tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82295525999160121422024-02-20T08:59:38.782-08:00rocky spraywater, rock and movementferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-86322974331277921162014-08-24T04:09:00.004-07:002014-08-24T04:09:35.074-07:00A few new experiences during a down wind runI went paddling the other day. A big low system hovering around our local area meant tough conditions. It was very windy, the forecast had me expecting 25-35kn. The swell was big too, the forecast said 3m. All from the south. After I come back from the water the observations were: wind 15-20kn gusting to 30kn and the swell was on 4-5 meters with peaks of 8m.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not the actual day but a good image anyway :-)</td></tr>
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I have been in similar conditions before but on those ocations I was with paddlers that were as bad as I was, usually not as bad as me :-). This time I felt I was the most experienced on the small group, maybe I wasn't but I felt that way. While paddling, more than once I caught myself thinking 'I don't really want any windier or bigger than this'. I wasn't doubting myself but I felt I was 'responsible' for the others more than in other occasions and if something went wrong I was with more 'tools' to save the day than most.<br />
'Similar conditions' is not as 'same conditions' and there were three things that I have not experienced before:<br />
- When paddling out from the harbour where we launched from, we had the wind from the side. At one moment my boat was moved laterally so suddenly that my body remained where it was while the kayak 'landed' a good way at the side. That meant that my balance was totally out of line and if I hadn't braced I would have been upside down. <br />
- There were many white cups out there. In previous occasions the white water of the wind spilled waves had reached my cockpit or my belly. More than once during this paddle I found myself overrun by a swell where the white water was up to my chest, having to brace like in the surf zone while the wash passed me.<br />
- There was a capsize and it is the first time I had to perform an assisted rescue in these kind of conditions.<br />
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I have seen a video from a champion surf ski paddler not long ago. In the video, he was holding a head cam and was talking and showing how he was linking the waves, catching one after another. While I was paddling I was imagining I was that guy and was catching one wave after another after another until... I had to stop either because I was running our of breath or the others were falling too far behind. <br />
It was hard work, first I had to ride a 'small' wind wave, then another of those and probably another one until I had enough speed to fall down the face of one of the big swells. When you start going down hill you feel the acceleration, the exhilaration and then you either sink your bow in the through in front or turn to keep your speed and jump on the next wave you see around.<br />
It was a fantastic paddle, although a bit slow. It took us 3 hours to cover the 20km when I had expected to finish in 2hours, that late arrival worried our land contact but a phone call from the water just on time. It saved the tax payers some money on mobilizing the marine rescue.<br />
We also experienced some problems of communication. Talking on VHF with the wind noise is not that effective. That resulted in a group spread too big for my peace of mind but I enjoyed the paddle a lot. ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-78286669438096009492014-08-12T18:40:00.001-07:002014-08-12T18:40:14.629-07:00Sunset paddleWith the winter come short days and with each short day come a sunset on the water...<br />
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ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-42350649206143579692014-05-29T03:20:00.002-07:002014-05-29T03:20:31.257-07:00NSWSC Sea Leaders weekendThis year, within my rol of training coordinator for the club, I organized a weekend for the club leaders to hone our skills. Some of the responsability for the logistics was shared with Rae and Cambell who helped me to finish the details of booking a place to stay for the whole group and the meal for Saturday night. Thank you for that because with all the problems I had at work lately I was biting too much to chew.<br />
It happened at Seal Rocks, around 4 hours driving from home. I took a ride with Matt and on Friday after midday, before the proper event started, we were on the water for a short paddle.<br />
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We met Josh on the water who also had arrived earlier and we all stayed paddling until the sun was beginning to set.<br />
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On Friday night most of the club leaders were there and on Sunday morning arrived a couple more.<br />
I suggested as the theme for the weekend 'group management and crisis control'. We started with some revision of techniques and practised some rescues close to the rocks.<br />
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Then we let loose our mischief to make the life of Tony more interesting. He had 'volunteered' as the leader for a group of leaders who suddenly were newbies again. Lots of fun and I think we all learned or refreshed knowledge.<br />
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We then went back to the cars but I took a detour through some rock gardens and some surf<br />
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At night we had a communal meal cooked on a BBQ and salads. For desert we had some watermelon with a theory 'lecture' on caves and waves presented by Josh.<br />
Sadly, on Sunday Matt had to go back early to work and I could not find a hike back on another car for my kayak so I returned with him and I missed the training of the day. I was told that they had some more fun along with new lessons for everyone involved. Well done to all who attended as it was a nice and informative weekend.ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-64943835763878705572014-05-19T05:26:00.000-07:002014-05-25T21:16:13.219-07:00Low swell, big rocksAnother glorious weekend playing very close to rocks. Low swell and no wind meant the sea looked like a lake. That is perfect to play on the spots where you cannot normally go.<br />
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It was me and Rhys (most of the photos were taken by him) and he had a good go at the overfalls and mazes of rocks. It is amazing how far he has improved. <a href="http://rockyspray.blogspot.com.au/2013/07/surfing-sea-kayaks.html" target="_blank">A year ago he was going through the surf for the first time</a> and now this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD0_-6Ni3RdEfVcyJCzBg-36DaMEIvhvFNme_jFE373CFa9UKRfpILwdeDghEyIbZB5XZyclsfVsbVSfW0cpgZngSLgrHBbMlhtUIr56vtqfW6skUIJNqW5cx7HgBkwdqcMqhIkH9tW4/s1600/DSCN0167.MOV_snapshot_00.49_%255B2014.05.19_22.08.25%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRD0_-6Ni3RdEfVcyJCzBg-36DaMEIvhvFNme_jFE373CFa9UKRfpILwdeDghEyIbZB5XZyclsfVsbVSfW0cpgZngSLgrHBbMlhtUIr56vtqfW6skUIJNqW5cx7HgBkwdqcMqhIkH9tW4/s1600/DSCN0167.MOV_snapshot_00.49_%255B2014.05.19_22.08.25%255D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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And I was trying to see how much weight the kayak can support:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PxUo0M6JAbr1pnRTtZqyxJYc9yb1li_tGmU-Du-JIwp1gE2Mlik-3D8JgzHEpCCQsjuWXLf_Dldv-q5ekcQy9IMqVV0Ne5zHPqR7-rELVQgHjGvdIMVy_Pe9ZWP9jj6cUenMkp3F9Zk/s1600/DSCN0342-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PxUo0M6JAbr1pnRTtZqyxJYc9yb1li_tGmU-Du-JIwp1gE2Mlik-3D8JgzHEpCCQsjuWXLf_Dldv-q5ekcQy9IMqVV0Ne5zHPqR7-rELVQgHjGvdIMVy_Pe9ZWP9jj6cUenMkp3F9Zk/s1600/DSCN0342-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KO5oI-rD6DX9maOM3pe5PBFUl1vI5sIKOsf46vqoUn0LwiaGfAVdkCqfv2noioGo4UV_t-t2hhTLg_ai2nXFQXakjDFWZWhmleLzlSX3pLICwBBWHoax6ujzyvEKJO7DSET3zo3ngQY/s1600/DSCN0338-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KO5oI-rD6DX9maOM3pe5PBFUl1vI5sIKOsf46vqoUn0LwiaGfAVdkCqfv2noioGo4UV_t-t2hhTLg_ai2nXFQXakjDFWZWhmleLzlSX3pLICwBBWHoax6ujzyvEKJO7DSET3zo3ngQY/s1600/DSCN0338-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-32007753786368839992014-05-10T05:25:00.000-07:002014-05-10T05:29:10.253-07:00They are coming again!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was a bit sick last weekend so I didn't paddle to recover and be able to work during the week. The week at work was the worst I ever had. This morning I woke up and I was still not feeling well. One ear blocked and my throat complaining... but I needed to relax and drain the bad week I had. I took the kayak and my idea was to go and drift... In the end I paddled. I worked against the wind first and when I turned I discovered I was being followed.</div>
