The more things change the more they stay the same. This weekend's paddle to Amity Point was in a constant state of flux on account of unfavourable tides and a forecast of a 20 - 25Kn SE. At first the mumurings were to turn tail and head south to Blakesleys. When Phil and Patrick glided into the beach at Raby
Bay Harbour it looked relatively calm so we ended up heading for Platypus Bay for morning tea and a decision as whereto from there.
Out of the protection of Cleveland Point it was head on. The seven kayaks soon strung out with the five in front disappearing on a speed mission. Pushing a laden boat out of the starting blocks can be an invitation for sore wrists, further more, I hadn't seen Phil for a while so it was a great chance for a chin
wag while we plodded the long way around on a falling tide. Horseshoe Bay was deserted - seemed like all boaties had taken fright at the forecast.
From here Phil and Patrick split and we made Dunwich our next stop for a polling booth, bakery and bottle store. After munching on lunch the SE wind didn't look too bad, so it was onto One Mile to suss out whether tonight's camp would be here, a return to check out the other council campsite south of Dunwich, onto Peel for an historic last free camp, or maybe continue with the remains of a
falling tide to Amity.
By One Mile those with sails were making good progress. The same could not be said for the kite. This pretty 3D box kite with baffles was just that, pretty. Pretty useless. It needed a steady 15Kn to get off the deck, and only then could it be a following wind. Once up it came complete with long lines which were a
tangle in waiting.
Continuing north on the remains of an ebb of the tide we turned in to look for Myora Creek. While there was a suggestion of a creek mouth amongst the mangroves, it was dry. Continuing in the shallows to avoid the now incoming tide we were able to collect
some wind advantage and once and for all ruin Dean's paddling purity.
There were a few launches anchored at Myora, but that was about all the boat traffic until we came across the trawlers off Amity. Upon arrival a pod of Indopacific Humpback dolphins with a tiny calf came in close then collected a fish from a person standing waist deep in water. Very few people were staying at Amity
allowing us the luxury to spread ourselves around. Four hot and one cold shower later, sundowners were taken with a classic sunset. After dinner and dark it was time to go clubbing Amity style. After wandering down a dark road, stumbling across a field accompanied by Tom's salutory lesson on how to outrun security dogs, we arrived at the back end of the club. With two cars in the car park it was hardly a hive of activity. Furthermore it was about to close - 8:30pm on a Saturday night ! The publican was most obliging so it was first and last round while he continued to shut up ship.
Down to the pier to see how the night fishing was progressing. The water was very clear and there were plenty of fish mulling around, just not many were ending up on a hook. A woman said she had hand fed a dolphin about 20 minutes earlier and was waiting
for them to come back for more.
Some comments had been passed about the wisdom of selecting tent sites in hollows however the overnight showers were only enough to wet the tent. The curlews on the other hand started mournful calls at some ungodly hour. Okay, a curlew or two yes, but this
was a dam symphony which went on for hours.
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