Toyama Bay

The last 4 days. Progress coming not from gigantic leaps but from sustained effort. If I applied this to learning Japanese, I would be near fluent by now!

23rd March: 14 nm (escape from Itiogawa)

Mountains near sea. Cold and lonely feel when at sea. Wind fails. Paddling stint in sloppy muck, before a following breeze arrives. Day ends with sunshine and a comfortable run into Etchu Miyazaki port. Onsen with very old men who are close enough to death to not care too much about the Japanese habit of discretion: Unhindered by inhibition, we can interact a little and they discover something about my voyage, bringing a little bit more sunshine to the end of our day(s!). Decent camp. Yumiko cooks more than I can eat.

24th March: 16 nm (all winds, including none, reach west side of Toyama Bay)

Coastal flat becoming extensive. Gentle start. Sail a few miles, then paddling for an hour or so on smooth sea, sometimes inside the dashed lines of tetrapods. Shoreline 90%+? concrete. Headwind later good for sailing. Could push on a little further but stop a prudent 45 minutes before sunset. An unexpected and very strong (over 30 knots) wind arrives shortly after, which unsettles me. Yumiko identifies a decent camp location and once there she prepares a feast (shrimp sashimi, salad, gyoza). Wind eases later, which helps my nerves.

25th March: 20 nm (strong headwind, reach east side of Toyama Bay)

Big sailing day. Strong headwind always with a hint of offshore. Very present in my mind is a day of sailing in Fornells Bay in strong offshore wind when my mast snapped, and though I derigged and tried to paddle to reach shore, my efforts were futile. Also in mind is that wind blast from last night. Some fishing nets to negotiate. When the breeze ratchets up, I take the longer but safer inshore route to negotiate them. City shoreline. Ports built on estuaries so some parts have quite strong outgoing current. Zigzags for 15 nm, and close-hauled for the final 5 nm. Pleased with that. Very pleasant camping location, but at 1 AM a fierce wind arrives. Fortunately board, sail and drysuit are tied to a tree, otherwise they would have been blown into the water and lost. Gear is repeatedly flipped by the gusts. Tether is taut. Not a relaxing night.

26th March: 25 nm (following breeze, reach Noto town on Noto Peninsula)

Going north up the inside of the "hook" formed by the Noto Peninsula. Full shelter from the N/NE. Shallow, calm sea. Low ground, densely wooded. It is like being in another continent. It could be Finland or Estonia. Easy and pleasant sailing. It won't last long, so enjoy it! The coast of Noto Island has been spared of a road, and is consequently unmodified by a tetrapods. Most of Japan has a coast road (and often a railroad) that is buttressed by tetrapods. Imagine the carbon footprint of all that concrete! Consider, globally, how many more tetrapods (and how much CO2) will be produced to protect infrastructure from rising seas. It's like trying to extinguish a fire with petrol. Decent camp. Calm night. Good sleep.

27th March

Writing this! Looking good for sailing later. Hoping to reach the end of the Peninsula.

--

Massive thanks to Yumiko for the pictures and support. She's making this early season start a whole lot easier and more fun.