West and Jeff paddled a whopping 53.0 miles today. The water was absolutely perfect without waves or wind. They made the turn at Kazan and paddled 2 miles down then stopped for the night.
This morning, our contact in Austin, Tx, Marat, received several missed calls from West. It was a tad bit alarming but, once we saw movement on the spot tracker, we knew all was well. There was no indicator that our team was in trouble, just some unplanned missed calls. After the team stopped, West explained amidst a little frustration, that they would have surpassed 60 miles for the day but they encountered a fisherman in a powerboat, He was inebriated and wanted the team to come "party" with him. He kept inviting them to his house, on his boat, to eat his fish, drink his beer, etc. West said this went on for a couple of hours. This guy followed them in every direction they went. West called Egor in Moscow and got him to translate to the fisherman that they don't want to party, drink beer, eat fish, or anything else except to get on their way. West and Jeff decided to just paddle, not talk and ignore the fisherman. He eventually left.
For the next few days, there aren't any planned stops in big cities or towns. They are well-supplied and eager to keep moving. I asked if they water has changed any since the turn but they haven't experienced enough of it to determine that.
I, continue, to have contact with paddlers from the cities they have visited in the past. They are keeping up with the website and the movement of the team. They are excited to have been a part of this big expedition.
--Barbara
