 KILLER SWELLS IN ’CUDA HEAVEN — Paddling from Inhaca to Ponta — by Rob Scott,Tourette Fishing
IT had been on my mind for some time — the thought of paddling a fishingski from Inhaca to South Africa, and camping wild on the deserted beaches along the way. All that I needed was a little push in the right direction.
This push finally came while sitting around a campfire on the Wild Coast. Dan Trelore and Josh Thompson from Liquid Lures were asking if I had any ideas to test some of their new products, especially their new small size ’Cuda Dusters.
As if I had been harbouring some pent-up frustration, I started to chatter about the possibilities in southern Moçambique that had been fermenting in the back of my mind, like a large keg of beer that has been forgotten in the sun. Dan and Josh needed no convincing and the plan was set in motion.
Due to the uncomplicated nature of the trip, within a week we had finalised our plans. We were going to be dropped at Ponta Torres camp on the Santa Maria Peninsula, and after spending one night in luxury, we would spend the next three nights sleeping on deserted beaches as we paddled and fished our way back to South Africa.
With the overall length of the paddle panning out at around 100km, the plan was for three days of hard paddling to reach Ponta Do Oura. This was broken down into a very tough 40km paddle on the first day, a 35km paddle on the second, and ending with 25km paddle into Ponta on the third day.
Looking at the numbers, it became apparent that it was not going to be a walk in the park, and it would be impossible in the wrong conditions. Nevertheless, we threw caution to the wind as if it were merely wrapping paper on an elaborate gift, and we pressed forward with our planning.
Logistically, the main concern was drinking water. Therefore, and a lot of attention was given to how much water we would be able to carry on the skis, distance between points along the route, and where water would be available. Food was the next concern. How much was enough? How much was too much? We were pretty confident that we would be getting the majority of our daily nutritional needs from the fish we would be catching.
Our chosen skis were two double fishingskis. These doubles were perfect for a number of reasons. The distance we were going to be paddling each day would be more easily achievable with twice the paddling power, and some types of fishing we were going to be concentrating on needed the extra speed of the double. These aspects, combined with the packing space available on the double ski, their stability and quality made them the only choice.
With the trip quickly approaching, our strategy well-oiled and decided, nerves started to bite and participants in the trip began shifting their attention towards individual fitness, as there would be some serious aches and pains for the under-prepared.
Read the full story in the November/December 2009 issue of SKI-BOAT.
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