MOONLIGHT BUSINESS - a Full Moon Trip Report A full moon happened on June 29th, just a few days before my trip to SW Archipelago National Park with one of the local clubs. We had a brief trip meeting that evening at 8 pm, and because I do consider myself a devoted sea kayaker, I naturally paddled to the meeting. Week had been extremely hot and the forecast had promised nice weather with calm waters for next days so the temptation to add a longer trip to the meeting was overwhelming. Took my changes and packed my Nordkapp for an overnight trip - the destination was to be the island of Skorvo (see Paddlewise Photoalbum at). It would be a little bit dark around 1 am, but otherwise I would see and be seen easily - it is so goddamn light here at summer nights that I have to cover my eyes with a head scarf when sleeping in my tent! My plan was to start at around 9 pm after the meeting and arrive the island after 25 kms/16 miles of paddling around 2 to 3 am. I would return at afternoon after sleeping the morning hours. To avoid unnecessary risks I was going to keep the coast at distance of few kilometers, avoid crossings more than 4 kms, and boat routes. This was my first night trip but the familiar waters were going to help navigation - if something like navigation was really needed. I bought some lightsticks, blue and yellow to avoid being mixed with the boats. Packed some extra batteries in the pockets of my PFD for the headlamp. Loaded the mobile phone. Put the compass and chart on deck and a thermos full of cafe au lait behind my back. I was ready to go. It was the first time I was using the lightsticks - though I did not believe they would light my way I was sure they would help me to be seen. After paddling 4 kms in cloudless bright summer night with my diverīs headlamp on I decided to check the lightstick. I choose the blue one, twisted it once sharply and shook it to start the chemical process and put it to the headband of my lamp. It was sticking out like an antenna, with bright blue light. Ugh. Felt like a Teletubby. It was supposed to last around 9 hrs. I was surely an interesting sight. The headlamp had old batteries so I was happy with the extra ones. It was pointing to the bow of my Nordkapp and to the white peak of my cap, reflecting quite a lot white light from it so I was quite confident to be seen well. Water was warm in my hands. There was almost no wind. A lot of soft bluish light: the moon rose after 10 pm and tried shyly to stay behind some clouds which had risen from the horizon. The clouds were almost as blue and light as the night sky so I was able to see them only occasionally, when they were half covering the moon. The islands and coastline on route were black mass against the bright sky and sea. I felt confident: the waters were familiar. The crossings went nicely. Saw some boats nightfishing or coming from a fishing trip. It was calm and only one small motorboat came to check what the heck I was: they stopped at the distance of 100 meters from me and slowed their speed to almost zero. I was just about to enter an island for a coffee break (my only one to stretch my feet) and could almost hear the mixed thoughts in the boatersī mind, it seemed that they were not able to identify me. Maybe I was an UFO on water or something... I was really happy and enjoyed entertaining lonely boaters. Hmm. Never has the coffee tasted so nice. Fresh water and sandwiches with cheese, salad leaves, mayonnaise, ham and capers were better than anything I could think of. I hopped on rocks around a small beach I had seen boaters use during my former trips, but there was no-one. I was completely alone. There was total silence, eerie and at the same time comfortable. Big ripped clouds moved towards north over my head with considerable speed, majestically in their darkness and I was getting a little bit worried about possible weather changes: there was surely some wind up there, possibly at the height of only one hundred meters. The clouds seemed to be very low. No weather changes. The clouds disappeared as suddenly as they came, and I continued my trip. It was fun to light the shores with my headlamp and it lighted well also the rocks, algae and small fish under the surface. What a magical moment. What a magical world. Someone asked from the shore, from the jetty of his summer cottage, how much there was left from my trip. What did I care: it had passed 1 am and the whole world and time had stopped, it was the coldest and darkest hour. I put a paddling jacket over my T-shirt. My good old friend Osmo with his wife had a cottage onroute. I passed their island around 2 am to count the laundry they had drying. Seemed that quite a lot, they have two kids. Considered some practical joke, as tying the sleeves to tight knots... but suddenly I saw a whitish shape enter from the woods the footpath at the front of the cottage - it was Osmo who had visited the outhouse. I lighted him with my headlamp to get his attention and we had a peaceful talk, me floating on water, Osmo sitting at the rocks. To my sudden appearance he only commented that he could not even have been able to believe anyone else so lunatic to be paddling around there at that time! Still, few kilometers to go. It was getting lighter, the sun was going to rise after 3 am. I entered the Skorvo precisely at 3 am and at the shore I sent my last text message to my SO, to inform her that I had finished the route OK. I did mention something about putting up the tent, watching the sunrise and drinking my only precious can of beer... After sending the message I put my right foot out of my kayak and tried stepping the sand and small rocks, taking balance from my wooden paddle. Now, what was there, half floating at the water - an other can of beer. A FULL can of beer. It had been there quite a while, the paint had a little bit faded and it had scratches, but it was still all right. I am not going to calculate the probability of finding it... Spent the last merry hour putting up my tent, enjoying my two beers, watching the sunrise in silence. Some conclusions: a) there is definitely someone up there b) he has sense of humour and c) among other things he likes seafarers and beer. A true story. Ari - Finland *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>Some conclusions: a) there is definitely someone up there b) he >has sense of humour and c) among other things he likes seafarers >and beer. > >A true story. > >Ari - Finland > > Only two little disagreements with your conclusions: 1) She has a sense of humor 8). 2) She likes kayakers and beer. My SO had a similar encounter with an abandoned beer. But, since he had not had a beer in about 5 days, I think he enjoyed it more than you did. And, since we were kayaking on a lake, not the sea, I would venture a guess that kayakers are what the someone up there likes. A true story. Deb - LA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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