Day 2: Cold, wet and tired

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Having not eaten anything since dinner on Saturday (48hrs) I unconsciously followed a trend.
The fasting diet thing.
Tell you what!
I can already feel the difference. I am unsure if it’s how I’m supposed to feel because I feel shattered and weak. Certainly not rejuvenated and youthful.
I tried to break the fast last night with a little Butter Chicken on rice. A spoon full at a time until it was all down the hatch. For the next half hour, it would be anyone’s guess whether it stayed down or not. I am pleased to report that the fast has been successfully terminated.
One would think that not eating for two days, the morning pool party, would be poorly attended by the kids. 💩I obviously have extra kids stored someplace. I wonder what the bathroom scale would read now?⚖
 
I passed a cruise ship quite close by late yesterday, and I first wondered if at all they could see me and, secondly, if they could, what would they make of the tiny craft with clothes flapping about on a washing line (wet bedding ☹) and some guy standing with his head out of the hatch.

Red sky in the morning, paddlers warning

Ok, let’s get serious for a moment.
So far, life on board Osiyeza has been wet, cold, tiring and all-round frikken unpleasant. Before you point fingers at Osiyeza, she has been the beacon of hope. Many a breaking swell has tried to roll her over, but she has managed to shrug them off so far.
 
Her modified rudder seems to have made a wonderful difference in her ability to track with little input required from me and make it less heavy to turn.
In fact, I suspect Osiyeza would be able to cross the ocean on her own and much faster than that dude who crossed the North Atlantic in a big barrel.
I have picked up a good current of about 1kt, and with the following sea and strong tail wind, we are making good miles. I have been doing nighttime paddling to try and make even more miles because there may be a tail of a frontal system arriving later in the week. The more North the better for me.

Strong NW current in my favour. Note: current name is give in the direction they are going unlike wind which is named for the direction it comes from

 
Later today and tonight, it’s going to gust well into the 30kts with a building swell. It’s going to be full-on. To ride with it or ride it out on sea anchor?
Time will tell.
 
Bird of the day: White-chinned Petrel
Three of them chilled in the water, chirping away. The sound was similar to a high-pitched rotor blade of a helicopter.
 
Co-ordinates: S32°15’42 E016°44’54
Food: Butter chicken and rice
Sea life: 2 x sunfish
Money raised for operation smile: R129,086
Smiles changed: 23

Day 1: Deja Vu Take 2

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Deja vu. Take two.

Too many to put down here but you get the idea. It was the start of my second attempt. Almost a carbon copy. If anything it is a great way to get all my family in one spot. Not to mention so many friends on and off the water. There were even a handful of school mates.

Thank you to everyone who came down to see me off and to the fleet of paddlers that escorted me for the first few miles. Priceless!

Eventually I was all alone paddling towards the horizon with Cape Town’s  impressive Table Mountain slowly fading behind me. Slowly being the operative word. A head wind had started building. The forecast was for a Southerly wind to build. Not cool.

Eventually the forecast conditions started to build and I tried my best to put distance between Osiyeza and the shore. The swell was now getting a little out of my comfort zone. Crumbling peaks would wash over and flood the cockpit. I had to hold on to Osiyeza with one had and the other on the paddle.

Cold and very wet. Speeds improved but I suspect that was much to do with currents than my padding skills.

I popped down into the cabin to switch on the Satelite communication. I managed to down load my WhatsApp messages. By the time I had typed two messages and pushed sent a wave crashing came over me.

Not what you were thinking. A different wave. A dreadful wave.

It came from the pit of my stomach.

It was if a witch had cast a spell on me and turned me into a dog.

I flung open the hatch and stared barking like a dog. It probably sounded more like a dog in pain than a scary type of bark.🤮

After the dog spell was over I decided I would had to paddle through the night to stay out of the cabin and avoid any more spells.

I managed to get to about midnight before I could do no more. I slipped into the cabin and just lay down and shut my eyes. Wet and cold I got a few half hours of rest. The other time was spent turning off the AIS alarm for ships around me.

Kind of feels just like day 1 last year.

Deja vu

Coordinates: -33.226900° 17.593400°
Amount raised for Operation Smile: R113,086
No of Smiles changed: 20

Richard Kohler prepares to depart for Ocean X kayak adventure from Cape Town to Brazil, solo and unsupported

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This is a story about endurance, courage against the odds, and the indomitability of the human spirit. It takes a man of unique vision to be the first person to paddle solo on a kayak unsupported for 7 000kms across the Southern Atlantic Ocean.

Richard first attempted the crossing in December 2021 but had to regrettably make a detour to Walvis Bay after being out at sea for more than two weeks. This was due to corrosion in his solar panel wiring and resulted in Richard not being able to charge all onboard batteries, which would seriously compromise his own safety. He is now ready to depart again this weekend on Saturday 17 December at 9am from the Radisson in Granger Bay.

After becoming the first and only person to paddle solo the entire circumference of the South African coastline in 2012, Richard Kohler has been training for Ocean X – his ultimate solo mission. After Covid delayed his departure in December 2020, and the corrosion of his solar panel wiring curtailed his first attempt, the 53-year-old Capetonian is raring to go solo on a kayak from Cape Town to Salvador in Brazil.

Richard is the first person to attempt to paddle a custom kayak across the Southern Atlantic, unsupported, and alone. He will be reunited with “Osiyeza” – his home for the next 60 to 80 days. The name deriving from SA music legend, Johnny Clegg’s 1993 song “The Crossing,” the literal meaning “we are coming”. The song is about a dream that’s within reach, the possibility to cross from darkness and suffering to prosperity and a reminder to Richard that his dream is within reach.

Richard intends surviving his “Crossing” and not just to acquire bragging rights for the latest outlandish watersports adventure. He is motivated by raising funds for charity, Operation Smile, which he has already raised over R112 000 for the charity. His aim is to raise enough money for 70 life changing cleft pallet operations, giving 70 kids new smiles.

To help Richard achieve his goal, please donate to his fundraiser here.

Follow Richards journey on www.richardkohler.co.za or @richardkohleradventures on social media.