| DAY 4. – LITTLE HARBOUR LAKE –
Wind SW
2-6, fine and sunny.
I crept out of my tent at dawn to
find a frosty
ground and a dramatic sunrise. I decided on a walk to get the
circulation
going and was rewarded by seeing a pair of Ospreys, some Godwits
feeding
in the exposed mud, and Snipe on the grassy shore. The outgoing tide
plucked
us from the beach as soon as we launched at 11.00 a.m. and shot us out
of the narrow entrance like a champagne cork from its bottle. This is a
coast where the tidal direction is not normally noticeable and this
morning
was the only occasion on which we had to time our sailing accordingly.
The wind was blowing gently from the south-west, which took us on a
dead
run up the coast.
 We lunched, briefly, in Sandy bay, where the beach was beautiful, but landing at low water was difficult because of rocks in awkward places. We had to take it in turns to stand up to our thighs in the water and hold the two boats off so that they could swing safely. Meanwhile the others carried the supplies up the beach and provided a shuttle service of sandwiches and drinks for the human anchor. We did not stay long. Just as we left the bay we passed two lady kayakers, admiring their fortitude because of the distance they must have paddled. During the afternoon, a sea breeze reinforced the wind to a force 5-6 and gave us an exhilarating hour and a half's sail on a broad reach as we turned northwards toward Port Mouton Island and our overnight stop. Port Mouton Island is a rather beautiful uninhabited island, about three miles from the town of Port Mouton. It is unfortunately infested with mosquitoes which, Allan insisted, were the size of a saucer and had the teeth of a vampire. That night we employed our full armoury of anti-mosquito tactics: a blazing fire, gin, revolting insect repellent and many layers of loose clothing. |
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