After an awesome experience at the Ngala Beach Lodge we departed for the next stretch of our journey. Due to some rookie errors we managed to lose track of each other due to some 8 foot swells. Day 12 and we have already lost half our team, Matt, Caiden and myself paddled to a point and waited for Sam and Guy for about 4 hours, after a long walk up and down the beach we decided to carry on thinking that they were ahead of us, we landed up camping apart for the first and hopefully the final time. We were stuck with the sleeping bags and Sam and Guy with the mattresses, was not our best decision to put all the phones in one boat. Caiden had a humbling experience when he went to the local village to get us some dinner; the chief (an old lady) was very happy with what we were doing and through translation she said that she new God would bless us and may the wind be at our backs. Once again the friendly Malawians have been there for us. When we pulled into the beach we were greeted by a local by the name of Victor, we were astounded by the knowledge he had of South Africa, he even knew where Wartburg was and half of South Africa doesn’t even know where it is. With the help of the locals we collected some fire wood and boiled some water for the next day. Caiden was kind enough to buy some Nali hot sauce which tickles the taste buds and makes horrible tasting food taste great. Three grown men stuffed into one cape union mart tent was not great but we had to stay out of the mozzies reach. Was very hard to sleep due to the fact we didn’t know where the other half of the team was.
Guy then shared his memorable night’s experience. While visiting the local chimbudze (toilet) he made one foot-fault and landed knee-deep in local digestive by-products. Not your best Robertson! We all agreed never to let each other out of sight on the water again.
Kande beach is an awesome place to stay. Thatched roofs and hammocks lined up everywhere. Gregelby Davies joined us and once again we landed up having a festive evening with a group of over-landers.
Day 14 was a day of relaxation and a short 8km paddle to the next lodge. Richard and Lauren Slater were kind enough to give us a bed and a meal. Good old South African steak and braai broodjies! It feels as though we are slowing down but I know that it is going to be totally different on the east side of the lake and we need to stock up on protein while we can.
Once again it was great to sleep in a comfy bed. 17 kms later we have pitched tent on a secluded beach in the middle of nowhere. Spaghetti with tomatoes and onions and a bit of the local chilli was probably our best meal outside of a lodge.
I want to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors and donors. Without you this trip would not be possible. We have lived in our reef ski pants and rash vests every paddling day and none of us has had the slightest hint of a rash. Island tribe sunscreen has prevented sunburn and Ark dry-bags have kept our precious supplies safe!
We woke up as the sun was peeping over the horizon and hit the water for the final day of stage one. The scenery has changed incredibly over the last two days. It has become mountainous and the water has become crystal-clear. As we came around the corner into Nkhata bay, the water changed to a deep blue. It’s amazing how it can change over such a short period.
Personally, I’ve found that my right shoulder gives me some problems towards the end of the day’s paddle but it is so worth it when you get out of the water. We are staying in Aqua Africa and it has a serious Mediterranean vibe to it. We all agree that it feels like we are in Greece.
This is the end of the road for Sam. It has been a pleasure paddling with her and she has really helped us out along the way. We wish her safe traveling mercies back to Senga bay and we will definitely join her for a cold one in about 2 months time.
Marc Hampson