The Paddler Autumn/Fall issue 2017

this coastline. Often, I’m too dehydrated or out of
the way to pick it up. Being on the water everyday
for 7–9 hours, paddling in the harsh sun, perpetually
wet, trying to maintain a steady pace doesn’t allow
for too many detours. But when I am 4 kms out of
the port of Ratnagiri, I am buoyant, optimistic and
feel I can make a difference.
So, when my kayak draws up next to a flat orange
piece of plastic, I decide to pick it up. I’ve just
dipped my hand in the water when the plastic
pumps and its tentacles run a Mexican wave! It’s
an orange jellyfish that I was going to pull out with
my bare hands, as it drifts away majestically.
with my distances and where, on the last
expedition I had taken four days to cover my
first 120 kms, I found myself doing it in three this
time. The state’s tourism board had offered me
lodging at their beach side properties and it was
a welcome gesture. Shanjali, my girlfriend, took ill
on day three and we spent the day on a beach
facing house with some clear water and a
private sandbar.
Maharashtra is home, and it sure felt like it.
When we resumed, I found that it was faster to
take the water route than land. With it’s
unending hills that lie close to the sea, I’d find I
reached destinations much
faster than Shanjali did on
a cycle. It gave
me time to
mix with
the locals
and talk shop, all with the complimentary
coconut in hand.
On the water, I was having a great time, having had
most of my run ins with the police; it was quite
jovial thanks to some high-level clearances dad had
procured in Bombay. That is the trick to sailing
under the radar – knowing the right person.
Indian waters are full of plastic
The beauty of our own backyard is often lost on
us. However, one always wants to preserve it.
Plastic. It is the enemy and no one knows this
better than someone who’s seen it strewn all along
I barely snap my hand back as the water around
me changes. The clear green water comes alive
with orange. My kayak is swarmed with Jellyfish.
My paranoid mind tells me they are here to
window shop their lunch. I paddle hard and fast
out of it. When I’m clear I laugh, to no one in
particular. When you’re so far out at sea, there is
no one, you’re laughing at nature and it’s laughing
back. I turn around and kayak back, get the
camera out and take a moment to be with my
new found friends.
The next day, I chase a pod of dolphins. Eight of
them surfacing together, forming lines of breaking
spray just three metres ahead of me. One lone
wolf consecutively dives out in glee. Just as I
catch up to them, paddling furiously, they break
away playfully and change course. I laugh and
maintain mine.
The waters of Maharashtra, India are blue, green,
grey and orange! It’s day 36 and I have 47 more
to go.
Goa – the beach capital
I enter Goa jubilant at how quickly I’ve crossed
Maharashtra. As opposed to the 17 days it took
me the last time, I’d saved four days by taking just
the one rest day. So when we landed in we were
ready to let our hair down. Our sponsors
obviously had spotted this, as they sent down a
crew to welcome us with video cameras. We
took a well earned break and took some
amazing shots, shuttling to butterfly beach and
back. Yes, it’s as picturesque as it sounds.
When we hit the waters a few days later and
covered the small sliver of coast in just three
well timed days, treating ourselves to some crab
and shrimp along the way. As opposed to the
regular fare of ‘local food’ this was a real shot in
the arm.
The jellyfish continued to follow me all the way
into the next state though and the water turned
even clearer.
ThePADDLER 67