Paddle Special Update

From Nagasaki, where it rained a lot, I sail and paddle to make it round an outcrop and officially into the East China Sea. The next hop is a crossing of about 13 nm (25 km). Come midday, there is still no reliable wind, but I decide to head out in search of some. I struggle seaward, and about 3 nm from land finally find breeze. Through the middle of the crossing there is sufficient puff to tempt a more ambitious target. I recognise the trap and stick with my plan A: that being the fastest route to land. Some dolphins (Indo-Pacific bottlenose?) surface for air as we cross in different directions. In the sky, brown boobies - like gannets in a black/white colourway - alter course to pass overhead.

Sure enough, as I approach land on the other side, the wind begins its fade to zero. My target is a natural peninsula that pierces the doldrums and makes it easier to reach terra firma. I congratulate myself on a successful crossing: getting across today has saved either an uncertain wait or a long detour.

The names of all these places escape me: I will fill them in later in brackets. There was a castle where I landed [Tomioka], and it is on a big island [Shimoshima Island] which is notably wild and depopulated on the exposed side.

I hike to a supermarket to stock up on supplies. For luggage weight and volume reasons, I prefer to take the bare minimum plus a day or two, rather than (for example) a week's worth of food. That means I have to resupply more often, but it makes the board nicer to sail, and much easier to launch and recover. A benefit of fewer kilos is also less stress and damage to the board. My Crocs (3rd pair) are getting very thin again. My wetsuit boots (4th pair) are already worn through.

In the morning I leave my barrel top unsecured while going in search of a bin, an error exploited by the local cats and rooks who ransack my supplies. Shit! Oh well. Could be worse - I still have a few bits and pieces to see me through.

On the water I begin with the paddle, and once beyond a nuclear power station the tide begins to help, and the paddling becomes wonderful. Beneath me are the unmistakable geometric forms of corals. Short-tailed Shearwaters - mid-migration from Australia to the Bering Sea - rest on the calm sea, too tired to swim or fly away. One bird comes aboard and initially I worry that it might have avian flu. Later, when I understand their fatigue, I give them more space. Later, a headwind blows Beaufort force 4 to 5 for a while. I hear an unfamiliar bang. A short while later there is a second bang, and with that shot, a harness line fixing detaches from the boom. I repair the line with some rope. The breeze goes light and the tide turns against me, requiring that the day is finished with the paddle.

Steep sides all around at this little port [Ikusagaura], reminiscent of Norwegian fjords. A fish farm outside the harbour keeps the village alive, just. Heavy rain is on the way. There is a dockside shelter with a roof. I loiter a while until a person shows up and permission is given to sleep there. Winner.

The rain is torrential and lasts overnight and all through the next day. Wind south and strong, with big seas. No sailing. I eat some freeze-dried mountaineering meals, and run other supplies down to zero.

The board has been draining from an open wound for a day, and now it won't stop draining, which prevents a temporary repair and delays my getaway when fine weather returns. I am not too upset by this, as it lets the sea calm down some more. Good sailing when I get afloat. Fully planing downwind at times. Later, when I have hopped to Kagoshima prefecture, the wind dies away to nothing and once again the paddle comes out. A channel between one island and another has a fierce current, and fortunately is also channeling some wind to sail by, meaning that I can get across before being pulled into the overfalls.

It is a late finish when I pull into a protected nook that has a little beach [Wakimotohama]. For me, this was a target because there is a convenience store nearby. Upon landing, I see that a sea kayak has already been pulled up. Judging by the serious gear alongside the boat, the paddler is no day-tripper.

In the morning, the mystery is resolved. The kayaker has paddled from Okinawa, island hopping all the way to Kyushu. That is some feat. He was nowhere to be seen last night because he had pitched his tent in a garden just beyond my view. His hosts are equally welcoming to me, and we all enjoy a hearty breakfast together. It is no coincidence that we both landed here - Google Maps identifies it as a fine haven - but it is a huge coincidence that we happened to be here on the same day. Kayakers start early, and so I do too today, in order to sail a mile with Kawakita Ryusei (@hokulea_iriomote) before he goes north and I peel away south. The stop goes down in the log as one of the most treasured of my journey. Okskarisama - thankyou for your hard work! - Kazuhisa and Hiroko  Kiyokawa.

23 nautical miles later I land at Ichiki port. It has been an excellent day - part sailed and part paddled. I sailed across an immense estuary pushing milky (volcanic ash?) water out into the ocean. Later there was beautiful paddling between boulders and alongside verdant cliffs. Finally, I got lucky with a tailwind that should never have happened according to the forecasts. Where I land there is an onsen, a konbini, a family restaurant, and a railway station all nearby. That matters for reasons that will be explained in the next update and that that go beyond the imminent forecast of more torrential rain.

Long-term followers will remember that I broke my original paddle last summer in some unseen accident (act of negligence) that may or may not have involved a helicopter. Starboard Japan quickly stepped in and sent a replacement paddle for pickup from the Japan Coast Guard. That was just before I went round Shiretoko Peninsula where I had some very close bear encounters. Then, and many times after, that paddle has got me out of big trouble. Many thanks to Starboard Japan for your help then. Many thanks to my regular sponsors for their continued support also.