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When I saw them they started to jump, probably to dissimulate they had been following me but I knew better :-)</div>
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It is early in the season and the water is still warm but here they are. I saw 2 travelling together on their North migration. Hopefully I will see more this winter.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_INIItFrc9ihoX1Rifa8YYSS3TUlg-QTKuaSRJ9cWiOj8DN_MpGbw7uAAe3RiWV_AIK3ZxyiUQlrxPupflF7XllGYjG6oXtYiXlfOSK892mJn0OMeXXl8AY8cBz74NJoJVAuDcEhytcM/s1600/20140510+Whale+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_INIItFrc9ihoX1Rifa8YYSS3TUlg-QTKuaSRJ9cWiOj8DN_MpGbw7uAAe3RiWV_AIK3ZxyiUQlrxPupflF7XllGYjG6oXtYiXlfOSK892mJn0OMeXXl8AY8cBz74NJoJVAuDcEhytcM/s1600/20140510+Whale+2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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I got a very short video, a bit shaky because I didn't have the camera holder and the quality is not good neither, not sure why it recorded so crappy...<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hlLnXfOEt-M" width="640"></iframe><br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-15932155897054849252014-04-29T19:30:00.001-07:002014-04-30T06:00:44.947-07:00Surfing on the barSoutherly swell at 3 metres and 9 or 10 seconds period. Low tide at 11.30 but the water keeps going out for another hour. I identified it as the perfect time to go to this bar inside a bay that points south.<br />
The day looked horrible. Driving there in the morning with rain that required the wipers at full speed. However the rain had stopped by the time we were getting into our gear and at 11 AM with the sun forgotten above the cloudy sky we launched. <br />
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We surfed almost non stop until the tide brought so much water that the waves were not braking anymore. That was around 1 PM. We then moved to the beach and we kept our festivity of surfing. Around 2.30PM someone closed the tap and in a matter of 5 minutes all the waves disapeared. We were tired already so we packed up.<br />
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A couple of endos, a few good wipe outs and plenty of beautiful rides.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYwiN3BbboO_ucuyOPV2M-HmCYz1TLDJZV5Zdq4DhS0hGYhwSkoEm_BVQetyLz2osGD8mqA7Bdl6wVnnnO7YvezWncfpJjSddxifJo8vXq83McUmaqmfNm4ri_ETOFAJMbb4ZWSQKp-Y/s1600/DSCN0128.MOV_snapshot_00.02_%255B2014.04.27_19.38.13%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyYwiN3BbboO_ucuyOPV2M-HmCYz1TLDJZV5Zdq4DhS0hGYhwSkoEm_BVQetyLz2osGD8mqA7Bdl6wVnnnO7YvezWncfpJjSddxifJo8vXq83McUmaqmfNm4ri_ETOFAJMbb4ZWSQKp-Y/s1600/DSCN0128.MOV_snapshot_00.02_%255B2014.04.27_19.38.13%255D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLTD0UQS2DyDE3ffBkegmnJ6grJijS7K7dLPi09C5F26L-dfW1jcVPJTsw3ujopdSvNFFvsqIy_T3VxcmUPXVMN-xNhh1QeOaWsu_CxZFiY-QJrrhg2faHVkVwxiCQtlI-r1R0m-lIq4/s1600/DSCN0129.MOV_snapshot_00.00_%255B2014.04.27_19.40.52%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLTD0UQS2DyDE3ffBkegmnJ6grJijS7K7dLPi09C5F26L-dfW1jcVPJTsw3ujopdSvNFFvsqIy_T3VxcmUPXVMN-xNhh1QeOaWsu_CxZFiY-QJrrhg2faHVkVwxiCQtlI-r1R0m-lIq4/s1600/DSCN0129.MOV_snapshot_00.00_%255B2014.04.27_19.40.52%255D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></div>
Thanks Rhys for coming and for taking the photos. I was so much enjoying myslef that I didn't shot the camera even once.ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-78616348487988590842014-04-04T04:35:00.003-07:002014-04-25T20:46:55.822-07:00Inspired to playThere are videos of many kinds. Many are boring or just to spend some time while you wait for another thing. Others I enjoy watching but soon after they finished I am the same as before. Rarely there is a video that inspires and motivates me.<br />
Below is one of the best action videos I have seen for a while, and it inspired me to paddle harder and practice more.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uLnhTbLY4h4" width="640"></iframe>
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Now that I got a gopro and inspired by the video above I put the camera behind me, not so high though. <br />
I went to play in the surf and some rock gardens. The sea state was not big, swell of 1-1.5 m with our normal period of around 8-9 seconds. Some chop from a little wind on top. I was happy with my performance and with the play I had. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After it broke it reformed and when it broke again it took me for a bonus broached ride. A nice shot but someone reminded me it is not the best technique.</td></tr>
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When I got home I checked the footage. I was very disappointed with myself and very impressed with Mr Sean Morley. The things he was playing with must have been HUGE!! While I was surfing, the faces were probably close to 2 meters, not so much when I was playing among the rocks but in my footage they all look minuscule!! Specially compared to Sean's video... Again, my helmet off to this guy.<br />
Then I ran out of space in my hard drive and moving stuff around to try to extract a few more kb from the machine I lost the recorded stuff from that day. I went the next day and bought an external HD so I have space for awhile now, but the lost records are gone.<br />
Anyway, during RnR I had my revenge, not with the machine but with the video. The waves still don't look as spectacular as in the video above and I didn't really surf anything but I enjoyed it and had the biggest run over rocks I have done so far.<br />
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I got a lot of raw material from that day because I could not turn on and of the camra on the back of the boat. That, plus the pressure from having done a good video for the Pogies Festival, was too much. I tried but I think my prevoius one from the Tollgates was better. <br />
You have to decide. Enjoy it and leave me some comments with what you think.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9TZCx-OG4t0" width="640"></iframe><br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-85212103097274565952014-03-24T05:59:00.000-07:002014-03-24T05:59:13.802-07:00Fishing in the blue caveI lead this trip the last day of RnR. I was leading Selim and Vincent. We went into many crevasses, over some rocks and some caves... One of the caves was reckoning moment for Selim.<br />
We got to the 'blue cave' and there was a big group out of the entrance. Only their guides were entering the cave, I am not sure why. I asked my 2 guys to wait well out of the rocky coast while I went in to check how 'easy' or not was inside. When I came out Vincent decided to pass this one and Selim went in with one of the guides from the other group. When the other guide came out, Selim was still inside. I positioned myself close to the entrance to try to record him coming out and to monitor his state when a bigger set rolled in.<br />
