The forecast the following day was for more of the same glorious weather. This was not a typical Easter where you normally get drowned in your tent. We jettisoned Malcolm back to the mainland and continued north cruising into Myora for morning tea. Kayaks draw people out, including a friendly chap who introduced himself as a local who had once been a partner of 'Kate'. He said he knew we were real paddlers by the lack of skin and that if we ever
needed anything to just give him a call - he was the only one in the phone book. Bummer we can't remember his surname.
Coming up to Amity was filled with interest as there were dolphins, sea grass beds, oyster leases and the usual army of
boats, this time anchored off Amity Banks. It was a hard pull against the current on the last part of the leg to land on the beach close to the Amity Caravan Park. The next morning we had a contingent of locals do what the Japanese had done. This time it
was more like a sport - sit down on your camp chair with morning coffee and see if these two twots can stuff that campsite into those scrawny boats. Packed, we were sent off with a round of applause to my nemesis, the South Passage. Done on the bottom of the tide there were some breakers to negotiate half way across - poo poo. Through those, into the shallows with lots of sea cucumbers, sea grass and razor clams before landing at Kooringal for a break and sigh of relief.
The map does say that Henderson's Gutter is shallow. On a dead low it is too shallow, even for a kayak. It meant following the destructive trail churned most likely the jet ski that was struggling up ahead. It was sweep strokes the whole way until we got to near Frasers Gutter that runs into the Blue Hole. Here was the highlight of the trip for me. Sitting in clear water around a foot deep with sandy bottom scattered with sea grass you can perch at the edge of this 3m wide gutter, which on the low, becomes the M1 for larger sea creatures. Watch them swim by turtles, sharks, manta rays, dolphins ... they all have to come this way to the freedom of the Bay.
With tonight's camp at Benowa we had to keep going north. Now, we had thought that the incoming tide would give us a lift as it flowed in from the South Passage. Wrong, completely and utterly wrong. Once beyond the Blue Hole it is all coming in from the top. We even had a NE to boot. It was only 5knots, but it felt like 15 as I was knackered. I felt like Malcolm had looked - absolutely Knackered with a 'K'. We had to stop at Shark Spit Point and Tangalooma before plodding onto Benowa. After the 35Km pull I don't think I have ever been so Knackered and I was relatively paddle fit (for me).
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