As previously mentioned…Marks Daily Journal:
[b]Daily Journal
Date: May 1st
Headline News (
Day 2…
[b]Paddle Taiwan Project
Daily Journal
Date: May 2nd
Headline News (
For all you earlier posters reveling in the peace and harmony of your vessels; ever been shot at by the military while kayaking?..Read on!
[b]Paddle Taiwan Project
Daily Journal
Date: May 3rd
Headline News (
Latest update…
[b]Paddle Taiwan Project
Daily Journal
Date: May 4th
Headline News (
Michael,
Thanks for the updates. It’s a great trip, but must be hard doing it with a group! I’d much prefer to do that kind of trip alone (well, perhaps with a bottle of grog or to).
Can’t wait until Mark gets to the East Coast section north of Hualien - can you imagine the thrill of kayaking along the Chingshui Cliffs.
Rock on!
[quote=“Michael J Botti”]Day 2…(
[quote=“Cola”][quote=“Michael J Botti”]Day 2…(
can see his map route here. click on ROUTE icon.
I agree with amla jon on this. more fun to do it alone, kegs of beer, solo, step by step as a vacation adventure, at one’s own pace, than with a big crew and a timetable and STRESS!
He sounds lie a great candidate for a “Clean Up Taiwan” ambassador.
Top, top stuff, Botti. Keep it coming. What a lucky lucky bastard. I paddled around the Scottish coastline in my youth and I’m going to do something like this one day, too.
No, really! I really am!
I like the bit where he says he was “literally scared to death.”
[chortle]
Trust me if there was a way to do this and accomplish the goals of the journey solo he would have done so…Mark is very self-contained and enjoys traveling alone…
Mark will have been writing these comments exhausted after many hours at sea, so let’s be a little pliant and not ride rough-shod over his choice of words . Let’s take it instead for what it is; an epic journey that most of us(including myself) wouldn’t have the time or energy to put together…
Feel free to pick on mine though… 
Day 5 got off to a rather rocky start…Support issues. I’ll let Mark describe the day when I receive his journal.
Thanks everyone for following this thread, and I’ll do my best to keep you updated…
I haven’t received the Journals for the 5th or today…
I should be getting both later tonight and I’ll post them up right away…
Mark is in Lukang(close to Changhua) tonight.
Ok, since we don’t have the journals as of yet, I’ll update you third party…Admittedly not as interesting but here goes.
May 5th:
Mark got off to a very late start. Funny enough not because of the weather but due to the driver locking his keys in the support vehicle in Taipei while it was running! By the time the replacement key was delivered from Volvo in Chungli, Sydney Mills had already taken Mark down to the harbor near Miaoli…He got in the water and was rewarded with prime conditions, namely the wind at his back. He was able to put in 30K in just over 4 hours. The coast guard, concerned with the large waves, requested that he return to the harbor after paddling about 10K down the coast. Mark politely declined and kept going.
May 6th:
Early start, similar conditions. Wind from behind and large waves. Mark was able to put in 60K. The only hiccup was the fact that he had to enter a high tide harbor at low tide, a common problem in this part of Taiwan. He ended up being stuck on a sandbar almost 3km offshore and had to be towed off by a tractor specially designed for errant boat captains(not Mark) that forget to consult their tide charts. I think this is going to be a problem for the next couple of days, as he passes along the coastline of Changhua and Yunlin Counties. Tomorrow will have a tidal shift of almost 3 meters, with the low tide at 6:46pm.
Sorry if my writing is a bit on the banal side, but at least it will give you a rough idea of what’s going on.
Michael,
No need to apologize (you’re not English, are you?). Thanks for the update and keep up the good work. Hmmm, 60 klicks in a day - awesome!!!
Southern California boy…
But my native tongue is slowly slipping…Have not been back to the States for 9 years.
Mark will be doing some river paddling, a press conference, and a seminar in Tainan tomorrow…
Quick update on the days events:
The tidal issue reared it’s ugly head during both departure and his evening arrival as expected. He was unable to leave this morning until after 10am. Winds were out of the west and fairly strong in the morning and quieted down somewhat in the afternoon. He found himself again stranded but this time had to drag the kayak more than 1K to the inner harbor channel. He did, however, manage to put in about 40k despite the delayed departure.
Hopefully, the day off the ocean and some much needed rest will put him in a position to update his journals…I nearly capsized him today by making him talk on the phone while paddling!
I’ll get the first hand stuff out as soon as I receive it.
Mark has had a chance to get some rest and get caught up on his Journals…
Paddle Taiwan Project
Daily Journal
Date: May 6th
Headline News (
Mark should be in Kenting by Friday afternoon…
Again, will post his journals as I receive them.
Ok here we go…May 9th through 12th. Sorry for the delay.
Paddle Taiwan Project
Daily Journal
Date: May 9th
Headline News (