I screamed 'Wave' and then I just saw the wave smashing the entrance to the cave. When I finally could spy over the white water and spray, I could only see a boat... but no paddler on or around it. I put my camera away in my pocket without turning it off and went in to fish Selim. It was all saved for posterity. The Nikon in my pocket saved the audio while the gopro on the back of the kayak saved the image of what was Selim grand moment. Enjoy it, or suffer it :-)<br />
My wife thinks I exaggerated a bit with the music. What do you think?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3-ZbJd6krNY" width="640"></iframe><br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-7589389956631466022014-03-18T21:28:00.000-07:002014-03-19T03:05:19.230-07:00Tollgates Islands and Rock and RollThere is these beautiful islands. You are not supposed to land there. There is no fishermen hut or any sign of human contamination. They are close to shore, less than 5 km, and very exposed to the swell. There are plenty of rock formations around and inside the islands that make the place a treasure for paddlers and paradise for those like me that like to play among rocks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade about to run dry.</td></tr>
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Last October I went there with Matt. We had envisioned to do a week long paddle on the area. However when the date arrived he was busy with work and me in bad terms with my boss so the week long was reduced to 4 days... But what 4 days!!! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of fun around.</td></tr>
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We were invited to stay with Neil 'honey' at his home in Long Beach. He is a nice guy but 'honey' is not from that. He has some bee hives and produces yummy honey, if you are in the area make sure you get some :-) </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr Honey in his boat</td></tr>
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Anyway, we slept at his place and went paddling the 4 days around the area. A good deal of that time around and inside the Tollgate Islands. We also managed to do some downwind paddle and one of the days there was a club paddle to the Tollgates which we also joined. The last night we declined the luxury accommodations offered by Neil we decided to camp in the national park, we are hard men of the wild after all :-) or that is what our wives think. We should have stayed with Neil because between both of us we came back with 5 ticks stuck inside our bodies.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQQM_T5sKcbbY0bow-ieVCajlOtoMJlTcsXBtJ1UOFVNrz-BvWSfm-x-r_d4XC2aaioA0_FqWSwwrGH4GJXqOsZ5xOxXZmyP7YGyIVpriFyrHE_Ez17leQF4bTZB_5FH9VbvTCHbCwPs/s1600/blue+cave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQQM_T5sKcbbY0bow-ieVCajlOtoMJlTcsXBtJ1UOFVNrz-BvWSfm-x-r_d4XC2aaioA0_FqWSwwrGH4GJXqOsZ5xOxXZmyP7YGyIVpriFyrHE_Ez17leQF4bTZB_5FH9VbvTCHbCwPs/s1600/blue+cave.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddling inside the islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLzwPh_wdniHrNlCM_RBJ6fWZ0wr3XhjwdMyshoOkVyboI4VJx284TLcVt7VYrgPBuKOkf9mgKtVeNq9ac1dD7RkkjqdsM80gbZsLknkoVMfDL0Yu9X-39re10KO8bGFs-sU2WgoVlkM/s1600/runnig+the+wave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLzwPh_wdniHrNlCM_RBJ6fWZ0wr3XhjwdMyshoOkVyboI4VJx284TLcVt7VYrgPBuKOkf9mgKtVeNq9ac1dD7RkkjqdsM80gbZsLknkoVMfDL0Yu9X-39re10KO8bGFs-sU2WgoVlkM/s1600/runnig+the+wave.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And around the islands</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJghKr5nCfnkmd_wlp_z3eYes4qgNPK-ofMKUaLKkVd_bsmRLcmdFqXSzpV9wkIhx48uTOMRZaqic-SeFyjrOMfm_lRFNuv_YQvPeha3TgCLwPPCVZeVVhjUFtExdyNVus2FSFgE8JK4/s1600/DSCN0673-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJghKr5nCfnkmd_wlp_z3eYes4qgNPK-ofMKUaLKkVd_bsmRLcmdFqXSzpV9wkIhx48uTOMRZaqic-SeFyjrOMfm_lRFNuv_YQvPeha3TgCLwPPCVZeVVhjUFtExdyNVus2FSFgE8JK4/s1600/DSCN0673-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I run aground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOb9hsEX2cGNR0O9kIaszTqnEJiy_B9V62NTtH8CdDOtBI9q3TPGRkZ0PY0ocSKLwlIjzBli-N7Z6Zj9jiClfw-gQ6ilFDEbnzF8Qkz-u13-5iatngRr7TZ86XZqCQkyFe7xadztKk9FY/s1600/DSCN0582-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOb9hsEX2cGNR0O9kIaszTqnEJiy_B9V62NTtH8CdDOtBI9q3TPGRkZ0PY0ocSKLwlIjzBli-N7Z6Zj9jiClfw-gQ6ilFDEbnzF8Qkz-u13-5iatngRr7TZ86XZqCQkyFe7xadztKk9FY/s1600/DSCN0582-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the club paddle a guy came and almost drawn while practicing roll, right Joel?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnrlztjbOzIUFu2tnBDpbX77oxt8Tu27v6OlWAXzFOfnlP0xz_XJvi0XZzF2fYymXJEDSpvWAeNPq2ScSFOwIDXJ_6KxawcQhFNow7feftDCIyUJK6qvFub1YEfB8vkhjyjShHFmY9UU/s1600/DSCN0579-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOnrlztjbOzIUFu2tnBDpbX77oxt8Tu27v6OlWAXzFOfnlP0xz_XJvi0XZzF2fYymXJEDSpvWAeNPq2ScSFOwIDXJ_6KxawcQhFNow7feftDCIyUJK6qvFub1YEfB8vkhjyjShHFmY9UU/s1600/DSCN0579-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the locals came to check the visitors</td></tr>
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We had lots of fun. We were recording all our movements in video while pocking into and sometimes against some of the rocks, I compiled it and didn't publish it until a week ago. I saved for the RnR film festival which was to be held in that same area.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ut55eS2FHcg" width="640"></iframe>
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I am happy to report I won the film competition although I think Marks film about <a href="http://vimeo.com/88721430#at=0" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">his passion for budgie smugglers</span></a> should have taken 1st place. He came 2nd though. Thanks Matt for being the cameraman for the video and lending me some of the photos above.<br />
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The Rock and Roll weekend, or RnR, is the premier event for sea kayaking in New South Wales. Paddling, honing skills, socialising, presentations and lots of fun. During RnR there were plenty of kayaks going to the Tollgate islands. Some like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mea8rEP-ZJQ" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">Josh posted his videos</span></a>. After watching some of them I think I won not due to my editing skills but because of the islands. It is a magical place.<br />
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This year I volunteered as training coordinator for the club. Because of that during the RnR I was a bit busier than other years when off the water coordinating on water training. That made the weekend go away too quickly :-). I am also trying to become a sea kayak instructor so I helped running a couple of instruction sessions during the weekend.<br />
One was helping Nick with a session called 'pushing it in the surf'. We had to drive a bit of distance to find some surf. However, despite calm forecast, we managed to have a good session in 'smallish' waves. The smaller size of the waves allowed the participant to focus more on the technique rather than the anxiety that is normal when you are about to be run by a wave. However the smaller size didn't give the participants the opportunity to overcome that anxiety that inhibits you sometimes when confronted with bigger surf. No matter how small the surf was, we all enjoyed the 'play' time and there were plenty of rolls, even a few swims. It is not that easy to stay upright when trying to surf backwards.<br />
The next day I run a training session helped by Eddie. We focused on advanced rescues. It was lots of fun as we simulated situations for rescues close and sometimes among rocks. In one of those I was being rescued and it was going too smoothly. I decided to add some spice so I started screaming like I was being eaten by a shark. The guys were not sure what to do. I kept screaming until I told them my shoulder hurt. They eventually put me back in my boat. Later, during the debrief, someone said he was very anxious on that particular rescue due to my screaming and not being completely sure if it was for real or not.<br />
