Progress Report 11/13/07 Tuesday - update by Freya 14.11.07 and 23.11.07

Weather update from Karel Vissel:
http://www.kayakweather.blogspot.com/
Tuesday mrng nw 3bft noon w 3bft aft s3bft seas 0.60 to 1.40mtr from se
Wed mrng sw 4bft noon sw 4 to 5bft aft sw 4bft seas 1.60mtr from se

Satellite Text Message Received from Freya:
44.48 171.10 Morven. Got stranded in the bush again after 18km s wind came with 5 to 6 at 9.32h :( I walked out to the road to meet Paul :)

I paddled another 18km south up to the Waitaki River mouth. I had a nice dinner with Paul.

Update by Freya 14.11.07:
I got up early again, Paul's latest marine forcast and Karel's update by the morning was for southerlies coming in at noon already, and probably stronger than I would like it....

Ok, getting up early and going as far as possible I guessed, winds and seas looked still easy that morning.

Launching was easy, too, but my skeg rope deploying system failed the first time, as the little loop on the skeg broke and the skeg stayed stuck...

Seas were calm, and I'd rather climbed out on the stern again as being successful once (and failed another time...) than landing on that beach again! But I couldn't reach it to pull it out, it was stuck deep inside the skeg box...I slid forward again to reach my knife out of a cockpit bag, tried again to fumble around without slicing into my drysuit, but I couldn't find the tiny cobble which caused the problem...


Ok, landig again... somehow I got the boat up enough to roll it on it's side, getting the repair bag out for an new loop, scratched the cobble out with my knife and to launch again with success this time.


7.15 am for the second start of the morning, still early enough for Omaru harbour, I thought...
9.32 am, and from one minute to the next it was there, the front with southerly winds, which was already announcing himself an hour ago with some dark clouds to the south. I kept on pushing a bit, but my GPS told me I was down to 2-3 km/h, pointless for the effort I put in, and I won't make the 50 km to Omaru anyway.

So just land again after about 18 km, in the middle of nowhere again...

I just hoped I picked a good spot for road access to meet Paul somehwere around 2 pm, as I couldn't see any hinterland behind the steep beach. Landing was rough, but ok, and maybe after 2 hrs of paddling only I was still strong enough to pull the boat up the steep beach, as it worked better than the previous night.


For sure I had to unload it fully again, as there were two more steep steps waiting to be pulled up until I eventually felt safe and dry enough high on top of the gravel bar.

I would have put up tent right there again if I would just be by myself for that day, but Paul was announced to call me from 2 pm on, to make sure we'll meet somewhere. He hasn't got a VHF or GPS, just a (luckily working there) cell phone...hey, modern expedition times are up! :-)))


I walked out to the main road, and with the help of a farmworker's lift I was sitting besides the A1 at about 11 am, still quite early for a rendevouz. Ok, time to work on my fingernails a bit and to type some messages on the Satphone ;-))
Rain came up, and I preferred rather walking up the road towards Timaru for a meeting than to get cold.

At least I was still in my Kokatat drysuit and had my Kokatat Gore-Tex overcag on, so well protected! But it must have been a funny figure walking along the noisy main road without asking anyone for a lift...just for fun...
Eventually it was 2pm and Paul's car turned up, most appreciated as it became a bit chilly on the the long run.

...............................................................................

Update by Freya 23.11.07



We managed to find the little dirt road where I came off the beach, and had a nice lunch at Paul's car, with a convenient two flame camp stove in use. Car camping has advantages...
The local farmer drove by on his 4-wheeler and probably was wondering what we were doing out there, almost on his meadow...
After two hrs the wind seemed to be down enough I could start at 4.30 pm for another two or three hrs paddle. We agreed to meet again at the Waitaki River mouth.
Launching went well, a nice push is always appreciated!

Approaching the big river mouth, the water bacame pretty racy at times, and I kep a good eye out for Paul. But only three fishermen catching whitebait were busy out there, no orange jacket to be seen indicating the end of the day!

Well, cell phone contact was luckily available, and Paul told me he was waiting about 1 mile down the coast where he found good road access. He would have a blue tarp put up and would be good visible.

Wind freshened up again, and the last 1/2 hour was a good workout to reach teh blue tarp and orange jacket spot somewhere out there on the long gravel bar...good feeling whith a support crew! At least for some luxury days...actually I guessed Paul wanted to get on the water with me at some point as he brough kayak and all kit, but understandable he wasn't too much attracted to paddle this stretch of coastline...

He obviously enjoyed acting rather as a support crew he was lucky to have himself on most of his trips. Besides some days with Bevan Walker he admitted he was never on this side of the trip, so very much appreciated he was there!

For landing in strong wind and sidewaves up the steep gravel beach I carefully watched his signs from which side to approach and I understood his signs he wanted me in diagonal with the waves...and I readily got my legs out of the boat to jump out as soon as possible paddling carefully in after a big wave like I was successfull on my own the last days.

But on catching someone else his idea was I should have paddled up the beach full speed on the back of a big breaker, to get up as high as possible, obviously right, but somehow I was too scared to time it wrong and rather to dig my nose into the steep gavel and pitchpole as I did in Iceland once...so after jumping out on the waterside of the kayak a big dumper washed the boat onto Paul, knocked him over and the heavy barge was sitting right on his leg...it didn't look too good, but luckily nothing was broken, he just wasn't too happy about water in his gum boots...well, things happen on big trips like that with unexperienced kayakers...(me!)

But I did my job on drying his only pair of socks later with a hair dryer in the little campside hut he was so nice to book...a hot shower, laundry and dry place to stay is always appreciated after some days in the bushes! And it was pouring rain all night long...

We checked what each of us brought for food and put together a delicious meal, again convenently prepared in a big pan on a two flame stove...