picture by Terry Bolland 

I was a good expedition girl, and had discipline enough to use this day’s good weather forecast for another long paddling leg instead of sleeping in and spending some more time with Greg the first day we met again…he was launching me at 6.30 am for a long 70 km leg to Torbay Head.

Paddling all day was easy going, quite far off shore and nothing really exciting besides my happy thoughts on my mind that my partner eventually made it to be my support crew for probably the rest of the trip! We are both quite excited and happy to see how this will be going…it would be a new trip style for me and a new task for Greg as well.

The only exciting part of the paddle was going around West Cape Howe and Torbay Head, and ugly, dark long steep granite headland which had a fat rebound despite of the low swell and was a place to scare a beginner off or to make a horror movie.

Greg was pre-checking the beaches at Torbay Head about landing possibilities plus car access – a new thing to think about for me on planning my day! The more sheltered beach on top of Torbay Head, Dunsky Beach, had an ugly 4-wheel drive car access, if any. So it had to be the next beach, Shelly Beach, to land on. Greg told me via mobile phone that there was a bit of a dumper going, but landing on the far left end would be the best spot.

I was approaching Shelly Beach around 5.30pm, after a 70 km day. From my position it looked like a dead easy landing all along the beach! But never underestimate the surf…from outside it always looks easier than it is…so I trusted my new support crew and landed in that far left corner rather than on the right side where the van was parked. I paddled quickly in on the back of a bigger dumper and landed high and dry with no problem where Greg was grabbing already my bow toggle and pulled me a bit higher up the beach.

He was already buys all day, buying plywood to outfit the back of the van with a sleeping platform and plenty of storage room underneath for big plastic boxes. Good guy!

Plus he was checking in the Apartments on Spencer in Albany and dropped all our gear and boxes there. 

Adrian, a keen paddler himself, and his lovely wife Alison offered us a free stay! Thanks for that, Adrian and Alison! It was very much appreciated, as we could use a nice place as a basecamp for some days while. Greg would be working to outfit the van and I would keep on paddling some more legs in this nice calm weather, driving back every night to our temporary base camp in Albany.

Now it was the job to carry my boat back to the van all along the beach, and although I was not carrying much in the compartments, the whole boat still felt quite heavy with paddles, PFD, spray deck, helmet and such. I tried to carry it on my shoulder as Greg did, but had to rest a couple of times. I thought it was better rather to empty everything in my bag and to carry the bag on one shoulder and the boat on the other one.

But luckily some friendly helpful guy was nearing, and off went my boat in a pace I couldn’t even keep up with just walking carrying the gear bag only! The guys loaded it already on the roof rack of the van, and I had time to get changed.

Looking up and down the beach later I was not sure about any difference in landing to the left or to the right…

Greg was a thoughtful support crew on the first day and had prepared a hot shower bag for me! Now it was just the problem how and where to lift it up that I could enjoy standing underneath! It was raining, and eventually we ran out of muscle power, and Greg told me, a bit impatient, to unscrew the whole nozzle and to have not a spraying, but quite a flooding shower to make it faster! This was a nice flush of hot water, but unfortunately it flooded some of our dry gear inside the van as well…

I ended up having no dry pants any more, but only a dry and cozy warm fleece hoody. So I jumped on the car’s co-driver’s seat, barely covered with my long fleece hoody only. Who cares…Greg said it’s only a 3 m hop from the car door to the apartment door…

We were just about to start, when I thought you’d better tie the boat to the roof…small beginner’s mistake in a team just about growing together!

When we arrived in Albany, Adrian, being an attentive host, was already in position to greet me first time! But I had to say sorry, I’m not decently dressed yet…he smiled and gave way to our apartment door where I enjoyed having another hot shower and showed up later in the dining room to greet Adrian and Alison properly and to thank them for putting us up in their beautiful Apartments on Spencer.

Text message from Freya:

Torbay Head, Shelley Beach.  6:30 am to 5:30 pm, 70 km. An  easy paddle on low winds and swells, highly motivated to be back on the beach as Greg was waiting there!