The last day I run a trip to the islands. I stipulated you could only come with me if you were ready to scratch your boat. Only 2 participants came but that was good. We could become very intimate with the island and not many scratches were found on the plastic hulls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDRt61VwtBdJA68O-DadhxtCKGXgi27-RytI7nXDR6ad9c6e7vFSXwHieKhHzecvxycLIXbuz9AoD1p6NksobPewx60GSkoj6Dcqo5EgoEhkdwLibO6DmsjgJ3rtdatpXaCwglQj4WBc/s1600/DSCN0929.MOV_snapshot_00.35_%5B2014.03.17_21.58.35%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTDRt61VwtBdJA68O-DadhxtCKGXgi27-RytI7nXDR6ad9c6e7vFSXwHieKhHzecvxycLIXbuz9AoD1p6NksobPewx60GSkoj6Dcqo5EgoEhkdwLibO6DmsjgJ3rtdatpXaCwglQj4WBc/s1600/DSCN0929.MOV_snapshot_00.35_%5B2014.03.17_21.58.35%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selim testing how hard the rocks can be</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZzltDltpMhYicysMAyIMN0jZXekobYPeOsT0-DVNU7svl9UVudfMGneVrXP6likepQ46Ct3ygVK7y5aM1V6li9jSntydcaGZ0_xHpQ1c_EK9w-WWNHbjHWKNbbj7YlCkcVixDDVSTts/s1600/DSCN0922.MOV_snapshot_00.02_%5B2014.03.17_22.00.57%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZzltDltpMhYicysMAyIMN0jZXekobYPeOsT0-DVNU7svl9UVudfMGneVrXP6likepQ46Ct3ygVK7y5aM1V6li9jSntydcaGZ0_xHpQ1c_EK9w-WWNHbjHWKNbbj7YlCkcVixDDVSTts/s1600/DSCN0922.MOV_snapshot_00.02_%5B2014.03.17_22.00.57%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Vincent is decapitated by the water hole</td></tr>
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Video of that day is being cooked. I hope I can maintain the standard of the previous one :-). Below is sequence of stills from the recorded clips of the day.<br />
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ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-17031477242207874302014-03-12T05:11:00.000-07:002014-03-12T05:11:21.525-07:00SW Tassie Epilogue and videoI didn't mean it but it was perceived darker than I intended and worst than I felt it. I am talking about my recount of <a href="http://rockyspray.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/sw-tassie.html" target="_blank">my adventure on the South west of Tasmania</a>.<br />
After I wrote the blog many people told me how dark it seemed and how bad was my experience. I reread the text a few times and I still don't find it so bad. However communications is as much about the received message as the sent one. It was a hard trip and after many hours of paddling my feeling was more of relief of having finished for the day than of fulfilment for having completed the leg. However it was a rewarding experience and I am richer for it. I will try to lift a bit that obscure aura from my previous writing.<br />
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The area we went to is beautiful, Matt said many times he felt paddling inside a picture and it really was like that. Amazing coastline, many albatross flying by, islands and beaches that looked like nobody before you had ever stepped on. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic71Uwv6GcG5PRv43_ofmfepqA8RTS21Jeri37IsHHKz-0j5rNV71SFkmj5JlcX37rRSY4E0rZZmRuKCdGsOskyMCKoqutaR1L0GkOgpLdTtLJDD5lEI0ZuPu4mle4xO_U-8xe5LPR9MQ/s1600/DSCN0655-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic71Uwv6GcG5PRv43_ofmfepqA8RTS21Jeri37IsHHKz-0j5rNV71SFkmj5JlcX37rRSY4E0rZZmRuKCdGsOskyMCKoqutaR1L0GkOgpLdTtLJDD5lEI0ZuPu4mle4xO_U-8xe5LPR9MQ/s1600/DSCN0655-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Were we the first on this beach? Photo Adrian C</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha79FxP4Bja3c3oxj-tsNZHPGPJEp5ntbKH0ItBwTgetU_mDcVohOzzY_w8M7w8yFPDdI71EEckEMvKYVT2oKyNERqBxzcniRcunk_GNx08XWJu6-EgOKkqJbRZBoMZUQiKQ6F99tROFQ/s1600/DSCN0857-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha79FxP4Bja3c3oxj-tsNZHPGPJEp5ntbKH0ItBwTgetU_mDcVohOzzY_w8M7w8yFPDdI71EEckEMvKYVT2oKyNERqBxzcniRcunk_GNx08XWJu6-EgOKkqJbRZBoMZUQiKQ6F99tROFQ/s1600/DSCN0857-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rocks big as islands and flying fauna everywhere. Photo Adrian C</td></tr>
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Almost every day I saw features that I felt to stop and play around. With Wade we dreamt of coming back on a mother ship. We would seal launch from it and go playing with the countless rocks, some big as islands. Paddling empty kayaks we could surf the surges around them. When we felt satisfied or the weather turned bad we would go back to the big ship and sail to harbour... That is what you think with so many hours of catch after exit after catch of the blade into the water.<br />
We fulfilled some of those dreams. Wade came back on a sail ship. I went through some of those cracks and features.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpNMaHCPjyLL3BTACS0NERfONT4GYvtw0DzRtm6vjLQ1JWEkKY3dJYleMIG9lDWhFBGApYPDFz2FzenqFZOsx_raMRbBP7bmdD9F-LVRQZHao0jhAT7PbocbRp84jHCBGz44IcM0d5m8/s1600/GOPR0013.avi_snapshot_00.25_%5B2014.03.12_21.41.19%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMpNMaHCPjyLL3BTACS0NERfONT4GYvtw0DzRtm6vjLQ1JWEkKY3dJYleMIG9lDWhFBGApYPDFz2FzenqFZOsx_raMRbBP7bmdD9F-LVRQZHao0jhAT7PbocbRp84jHCBGz44IcM0d5m8/s1600/GOPR0013.avi_snapshot_00.25_%5B2014.03.12_21.41.19%5D.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is light at the end and I don't think it is a train</td></tr>
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We visited a seal colony and one jealous mother decided to visit me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAy5ef32FUCnLyxhhZTa40Nwr9l3eDjBK7Z9wpaQzo-9aRno7ESvc4mHY7ul1T9uvVJjlmA1u6LckasE2bfv-WEEocurbAA04-a_822ozaEkDqkVcbL7q2fYM6nLAnUhLs1cemluaYjgE/s1600/GOPR0013.avi_snapshot_01.34_%5B2014.03.12_21.44.01%5D-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAy5ef32FUCnLyxhhZTa40Nwr9l3eDjBK7Z9wpaQzo-9aRno7ESvc4mHY7ul1T9uvVJjlmA1u6LckasE2bfv-WEEocurbAA04-a_822ozaEkDqkVcbL7q2fYM6nLAnUhLs1cemluaYjgE/s1600/GOPR0013.avi_snapshot_01.34_%5B2014.03.12_21.44.01%5D-2.jpg" height="358" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wild life acting wild</td></tr>
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Then there was the camping life. Talking about nothing or sometimes in silence. Sharing the camaraderie of like minded persons immersed in an activity we all enjoy.</div>
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We, almost all, laughed at the race someone in the group did as soon as he landed. Every time he would try to sprint the last few meters and get to dry land first. Unpack a couple of dry bags from the boat and claim the best spot to pitch his tent.</div>
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At cooking time we all had to stop talking when one of us was using his very antisocial cooking stove. It was like having a jet warming the engines in the campsite. We all, him included, laughed when we had to halt our conversation every time he warmed some water.</div>
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Almost everyone had a nice compact chair to sit on. Stuart didn't have a chair but he had a piece of mattress. I was the only one with nothing at all to land my butts on. So whenever someone stood up I rushed to rest in his chair. All laughed at me hoping from spot to spot trying to rest my back.</div>
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It was a good trip, not the kind of trip I enjoy the most but something I am glad I did. In 2011 I spend a week of unsupported paddling and camping in the Keppel Islands. When I came back I told my wife I would not do something like that again. Almost 3 years later I put my name for this 'expedition'. When I came back I told my wife I will not do something like that again... Maybe in 3 years, who knows?<br />
