I have had trouble with technology but now sorted. This is the trip so far……
8th – drove to Port Welshpool in one hit.
9th – slow start and took a while to pack. Leaving the cars for the first time can take some time as excess baggage is culled. We left around midday. Camped Johnny Suey, which is about half way to Refuge Cove down the Wilsons Prom peninsula. 30kt cross winds through Corner Inlet until we got the protection offered by the prom as we plied southwards. Amazingly fun paddling in those winds. Met a south Aussie bunch kayaking right on the corner of Corner Inlet. They were holed up to avoid the winds but had inadvertantly camped in the most wind and sand blown place within range. Oh well. Noticed that one of them (Donna?) had a Tahe Marine Greenland T. It would have been an interesting conditions for her to be expeditioning in such a low volume boat. She had a smile from ear to ear though….it is the kind of kayak that will do that to you.
10th – paddled to Refuge Bay. Stay on the north beach of the cove. No facilities there. Met up with a bunch of Qld paddlers doing the crossing like us. Nice people. 4 guys and a girl
11th – walked up Kersops Peak before breakfast by myself but no network service. I discovered days later my HTC is useless with the Telstra sim but the Blackberry is good. Walked to Sealers Cove through the day with the gang. I got 7 leeches and one tick.
12th – paddled to Hogan. Copped 30kt tail winds for the last hour. Talk about interesting first crossing….. Mardi had a couple of wet exits to test our team. We met up with the Qld team again and they arrived an hour or two after us so were even more exposed to the rougher conditions. They said they were sailing and one guy rolled four times….. Like I said, it was an interesting choice to do the crossing. We stayed at the stockyards. In recent weeks there was a grass fire which has killed maybe a hundred penguins, their lifeless bodies trying to escape the heat and smoke were scattered around the rocky shoreline. Very sad. Still, dozens more penguins tried to waddle past up as we cooked dinner on the rocks.
13th- rest day.Weather too severe. I cooked some rasberry muffins for the gang who were circumnavigatiing the island via the rocky shoreline. They were most impressed as they turned up in the late afternoon for a sweet treat.
14th – paddled to Deal Is, Winter Cove. 10hrs. We were knackered after this but decided to paddle to Killiecrankie the next day regardless as conditions were forecast to be unbelievably benign. Again, the Qld paddlers were there. They came across a day after us. We met up with a 3 man crew from Rivers club in a triple yak. They’d been stuck and paddled to Killie the same day as us but had to fly home from there. Mardi and I walked the 4km to the Caretakers Cottage for fresh water, mobile reception and a freindly chat. Bed was late and up early for the big crossing.
15th- paddled to Flinders. Wright Rock was a real treat with maybe 200 seals on it and in the waters around us. I circumnavigated it twice.
16th- went to Royden. Met up with 14 of us doing Bass Strait. A 5 man crew from WA and the one from QLD.
17th- to Whitemark. Via Emita and checked out the museum.
18th- to Trousers Point, or strictly speaking the north side where we were is called Fotheringate Bay.
19th- to Lady Barron. Currently at Tavern eating dinner. Gary’s birthday. Happy Birthday.
