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“Its anexpedition not a holiday”, Sarah said. “We wouldnt want it to be TOO easy”.

I knew that she was trying to convince herself that she was happy that what we had expected to be a 4 or 5 hour paddle was turning into a marathon effort.

We were on our third and final crossing as Sarah island hops to Honshu where she will start her solo row of the Pacific ocean next May. The Tsaguru Straits, between Hokkaido and Honshu boasts currents of up to 7 knots so was to be no push over, but we hoped to use the predomiantly easterly current to help us along. So we decided to start in Hakodate, NW of our planned landing at Cape Oma, a 15 nautical mile crossing. We aimed south, expecting the current to helpfully carry us east. Great in theory but after 4 miles of pretty good progress (inside an eddy along the north shore), our speed started to drop off. When we stopped to snack and drink we noticed that the current was taking us NE, and later on NNE. So much for a helping hand. The current　was 2.5 knots, mainly in the wrong direction so we made very slow progress.For 2hours we made less than 1.5 knots towards our target. It didnt help thatwe couldnt see land most of the time so there was no moral boosting measure of progress. Despite being on thewater at8am, we suddenly realised we were likely to land in the dark. To make it worse, a predicted headwind started blowing andwe were nervous that the really bad weather due on Sunday might make an early appearance.

Fortunately, once we got to within 3 miles of land, the current dropped  off and we made 2 knots then 2.5 knots and even hit 3 knots at times! Happy days! We landed half an hour before dark, passing dozens of identicallooking fishing boats.

Its a big tuna fishing area on the North of Honshu.

Wed paddled20miles and it had taken us over 8 hours! So much for an afternoon on the beach cooking pancakes!

But luck waswith us as we landed right in front of a house with a sign outside. Taking a guess that it might be a place to stay we knocked on the door in our paddling kit. The man who answered couldnt believe that we:d kayaked from Hokkaido and kept laughing and taking photos. But he did have a place to stay and his wife cooked up a lovely traditional Japaese meal – most of whichI was brave enough to eat.

Yesterday we sorted kit and Sarah:s logistics manager, Tim, and I said a sad goodbye to Sarah before making the long drive down to Tokyo. Today we dropped Nelson off at the British Embassy where they are making a box for him to　ship him home in. And we took apart my 3piece ValleyEtain, which I really enjoyed paddling on this trip. We bought rolls of bubblewrap and cardboard and wrapped him up well for his flight home tomorow. It:s now time for bed – tomorrow I come home!

Thanks to Karel Vissel for excellent weather forecasts for all the paddling over the last month.

More than 6 months after leaving London, Sarah Outen has reached Japan by human power alone! She’s cycled, kayaked (& occasionally walked) all the way. I’ve been with her for over a month now, my  main role being to kayak with her as she island hops from Russia to Honshu (the largest island of Japan) but also to film, edit, & generally help out with cooking, setting up camp and whatever else needs doing. Right now, Sarah is cycling down the northernmost island of Japan (Hokkaido), heading mostly down the pretty, cliffy, incredibly windy and occasionally very tunnel-ridden west coast. She’s drawing near to wrapping up Stage 1 of her mammoth round the world voyage. She’ll overwinter on Honshu and prepare for a 4-6month solo row across the North Pacific.

She’s tired – she’s been exercising for 6-10 hours almost every day for 6 months, with a few 200km+ even longer cycles thrown in there. I’ve been cycling with her for a few hours on the last couple of days and I was tired last night after much less exercise! As I write this, Sarah is on her bike Hercules trying to reach the South end of Hokkaido by Saturday and kayak with me across the Tsugaru Strait to Honshu on Saturday. According to our trusty forecaster, Karel Vissel, bad weather is due on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday so there’s a bit of pressure to try to get there before the window closes. It’s about a 245km cycle over 2 or 2 and a half days.

The last kayak crossing is 10-12 nautical miles across a channel with a very strong easterly current. The current will probably be the strongest that we have paddled in on this journey but at least it’s only half the distance of our last crossing and we will be crossing closer to the middle so it’s fine if we are carried east a bit. We need good weather though because the strong currents and shallow channel will be really rough if it’s windy. After the final crossing, Sarah cycles south to Tokyo and I head home, hopefully in time for the UK storm gathering on my doorstep in North Wales.

Thanks to Leon from Japan Adventures for lending me a bike and panniers so I can join Sarah cycling for part of every day. Leon specializes in guiding multi-day treks & snowshoeing on Hokkaido for anyone interested. And while I remember, thanks to Vladamir from Khabarovsk, Russia for efficiently helping Tim & I support Sarah . His company, World of Adventures, helps people wanting to do hiking, kayaking, off-road 4×4 driving and other outdoor adventures in Far East Russia.

Sometimes you have to take the long way round to get to your destination. Its 24 nautical miles from the SW tip of Sakhalin to Japan which is already a marathon paddle. If you have to start 13 miles outside off russian waters and get swept away from Japan by a strong current then it can become nearly 40 nautical miles….

Hopefully the video tells the story.

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