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Enjoy the short video from images of the trip:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vG4kZdJ6YkE" width="640"></iframe><br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-86364687369003121662014-02-22T17:59:00.000-08:002014-03-12T05:13:10.871-07:00SW Tassie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My surroundings are shaking. I hear a voice commanding me to wake up. I open my eyes and darkness surrounds me. I manage to take a look at the watch, it shows 4AM and I realise I am in a tent. Am I back in the army? A few seconds later I come around. The sergeant ordering me to wake up and shaking the tent is Stuart, the trip leader. I remember I went to sleep around 6 pm last afternoon. I had been paddling from 7.30AM to 4.30 PM the day before and I fell asleep before the forecast on the short wave radio at 7.30 pm was transmitted. Still half asleep I deduce that the forecast brought bad news and we need to move soon.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3yDKAR-3JVVetE-v9IdFoJWAqv-7paclt5blSHRZqhfRher1WWh6UxmmxGdGZewRD3Wit3Nsh88zH9uOrvgqdGGJmInLeoA41kZt6Nh_-E7K1CnWQh09qcfeg9WEEwkjaSHDlrsv-ZQ/s1600/Kayaks+waiting+at+night.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF3yDKAR-3JVVetE-v9IdFoJWAqv-7paclt5blSHRZqhfRher1WWh6UxmmxGdGZewRD3Wit3Nsh88zH9uOrvgqdGGJmInLeoA41kZt6Nh_-E7K1CnWQh09qcfeg9WEEwkjaSHDlrsv-ZQ/s1600/Kayaks+waiting+at+night.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While we sleep in the tent the kayaks waited under the moon</td></tr>
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Packing stuff and tent is done quickly after over a week of repeating the process and by 5 AM we are dressed with paddling gear, wet from the day before. We are ready to move the kayaks under the light of the moon. Today’s briefing is about “going one behind the other like ducklings following mama duck”, so if we capsize while sailing 25knots winds from Antarctica the one behind might be able to help us. We launch through the very low surf, still not stirred by the strong winds that were to come later during the day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc56PYnKc4eZU1kxVg-P4PHiQIqkwtfHo61UDo9-tScNKkGKmhQJD8YpRtS6I_mSeDMui4bo4icj6hL0tpV2Bl8Ijtl6HLwJwjnEqMQs3DZe3ZIptRmZ4LRhGGeaGP60JdN9kKQ_B-Xbo/s1600/Predawn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc56PYnKc4eZU1kxVg-P4PHiQIqkwtfHo61UDo9-tScNKkGKmhQJD8YpRtS6I_mSeDMui4bo4icj6hL0tpV2Bl8Ijtl6HLwJwjnEqMQs3DZe3ZIptRmZ4LRhGGeaGP60JdN9kKQ_B-Xbo/s1600/Predawn.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The light before the light. Ready to paddle in the dark.</td></tr>
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The last forecast I had heard was for bad winds today and even worst tomorrow. We’d hurried the way back skipping a planned detour to Maatsuyker Island (the second time we plan but can't go to the mythical island) and a couple of overnight spots. That meant that yesterday’s paddle had been stretched to cover a bit over 60km, and that was after the 40 km of the day before. It was that or risk being stranded for days in a beach until the weather improved. At least a good part of yesterday's 8 hours of paddling had been sailing with moderate winds and some small wind waves to catch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1IusI7jDDTLGwkYsgyDQsvEhIk2HJe586kHDTr-EWUAdEQqDzjj4MwRnXaBYaN_gHkolHVk6EDQOxtLnTJQYEy6mp-jsxQVRYNaDeD7Sgo8PedEiLFGhs1uUkK45x59n8dVIETZX6X0/s1600/Under+sail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz1IusI7jDDTLGwkYsgyDQsvEhIk2HJe586kHDTr-EWUAdEQqDzjj4MwRnXaBYaN_gHkolHVk6EDQOxtLnTJQYEy6mp-jsxQVRYNaDeD7Sgo8PedEiLFGhs1uUkK45x59n8dVIETZX6X0/s1600/Under+sail.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The long day with help of moderate winds.</td></tr>
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Today is the last day of the expedition. Expedition sounds too grandiose? Well, it was for me. Hopefully this last day will become an exciting paddle with the promise of strong tail winds. By 5.30 AM I am completly wet after not being able to see in the dim predawn light a small wave that broke in front of me. It run over my deck to wash my face with cold salt water. Just what the doctor recommended to be fully awake. We paddled and paddled that day. All the time the sails deployed while we expected to fill them with the wind that never came. By 9.30 AM we were back where we had started a week and a half ago.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthgEHy6eFdWQETuJDWubehb-Gp7uYDOdwbYjV7B5-LRgLwCHXA3GD7aD8dlVB69EQg1y7xVtwHV8oPb66OKObkInhWJtcfx1w8v2oi2Jlje8hwdIVYR3yif4BIH60WGgXYR8TRLrHXlo/s1600/Finish+line.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthgEHy6eFdWQETuJDWubehb-Gp7uYDOdwbYjV7B5-LRgLwCHXA3GD7aD8dlVB69EQg1y7xVtwHV8oPb66OKObkInhWJtcfx1w8v2oi2Jlje8hwdIVYR3yif4BIH60WGgXYR8TRLrHXlo/s1600/Finish+line.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The survivors left to right: Fer, Adrian, Stuart, John, Campbell and Matt</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
For me it was an endurance trip. No, I don't mean endurance in the sense of a long resistance aerobic paddle, which it also was, but that I endured it instead of enjoying it. The first day we had head winds and half way through my wrist was sore. I was slowed down by that and demoralised by the fact that I would not be 100% the rest of the trip. It didn't help that the paddlers at the front disappeared over the horizon. John, Michel and me followed the direction were they'd disappeared until we realised we were paddling past the landing beach. We turned, put the sail up and the wind that had hinthered our advanced took us back to where we were supposed to be. The extra few kilometers paddled, being left behind out of sight from the rest plus arriving at the beach and see that it appeared that nobody cared and almost everyone was already in they dry clothes preparing their food and didn't offer a hand with the boats didn't help my morale.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7le_-WQ9yv4xmC119nGzvik4rIEwTY4vR2V30HfVjRX6EDD2f38-jY6DMt-9tgxAkm-XZG_-aj1bsd6MIoreti9CO1BZt9fSQ4AqNWqXI6gO-pTZa2GYMgGwaxLqNRYgVw6CbKJEJMA/s1600/Jhon+and+Michael+around+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7le_-WQ9yv4xmC119nGzvik4rIEwTY4vR2V30HfVjRX6EDD2f38-jY6DMt-9tgxAkm-XZG_-aj1bsd6MIoreti9CO1BZt9fSQ4AqNWqXI6gO-pTZa2GYMgGwaxLqNRYgVw6CbKJEJMA/s1600/Jhon+and+Michael+around+.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">John and Michael about to finish the first day.</td></tr>
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The following days were not better for me. We had a good window of weather (side winds or soft head winds) and Stuart wanted to take advantage of it. We kept pushing west. I needed a rest day to recover my arm that ached more each day and to recover my strength. There was none of that. We kept relentesly pushing west, farther away from our cars. The third morning was my lowest point. I had not slept well. When we woke up I was a mess. I was tired, clumsy and disorganised. I spilled water on me a few times while filling my water bottles and had to repack the boat a few times because I had forgotten something out or I could not fit my bags in the hatches. Everyone was ready on the beach except me. I was still struggling to fit my stuff in the boat and my mood was sinking fast. Stuart confirmed the objective for the day. It was Maatsuyker Is. which involved an open crossing, the weather was supposed to be low winds and possible thunder storms. The possibility of thunderstorms was the tip that filled my glass and I voiced my decision of not going. My mental state, my clumsiness during the preparation plus my last experience with thunderstorms was too much to bear by my self. I told the leader I was not going on an open crossing on my physical/mental state and with thunder storms. They could go and I would camp there for a week until they were back was my offer. Stuart didn't accept that and changed the plan to go by the coast to the next camp site, leaving the island for the return leg. He added the condition that we would look shelter at the first sign of lighting. I wasn't happy but agreed to keep going. After another couple of attempts to put everything in my kayak we started the day. The place where this episode happened is called Deadman Cove, very descriptive of my state.