Day 3
- Fact about life: There is no situation so bad that things can't get any worse.
- Before sunrise, I got up and started moving around. I was too cold to lie on the ground any longer.
- suddenly realize all the rocks looked the same at twilight, but can't seem to see where my kayak is...
- From twilight till 1100, I kept looking and looking and looking for Indian Summer. But she's gone. She's definitely gone!
- The sun was high up and the sand warm again, exhausted, I lie down on the sand, completely dispirited. Pondered about what to do. Should I activate my epirb...?
- I felt so guilty about losing Indian Summer, I cried.
- Dug out my monocular, climbed up the hill and looked around -- saw something red... can it be..!?
- Found her, finally! I was so happy and relieved that I was laughing and crying at the same time.
- Repacked my gears, by the time I finally launched, it's past 11am. A bit of a departure from my routine of launching before sunrise.
- Found signals not far from Tung Ping Chau. Called Dennis, told him about the seal landing and losing my gears to the dump surf. I think my voice was still cracking a lil at the time, because Dennis sounded rather concerned.
- Told Dennis plan to get water and food on Grass Island, but beam wind/waves forced me to change the plan and decided to paddle to Ham Tin Wan instead.
- Ate beef with bokchoi on rice in HamTin Wan, drank 3 cans of sport drinks, called Dennis while I waited for food. Even got a shower. Dennis was annoyed that I didn't call till now. The food was disgusting, but I was hungry enough to eat it all anyway.
- procrastinated good and long at the beach. Wistfully watched the kids jet-skiing in the bay. For the first time I realized how very tired I really was, but had to dreadfully discipline myself to move on.
- launched after lunch, now that hunger wasn't so acute, I start to notice the salt-sore and the seam of my shirt rubbing against my armpit/shoulder. Since I was in god-forsaken sai kung and I thought there was nothing but clouds and rocks and water for company, I decided to change into my b'day suit as I paddled. It was past 1600 anyway so the sun wasn't so hard on the shoulder.
- shite, ran into a junkboat near Long Ke. Wonder if they noticed I was a girl, but opt to paddled quickly to get away instead of putting shirt back on.
- That panicy feeling again. Could it be...? Do I ever learn? It's sunset again and there is no obvious campsite ahead on the map. I really should have just made camp in Long Ke, but decided I would try for Clearwater Bay...
- Ended up landing in the dark in Sar Tong Hau/ On Gong. Again, it was total darkness by the time I managed to get self, kayak and gears all onto the Island. Had no light, SB and bivy both wet, so had to make do with emergency space blanket. Shin got really cut up from strugging to move kayak and gears up the rocky shore in the dark.
- As Santiago says, you are never really alone at sea... visited by a shitload of mosquitos and two stray dogs that night, but was so tired that I was beyond caring. They can eat me alive if they liked, but I can't imagine a salt-pickled human could be very appetizing...
gosh, I'm shaking a lil just typing up this report. And it's been over a year since the disastrous trip. Must not do this to self again.
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