Paddling Update: Day 46–49

Day 46 – Port Alfred to Hamburg, 68km

We had a two-day weather break in Port Alfred, looked after by Rick and Jo-Anne Bretts, and rained for most of it. On Thursday morning at 04h30 we gathered at a small slipway on the Kowie River, a large group there to see us off. Leaving the river mouth was different to when I arrived, not a wave in sight this time, and a south-westerly was already pushing us up the coast.

Acts of Kindness

A school friend, Kevin Weaving, made contact after hearing about my trip. We arranged to meet at Plettenberg Bay where his family would be camping. When I saw him at the beach, he mentioned almost off-handedly that their tent and campsite had burnt down the night before, everything gone up in smoke in seconds. A few days later he called to say that fellow campers had collected money to replace the tent, and asked that it instead go to our cause, noted as “a donation from the Keurbooms campers.” How amazing is that.

Day 47 – Hamburg to East London, 54km

I knew there was a problem when I could not bend enough to put my booties on. About two hours in, the wind and sea suddenly stood on its head, a strong head current pushing the swell up so that two out of three crests were breaking. As I got a glimpse of the harbour breakwater I saw a whole bunch of paddlers heading out to meet me, always a fine sight. A photographer for the Daily Dispatch was there, and the following day it was the front-page picture. That evening there was a braai and a question-and-answer session at Border Canoe Club, a lekker bunch of paddlers. The next morning my lower back was not happy, movement was difficult enough that I needed physio treatment and a couple of rest days. We stayed with the Thompson family, whose sons gave up their rooms for us, and Brendon arranged our breakfasts at the Wimpy up the road, coffee, wifi and a new lower back on the wishlist.

Day 48 – East London to Cinsta East, 31km

The consensus on my back was inflammation from all the steering in big downwind conditions, leaning the ski one way or another and loading the joints. A few physio sessions with Gerda had me mobile again for a test paddle. Ian Boyd joined me off Orient Beach, and we caught some lovely runs, what a mate calls “lollies or taxis,” easy to catch and cheap to ride. Passing Glen Gariff I spotted a snake swimming on the water, and as I paddled closer for a look it tried to swim toward me instead, not the Daily Dispatch headline I was after. We stayed in Shane and Joy Roach’s holiday house on the dune at Cinsta East, spectacular views from the hot tub, and my back held up well through the whole paddle.

Day 49 – Cinsta East to Kei Mouth, 31km

Back on the water before sunrise, greeted by dolphins just behind the breakers, a good start to any day. Passing Haga Haga, 15km along, brought back memories of a family Christmas holiday there in 1985, the trip I first heard Dire Straits’ “Walk of Life” on the wireless. A big splash ten metres to my right near Morgan Bay had me sprinting for a while. The surf at the point was as I remembered it, big and messy, but I found a small beach ahead of the main river mouth and timed the waves in without issue. A big swell and strong easterly winds were forecast for the days ahead, so the plan was to sit tight and push on toward the Wild Coast once it passed.