Hokkaido

Two more hops to report... 

ESASHI

The first of these an early start and then 20 nautical miles in 4 hours to Esashi. Averaging 5 knots doesn't sound that impressive, but most days I would sign for that. Also note that quoted distances are straight line measurements, whereas the sailed course is rarely that direct. This means that the actual speed is more respectable than it sounds.

I'm too late. Like a straggler from a flock of migrating geese, the odds now seem stacked against me from escaping the harsh winter of northern Japan.

My objective has become to "complete" Hokkaido by reaching its southwest corner, and then crossing the Tsugaru Strait back to Honshu. Looking at the map that doesn't seem a huge ask, but at this time of year the weather windows are at best short-lived and at other times a figment of wishful thinking.

In Japanese, "windsurfing" is called "windosurfing". That seems very apt right now.

Jono's diary - 2/3 Oct.

After a day off at Embetsu, a front rolled through on Wednesday morning with a deluge of rain, and the stiff southerly wind switched to an equally energetic north-westerly.

As usual, I am playing catchup with events. Unfortunately there are breakages to report, but I'll leave those for the end. Let's start with something more uplifting: an adventure within an adventure, the Shiretoko Peninsula.
 

Windsurfing round Cape Ochiishi on the Nemuro Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan. On this leg I set sail from Kiritappu, about 20 nautical miles away. Although I stayed well offshore en route to Cape Ochiishi, twice the wind failed completely. I was tossed about like a cork, unable to make progress, and in a bit of bother to say the least. It was a big relief when this bit of wind arrived to get me past the Cape. The footage is a single take (a bit ugly and raw in places, but authentic!) The board is a Unifiber Proteus Raceboard and the sail is a Loftsails Switchblade HD 8.5m.

Having negotiated the port city of Kushiro, I stocked the barrel with a few extra supplies. At one o'clock the fog cleared and I sailed zigzags for 3 hours, making 2.7 nautical miles, before being becalmed again and having to paddle to reach the small port of Katsurakoi.

Before I sail today, a quick few paragraphs about Cape Erimo and the village (Erimomisaki) of the same name:

I am taking Hokkaido as a polygon to be tackled a face at a time. For a while, progress on the face leading to Cape Erimo seemed slow going, but then I conceptualised the task in mountaineering terms. Each day sailed (or sail-paddled) I nudged forward to a base camp nearer to the summit. A day with relatively favourable winds, but a most uncomfortable swell, contributed a 34 nm run. That got me in range (if not in sight, because visibility has been poor) of the pinnacle.