We woke at about 10am after a comfortable night under the stars. Despite brief periods of sunshine through the clouds, winds were still strong. We lit a small fire and for hours I tried with limited success to dry my wet clothes from yesterday’s paddle.After lunch we decided to move camp to Refuge Cove proper. We re-packed the kayak and set off on the 30 minute paddle around the corner to the camping ground. Within seconds of throwing in the lure, we caught a fish. This process was repeated a number of times and by the time we arrived at Refuge Cove, we had 4 good size Barracuda in our bag.
There were a number of yachts anchored in the inlet at Refuge Cove. We stopped briefly to talk to the crew of ‘De Je Blue’ who told us the forecast for the next 2 days was not looking good. ‘De Je Blue’and ‘Fiji Express’ (the crew of which we would soon meet) were on route to Flinders Island. We would frequently encounter both boats over the coming fortnight.
As we pulled ashore, a number of interested hikers gathered round to listen to the details of our planned trip and ultimate destination. ‘You must be mad’ was a phrase we had become quite use to hearing.
The sun was setting as we enjoyed a fish curry big enough to feed a family. Over dinner we debated the location of our camp and not long after 8pm, I retired to my sleeping bag on the beach. It was a cold and windy night, but I was asleep within minutes.