Day 8 - Island Head Creek – Dinner with the French

Wednesday 23^rd May 2012

Day 8 - Island Head Creek – Dinner with the French
Still very overcast, no rain and light winds in the morning getting stronger throughout the day.

In the morning MrJ does his weather report as usual. The internet and HF are becoming scratchy and harder to receive; must have something to do with weather interference or something similar. The decision is made to stay another day with an easterly weather pattern on Thursday making for a better sail. We hope!

A couple more boat head into the creek; this time some international boats, two French catamarans and a sloop from Monaco. Shelly has invites us and the French couple Annie and Daniel for afternoon drinks. Annie speaks fluent English but with a very thick accent, which is at times Shelly finds hard to understand, or maybe it is the arrogance of the lady that Shelly does not gel with. Daniel speaks less English but has a much more pleasant manner which makes for a better flow in conversation even when you have to repeat yourself or refer to a drawing to get a message across.

View from the northern beach - even a stick has a great view

Earlier in the afternoon I decided to finally drop the kayak in the water. The winds had backed off and the tide was calm at the top of high water. I donned my swimmers, a shirt, a yellow rain coat, my large brim hat and lots of sunscreen. The comfy seat I had already attached to my kayak before MrJ helped me lower it into the water. MrJ had also insisted that I pack the handheld VHF radio in my backpack where I had my old camera, which was in a camera bag and raped in a plastic rain bag, along with a bottle of water. He also insisted that I attach a bungie cord from my ankle to the kayak as an added safety measure because of the strong current in this waterway, should the worst happen and I fall off the kayak. Another thing that I always do went taking the kayak out is to attach the bow line to the middle of the paddle by the means of a rolling hitch and then a double hitch back on the standing part of the line . I’m not going to lose this sucker!

Off I go, paddling across the waterway towards the southern side. The wind is a lot stronger than I had first thought making the waves stand up across the shallow sea that is partially covering the sand shoal. I did think this line of angle out; thinking that if I head straight into the wind and wavelets that it will be better for me on the run back. After a bit of a hard slog and a bit of a drenching I finally made the paddle to the rocky south shoreline and then peddled on around to the little beach where I pulled the kayak up on the sand and went exploring.

Someone had been here before me as there were footprints all along the beach. Buggar! This spoiled my planned photo shoot but not to be disheartened I still got some nice shots of the shell and driftwood on the sand and of the beautiful tiny yellow butterflies that were flying in and around the small low eucalypt trees. After walking up and back along this small beach, exploring and taking photos I once again took to the kayak for the return journey. And it was a journey! I had not counted in on the tide changing so fast or that with the tide change the undercurrents of the waterway accompanied with the big swell outside sending some small swell inside the creek would be working against me. This effect on the waterway was trying to push me away from AR, push me further into the entrance of a smaller side creek on the southern shore between the rock and the sand shoal. The whole area around the sand shoal was of confused waters and currents. I had to use all my strength to keep my kayak heading in the desired direction. At least I had the wind pushing from behind and the little wind wave to surf down but I would not have been strong enough to outswim these currents in the event of been in the water. Me and my kayak would just drift to land where I could get back on and try another tactic even if it meant lugging the kayak across the sand shoal after the tide went out more to get a better angle.

As it was I did make it safely back to AR, very much drenched (not the camera), very weary and in need of a warm shower and some dry clothes. It was to be a cold shower (no hot water till MrJ had the genny going) and time to get lunch. I was so hungry!