Sat 13/04-2013 Day 452

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ZY7w4GnsdBY/UW2J-zsAzHI/AAAAAAAAUqw/HCWzVkQaxQg/s144-c-o/P4120008.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867497601653329010″ caption=”Beach with low surf before Rio Magdalena” type=”image” alt=”P4120008.JPG” ]

 

Pos: here
Loc: before Rio Magdalena
Acc: tent

All night the wind was howling around my tent, that I even had to close the outer tent door. 20+ knots! No lull again in early morning hours . It was quite likely for me after the forecast for today to stay put. My body actually liked that full day rest, although it sounds like the previous half paddling days must have been easy for my physique. But battling into 15-20 knots constant headwind is as tough for half the time as paddling a whole day with easy or following wind. In headwind, you simply barely take a break, and have to power much harder. SO all good for today. Sure I am still mourning the few km I am able to make every day, but that’s like it is now.

Tomorrow is supposed to be around 5 knots less winds, maybe 12-16 knots accordingly to Karels forecast. This should be low enough to get me at least around the river mouth of the Rio Magdalena. I just have to give it a very wide berth, I think…we’ll see how it goes. As the next four days the forecast is similar and I surely don’t want to sit here that long, I have to go. Then there may be two or even more low wind days coming -as far as a forecast goes. Generally, the river mouth is one of the highest wind areas here. There will be another one after Riohacha until the Gulf of Venezuela.

My Navy boat was on the spot at 5.30am, but as I had no means of communicating with them, my gestures and shouts of the fishermen should have told them that this *is* too much wind today and I will have to have a day’s break! I mean if they’d be paddlers they could have guessed it, seeing me still with my tent up and not ready to go. Two Navy guys later came walking by and confirmed their assumption. How easy it would be if they’d have provided me with an e-mail address!

Many shore fishermen came this Saturday morning by bike, walking or on motos, with iced Styrofoam boxes for the catch, to spread their nets in the shallow waters of the beach or of the inland lake. The inland lake is actually quite dry now, right before the wet season, and I am camping literally on the lake’s dry ground a few meters beside the muddy water. My possible plan to go maybe via the channels and inland lake would be not good due to this dryness, and also those waters are not my favourite without a precise chart. It would be a maze with four or more portages, not for my liking. David, who did that maze, was a local (Venezuelan) able to ask for the way, and he wanted to visit Baranquilla and couldn’t go *in* the river mouth. I “just” want to cross it, and can give it a wide berth. The current would make it probably very hard to paddle *into* the river mouth, not to talk about the choppy seas out there. Many huge ships are going in and out during the day, almost like the Panama Canal…

Some fishermen were notifying me respectfully this morning about the presence of the Navy boat; they fully accept me as one of “them” camping in the bush (almost) like some of the guys with their hammocks. One of my bush neighbours even came to ask politely for another card, as he obviously was just having guest to tell them about the presence of the “famous” visitor on “his” beach! I kind of like to be here in some contact with those local fishermen! Still I am not sticking my head out all the time when some new guys are standing by my tent discussing my kayak, sometimes I’d  rather be “sleeping”. And it helps that I speak only broken Spanish to keep mostly my privacy, but the polite try counts! 🙂

I can watch a bunch of white herons all day form my tent fishing in the shallows besides me, quite nice! But without my e-book I would be bored to death, I think… long walks are not really inviting here in wind and sand and heat. I hope I can go tomorrow in lower winds and make a reasonable distance until it gets too windy again! F…… headwinds!

2 comments on “Sat 13/04-2013 Day 452

Randall Lackey

It would be tourturing me to have to sit and sit.But I know you’ ve made the best choice to wait it out.My sentement on the headwinds as well; but I guess the wind has to blow both ways. But it seems to be a little less forgiving to the kayaker.Fair winds and safe paddling

Richard Mason

Such a pity about the wind.
As you would appreciate river crossings near the mouth are always best towards the top of the rising tide if there is any swell– but you have mentioned that there is not a lot of swell and very little tide movement in the Caribbean .
You haven’t mentioned your skin for a while– hope it has settled down for you.
Enjoy the rest days.
May the wind moderate and be at your back & may you strike a favouring current soon.

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