16. Gamtoos River mouth to Kabeljous River Mouth

16. Gamtoos River Mouth to Kabeljous Beach

​

26 December 2019

​​

easy does it...

 

I had been on a weight and fitness training program since 1 September 2019 and had lost almost 7 kg, cycling almost daily. I had completed the hike from Bigha to Hamburg the week before (20 km), and this day happened to be a full moon with spring tide—ideal conditions for crossing the mighty Gamtoos River mouth.

​

We had a lovely family Christmas day at Ed and Delene’s home (Carmela’s parents and Cathy’s sister) the day before, and I left Port Elizabeth just after 6am for a slow, relaxing drive toward Gamtoos River.

​

I parked the Nissan X-Trail on the narrow road just beyond the day visitors’ boom (gate) and started walking over the dune fields towards the river. Darryl and I had previously fished at the river mouth, so I knew the shortest route to follow (about 2 km) from the car park. Just before 8am, I reached the river mouth, and although it was spring tide, the water level was still high with a strong current running into the sea. The water was also a clear blue, with a deep channel in the middle, and I instantly knew I could not cross the river alone under those circumstances.

​

I started walking upstream along the river edge for almost 30 minutes before I spotted some fishermen and a pleasure ski boat slowly cruising towards the mouth. I had already ventured into the river, zigzagging through shallow channels (sometimes waist-deep), moving from one sandbank to the next, trying to find a way to cross the river (about 1.5 km from the mouth). However, the fast-flowing channel became too wide and deep, and I was stuck at knee height in the middle of the river on a sandbank.

​

The family in the pleasure boat spotted me and offered to give me a lift across the river. They were a family from Johannesburg, staying at the nearby Ferry Hotel for the festive season. They were very friendly, taking some photos of us together before I continued walking just after 9am.

​

The beach stretched ahead as far as the eye could see, but luckily the sand was hard, and the walking was easy. I made good progress after losing about an hour earlier trying to cross the river. At 10am I spotted a funny-looking raft that had washed up all the way to the high tide water's edge. It was ideal to sit on, so I unpacked my rucksack, had some refreshments, and rested my legs. The temperature wasn’t very hot (around 22°C) and there was still mist on the horizon.

​

While I was sitting on the raft, a fisherman came riding past with a motorized bicycle and a trailer loaded with all his fishing gear. He stopped a little further on, and I caught up with him about 10 minutes later to fully inspect his "beach buggy bicycle." The photos clearly show all the details, from the big wheels and lights to the motorized bicycle, cooler boxes, and rod holders. He had caught two cob (about 3 kg each) but was on his way home after fishing since before sunrise.

​

I continued walking and, an hour later, came across a dead dolphin with a huge shark bite mark. It must have happened during the night because the kill was still fresh. It was 11:14 when I passed the dead dolphin, and about 20 minutes later, I could see the buildings of Jeffreys Bay in the distance for the first time.

​

It had been a long, fast walk with little rest in between, and at 12:15 (after crossing Kabeljous Lagoon), I walked among day visitors to the beach and sat on a bench to finally rest my legs. I bought myself an ice cream at the tuck shop and phoned a taxi to collect me at the Albatross Guesthouse to take me back to Gamtoos River Mouth where I had left my car (the cost was R300).

​

I didn’t wait long, and at 2pm I was happy to find my car safe. After paying another R20 to the guard at the gate, I could finally drive back to Port Elizabeth. I arrived home at 15:00 and was happy to tick off another section of coastline I had completed. Again, the only challenge was crossing the Gamtoos River, after which it was just level sand for the next 20 km. Luckily, I met some people along the route and was blessed with cool weather to cover the distance.

​

I am starting to see that the way becomes clearer as I make my way along it.

​​