Weather update from Karel Vissel:
http://www.kayakweather.blogspot.com/
Monday: mrng ne 3bft noon e 3bft aft e 3bft seas mrng 4.70 aft 4.30mtr frm sw
Tuesday: mrng nw 3bft noon w 2 to3bft aft sw 2 to3bft seas 2.60mtr frm s
Satellite Text Messages Received from Freya:
46.36 169.26 Tautuku Bay 40km I could get used to the relaxing half day paddles dictated by sheltered landing & tide 🙂 actually enough swell for today..HUGE off Long Point!
Update by Freya 24.11.07:
The early morning start and paddle through the Nuggets was not watched by anyone, touristst were still asleep on their warm and dry accomodations…
The wind forecast was nice, but BIG swells should come up for that day…heading out of the sheltered bay before the Nuggets no swell appeared at all. And even going through the gap I spotted the day before was a bit of a thrill regarding Paul’s issue there, but it proved to be no problem, just some streamy water and I was scared to death once as a sea lion was barking out loud somewhere unexpectedly… :-))
But behind the Nuggets, going off the sheltered bay, the swell became more and more visible and to be felt, the backchop off White Head was already entertaining, but approaching Long Point topped my HUGE swell experience so far…
It is not really dangerous or likely to capsize in BIG swells only, a good sense of balance and NOT to get seasick is just required – and I was luckily able to feel alright with both.
Taking pics of the swell breaking on the point was not easy, balancewise first, but timing it right to be UP when a huge breaker hits the rocks and not DOWN in the wave trough proved to be tricky…
I was just happy not to feel any seasickness coming up, as I had to deal with that already sometimes in Newfoundland and Iceland…maybe my body told me "no time for that, you are alone out here and cant’t feed the fishes right now and get weak…" or so…
Behing Long Point the backchop created some choppy surf for a long time, even some bracing was necessary! I was just happy I took my food and pee braek just *before* the point…
But the water became soon more quiet approaching Tautuku Bay, and although I covered only another half day paddle with 40 km and was thinking to skip that bay and pushing on to Purpoise Bay I must admit I had enough swell for that day…
Tautuku Bay at low tide was a long pull up of the boat again, my hull becomes thinner and thinner from the constant sand abrasion :-)) – and the extra excersise is not too much appreciated.
I put up my tent opposite to the wee houses, as I didn’t feel too much like camping between holiday huts and meeting people that day.
Anyway, the chap driving up to my dune camp to just bring me some fresh water was well appreciated! It proved to be a fisherman who knew already about my trip from other fishermen…
I opened my tent not to be unpolite whilst the brief conversation, but the sandflies saw that as an invitation to get inside, too…but they are slow enough to get caught! 🙂
Just all those dead bodies inside the tent then…