Rakeahua
Time for another go at getting to Rakeahua from Abrahams bay. No whitecaps but westerly wind ~20kph. First interesting encounter was this shag tree
Getting past Harry West point still required effort but was easy compared to yesterday. Fred's camp was evident on the other side of SW arm.
It glassed off and was heavenly heading up the SW arm until I reached the delta at low tide. Here there was myriad ankle deep channels and I ended up walking the boat a few hundred meters until I found a channel deep enough to paddle. As the sound narrowed and the Rakiura river was more defined it was great paddling again. The flow was gentle so no huge effort required to move upstream. Silky, dark and close made for a wonderful atmospheric journey.
Soon enough the 5 minute track to the hut appeared. Smelling smoke lifted my spirits, warmth and company, yay!
Anton, a DOC guy welcomed me in and we shared stories and mutual acquaintances. Unfortunately he was soon picked up and whisked off back to Oban.