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TMzKkxJOV_VNHNMMQOHhaCg6tfvJUy_A-jnTBeYGOxhSLTjXij8Yi8Dn4qrfaeXLBckwT6fbZ6m2ZlFJP7yKe35vs4IiopoHjnjtRbQSIvz8ZIliHddhCcb-KCcWZBWWBohjCe9x1tE/s1600/Deadmans+cove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TMzKkxJOV_VNHNMMQOHhaCg6tfvJUy_A-jnTBeYGOxhSLTjXij8Yi8Dn4qrfaeXLBckwT6fbZ6m2ZlFJP7yKe35vs4IiopoHjnjtRbQSIvz8ZIliHddhCcb-KCcWZBWWBohjCe9x1tE/s1600/Deadmans+cove.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone ready but me, lost in my own dark mood.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another couple of days paddling 30-40 km and we finally reached the main objective of the trip, Port Davey. I finally could take a couple of days off and stayed at Spain Bay, the first camp inside the huge harbour. I stayed with Wade who was also suffering from an injury in his wrist. We did a nice bush walk over the hills to one of the open ocean beaches nearby where we climbed some big dunes and discovered several piles of shells, signs of aboriginal mounds. I also did a small paddle to check out how flat the water inside Bathurst Channel was and rested and ate a lot. After 3 days of that easy life the rest of the group came back. While I rested they went on paddling the flat waters of Bathurst Channel towards Melaleuca Inlet and Bathurst Harbour.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3kjaHhUAZ6usmhOeBPirD5rCpU_GkGB7Kj7KOd1A3s2izVrODNIZworM-VNVVOPVXQx5UdsImOhxkK7iEe_sMZBweuDVIQgGW6P9UjeZ7gI4Cx1Zf1veso4D92gitPg3QYEdfKKS_-I/s1600/Wade+and+Campbel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3kjaHhUAZ6usmhOeBPirD5rCpU_GkGB7Kj7KOd1A3s2izVrODNIZworM-VNVVOPVXQx5UdsImOhxkK7iEe_sMZBweuDVIQgGW6P9UjeZ7gI4Cx1Zf1veso4D92gitPg3QYEdfKKS_-I/s1600/Wade+and+Campbel.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wade and Campbell cruise along some peculiar rock formations</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FPJOf2N94aVoUcPjf87RQJXnroE4Z2Pg5vTOd-ZSv_zpaxIpSj4RksI5L0On3HOphd2ejHJvtnIeiUO-5a69HgPfQf5KEsQ7W2Xo_o7-Hyd5s0vxHfcBp1I4b_04ZAv-PtMRtALDeqs/s1600/Adrian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FPJOf2N94aVoUcPjf87RQJXnroE4Z2Pg5vTOd-ZSv_zpaxIpSj4RksI5L0On3HOphd2ejHJvtnIeiUO-5a69HgPfQf5KEsQ7W2Xo_o7-Hyd5s0vxHfcBp1I4b_04ZAv-PtMRtALDeqs/s1600/Adrian.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adrian and some of the cliffs</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj-m4k3PsgiEiRWH7_6gIAniRHgxqyWtUjhmye5n_NdD0c6L94Kg8phLV_6MLi5N7M29272BsnXPgjCdwNXrg_hOGQmFPlkymOochL2rchJYISJfP_9JLdDoNXWVNyffd1tm45PfPGcQ/s1600/Rest+midday.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj-m4k3PsgiEiRWH7_6gIAniRHgxqyWtUjhmye5n_NdD0c6L94Kg8phLV_6MLi5N7M29272BsnXPgjCdwNXrg_hOGQmFPlkymOochL2rchJYISJfP_9JLdDoNXWVNyffd1tm45PfPGcQ/s1600/Rest+midday.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A pitstop half way on a day. Look the breaks out of our little refuge.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCNX6JU59CzztfCA2j3FT26GpaIUku_WHgdQfM2HJxoG8MPveHOeMtuoXNX0zSkHxfegG31ACdJAGQwWWHWSYyrplCbglALbpK4QEsjC_1unFOuqs7Wg6ruHsCnp2-nAVELVzJaJOj_0/s1600/Matt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwCNX6JU59CzztfCA2j3FT26GpaIUku_WHgdQfM2HJxoG8MPveHOeMtuoXNX0zSkHxfegG31ACdJAGQwWWHWSYyrplCbglALbpK4QEsjC_1unFOuqs7Wg6ruHsCnp2-nAVELVzJaJOj_0/s1600/Matt.jpg" height="478" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and John's head passing by South West Cape</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwpNGbU-YgnrfIT-XjipLjuJlmevZH8XQpAPMKFdnA2FeHJxiUCjycnYwCLl8inrwiiLL3iwwV02Srr0nE_KHTHgpBoMBU9HWRauHJ5SavWWZsO0DTUl36SxQwc8uGXNeGQ1yRhr-AcU/s1600/Stuart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpwpNGbU-YgnrfIT-XjipLjuJlmevZH8XQpAPMKFdnA2FeHJxiUCjycnYwCLl8inrwiiLL3iwwV02Srr0nE_KHTHgpBoMBU9HWRauHJ5SavWWZsO0DTUl36SxQwc8uGXNeGQ1yRhr-AcU/s1600/Stuart.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuart going among... the 'small islands' or 'big rocks'?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcT29NQSVTDVvjmu2b8OvqZ1tnz6ChxUmPXlOUMUfidU6AV_UotiQvo7MgqisNtEtHa6tYLIh4Hb6vL4Q_YvZPJ-fly6KRflC5u500koCjhXU0g-zQOKKOjCbb7pSiz6b2kdTYg_Hfec/s1600/Aboriginal+mounds1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcT29NQSVTDVvjmu2b8OvqZ1tnz6ChxUmPXlOUMUfidU6AV_UotiQvo7MgqisNtEtHa6tYLIh4Hb6vL4Q_YvZPJ-fly6KRflC5u500koCjhXU0g-zQOKKOjCbb7pSiz6b2kdTYg_Hfec/s1600/Aboriginal+mounds1.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several heaps of shells left from many meals taken on the beach</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFplzs2IzLuBaCo4RHJXysxaNh2Caxe8j9v-9GcN2mJBdBORYRJss9MWA5P39SfLpVhXmBwBGZR2fr_LwXkSNHbUHSFIKmRykzw4dN1gXtrRTTRioJSUoKZqOcULeuArQCt0I9IjtBh6w/s1600/Aboriginal+mounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFplzs2IzLuBaCo4RHJXysxaNh2Caxe8j9v-9GcN2mJBdBORYRJss9MWA5P39SfLpVhXmBwBGZR2fr_LwXkSNHbUHSFIKmRykzw4dN1gXtrRTTRioJSUoKZqOcULeuArQCt0I9IjtBh6w/s1600/Aboriginal+mounds.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shells everywhere and the sea as a background, those were good meals</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAI7aPEzVKOHP5Q0JwdIlBgDugi3GyBTDnNb6wyBEWvAAe7tZawv4xCvl-ESowSzg2bcmfW20THkj33Lj1-FFdx8WfqbV84SvogyDz8TJovnY47Z_fMigmWi_oJnJ8q6lPFQDXtv9IT4/s1600/Fet+at+the+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmAI7aPEzVKOHP5Q0JwdIlBgDugi3GyBTDnNb6wyBEWvAAe7tZawv4xCvl-ESowSzg2bcmfW20THkj33Lj1-FFdx8WfqbV84SvogyDz8TJovnY47Z_fMigmWi_oJnJ8q6lPFQDXtv9IT4/s1600/Fet+at+the+beach.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rest at the end of the walk</td></tr>
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The return was a dash to be back before the bad weather system arrived. I was feeling better after the rest days and with the knowledge that we were closer to the finish line with each stroke.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOPM6jXNjanW0-8x6gqIF-JmsYBctSrUr2hTU8GVvFGExyM4mjHYt5z75Fo83A_z8Hjy4Y4P9xW5c4Z2wKnAXdKoV5FCUPk-JvAkvmLavgXwbntRZjOeWQtT4bXRdAGOlt0UyOQFjUr4/s1600/DSCN0863.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYOPM6jXNjanW0-8x6gqIF-JmsYBctSrUr2hTU8GVvFGExyM4mjHYt5z75Fo83A_z8Hjy4Y4P9xW5c4Z2wKnAXdKoV5FCUPk-JvAkvmLavgXwbntRZjOeWQtT4bXRdAGOlt0UyOQFjUr4/s1600/DSCN0863.JPG" height="122" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A panorama of Ketchem campsite in the afternoon after we arrived.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ketchem Beach during the morning, just before starting the 60km day.</td></tr>
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I must admit the area is beautiful, with very scenic and spectacular views. Islands like cones, cliffs that sink into deep water, channels to run between small islets, seals, etc. There were good moments of fun and camaraderie too. But all that was second or third concern during a trip that was all about getting there and back with very few possible landing points on the way and the threat of bad weather looming all the time. I got back with food treats that couldn't be consumed for lack of relaxed time. I learnt a few things and set 2 personal records I am in no hurry to break: my longest paddle in a day with 60.7km in almost 9 hours and the earliest paddling being on the water by 5.30 AM.<br />
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It is definitely not my style of paddling but it is something that I had to try at least once. I am happy I participated in this but I am not eager to embark on another expeditions of this kind. I thank Stuart very much for the opportunity and his effort in leading us in this adventure.<br />
