I still hadn’t reached the zero marker though and although I was hot, thirsty ,tired and longing to return to Venice by 4.30pm, because that’s the time I put on the sheet I filled out, I knew I had to go all the way or I would always regret it.
It didn’t take long to get to the 0 mile marker. I took a photo and celebrated by saying I did it. The celebrations lasted a few seconds, in fact it was really a little let down having no one to share this moment but it’s not the first time I’ve been alone when achieving a special goal. I started paddling back but that wasn’t as easy as getting there as I had to
paddle against the current which felt stronger than I thought it was on the way down. Only 18 kms to go!
I continued looking at the shore wanting to see some movement but my speed was slow. I cursed the heat and the current as I just wanted my journey to finish. I had worked so hard for 35 days and even harder in the last 12 days paddling really long hours to keep to my schedule and now although it was nearly all over, it was such a challenging
day.
It felt forever reaching the channel near Pilot Town which was 3 miles from the zero mark and 8.3 miles to go. The waves and wakes of the boats passing by made paddling close to the shore, to take advantage of the eddies and slower water virtually impossible. Many of the power boats were quite courteous though and slowed down.
I bounced along getting more tired as the day went on. I think it was the most exhausted I had been on the trip but I think it was more the heat that was sapping my energy. Nancy said they were in one of the hottest heat waves they have had in memory getting up to 48 degrees. No wonder I had been feeling hot.
I looked for the 7 mile marker with eagerness. A slight breeze lifted my spirits and gave me a little reprieve from the intense heat. It encouraged me to keep pushing on and helped to energise me and get into a rhythm. Then I saw the 7 mile marker and that really boosted my morale. I didn’t think I had any energy levels left but somehow my speed
increased, I was surging away towards the end and my final destination.
Along the shore there were now steel posts just breaking the water which I needed to keep away from. Power boats continued to pass me and then came the moment I had been waiting for, it was the magical moment, I had arrived at the channel leading to Venice and the boat ramp.
I rounded the last corner and paddled into the channel. Two work barges entered from the south, another towing a long pipe came up the channel which caused the channel to be chopped up and disturbed but at least for those last few hundred metres I had the current with me.
As soon as it was safe I crossed the channel to the other side and into a side channel to the Wildlife Authority boat ramp with a fishing boat chasing me and Nancy taking photos. At last I had reached the ramp and my time on the river was finished which I was disappointed about a few days later. It was a relief to be able to get out of my kayak without falling in
the water, but I was buggered.
I had paddled 4000kms in 35 days. That meant I averaged 115 kms a day, my best day being 150kms. Several days closer to the end I was paddling up to 15 hours a day to make the necessary kilometres to try to stay on target.