Report: April 26
Flooded Fly, Staying in Touch, and Times Up!
The Fly River is in flood!
"It may make camping/stopping for the night tricky, as many places will be totally under water. There are some areas with elevated banks which will be dry; or else stop at old camps/abandoned villages where the huts are on stilts. [They] will be above water level, but watch out for fleas in abandoned camps, can be rife!"
On Tuesday I'll leave the rapidly cooling northwest of Tasmania, and by Wednesday lunchtime be on the banks of the Fly River. And yes, I'm running short of photos for the report.
Andrew Storey alerted me earlier in the week, but try as I might, I can't picture the Fly in flood. A blinding snowstorm in the mountains, yes; the blistering brown monotony of the Nullarbor Plain, uh-huh; the white-capped fury of Bass Strait, yep, I can picture them. The floodplains and breached banks of a huge tropical river system... nope, doesn't ring any bells.
Andrew and colleagues from the Ok Tedi Mine have also sent invaluable river maps with notes and contacts down river. The kayak, thanks to Matt Chang at Hi-Lift Company, should be arriving there any time now. Matt also managed to procure a few litres of methylated spirits (camp stove fuel, firelighter) in Port Moresby to add to the cargo. It's not available in Kiunga and I wouldn't have been allowed to fly it over. Everything is in place for a 1st or 2nd May launch onto the river.
Little computer and satellite phone. From now on I will call it the 'Bat Phone'.
A question from the forum during the week asked how best to stay in touch. Before I answer that I'll explain how communications work. The satellite phone connects to the little computer and acts like a really slow modem. It means I can receive and send emails whenever the sat phone can grab a strong enough signal. That might be everyday, or it might not be for days at a time. When you send a message or question to me at andrew@expeditionclass.com it first goes to my coordinator in Australia, Bec. Everyday Bec will forward the messages to me in a condensed single email. I'll reply with a daily report, photo, coordinates and answers to correspondence whenever possible.
Wally and Jack want to know why they're in the last preparation report?
But the very best way to stay in touch is through the forum. Bec will check this daily for new questions and comments and pass them on to me in the daily email. It means everyone will be able to see them, which is better because there are no secrets in expedition kayaking! The forum is also the best place for students to interact with each other and post their discoveries on climate change. I've just asked the gang at Utas SET if they can offer a prize for the most original entry from a student. Let's see what they say, there'll be more info in the forum in the next few weeks.
Looking forward to being reunited with the Hope and Grace... no really, I am!
So, in summary, use the expedition website to see where I am and find out what's happening on the ground, and in the water. But use the forum to stay connected to me and each other. Ask questions, leave comments, and start discussions. It's there for everyone to use. All you need to do is create an account and join the Webbing the Islands course. Easy-peasy.
The next updates will appear as fresh marks on the map in the LIVE page and as reports in the May LIVE page.
But enough talking, let's get amongst it...
Andrew