Tue 09/04-2013 Day 448

[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hVpgifG00rg/UW2Jxk9NuxI/AAAAAAAAUqw/4p8L-sBrMrE/s144-c-o/P4090002.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage14Colombia2BoarderPanamaToBoarderVenezuela#5867497374360648466″ caption=”Windy camp at Lomarena” type=”image” alt=”P4090002.JPG” ]

 

Pos: here
Loc: Lomarena
Acc: tent
Dist: 25,9 km
Start: 5:35 End: 11:05

In the early morning, all went perfect! Uli came in German time at 4.55 am, and brought a strong Navy guy to carry my bags down to the boat. Thanks for all your help and care in Cartagena, Uli! You are a great friend!

Two other guys carried my kayak just out of the Navy base across the street, and I packed my few things I needed for the day. The coast guard boat with my three heavy gear bags would follow, and was actually soon on my spot driving around the southern headland when I was ready to launch from the tiny beach.

It was calm seas, and almost no wind in the morning. All looked easy – for now… I made good progress, and just had to stop once to put the boat into position *behind* me. I thought I explained it to them already on the shore where to drive? Definitively not besides me or even in front of me. There is nothing more annoying that to hear, smell and even to see the escorting boat all the time!

I waved at a few fishermen going out, all easy! At 9.30 am, the wind breezed up to maybe 10 knots,certainly against me, and I still made 5 km/h on reasonable calm seas, still ok.

But around 10 am, the wind now freshened up to an annoying 15 knots, then later to probably 20 knots! The sea lifted accordingly, and I was making now any more barely 3 km/h. I had just started to cross the small bay to Punta Piedra, where they said, in the coast guard briefing, would be the first sheltered spot to anchor. I kept on fighting for a while, thinking I may still cross and reach Punta Piedra myself, but if I’d be completely on my own, I’d have already landed on the beach somewhere…

At 11 am I was sick of that wind, the sea grew, and I got pushed into the bay anyway. I waved at the boat to pick me up. Quite early, but no other chance!

They got me and my kayak onto the boat with some effort, and I was thinking we would be driving now quickly those remaining 2,5 km to Punta Piedra, and I could rest soon. But either it was a misunderstanding in the briefing in the coast guard office yesterday from my side, or the boat driver simply decided the seas are too big to anchor at that marginally sheltered spot.

I thought we’d take the next point then, maybe this was not Punta Piedra, and my GPS chart is wrong? But Punta Santa Rita was not good enough either for him, and we were far out anyway. The sea grew bigger still, and the speed of the coast guard boat got even slower. It had to be slow already since I got on, as two of the guys had to manually hold my kayak on top of the petrol barrels again. The boat is one of the smallest coast guard boats I had seen so far, even smaller than the one I had going to Bahia Solano where I was already sleeping on the one and only flat spot behind the wheel.

The boat driver has to react to every climb on top of a wave with less speed, or we’d be jumping like hell! At least he was a skilfully driver, and the jumps were few and my kayak more or less safe.

Time was also passing by, and it was eventually the Ensenada Amansaguapos where he was aiming for! It was an unbelievable 25 km distance straight, as much as I had paddled! It would have been easier going back to Cartagena with the waves in the afternoon! But we were punching on, and I was more than once close to say “stop here, I want to go to the beach myself!” But even that was not possible in this rough stuff now! There was only one way – keep on going! If one of the engines hadn’t stopped about an hour ago…

In the wide bay, we were driving diagonal to the waves and he could speed up a tiny bit, but now we all got continuously soaked to the bones. Everything on the boat was wet, from my gear bags to their back packs, mine were fortunately water proof… It was a continuously horizontal heavy shower, and the bilge pump was running also almost without break.
One of the guys holding my kayak needed a pair of goggles for his eyes, but on the throw from the driver they blew it into the water. I carefully passed him another pair… and then he fell asleep holding my kayak – in these conditions!

The driver had to use some kind of ski goggles already all the time with the wash of the sea going over everyone and everything. If the second engine would stop also now…I formed my plan B! I had even put on a PFD from the boat for warmth, and maybe for…  Just my gear bags were not inside my kayak… the guys would be simply stiffed then, getting blown to shore with no working engines. I think the only thing they could do is just to jump off right before they hit the beach or the cliffs…with luck they’d get washed onto sand.

