8 am, a heavy rainy front came through, whipped up the sea, and blew from the bow quarter right into my face! I saw Terry’s car for another hour or so following me along the coast and taking some rainy pictures and probably waiting if I’d liked to give up and come in and call it a day already…but it was not *that* bad!

Eventually the rain got less, and the seas calmed down a bit. But the coatline stayed surfy, and landing wasn’t inviting at all. I was passing a city beach with a surf lifesaving station, and saw the guy on duty pulling out his binoculars and watching me carefully…it didn’t take long, and a crowd of early morning exercising people joined him and started to cheer me on! How flattering…they must have watched the TV news last night…

The same thing on passing the port entrance of Freemantle, Perth’s working harbor. A bunch of friendly wellwishers were cheering me on and taking pitures! Quite an encouraging run today along Perth 🙂 …thanks to everyone motivating me along! 

The shelter of Cockburn Sound behind Garden Island made paddling easy then, and the bridge to Garden Island was in sight.

I gave Terry a call an hour before I arrived at Cape Peron, as he liked to take pictures from the cliff top, and knew this was a notorious reefy rocky cape…we tried to figure out a way through the breakers communicating via call phone, but the open seas were rough with quite some reef breakers, the headland was wide and Tery’s overlook from the top limited.

It was 5pm already, and a dark front was lurking on the horizont. I decided to climb out on the last beach and take a look from the top myself. And as for the limited time, upcoming ugly weather and quite some way around the wide reefs, I rather decided to call it a day than paddling into the darkness through the breakers. Terry was happy with that decision as well, and we made our way back to his house. Not too bad to have a pizza carton, though cold, but delicious contents, waiting in the car! Thanks to Alaine!

I am really happy to have probably three full weather days off now, and to be able to relax my strained body a bit and maybe add a bit of bodyfat again! 🙂

Thanks to Terry looking after me and driving me around!!!

Text message from Freya

32.16 115.41, Rockingham. 50 km, 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.  I got all Perth coastline done now, stopped before an ugly headland as short of daylight and ugly weather came up. Terry Bolland picked me up again and I have probably three weather days off now!