11.42 143.10 Saunders Island.  60km. I landed at very last light saw a quite big shark and have a glooming neighbour… :-))

That’s what my neighbour left in the morning…

I arrived at Saunders after changing my floatplan due to the advise on the big chart screen of Steven from the “Diamond Lil” in very last light – my fault if I decide to start a 65 km day at 9am…I was paddling as hard as i could, constantly watching the “estimated arrival time”, mentally prepared for a night landing. I pulled already out all my torches and lights, but at least I could amke out onthe approach the inviting sandspit.

I shone around my strong flashlight quite a bit on the last meters to (hopefully not…) see glooming croc’s eyes, but there weren’t luckily any.

I landed allright and easy, pulled up my boat and went for a campsite search. The beach wasn’t really flat where I landed and had a tidal pool to cross, so I had to walk about 50 m to the left to find a flat spot on top of the high tide mark. I dropped my gearbags, and kept on walking a bit to the left in already pitch darkness. My strong torch did a good job, and I discovered the island name’s sign around a small corner after another 100 m or so.

There was something reflecting at the water’s edge off the sign, and I thought this must be a vertical pole some people put up to mark the best landing spot and campsite (as they did on other islands), decorated withh a reflecting beer can or so…

I curiously approached, thought only the reflection must be man-made…but eventually I saw a longish shadow on the water’s edge behind the reflecting spot – horizontally and not vertically! Bugger! This must be my first croc, lying right at the water’s edge! Sure I saw only one eye reflecting as it was lying sideways to me…therefore I didn’t instantly realize that this wasn’t a beer can…

The reflection is pretty strongly glooming!!! At least now I knew how they looked at night…I simply turned around and sneaked off, only thinking he came up for a rest, leave him his peace and space. Then I would probably get my space on the beach to his right as well! No scary feelings. he won’t chase me to my campsite…probably not even realizing that behind the light there may be some food…

I was crossing two slidemarks close to the croc on my way back, but not too close to my planned campsite. I couldn’t move more to the right, there was no dry flat space…the distance of about 100m felt allright.

I went back, checked to the right a bit, but there was just no croc in a reasonable distance. I decided to drag my unloaded boat to my planned campsite, to put it across towards the water’s edge…you never know about more visitors…

On working hard  dragging the still heavy boat over the sand, suddenly I noticed I had some more visitors…I felt a bit guilty I must have attracted a bunch of about 100 tiny little baby turtles with my strong torch light coming out of their nest! But there was no chance to leave *them* their peace and to move to another campsite…so I put my strongest torch on my boat still in a distance from my campsite and started to put up my tent in the light of a less strong torch…this trick was working! The turtles were staying around my boat, and I could erect my tent without stepping on them.

Eventually I got all my gear inside, swapped lights again to keep the turtles off my boat, and continued dragging it across my tentsite. Finally we all probably went to a peaceful sleep!

I didn’t take my time next morning to check on the croc if it was still there, just took a quick pic from the next slidemark. I reckon it was gone fishin’ already anyway, as I ddn’t see anything from the distance safely afloat then…no encounters on the water!