Easter in Jervis Bay

There was hardly any sleep last night. Being awake was too important. The whole day until I leave for Sydney in the evening, I’m so wiped out that there’s no sleep again. In the afternoon I drive to the Southern Cross Terminal, then take the night bus to Jervis Bay. No extra charge for the kiteboard, empty bus and gigantic seat pitches. The sun sets behind me.

I sleep most of the night. The transfer bus from Nowra to Huskisson in Jervis Bay in the morning is a real experience. Completely empty. Comatose steel guitar country tunes. 30km through perfect neighbourhoods. Sweating joggers, children playing, fathers mowing the lawn, neatly framed flowerbeds.

The driver drops me off at the wrong place. walking 2km is too much for me with 40kg. I call and the hostel manager picks me up. He has betrayed my booking, so I get a dingy single room at no extra charge. I haven’t slept enough in months, fall into bed and sleep through Easter almost completely.

A stroll through Huskisson in the evening. Dolphin cruises, a pub, a supermarket, four restaurants. Done. The local usurer wants 8 euros for an hour’s internet. I hack my way through the neighbourhood again. Jervis Bay looks like a good spot for kitesurfing. Unfortunately, there’s no wind today. I go to the nice little village cinema and then straight back to bed.

The next day the wind is better. The only possible launch site is a sandbank on the other side of the river. I set up my kite in the park, pack my things and set off to cross the river in two trips. The locals warn of the strong tidal current in the estuary. It is strong, but manageable.

After an hour, my equipment is on the other side and set up. No-one is there to help, so I launch myself. The wind dies down. Two or three runs, then the day is over. A thunderstorm rolls in. Tidal swimming as a substitute exercise also wears you out. Home and back to sleep.