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Some of the numbers from the expedition:<br />
Carried 20kg of food plus water plus gear.<br />
I paddled 8 days and rested 2.<br />
I covered approx 260 km in about 43 hs of paddling.<br />
We were 8 paddling the first day and 6 returned paddling the last day (1 returned paddling after the 1st night and 1 returned by sailboat at the half way point due to injuries).<br />
We drove from Sydney to Melbourne, 10hs or around 900km. We took the ferry to cross Bass Straigh, 11hs or around 400km. We drove again from Devenport to Cockle Creek, 5hs or almost 400km. <br />
Of course, all that in reverse to get back home... Well... Almost. Spirit of Tasmania, the ferry company was charging me 260$ to change the date of my ticket when the full return ticket had been 500$!!! I was sharing the car with Adrian and Campbell, but not the driving. When I tried to drive my shift I had discovered the car was manual, after almost stalling it I was spared the task. So after they had changed their tickets, and paying a good fee for that, I discovered that a flight ticket would be 170$. They both agreed that I could take the cheaper flight home instead of paying the rip off to change the ferry, so they dropped on the way to Devenport near the airport and we met back in Sydney.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About to take the ferry from Melbourne</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to mainland Australia for a couple of weeks.</td></tr>
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All the photos were taken by the different members of the group, it was lost already who shot what. A video will come at some point too.<br />
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PS, the epilogue and video can be read and watched <a href="http://rockyspray.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/sw-tassie-epilogue-and-video.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-37442304088116504482014-01-25T22:24:00.000-08:002014-01-25T22:24:38.247-08:00Pimp Naughty and sailing itIn my <a href="http://rockyspray.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/a-long-paddle-in-preparation-for-longer.html" target="_blank">last post</a> I introduced Naughty, an Ocean Rider kayak that Barnabas lent me. As I am going to paddle it for 2 weeks doing many km each day I wanted to customise it so I could 'wear' the kayak and feel comfortable in it.<br />
The first things I did were easy minor cosmetics, like tethering hatch covers and adding handles. Then I added some protection to the battery in the day hatch. Unfortunately the battery is not inside a box but just exposed inside the dry day hatch. In case of flooding the battery will fry but if just dump gets inside the compartment, the contacts will hopefully survive now.<br />
The kayak has a rudder and I always said that when I get a ruddered kayak I would install a tiller similar to what the K1 use to control the rudder. With a lot of help from Roger, an expert carpenter and handy man, we.... ahem, mostly he, installed the new system.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roger doing final adjustment</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The system presented</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1JrzemxuMKL2BBaGINsNj2oTqekR3aRTLPXypdtOM8Kh5UGz4R50-4qM3Hzay3muFLW9jInefaWJOhcetDajXnQj1A5j99ovug1nRdv8jwyP6jhjIEhvl3zgxh1pp1sDb0kkyT6Wq9w/s1600/DSCN0483-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1JrzemxuMKL2BBaGINsNj2oTqekR3aRTLPXypdtOM8Kh5UGz4R50-4qM3Hzay3muFLW9jInefaWJOhcetDajXnQj1A5j99ovug1nRdv8jwyP6jhjIEhvl3zgxh1pp1sDb0kkyT6Wq9w/s1600/DSCN0483-2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hard part of the installation</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New rudder control ready</td></tr>
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Then we went for the <a href="http://rockyspray.blogspot.com.au/2014/01/a-long-paddle-in-preparation-for-longer.html" target="_blank">weekend trial</a> where the rudder system worked wonderfully. I could steer the boat and still apply my full pressure on the fixed footrest. Also during the weekend I found out that everyone else was going to carry a sail on the trip south of Tasmania. Barnabas' other boats have sails installed but not Naughty. With help from Matt... ahem, again mostly his handy work we installed all the fittings for the sail.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt doing the reinforcement</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HBJ6MvPBegUYTf1OZUpoutaufTokuhD68bc5UTNyc2z1IxovNe0xTFGkI4EF84vh9xmOp0aWYrnv09QJ5-YhUp8C47QKaChAEngwtFfcKCwhvbhibgejSqgBn_TXd0bxj6QH3ijfcK8/s1600/DSCN0567-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3HBJ6MvPBegUYTf1OZUpoutaufTokuhD68bc5UTNyc2z1IxovNe0xTFGkI4EF84vh9xmOp0aWYrnv09QJ5-YhUp8C47QKaChAEngwtFfcKCwhvbhibgejSqgBn_TXd0bxj6QH3ijfcK8/s1600/DSCN0567-2.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making sure the fibber inside is well placed.</td></tr>
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I had never sailed a single kayak before, just had a brief experience in a double once. The forecast for Saturday was strong wind warnings and swell of 3meters, both from the South. Matt made sure the sail was ready for the event and we organised cars at each end of the almost 35 km of coast we wanted to paddle/sail. We met with Wade and the three of us launched into the wind. I carried my GPS but had forgotten to replace the batteries so it didn't record anything and I can't say how fast we went with the sails up, but it was faster than just paddling and some of the waves were easier to ride with the extra push from the sail. For me it was not a relaxed paddle while the sail was up. The first time the boom (the horizontal tube on the sail) swapped from left to right because the wind was coming more from the left, the event got me by surprise and I almost went over. Similarly, when I was on the face of a big swell I was not sure what the kayak would do and had to paddle a bit more defensively than what I did later when I had to put the sail down. Definitively the kayak moves differently with the sail up and I have to get used to its new behaviour before I can relax and really enjoy the ride.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sailing was good while it lasted</td></tr>
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This is all the video I got from the paddle:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UEpDowQfooo" width="640"></iframe><br />
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When we had covered about 10 km and my sail decided to swap again sides it went down. The clip that was holding it from that side had become loose and there was nothing holding the sail up. We rafted to see if there was something to do and decided to keep going to a protected beach to try to fix it. We kept riding the waves but without the aid from the sail. That was more of what I was used to and I really enjoyed the 3 or 4 meter waves when they rolled and became white water blown by the wind or being shot down these big faces to bury the bow in the trough in front.<br />
By the end of the previous weekend long paddle I had felt my forearm a bit strange. On Monday my forearm was sore and I could not hold anything heavy with the right arm. I applied ice and by Wednesday I didn't have any discomfort. However, soon after I had to lower the sail my forearm started to feel funny again. With the big trip only 2 weeks away I didn't want to risk pushing the arm further. The pit stop to fix the sail become my exit for the day while Wade and Matt had a ball completing the route we had planned. I went on slower, without the 'hurry' to catch the waves and nurturing my arm. In front of me I saw a big brown 'thing' . Usually these brown 'things' are just drift wood and leaves but this time I discovered it was a turtle. Quickly got my camera out and shot a photo but in the hurry and excitement I didn't turn it on. When I realised and corrected the error the turtle had realised it was being watch and promptly dived. I just got this photo of it about to head for the deepness.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gcHgFu7cqJATbx4qbmZeGxHhTVIgcNkQ__-Iz2URmLRKZNuVi5gvKm08FXYY_AwFOM206tTvBsVaTDC2nDO_vCVDNc9Al-kYxPDM9Y_QBI7M6007Q7nCMMSXKX15ZHRk9YbvyhsLyAI/s1600/20140125+Turtle-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gcHgFu7cqJATbx4qbmZeGxHhTVIgcNkQ__-Iz2URmLRKZNuVi5gvKm08FXYY_AwFOM206tTvBsVaTDC2nDO_vCVDNc9Al-kYxPDM9Y_QBI7M6007Q7nCMMSXKX15ZHRk9YbvyhsLyAI/s1600/20140125+Turtle-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The quick shot before the turtle went down</td></tr>
