Episode 8/8: You can’t choose your time but you can determine your path!
Solo SUP-venture Around 365 Islands of Exuma Cay Chain (450km)
After I recovered from the fiasco on Bluff Cay and enjoyed my victorious moment, I started to paddle back. At that point, nobody knew that I had kept one important piece of information secret. I didn’t want to make my family and friends nervous but the truth was I had absolutely no idea how to get back! There was no way I could paddle 200 kilometers into the 15-knot wind. Even worse, many of those cuts were simply impassable by paddle in those conditions. Essentially, I was stranded.
I wasn’t completely irresponsible on my way north though. I tried to make backup plans for treacherous sections of my journey, I asked questions, I made friends, and I copied telephone numbers of people who could possibly help me in case I got myself in trouble. But in all fairness, I have to admit, that my only plan B was basically to hitchhike boats! After I was treated like a VIP on Ship Channel Cay by Sara (Powerboat Adventures) and her friend Moriah, I paddled to Allan’s Cays to camp for the night but that was it; Highborne Cay cut was 2.5 kilometers long and very treacherous to get through. I was stuck, and I needed help.
The next morning when I woke up, the wind was nearly calm! The very first time in 9 days the wind subsided and “the sea parted for me.” Miracle! Not only did I paddle through that dangerous cut towards Highborne Cay, but the light wind conditions continued for the next 6 days, and I was able to paddle all the way back! Interestingly, when I passed safely through the last scary cut six days later, the pesky wind resumed its strength of 13-17 mph. I could barely finish the last 30 kilometers of my journey on time to catch my plane back to Toronto in such a headwind! Was it just a coincidence? Some people may brush it off and say that I was just extremely lucky. Maybe, but I am convinced that the universe conspired to help me. I am convinced that without the help of a higher power I wouldn’t have been able to pull this amazing feat off. I prefer to go to science for answers but I also believe that faith is important in our lives, and that prayers, dreams, desires, and wishes are very powerful tools. They don’t solve our problems but they help us to find focus, determination, courage, and the right solutions to succeed. “You can’t choose your time but you can determine your path.”
Final Statistics: Kilometers paddled: 451 (280 miles) Calories burned: 36,486 Total paddle strokes: 173,848
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