Day 21, Gravelly Beach to Greens Beach
Today we returned to Bass Strait, only needing to paddle 35 kms of the Tamar River.
After packing up early, we hit the road for a 40 minute drive from Launceston to Gravelly Beach. On the water by 9am we only had a 3 hour window before all tidal assistance would be lost, so we needed to get a wiggle on.
It was a highlight to pass back under the Batman Bridge a second time -- such a cool bridge! and those two guys who work under it; don't know how you do it!
As we rounded the corner just up river from Bell Bay things took a turn for the worst, the wind picked up and the tidal flow slowed to almost nothing, so it took us quiet a long time to get out of the 'industrial zone'. Once past Beauty Point the wind dropped a bit, so we made the decision to push on and finish at Greens Beach, despite the gradually increasing tidal flow.
At just after 2pm we landed on Greens Beach, which was a full five hours and 40 kms after our upriver launch.
Once back on dry land we had a pleasant surprise as Grant Hinchcliff, CEO of Tasmanian Independent Retailers (IGA) came up and had a chat with us on the beach. IGA are one of our Platinum sponsors, and have also supported our fundraising efforts by allowing us to put collection tins in all their stores.
As we enter our last 150kms we are really starting to feel the wear and tear on our bodies, after paddling for 21 days in a row. It takes a lot to get up early each morning and get back into our kayaks to paddle the next leg, so we really need your support to carry us over to the end. Please don't leave it to the last minute to donate, as seeing the donations coming in makes a real difference in lifting our spirits.
The kids making light work of helping Ben get away at Gravelly Beach.
What happens to old men when they go too far? ... THIS!
