Pos: here
Loc: behind Cabo Blanco
Acc: tent
Dist: 0 km

Tomorrow:
Estimated landing: Around Canacas
Estimated starting time: Right after sunrise
Estimated landing time: Well before sunset

Glad to hear all my faithful blog readers are back on the spot, and seem to have even missed me…it will be good motivation to write regularly again. It can’t be too boring then… 🙂 Actually I am hoping all my valuable experience may help or inspire one or the other on their own trips one day. Then it was worth writing!

I decided to rather put in the rest day today which I already should have taken in Paita…this beach was just perfect relaxing, no one bothering me at night with flashing lights or noisy talks or barking dogs, so I thought this may be a good place for a full day of rest I actually needed earlier. It doesn’t pay if you start again too early…

I have to get used to being in real heat again – for example it is pointless to take butter or fresh cheese along, it will melt and mess everything up. I ate my cheese early and had to toss the butter, fortunately I already had bought a small bottle of olive oil and mayonnaise in sachets with a screw on top. Good replacement. But as for chocolate, especially white …better melted chocolate than no chocolate! Mostly…

My old trick with the black sleeping bag covering the top of the tent when the sun is shining hot, was keeping me relatively cool. And I better put up my tent not with the back to the wind which keeps it almost out of the inside, but rather now sideways to the wind to catch the tiniest breeze to cool down. My silky loose beach dress comes into action – not the old sleeping bag liner from Australia, but a new one sewn out of a silky sarong.
I took care of my sunburned forearms and neck, and will remember to throw a lump of nappy rash cream on my backside before I start paddling tomorrow. Two days of forgetting about it – already a small rash in the butt fold…
I think I got a good rest and will keep on going in old shape tomorrow! The tropics mainly challenge your skin, at least mine. Hope I won’t look again like my famous rashed backside in Australia…

Thanks to skype out I was able to talk with my partner Peter extensively today – sure *he* skyped out to my cell phone, and the expenses were acceptable. He is a great support in any way on my trip! Thanks, darling! He stays in contact with all my helping brains and hands in all the different countries, coordinates authority requests, checks ahead for good and safe landing spots, and advises me if I may have written too a harsh blog entry… 🙂

Karel Vissel, my since years trustworthy weather man, is still in the team with his daily valuable precise weather forecasts. Thanks, Karel!

Some other “invisible” team members are actually my two managers with their husbands and my about 40 employees – without them running my shops in my absence this and all my other trips won’t be possible! Also a BIG thanks to them!

The tide today was washing just about to my tent’s edge – eventually there is about 2 m of tidal range. On a shallow beach, it makes quite some distance to cover on low tide! Also, the surf is much lower on low tide. But it’s all within limit here on the north east going beach, with the swell still coming from south west.

If I’d loaded my kayak to the very limit, I could carry about three weeks of food, this makes 5 stuffed to the limit 10-liters dry bags. Additionally I could carry about 48 liters of water for about more than two weeks – if I would have to…maybe in some very remote areas.

I started from Paita with full food, but only half water. But honestly I rather handle a very heavy boat at the beginning after a shopping session, than to organize a safe spot where I can leave my kayak to shop in peace, even if only for water. My specially designed “Freya” kayak can take some more volume than the old boat I used. Good for solo trips!

Paddling the last four months with my partner, we both never had to load up to the very limit, though Peter was happy to take a bit more weight in general. Shopping only for water is way easier if there are two people, one watching the kayaks while the other is away.

On the water, if you have a paddling partner, breaks are easier and more relaxing, and if you have some trouble with your gear, things may be worked out easier.

All in all for us it proved to be a little easier with being two people – *IF* you get along 24/7 and the paddling skills are equal. Chances that all match are not that high, and surely we had also some little issues to resolve. But I’d always paddle again with my Peter!