After a glitch or two the first couple of days, the team made a decision that helped move them farther up the coast today then in previous days. Leaving Port Mansfield through the cut vs paddling in the gulf enabled the team to paddle 40.4 miles today. If you’re keeping track, they are at 87 miles. They are camping on Padre Island in the channel and will get an early start in the morning.
As you look at pictures that are floating around on social media, you’ll see all of the gear spread across the boats, on the beach, etc. The Epic kayaks they are paddling will hold a lot of gear. Everything they need, they carry in the boats with them. This includes, tents, clothes (although West and Jeff wear the same clothes the entire expedition, based on past experience), food, water, stoves, medication, communication devices, extra paddles and whatever else they might need. These are the same type boats used on the Volga River Expedition. Very reliable and hold a ton of gear.
Typically, in the past, we have kept the team in sight via trackers by SPOT. While it’s easy to use to keep track of our team, there isn’t an option for back and forth communication. This year, West is using a Garmin InReach Communicator device. From someone that has been familiar with the SPOT tracker for 10+ years, I was a little concerned about change. Well, I am pleasantly surprised. It offers the same tracking reliability as the SPOT tracker but the text feature of the InReach is an amazing benefit. I love the fact that he can send me a word or two and I can respond, even with spotty cell service. I’m not a tech-savvy person so this is a big deal, to me.
I did not receive any pictures today but Pam LeBlanc at www.pamleblancadventures.com posted some great pictures at camp this morning and as they took off. You can also see these pictures on Facebook at Pam LeBlanc.
~~Barbara
