With the fourth week of the Shaw and Partners Paddle of Aus. wrapped up, we take a deeper dive into the week gone by.
Day 22
“After paddling out at sea for 10 days straight, it was lovely to spend most of day 22 on land recovering. This morning I paddled out of Lakes Entrance accompanied by the Jet Ski for the shorter 36-kilometre journey to the town of Loch Sport. As we came out of the bar crossing, I was greeted by all sorts of sea life spotting seals and dolphins all in the space of 30 seconds. This wasn’t the only sea life spotted, with penguins popping up out of the water several kilometres further along! The weather was lovely and after the mornings paddle I enjoyed our crew dinner at the Bamboo motor inn who so kindly were able to accommodate us!”
Day 23
“Day 23 redefined the term “slow grind” for me. I made slow progress that day, as I was pushing into a headwind for over 14 hours to complete 100 kilometres for the day. Paddling from Loch Sport we had planned to make it to Port Albert but ended up anchoring out at sea. I was too physically exhausted to continue any further and with darkness setting in we decided to drop anchor. I have still been having difficulty keeping food down and this makes it hard to stay properly fuelled for the long days of paddling to come. Hoping to round Wilson’s promontory the following day, the crew and I were warned of strong currents in those waters and were hoping that they’d work in my favour!”
Day 24
“On day 24 I passed the most southerly point of mainland Australia and rounded Wilson’s Promontory. I was reminded of scenes out of Lord of the rings, with massive granite rock faces looking out over the ocean! I paddled 87k starting in the dark at 4:30am, It was bitterly cold, and I was glad to have my Vaikobi jacket to keep me warm. Whilst most of the day I was distracted by the beauty of my surroundings, for about 30 kilometres I had to paddle into the current and paired with a headwind this certainly took a physical toll on me. Finishing up for the day I was excited about my progress and beginning to move west as this was a nice change from constantly paddling south.”
Day 25
“Completing 92 kilometres on day 25 was a blast, with favourable winds and great runners it was one of the most enjoyable days paddling so far on this journey! Enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the Victorian coastline today in particular, stopping for a break after 30k at the beautiful cape Liptrap headland. It was also my first-time seeing wind turbines from the ocean which was really different and not something that I’m used to seeing, coming from Queensland. Just before finishing up for the day, I managed to fall out of the ski and couldn’t get back in for 5 minutes. Overall day 25 was a great day with really favourable conditions and beautiful scenery! I finished the day grateful for the day that had passed and looking forwards to more days like it.”
Day 26
“On day 26 I learnt a lot about myself, with over 5 hours of silent paddling, there was plenty of time to think, maybe even too much time. I’ve realised that it is important for me to take some time to relax and unwind once I finish paddling each day as it allows me to break up the monotony of each day! The day took me on an emotional rollercoaster as I found out the distance, I had left to paddle was longer than what I’d been told. At one point in the day, I was only 30 centimetres from being run over by the boat which was a little bit scary. On a positive note, it was beautiful to paddle into Queenscliff and enjoy the wonderful hospitality of the Queenscliff yacht club, knowing that I had a rest day coming up for day 27.”
Day 27
“One of the highlights of my time in Queenscliff was a beautiful dinner at Alma in Geelong, after a day’s relaxation with my husband Matt. I’ve been really enjoying my rest days after paddling such large distances for multiple days. Aside from the physical benefits of rest days I have appreciated the positive effect these rest days have had on my mental state, they leave me feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next legs of the paddle.”
Day 28
“The last rest day at Queenscliff. To help me prepare for the journey ahead I booked in for a massage which was really relaxing and was definitely well needed. I have still been experiencing backpain, which has been one of the lingering issues I have been dealing with throughout the paddle so far. Capping off the day with a swim at Geelong beach.”
Challenges
“One of the ongoing challenges that I have been experiencing throughout the paddle is the backpain which is somewhat relieved through the use of a back brace. Getting used to paddling at night has also been a challenge, but one which I feel as though I am growing more comfortable with as I become more familiar with reading the ocean after dark.”
Going forwards
“I am looking forwards to exploring the Victorian coastline, in particular paddling past the Twelve Apostles, it has always been on my bucket list to drive the great ocean road and I never thought, I would have the opportunity to paddle along that section of coastline.”
-Compiled and edited by Ben Lavery for paddleofaus.com