Small Hops, South Shimane Support

I think that every mile since the last update, six days and four hops ago, has been upwind. For two days it was a pure headwind, fresh at times. Then a north swell rolled in and the wind was entirely absent. Yesterday, it was cross offshore from the left. Today was cross-onshore from the right.

The Shimane coastline has become a favourite of the journey. There are many sandy beaches, and the rockier outcrops are not particularly high or cliff-like. These more gentle features (sometimes, in theory!) encourage stable wind and agreeable sea conditions.

Kirara Beach to Nima

Very windy at first, as it had been in the equivalent corner the other side of the flat plain inside the Shimane Peninsula. I wonder if conditions will become too brutal, but as the funnel entrance becomes more distant, the wind eases. It becomes a very enjoyable sail. The many sandy bays remind me of Menorca. For a while now it has been a very natural coastline, unspoilt by excessive tetrapodisation.
The strong wind gives the current extra potency, and by the end of the day the sea is lumpy. Nima port is a useful but unremarkable end of day stop. The public toilets are locked up. Eventually I find a person to ask where I might find some water. His recommendation is to quietly steal some from a tap on the side of a house.

Nima to Gotsu (Shinwa port)

I get lucky and bag a few cheap miles early on before the wind cuts out. A knot of current sweeps me backwards, so without delay I switch to the paddle until reaching a tongue of sand inside a natural reef, where I can take a lunch break at leisure. A breeze returns and I sail on a now very calm sea. Another stop on a small island with a shrine. Most small islands have shrines, but a sandy beach upon which to land is more unusual. It seems that I will have to paddle the remaining miles, but the wind turbines still turn and they rightly encourage me to persist with wind power. A few hours later I arrive at the port under Gotsu lighthouse.

I exit the water at the ramp used by some smaller boats, treading carefully to avoid the sea urchins. A few locals are preparing their craft for launching. I explain my journey and am enlisted to help slide a boat over some wooden frames and into the sea. Permission to camp here (and use the taps!) is granted, and one of the trio drives me to the local konbini and pays for my dinner. Arigato gozaimasu #nara_6313.

The first night rains, but not torrentially, and the next morning I dry out. There is no wind, and a big swell, so I walk to Gotsu town community centre, which is a very impressive building, and settle in to make a start on my "la renta" tax return.

The following day is even less tempting, so I get my tax return finished.

Gotsu to Hamada

I am eager to move on, so - although the gust forecast map on Windguru is red-dominated - I set sail as soon as there is a breeze to do so. The air is hot and restless. The cross offshore wind eventually fills in, and the gusts are stiff enough, and it isn't relaxing. In these conditions, my link to shore is tenuous. IF anything were to break, the link would be lost. As I approach Hamada, the hot day is at peak instability and a flood of air howls out of the natural harbour as I try to get in. The wind would suit a 3.7 sail. The downhaul on my 7.8 is hauled block-to-block, the leach as open as it has ever been, and still I battle to keep upright. One of those on-the-limit gusts completely stops the board, and for a few seconds I am on the verge of being dumped, before there is a temporary reprieve, which I use to put a tack in. Another zigzag gets me inside of an outer breakwater which is an unassailable sheer wall. I battle for another two zigzags, and those get me to an entrance inside of which there is genuine safety.

After I have "come down" from the experience, I check the weather again, to discover that torrential rain is forecast this evening. In need of a plan I wander over to a building to discover that it is a lifesaving club / ocean education centre. Great! My sort of people. A member called Yui is my first contact, and then the owner arrives, and a short while later I am showered, have cleaned clothes drying in the wind, and a food drop has arrived. I sleep inside and hear the rain hammering down all night. Arigato gozaimasu https://be-hamada.com/ #be_hmd22.

Hamada to Masuda Tsuda

Wind cross-on from the right. Flat within the protected harbour, which is a similar scale to Plymouth Sound. Once outside, the wall becomes a lee shore. 1.5 metre wind waves reflect off the outer breakwaters. For lumpiness, I will award it an 8. The wind itself today is reliable rather than threatening, maybe 12 to 18 knots, but the board is thrown about so much that it is difficult to get and stay on the rail. An incoming launch powers towards me, also unable to keep a straight course, and pushes walls of white to either side as it yaws. At 100 metres, a loudspeaker addresses me in Japanese. I guess at the meaning and settle upon "conditions are not suitable for a windsurfer". I give a thumbs up in agreement.

Beyond the rebound zone, the sea improves. Parts of the day are borderline enjoyable. After about 10 miles there is a nuclear power station protected by a concrete wall, beyond which the lumpiness score is a 7. A ship departs from the power station port and briefly assumes a collision course before missing me by a mile.

The day undoubtedly has more miles, but I keep to my plan A of taking only 14 of them. Masuda Tsuda has a pretty port and a nice beach. A few surfers are in the waves as I hook inside a tetrapod opening and find flatter water for an easy landing.

Looking forward to an easier day tomorrow, but great experiences on this Shimane coastline. It is soul nourishing and practically useful to find kind people at many stops. The remaining distance to Kyushu is gradually being eroded away.