[pe2-image src=”http://lh6.ggpht.com/-bPaY8OgCorg/UhaqTTBmy7I/AAAAAAAAWWE/u00cwXa96kA/s144-c-o/P8160045.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage15VenezuelaBoarderColombiaToCaracas#5915102409098972082″ caption=”First campsite under some shady trees, but surely the tide came up to that place and I had to move on to the pile of sea weed at night!” type=”image” alt=”P8160045.JPG” ]

Tough Navy boat ride and easy blow along!

Pos: here
Loc: behind Punta Cechep, Venezuela
Acc: tent
Dist: 20,3 km
Start: 11:40 End:
15:10 (Venezuelan Time)

I should have known it…this last boat ride with the Colombian Navy was demanding all my willpower to stay upright and not to throw up. On leaving I even insisted on sitting in the bow on the ground besides my luggage, where I spent a relatively comfortable ride back in May. Just that that ride was with the waves, and the sea was under a meter. Today was close to two meters, which makes a BIG difference in the Caribbean. We were riding against the waves which are mostly wind waves, short, steep and choppy.It has blown all night and the sea was still up, the wind increased from 6 am from about 10 knots to 20 knots later this morning. It was a ride of almost five hours today…

It took about half a minute being out of the harbour and some hard meter high jumps shortening mmy spine by about two centimeters  and two painful knocks on the funny bone on the boat for me to ask the driver to stop so that I could climb to the back where they had advised me to sit, or better, to stand and ride the jumps out with my knees. I should have known it…I should have known that as usual the testosterone spraying young men knew only one speed – full speed. My kayak was fortunately reasonably strapped on top of three soft fenders straight across the eight stinky leaking petrol barrels stored in the front, and it was almost unloaded and light enough to stay softly padded.

Standing in the back is the one and only sensible place on such a ride, you have to hold hard on to the rails, your hands cramping, and to bend your knees in anticipation of a jump over short steep two meter waves.

Good exercise, if I wouldn’t have to paddle later and if there wouldn’t be the constant strong petrol smell blown from the barrels or from the three open powerful engines right behind you. It is disgusting, probably gives you lung cancer and sea sickness all together. I am not envying the guys this place to work all days, I think in Germany those conditions would not be allowed or you would need to have a gas mask on all day. I closed my eyes, lacking of some goggles against the salt spray and wind, shut down my mind and thought I was flying…I was kind of reminded of my early morning nightmare today – I was in a plane which was falling down to earth uncontrolled and we were all flying in the air without gravitation like you can create in a controlled parable flight. We have done that once or twice in my skydiving times…

This ride lasted five hours, only interrupted about ten times briefly with even worse fuel smell and now slowly bumping up and down in the waves and heat to adjust either the position of the fenders, tighten the ropes or to change the tube dipped simply in one of the petrol barrels to feed the constantly thirsty sucking engines. I am wondering how many litres of fuel and manpower hours and material abuse I was costing the Colombian tax payer, anyway, THANK YOU! But no way am I back any time soon on a Colombian coast guard boat with my kayak, if it can be helped!

The last 25 km of the 145 km ride were a relief when we were eventually turning south west into the bay and riding fully with the waves. Beautiful mighty white spray splashed up on both sides hitting a wave now with the flow. This feels way different! I could even look ahead, relax my hands and knees, and prepare mentally for my paddle.

Arriving on “my” spot, the toughest part came now with packing the kayak on the boat in meter high waves, no more extra wind ventilation with over 50 km/hr and 20 knots wind shaking the boat with my kayak on top to the bones…THAT made me sea sick! But I deliberately had no breakfast yet, and fortunately nothing came up. I had to stop frequently and try to catch a fuel smell breath somewhere in the front.

When I was eventually sitting in my heavy loaded kayak, I eagerly tried getting away from the boat and from the fuel smell into the fresh salty sea air! But the first strokes after three months break felt like chewing gum, with the addition of the recent stress with clinging to the boat rails and sea sickness. All I did was to keep the kayak straight and let myself be blown with the wind…

Fortunately these first two or three days will be going south west into the bay with the wind, before I have to fight against it. I slowly recovered, and could even paddle soon reasonably strong for that first day. I felt my 6-7 kilos extra body fat, I was sitting snug in my seat and the fat rolls were pinching me on my back, hips and waist. This has to change very soon!!!!

I knew I wouldn’t paddle far today, 20 km were just enough with the stress and the late start. I spotted on the easy shallow coast about five unusual high trees promising some shade for early afternoon camping. I landed over a shallow reef, checked the area but apart from an abandoned fishing boat under a roof, a bunch of goats and sheep looking like hungry camels on their long legs there was nobody, like all along the coast. I passed only one single one-handed fisherman in a row boat today!

Back from my inspection tour, I must have overlooked the two wild pigs suddenly appearing out of the shade of the last tree, being disturbed in their late lunch snooze. They probably were as scared as me! The afternoon was fortunately reasonably cool with shade and wind blowing through my tent, but today I could have used a hammock with those solid trees!

Regarding the Navy’s effort I thought I would have been wiser to have skipped my last birthday at home and have paddled until Maracaibo already, this may have been logistically easier. But at that point I didn’t know about that friendly paddler contact I have now! Gabriel is expecting me and will look after me in Maracaibo, thanks! In about three or four days I should be there.