The storm blew away the heat from the air, the new day dawning clean and cool.   I spent the first couple of hours surfing the washes of tourist boats along the Amalfi coast and paddled until a stiff headwind picked up.

Resting on a little beach near Cetara I met a Slovenian family who gave me some melon and then I pushed on for 6km to Salerno where the port authority shouted at me for paddling in front of the harbour entrance and I resupplied at a supermarket.

It felt good to have the freedom of camping tonight. When I’m camping I don’t plan the day at all – I just go with flow, letting the wind decide where I sleep. I’m very grateful for all the wonderful people who have looked after me in the last week, but it can be hard having the pressure of reaching a destination. A few days of solitude will recharge me.

As I left Salerno, the wind on my back now, I wondered where the urge to keep moving comes from. Part of me would love to stop in towns like Salerno and just spend a few days hanging out with the guys sitting outside the café, watching life go by on the street.  But the impulse that wins over is to keep paddling, perhaps because I find comfort in the sense of accomplishment, and with nothing to feed my ego, I’m scared that stopping will make me feel lost. If I’m searching for something, I don’t know what it is, but as long as I keep travelling, there’s hope and possibility in the unknown of what’s around the next corner.

I paddled along a sandy bay, the beach clubs dilapidated and not the place to sleep. The sky filled with a dramatic scene, dark foreboding clouds blocking out the last of the blue sky, the clouds around the setting sun glowing like hot coals. Bracing for storm number two, I set up my tent and battened the hatches.

Regarding my route decision, I still haven’t made up my mind. I’m happy with both options so don’t feel pressured by the decision. I’m just going to see how I feel when I get to the straight of Messina, which is probably only a week or so away.

Diabetes

Readjusting to low carb insulin dosage  will take a few days, but pretty good today – just less levemir during the day as I had to snack a lot during the paddle to keep my levels up.