Friday 15 March 2019 Wapengo Oyster Farms to Bithry Inlet

High tide being at 3.20am (Tathra 1.56m) it was only a short and leisurely paddle today. We were ready early today and decided to go and collect S&V, just making it before they loaded their boats. After arriving at the oyster farms we were on the water by 9.00am and headed down the inlet

Into a 20-23kmph head wind

A couple of swans fly overhead

To join their mates in shallow water.  However there was more than enough depth in the channel for us to proceed unhindered

Erosion along the northern shore

Bithry beach in the distance

At 9.45am we landed opposite Bithry beach for morning tea. Looking down to the mouth

And back up the inlet

It was a long and leisurely break as we waited for the tide to turn

We eventually gave up waiting for the tide to turn and returned to our boats and after some faffing about we were ready to paddle at 11.15am.

Some of you may be astute enough to notice a different boat nose in the pic below. Which was the reason for the faffing. V very kindly lent me Mango (a Perception Carolina 120) to try, but being reluctant to paddle Bluey, S offered to paddle Bluey and so V hopped into S's Tsunami 125 which entailed a whole lot of footbrace and seat adjustments all round.  Not to mention getting me into a cockpit!

Heading back up the inlet, after getting over my initial wobbles

 Further up the tide was still racing out, but the breeze at our backs negated it quite a lot so the paddling was easy tho the water was rather lumpy in some spots. All of which didn't make me feel 100% confident in Mango AND I could hear grumblings about a barge coming from Bluey :). Poor boat, she has been stalwart and steadfast and is the only original boat left from the formation of the CKC.

Mumbulla Mountain in the distance

Our paddle ended at noon, well noon for the others, it took me a further 5 minutes to extract myself from the bowels of the Carolina! V&S and all those people on you tube make it look so easy.