Thursday 10th March
60-80 knot winds, thunder and lightening overhead, a really big high tide and lots of heavy rain. Most of the wind I was protected from, just a few of the swirling gusts through out the night. I woke every two hours or so to lie and think thank goodness I did not decide I wanted to row across the Tasman! This is easy in comparison, at least I am safe on dry land while this storm passes. High tide comes and goes, the thunder and lightning stop before sunrise. The waves overnight sounded like jet planes leaving an airport, it sure was one huge storm going on out there. I messaged my support crew at about 630am to say all was good and the winds had mostly kept away from me. Nat said Cuzzie felt at times like she was going to blow over, and had been tempted to move the van during the night. Oh, the power of the wind!
It rained nonstop until about 10am and then it has been on and off heavy rain all day. I had popcorn cooked on the gas cooker for lunch, coated in coconut oil and coconut sugar, yum. Wacaco coffee made and I sat in my tent in solitary confinement. Nowhere to go unless I wanted to get wet and cold, so I sat knees tucked under my chin and zoned out, lisened to the sea, watched the wind and rain outside while I sent some messages.
I at last saw a little bit of dry sunshine and went to say hi to the sandflies as they had been knocking on my tent door for hours waiting to give me a sandfly group hug! Time to try and light my fire, I had stashed a bagful of drying wood and managed to get some flames going. I boiled two pots of water, kept warm and spent some time outside in the smoke and warmth.
A couple of walks along the beach to get another bagful of wood, as everything was soaked this was not an easy chore. My largest Paua has been cut up and is ready for breakfast, lunch and dinner tomorrow. I am probably going to head back to my vacuum packed meat after this Paua meat is finished to use some of the food that may spoil. As you would imagine the plan was to be just a little bit further along the coast by now. As I always say, from a bad moment something good will always come. At the moment I have no clue when this good will arrive, I just keep hoping and being positive.
To all of you who ask, "Do you get bored?" YES is the answer. Especially when I am confined to my tent, but as I said earlier at least I am not on the ocean in this weather with no land in sight, that to me is truly scary.
No chance to charge a thing today as every twenty minutes it rained so by 430pm I gave up trying, tomorrow the sun will return. Nothing else to report in my day, no exploring, not much of a day, just me, the sandflies, T2 and the ocean.
My smiles today:
Paua for dinner, got to thank the ocean for that. How many of you are jealous?
My tent and extra flysheet survived the storm, brilliant.
I am dry and warm
I have a fire going on a wet day, great camping skills.
I hear seabirds.
My thoughts today:
Nat and her book again reading my mind, "If an undertaking was easy, someone else already would have done it" (Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson)
Red