A glorious sight to behold
4th May 2023
3rd May: It’s like someone kicked a hornets’ nest!! Coffee being belt fed, the kayaks are arriving in an hour! I haven’t seen smiles this big on everyone’s faces!!! It’s ear to ear!!
It is a glorious sight to behold!! Our kayaks are here!!
Roles and Responsibilities got shared out and it was like a starting pistol going off!! Team members sorting out food, every deck line, every nut and bolt, every steering line, rudders got re-attached and checked, stickers with all of the sponsors’ logos got applied! The mood of the team is exuberant, with an underlying current of anxiety flowing! We need to calm our passion because the water is shouting for us!!
2nd May: I feel like a child the night before Christmas!! The Kayaks are almost here! The sense of urgency has been ramped up, a fluid plan has been put in place, contingency plans drawn up just in case. I can’t get over the picture postcard beauty of this place; saw my first porpoise today! A day full of wonder and amazement!!
Stickers from our sponsors have been cut out ready to be placed on the kayaks. The amount of charging of cameras, go pros, checking batteries, checking signal and radio checks is astonishing!! Thank you to Ortlieb for sorting out extra dry bags for us!!
I did a lot of inner reflection today, call it fate, destiny or a part of the cosmic plan. I am a firm believer that everyone has a story and as long as you are open to it you will learn something! Today is such a day, it’s our skipper, Cayle Royce’s, injury anniversary. A very poignant moment in time! This is a man that hasn’t stopped living his best life! The grit and determination he has shown is truly awe-inspiring, you meet him and listen to him talk and share his story – you hang off every word! Nothing is impossible or improbable; there is always a way to make it happen! When you are around people like this it puts everything in perspective! What’s stopping you? Take that leap; go climb that mountain; go for a walk; phone that friend you haven’t spoken to; tell people that they mean something to you. Stop and look at the beauty around you!! Enjoy the solace and serenity; find your direction; start living!!!
1st May: What a result!! We are on top of the wave!!! Our kayaks arrived in Las Vegas last night! Confirmation pictures were sent!! What a feeling!!! Yesterday was a good day – the whole team did a complete kit and inventory check, lists were drawn up, kit got packed and stowed ready for the kayaks arrival!!!
The team is revitalized by the news!
The laughter we are sharing is so good for the soul!! I haven’t laughed so hard in ages!! It is pure magic!!
These people I’m sharing my life with started as strangers but now they are my family!!
We were broken but not beaten! This is what this is about; surround yourself with people that accept you, challenge you, that all they want is too share their time with you! Share a meal, share memories around a fire, share the good and the bad because they will pick you up, dust you off, make a joke and then they take that next step with you!
Today is spent doing interviews, sorting out stickers from all our sponsors, charging up battery banks, testing our communication kit, running errands and picking up supplies.
The feeling amongst the team is electrifying!
We had such a lift today, we had a surprise visit from one of our friends who flew in to wish us well!! Shano you are a legend! The boost he has given us is priceless!! I wish I had the vocabulary to portray what this meant to us!!
Markus Strydom MC
