Island Hopping route

Attempted the Is. hopping route today, attempted and failed, more or less.

I've been reading Vic McAuley's book "Solo," as I was already familiar with the outcome of the expedition, every moment of humor and triumph detailed in the book was marred by a pang of sadness and loss. Seeing the picture of Andrew's little boy crying did me in, I started sobbing too.

I quite agree with everyone else that what Andrew did was selfish, but coming down to it, I don't think I could have resisted either if I were in his shoes. Sea kayaking is a funny thing, it plants the seeds of endless possibilities, and someone like Andrew is bound to test out his beliefs, his limits, and his inventions.

Which is a long way to say, it's impossible for me not to sympathize with Andrew. It also rekindled my enthusiasm, I'm not ready to come out right to say I'm going to commit to a second attempt yet, but the wheel is already rolling.

So I've been reading that in the last two days, and it brings back so much memories of testing situations in trips, and so many what-ifs, I actually felt sick to my stomach, so much so that I could not eat anything. I haven't eaten anything since breakfast on Tuesday, I did have a can of instant coffee yesterday, but had absolutely no food nor fluid since, and I decided to ... yeah, go paddle.

So I was going to do the Is. hopping route: DB-> Peng Chau -> Kau Yi -> Chau Kung -> Hei Ling -> Mui Wo -> DB. That was the plan.

I was feeling a little weak as I lifted my kayak to the water. No problem, I was so excited about paddling again, I didn't think to grab some food before I go. So I paddled out in high spirit, even made it to the rock garden that guards the DB pincher in 8 minutes, which is actually faster than my pre-NZ speed.

But my stomach was already growling at that point!

No problem, I'm no stranger to paddling in hunger. So I pushed on, mucked around with my painter line and paddle leash (one of them snapped and I had to use a spare.) By the time I made it to Tung Wan of Peng Chau I was already having doubts in my ability to do 25K in my condition. I drank half of my water hoping it will settle the stomach, but it did not. I decided to skip Kau Yi, paddled straight to Chau Kung Is., was tempted to just round CKIs., but thought that would definitely be cheating, so I pressed onto Hei Ling.

I was still doing okay at the HLIs. storm shelter, but then as I crossed the channel over towards the ammunition storage facility, I noticed a Kaito heading straight for me ... so I sprinted as hard and fast as I could. The Kaito missed me by a meter or two, which might sound like decent distance, but it's actually hair-raisingly close. I was banging on keeping my clothes dry and head straight to a restaurant after my paddle, but the boat wake had me drenched through and through. I started to get chilled (from being wet,) and I took on an inch of water in my cockpit (no spray deck because of fair weather condition,) and I didn't have a sponge (because of poor planning.)

When I finally glided back into flat water free of looming threats of rogue kaitos, I actually doubled over holding my stomach. I didn't realize how incapacitating hunger can be. I also started to get a little dizzy from the rock bottom blood sugar level. I paddled, stopped, doubled over for a while, paddled again, stopped again, my stomach refused resolutely to settle.

So I gave Mui Wo a miss too, and headed straight back to DB. Unfortunately I was too drenched to be served in any restaurant, so I went to the freezing supermarket to pick up some take out. Every step towards home was a challenge, I was tempted to just find a bench and devour my take out dinner right there and then. Self-denial is definitely not my strong point.

DB> 1:56

"rock garden">2:04

(departing) Peng Chau> 2:40

(departing) Chau Kung Is> 3:12

(rounding NE tip) Hei Ling Is.> 3:30

Storm shelter entrance> 3:45

I was fading at this point and could not concentrate on anything other than my hunger, was also starting to get dizzy.

(landing) DB> 5:03

Got home and ate like there is no tomorrow. For about an hour after I finished my take out meal, I still felt ravenous. I'm only beginning to feel stuffed now, like any good thanks giving turkey should be.

I think I'm going to have a soak in the tub, and then call it a night.

Hei Ling Chau Sunset

Snapped a shot at HLC/ Sunny Island as the sun went down.  I used to get irrationally scared when it gets dark and I'm still out on the water, looks like I'm finally getting used to it now.

