Day 36, Sunday, 22.02.2009

What a lust to paddle today! Feeling well rested after NO internet and phone acces last night, fell asleep at 8.30 pm alst night. Moderate following winds, low seas, waves in the right distance…if I would have had an empty boat, I would have done 100 km and more. But the boat is still heavy, and surfing costs energy. Still a great paddling day! 

 

Most important thing is: Feeling comfortable! Then you’re feeling safe, and perform well…for me it is to be not too hot on paddling and nothing is rubbing in my skin, being wet allover all day.

So as I am wearing already ashore mostly my silky sleeping bag liner dress (yes, it was really one!), and my sleeping bag is lined with silk anyway, this fabric is the only one which feels good to my all day badly treated skin.

So why not wearing in the boat my silky Pareo instead of my nylon boarder’s pants? It can only be good, nothing itching and pinching to my backside and bottom part…

Bingo! I could use my legs more again on paddling a good style, as pressing on the backrest didn’t hurt my sore skin anymore…I did paddle topless for some hours already on other days, but today I paddled like that almost all day! Good sunscreen on, and my skin loves it! It turnes nicely tanned over those hours, no sunburn…to apply sunscreen frequently without having greasy fingers on the paddle just use a ziplock bag as a glove…and don’t touch yourself anywhere :-)) I had another piece of a black silky scarf handy, just in case a curious fishing boat came too close…this may be my paddling outfit for the next months! Perfect.

I noted on my map the Nambucca River Bar was a bad one according to PC’s book…and approaching it on an almost no swell day looked scary enough.

So I chickened out for that and kept on paddling north…just around the corner was the nice Shelley Beach with moderate surf and enough facilities to make me happy! I noted something like that on my map from Paul’s book as well, but couldn’t read it anymore…but my gut feeling took me right. Freshwater shower (the “cold” ones here are never really feeling cold…), picnic bench, grass, nobody around anymore, no rain, warm evening…what else do I need? Well, NO internet…I felt the urgent need to pull out my mobile office and to update my blog…chores on a trip like this…

Ihhhhhhhhhh! A 5 cm big spider was hiding in my sprayskirt I was hanging to dry!!! I almost stuffed them both in my tent!!! Ihhhhhhhhh bäh!!!!!

 

Message via Satellit ephone:

30.38 153.01 Nambucca Heads, 80 km, 11 hrs, nothing on than Tevas, headgear and sunscreen for 60 km, occasionally covered by two pieces of black silky cloth mostly no spraydeck

15 comments on “Day 36, Sunday, 22.02.2009

Eric

Hi Freya,

I live at Forrest Beach a short distance from the water.We would be glad to give you a bed for the night if you feel like a break from the tent. Safe paddling.

Eric and Carol

Aui

hi freya – ich habe von deinem vorhaben aus dem kanumagazin erfahren und habe mich jetzt auf deine seiten “verirrt”; hut ab und respekt!!!!! – deine leistung ist ganz einfach grandios und ich beneide dich unglaublich; mach weiter so – ich wünsche dir alles glück auf der welt für deine umrundung und werde natürlich deine tour weiter verfolgen!!!!
aui

Edda

The gun was a last resort suggestion, I would think avoiding them is best, but what to do once they want you? Any ideas?

Pete Clark

We met briefly at Salt Lake City expo. Congratulations on your progress, if you need any help around Byron Bay your very welcome. Keep plenty in reserve and good luck
Pete

james benson

Listen to Edda and put your health first. We’re rooting
for you all the way and enjoying every minute of it.
flickr.com has pictures of many of the points on your
journey, for armchair adventurers.

Gerold

Really a sympathic, funny picture – Freya in a silky sleeping dress, no longer “lady in black”.
Good to read you are in good condition, wishing you all the best for the next days and weeks!

Gerold

Tim Trehearn

Good to see you flying along. I have lived and paddled in North Queensland for 25 years. Sandy Robson and Andrew Hughes were guests of mine. PLEASE talk to me about crocs before you listen to rubbish from others. A gun is the last thing you need!

Edda

Well now, first there is no one and now they are coming along in bunches… Just watching a programme about Andy McCauley’s trip across the Tasman Sea, from the footage recovered recently. Just get enought sleep!!! Once you are too tired to think, shit happens.
Slow people do get there, fast ones land in hospital, …if they are lucky. If in doubt, stay on shore, no one expects miracles, but don’t loose heart and keep going if you think the going is good. Let common sense rule ok and heath robertson proctect your equipment. You got VHS if all fails? Check for my email sent 22/2 22:15h uk time. Had some “undelivered”.
XXX

Edda

Hey Kid, now you are MOViNG. Glad the weather is better. Get a gun for the crocs, you know how to handle one, a gun that is. Can’t be the biggest problems to get a licence in your circumstances?
Been missing the latest updates, had a bug in the system, but it’s now been properly killed off and we are free to surf again. At work we are blocked from blogs. bah humbug. Noticed the rest of the clan is making noises on the blog? Baby Sammy is much better. All good weather and following wind to you.
Edda

Phil

Freya
You are flying along, well done. I read this a few days ago and I thought it applied to you..”The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing.”
Michael E. Gerber
stay safe, Phil

Hanne

Hallo Freya,

Mutti (Tante Isi), Peter und ich haben gerade lecker Grünkohl gegessen und sitzen jetzt vor dem Computer und verfolgen (mal wieder) Deinen Trip um Australien. Wir wünschen Dir viel Erfolg und hoffen, dass alles gut geht.

Viele Grüße von Allen

Hanne

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