The wet and bumpy ride went on and on, and I formed my plan C – I’d leave the boat – not only for the night! Where they think they can anchor, I must be able to pack and get off here also! We were now driving for *THREE HOURS*!!! Ok, it was still early, but my energy level does not include this kind of long and bumpy and wet ride for a reasonable calm place to anchor! Not to talk about my kayak getting bumped, or to think about sleeping on the soaking wet platform in still rough waters…no way!

I will need to become independent and loaded up again, paddling mostly close to shore, ready to land at any time once the wind gets too strong. Fortunately the landings are all with easy low breakers, and beaches are many. This Caribbean sea is really one of it’s own kind! The wind blows it up to a confused high rough mix quite quickly, but the surf onto the beach is low and non-violent. It still can throw you…

We arrived in front of a nice beach in more or less calm water – at least calmer than outside! I packed quickly, and the launching of the heavy kayak was not good for the hull and fittings… jumping in I got pushed so heavy against the coast guard boat I almost capsized and had trouble to get away. I did not realize with all the stress we already turned again my launch side into the wind…

I got a fat wave half filling my cockpit, but I had no time to empty it here. I closed my deck, and ran those 500m to the beach as hard as I could. I didn’t want to land at the cliffs down wind… Bloody heavy kayak, but this is my regular load! I came through the low surf all right, and landed easily. Thank goodness…

I emptied the kayak of water and gear, and put up my tent right across on the sand, fully into the wind. There were a few palm tree shelters, but I refrained from putting up camp there, not to get into an argument about them being private or not. Not really easy to put up a tent in about 20 knots wind, but possible. But later I turned it twice, catching more wind instead of sheltering myself inside – too hot all afternoon!

Soon four policemen on two motor bikes came and checked the beach, I gave them my card and pointed out to the now anchoring coast guard. All ok, camping should be safe here! An hour later, I heard a helicopter buzzing over my head, and a white neutral van was dropping a load of ten heavily armed Navy infantry guys, doing an exercise just here and now! They didn’t know about me, but my card and broken Spanish helped. Still I had to give them phone number of the coast guard boss Hernando Mattos and my other contact Juan to confirm my permitted presence… at least I would be well guarded again! But they drove off after a while. Not sure about my peaceful night here? If I had my own choice, I may have chosen a more remote beach than this one to have a bother free rest the afternoon and night.

Tomorrow… yes, tomorrow the correct way would be to go back to the spot where I stopped. But I told my boat guys this was the last time I would be on a coast guard boat after this ride! Also tomorrow morning I need to launch very early again in first light, and not to drive another two or three hours back to my spot. It may go quicker with the waves in the calmer morning hours, but not sure. Also, they would need to lift my heavy loaded kayak on the boat, which is almost impossible and not good for the kayak at all.

Then the same procedure again tomorrow??? No way…I will commit to skip these 25 km as the bird flies, probably 30 km on paddling. It is a lot, but this way is not the solution to help me, sorry! It was at least a well intentionen idea, paddling empty and sleeping on the small boat like in the Pacific..but these are different waters!

It looked like the guys are also happy about this decision, not to have to drive back all the way…they may have a rough wet night now on the boat, all soaked, no shower… I feel a bit sorry for them! Thanks to get me safe to the beach.

But the best way would have been for today to just paddle independently and loaded, land whenever I felt like it was time to stop. It may not be far or long, but better. The guys can do then what they feel they need to do, driving back at higher speed without kayak, or going wherever. It was a good attempt to go unloaded again and to sleep comfortably on the boat, but it just didn’t work out at all!

The boss of the coast guard in Cartagena said the best way would be to paddle at night with lower wind and seas, just that the night is now fully dark with almost new moon… I will see if I at least will launch in darkness. But I actually neither enjoy shifting my biorhythm nor particularly enjoy paddling at night…but if it’s unavoidable I will do that. Not the first night I’d be out there… or I simply have to paddle shorter distances for the day. It will be a bit less windy tomorrow, we’ll see how far I’ll get! Thursday and Friday are even better. This is the Caribbean, dream destination of all all Europeans! 🙂

9 comments on “Tue 09/04-2013 Day 448

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Karen

Bummer about the extra drive and loss of 30km. Too bad for the lack of communication. This is what happens when you are working with others to reach your goal. Maybe they could drive you back before day break.
If you got started an hour before the sun rises that may help. Then just paddle as the wind dictates, noon perhaps may be the end of the paddle for the day. Adjusting to the winds of the region.

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