Finally it's time to change the batteries in my C-strobe, I've been using it since I came back to HK in March, (but I don't think I started night navigation till April) so I'm pretty impressed with it.  Speaking of, the batteries didn't die entirely, the strobe light still goes off brightly, but it went from the original 60 strobes per minute to one strobe per 29 seconds!! 

And it must be a bad equipment day, because my blue "emergency grab kit" bottle finally broke.  Very sad to let it go, looks like I'll have to hunt down another wide-brim water bottle for my electronic gears again.

Spend the morning corresponding with Grahame again, I'm starting to like the Kiwis, they seem like a friendly bunch :)  Anyway, didn't launch until late in the evening, then I ended up bullshitting with a gweilo on Tai Pak, so I didn't get onto my yak till after 5.

1717 DB Tai Pak

1724 Pincher

1805 Siu Kau Yu Chau

1833 Arr Sunny Island

1901 Arr. Hei Ling Chau

1909 ... saw the Dam ...

1922 rounded the end of Dam1

1930 rounded the bent on the second dam

1939 left HLC pier

* * * got lost in the dark again and ended up in Nim Shue Wan

2015 Marina 

2021 Pincher

2031 DB Tai Pak

Lost in Mui Wo -- In the dark

rested yesterday, for some reasons my quads were quite sore.  And the blisters on my palms were killing me.

Met Carol to discuss trailwalker training on Lantau.  After our chat, I finally dragged myself down to the water and launched Martlet.  I was only going to do my 23km routine, but then I haven't had an accident for over a month now, and we all know that's just too good to last...

DB Tai Pak   5:48pm

Kau Yi           6:29

Sunny Is.       6:51

Hei Ling C    ???

Mui Wo        ???

Marina          ???

DB Tai Pak   9:02 

That makes 25km in 3hrs 14 mins = 7.7km/hr  Plus fumbling with compass and map and fishes and cell phone, so I think, the speed isn't too bad.  

Right, the accident.  I was just going to go through with my normal 23k island hopping routine, the late evening sky was amazingly beautiful, so beautiful it was, that I forgot to look where I was going before it gets really really dark.

So it got dark, I was rounding the dam of HLC, somehow I thought Disco Bay is the only civilization on Lantau, so I saw city light, and I got drawn into it like a moth drawn into a flame.  By the time I noticed there was a welcome store, McD, and China Bear, I knew I was in trouble. 

Pulled out my map, since it was too dark to use my regular compass, I tried to use my CASIO watch compass, but somehow it wouldn't give me a reading.  And my fingers got tired trying to hold down the backlit button. (it wouldn't stay lit anyway.)   I ended up needing to use my strobe light to help me see the black compass that I always wear around my neck.  Note to self: next time, get a glow-in-the-dark compass.

Paddling in the dark was unnerving.  I wasn't able to judge the distances of the landscape, and a fairly large boat sailed pass me without any light on at all -- no red, no green, no white light, I only saw its silhouette when it moved between me and Disney.  It's scary, I wasn't sure if it could see me either (I did had my C-strobe on) and the engine sounded really close to my kayak.

When I finally got out of Mui Wo, I thought my phone rang, because something was vibrating between my legs... strange, I know, because I DID NOT KEEP MY PHONE BETWEEN MY LEGS.  Turns out not one but three little fish jumped into my boat.  I loosen up my waist band before launching so to alleviate the salt-sore on my ab, and the fishes just slide right into my pants... ;__;  When I finally realized what was happening, I freaked out and screamed my head off.  I think the ninja-boat next to me heard me, because they sped away from me towards Disney.  Anyway, I couldn't take the suspense anymore.  I called Dennis for some moral support, mostly to hear myself say that I still have everything under control ... more or less.

The nastiest part of it was that I didn't bring a bottle of water.  I thought it was going to be a quick repetition of a well-practiced routine route, but shit happens.  Next time, bring water no matter what.

I was so thirsty when I finally landed, I tried to muscle my water-filled martlet up to shore, and in the process, probably did something to my collar bone where I had a fracture a few years ago.  I bailed the water and carried the boat with my other shoulder afterwards.  I guess I won't know if it's hurt until a day or two later.

After shower, I did a bit of weight training up in the gym.  Worked on shoulder/chest muscle, back, triceps, and quad.  

Ready for bed now.