[pe2-image src=”http://lh3.ggpht.com/-XQ3LcxB1Jzo/Ukq7oXKnH4I/AAAAAAAAXSo/BxoytGDAKjo/s144-c-o/P9220001.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage16VenezuelaTrinidadGuyanaCaracasToGeorgetown#5929758161474363266″ caption=”Antonio launches together with me early morning from Caraballeda” type=”image” alt=”P9220001.JPG” ]

Strange weather conditions…

Pos: here
Loc: Fronton del Fraile
Acc: tent
Dist: 53,4 km
Start: 5:25 End: 14:35

We got up at 4 am, and Antonio and Lucy drove me back to the beach. Getting the new kayak the three turns up from the third basement floor car deck of the apartment house works with a trolley, as the ceiling is too low to get it onto the roof. But dragging the trolley was done in the convenient way – Lucky was sitting on the open back of the land cruiser, and dragged the boat on the trolley behind the car… clever! The old kayak was maneuvered in like that also.

Antonio saddled his Tahe Marine Wind 550 kayak to join me the 12 km until Puerto Azul. A slim, lightweight boat, empty, with a well rested strong man who does not have to paddle all day and all around the continent…I knew already how it would go today after he asked me yesterday about my average cruising speed, top speed and how often I’d do breaks…nothing against Antonio in person, he is really one of the nicest guys I have met, but macho men are always like that when they like to paddle “with” me! Means way ahead most of the time, turning around impatiently and waiting on the spot. Not much  paddling “together”… I am extra slow paddling  with my full load of 100 kg more than just boat weight :-)). But again, please don’t take it personally! I didn’t either..when I am paddling with my partner Peter he is getting the heavier load to even the difference a bit and we are mostly paddling side by side.

A big thanks again to Lucy and Antonio looking after me so nicely all the time I stayed around Caracas! It couldn’t have been done  better. You are always welcome also in my home! And Lucy was the best cook so far!

I had a vision shortly after Antonio had turned back – a couple on a double kayak coming up behind me! Did he quickly pick Lucy to catch me again? No, these were some innocent tourist on a sit on top Hobie kayak, cruising a bit up the coast. A young couple, with no hats on against the sun, she was barely wearing two pieces of tiny fabric to hold her boobs, and he was obviously proud to show off his topless muscular upper body.They seemed not have heard about me, and were asking if I’d be also doing a “bit of touring today”? Yes, just around the continent… nice day today, isn’t it? 🙂

Karel’s forecast for today was in the morning ese 12-16 knots, in the afternoon e 13-17 knots. Windgurru said the usual thing, low in the morning, moderate under 15 kn the afternoon, also headwind. It was dead calm until lunchtime, then I had for about two hours a nice push from due west, and just before I was to cross a 12 km bay, it changed within minutes to a 20 knots due east wind. The chart showed a shoal in the middle of the bay, and I saw already for about 15 min some whitecaps out there, thinking this must be the shallow water breaking. One small headwind gust shook me out of my happy following wind paddling – hello? I remembered Karel’s for cast.. .and within minutes the whole bay was a mess of heavy white caps, and that ended the happy cruising along at 7 km/h, even with a strong current!

I decided to go in as soon as possible, fortunately I hadn’t started to cross the bay yet! As there were many wild beaches between the villages, I also saw a remote beach with 5 cars, before it was an empty beach with seemingly no access, and I decided to turn around in the whipped up sea for about 500 m to get in there. Sure it was an unprotected beach, but so far the surf has not been really tough here.

I went in all right, but due to the strong wind the side and up wash was quite violent on a moderate steep sandy beach. I was fighting a bit with my heavy loaded lovely new kayak, got a cockpit full of sand water, and was barely able to turn it on it’s side to empty it. With every new high up wash I managed to get the kayak a bit higher, with not too much wash to the side towards where some rocks were lurking. Quite some effort! And a bit of an inelegant first landing for my brand new baby…

The other option was to fight my way deeper into the bay against the steep 20 knots chop, until I may have found a bit of a sheltered bay with people… no, then I rather have a tougher landing!

The freshly turned raging 20 knots headwind lasted for maybe two hours, it is already now down to maybe 12 knots, and the surf and side wash is fortunately much lower already. It should be ok tomorrow morning! No people on “my” beach yet!

Anyway, I made a good distance in that short time, the original plan to go into some bay with a hotel Antonio recommended was way too short a distance for such great paddling conditions, I was there already at noon. And there were many, many deserted and lovely remote beaches I prefer anyway!