Day 3 – Fishing along the Skeleton Coast. Caught 1 kabeljou – 22 Sep 2013

Trip Report: Day 3

Sunrise at 06.52am and sunset at 18.58pm
High tide at 04.58am and 17.12pm
Low tide at 10.45am and 23.08pm
Moon overhead at 02.54am, moonset at 08.42am, underfoot at 15.19pm and moonrise at 21.59pm.

Our day started off somewhat differently as we mistakingly lock our keys in the car. The self-locking, interlocking system seems to be working too well. Luckily, Ian managed to retrieve the keys without too much hassle, and we make a mental note not to do what we did again!

We needed to buy our fishing licenses, so our first stop in town was at the Ministry of Fisheries and marine resources. The license cost us each N$168 for the year.

The Spa was our next stop to stock up on some fresh food for the day. Wimpy is in the same shopping centre so we had a breakfast and they kindly filled our flask with hot water for us.

We took the salt road/C34 out of town and made our way down to the coast. It felt so incredibly refreshing to be back on the Skeleton Coast, and the weather was perfect, clear skies with only a gentle nip to the air.

We deflated our tyres, locked our hubs and took a cruise up the beach, thoroughly enjoying the sensation of some sand driving again. We came across a grey heron and two Pelican’s wading through the water while fishing together.

Ian was wetting his line for the first time. I’m loving the colours of the sand and the awesomeness of being the only ones on the beach.

The local tourist plane cruises past us, and I’ve conveniently got my camera in my hand to capture the perfect moment. These planes fly up and down the coast, transporting tourists to Terrace Bay further up the coast and back down.

The banks have been solidified by the force of the water over the years. The sand banks are eroded away by the pounding of the strong waves at the full moon. The spring tides can be very extreme along this coast, and the water comes up incredibly high.

Taking a drive Northwards up the Skeleton Coast.

Some sea destruction of past high tides!

Mile 14.

Some new buildings that have gone up since we last were here and some that have fallen.

We started to head back to the salt road to pass the town of Wlotzkasbaken which is roughly 8km from Mile 14.

The attractive town of Wlotzkasbaken with every house having their water tank and invariably a boat in every yard. It is 33km from Swakopmund and 38km from Henties Bay. This town is desolate outside the season, and during the season, every house is occupied.

We rejoined the coastline at the shipwreck we had seen the year before and were amazed that it was still there as they had cut an old wreck up closer to Swakopmund in the year prior.

The locals were hanging out in the dunes again this year, and they are at your car before you know it, with all their handmade beaded jewellery. I felt obliged to help the local craftsman where I could and bought a necklace or two for our girls. We decided to move further up the coast for Ian to cast a line while I made us some lunch.

The green residue from past high tides gives a good indication of where not to park during the low tide as high tide will be on its way again.

The sand is super thick and soft here that when you walk you’re stumbling over all your old footprints and tracks.

The sea was starting to get very choppy, dirty with foam and rough. The tide was pushing firmly, so we decided to head back towards Swakopmund area to throw a few more lines in closer to our campsite for the night.

So far no luck on the fishing side, so we headed on further down towards Swakopmund again as we will be heading further up the coast tomorrow and over the course of the next few days.

I love catching birds flying past the sun at sunset.

This bird was Ian’s best friend as it watched over him while he was busy with the bait. It knew that it would only be a matter of time, and he’d be able to scavenge for some scraps.

The pushing tide has a way of surprising one when you least expect it! Ian collecting fresh water for his bucket and washing off his bait board, ending up with wet jeans! The bird is right there with him all the way, waiting for his moment of some easy food.

This picture above is to show you the distance our Gem is away from the waters edge. The gradient down to the waters edge is quite substantial.

The sun is almost setting, and it is the perfect time in the day to be able to catch something, with perfect weather conditions for the Skeleton Coast, a bit of a messy sea, but sunset is the best time if any! Ian cast his line, enjoyed the sun going down and caught his first Kabeljou (Silver Kob) of the day!

Ian and his Kabeljou which swallowed his hook whole and ended up being our supper. We had been longing for some fresh fish, and it was the perfect end to our day along the coast.

The sun was still up, and the line was sure to be still in the sea. The sunset was spectacular. The sound of the waves lapping against the shore and birds were the only things we heard besides each others voices. Tranquility and peacefulness to perfection.

When it starts to get dark, it gets really, really, really dark. We packed up shortly after sunset. The little field mice come out during the night along the coast and scavenge around for something to eat.