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That night with Barnabas help we fixed the sail and now instead of D shackles it uses small carabiners. We also replaced some bungees and lowered the electric pump that was a bit too high and left too much water inside the kayak. The only things left now are the camera mount and get my arm good, then we are ready for the long trip.ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-75809957394915168412014-01-22T02:48:00.003-08:002014-01-22T02:48:29.247-08:00A long paddle in preparation for a longer one<div style="margin: 0cm;">
There is this trip we are going in a few weeks. It is along the "<a href="http://www.vision.net.au/~jennings/maatsuyker/maat2.html" target="_blank">most dangerous coast of Tasmania</a>" according to some. The idea is to paddle long days... long days for me as I usually just go for a max of 20km of playful paddle and call it a day.<br />
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Anyway, as a preparation for the real trip and to get to know the others in the team better we did this weekend trip of almost 40km each day with the kayaks loaded as if we were going for the 2 weeks of the real trip. So I packed cloth for very cold nights although here it was reaching above 30 degrees. I packed food for 12 days, the winter sleeping bag and tent and all the other stuff you would take for an almost 2 weeks long unsupported paddle in a remote area and went away for a just 2 days.<br />
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We met Saturday morning at Currarong and my first panic attack started when I spread all the gear on the floor beside the kayak. I was almost shaking, with cold skin under the scorching sun while wondering how all ‘that’ would fit in. I was not taking my Aquanout that certainly would not have fitted all needed. Instead I borrowed a kayak from Barnabas’ fleet, an Ocean Rider named Naughty, don’t ask me why. He has lent me the kayak for the Tassie trip. Thank you Barnabas, some people think you are crazy in lending me a kayak but I will prove them wrong when I bring it back... does it need to be in 1 piece? Back at Currarong, I took a few deep breaths and after swearing for half an hour all the gear had been “swallowed” by the wide Naughty. It was easier than I suspected and Stuart has promised me that the panic attacks will become less severe as the trip progress.<br />
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The plan was to paddle around 40km but we shortened the route to avoid getting to the more populated area of Sussex. On the map it would be a bit over 30km but we explored so many inlets and caves that the GPS showed 39km paddled at the end of the day 1 and 38 for day 2.<br />
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The weekend before I had paddled 32km in my Aquanaut and by the end of it I was very tired. During that paddle, around the 25km mark, I landed on a beach because I needed to stretch my back. So I lied down on a rock and without realising I slept for 15 minutes. With that memory fresh I was a bit worried about paddling 40km but I am happy to report that I survived it pretty well on Saturday, except for my bottom. It was not the same on Sunday when Matt and I raced 3 times for a few km each time. The first 2 were on following seas and the last one was to the finish line on virtually flat water. I must disclose that he was paddling his Tiderace Pace 17 that is supposed to be one of the fastest sea kayaks around and I was riding Naughty. I will not disclose who won as to not embarrass him :-). However my hat is off to Stuart that in one of the following seas runs smoked us both by several boat lengths paddling his 15 years old Nadgee. I felt all that racing by the end of the day and on Monday I was a collection of sore muscles.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At this point I was with no sore muscles yet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt and Adrian paddling along the coast</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt going hard</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adrian is not left behind, tiny in front of him you can see Stuart</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuart close to the movement</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuarts head just under the wave</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuart, Adrian and Fer going out from an inlet</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qZT5gobZ0qjS9S0vUOUf1qPYJ9eCexbXcgXPmaGFJMfkIEx4YvdhTgVT5sDELuvS0Z913rX2mR8F4uHyVRtZNbowgYR46-BWWVgrd-Vq03sO-i7J2L8BxTx17xePAIwYp6eUlfEmKPs/s1600/20140118+Stuart+and+Fer-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qZT5gobZ0qjS9S0vUOUf1qPYJ9eCexbXcgXPmaGFJMfkIEx4YvdhTgVT5sDELuvS0Z913rX2mR8F4uHyVRtZNbowgYR46-BWWVgrd-Vq03sO-i7J2L8BxTx17xePAIwYp6eUlfEmKPs/s1600/20140118+Stuart+and+Fer-2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fer and Stuart rounding a corner</td></tr>
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The coast we paddled is one of the nicest coasts I know, not that I know that many. It is along a navy firing range, not active when we were there, and a national park. There are not many places to land along the way and you are always between the ocean on one side and cliffs climbing around 100 meters on the other, except a stretch of 4 km of open crossing where we had our ‘races’. The ocean carved amazing features in the cliff face including caves and many rocky features. All the time I was tempted to take closer looks but I resisted to put the lent kayak on too much of a risk. However we did some investigative paddling and we went through a couple of tunnels carved inside the rock. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exiting one of the many inlets</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFITn6ETrodzXyE0iyK0lS7wfH65dm6Jujgg_lB5MZHLDp9Q-aamY_gt5nTWWT3F4wOHxIPYevwx91sOqBBVxEEamuR9POjCX2RlU255mkTdK_6rhvBXTRWd4jGo6DpwKi_Gw-vU9Co9Y/s1600/20140118+Stuart+Fer+cave+entrance-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFITn6ETrodzXyE0iyK0lS7wfH65dm6Jujgg_lB5MZHLDp9Q-aamY_gt5nTWWT3F4wOHxIPYevwx91sOqBBVxEEamuR9POjCX2RlU255mkTdK_6rhvBXTRWd4jGo6DpwKi_Gw-vU9Co9Y/s1600/20140118+Stuart+Fer+cave+entrance-2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start in the cave and Fer keeps an eye, or am I just waiting my turn?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuart, a happy chap</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Matt in exploring mode</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl334lRWsQOCOgxATLUzc5S7U4yDkV7laeEZ1jTiYqoqbo8-XGmzMNlt8N1GGlU6cUYdSo1l9HB4mZI8nAEcguwYrFRp7q2UWh9cTtFqQ46uLjY64pcn91IQG2PD91KHPga1MeKx9VnQ/s1600/20140118+Adrian+looks+up-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijl334lRWsQOCOgxATLUzc5S7U4yDkV7laeEZ1jTiYqoqbo8-XGmzMNlt8N1GGlU6cUYdSo1l9HB4mZI8nAEcguwYrFRp7q2UWh9cTtFqQ46uLjY64pcn91IQG2PD91KHPga1MeKx9VnQ/s1600/20140118+Adrian+looks+up-2.jpg" height="640" width="604" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adrian stirring his neck to see the top of the cliffs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fer under some 'rain' from the top of the cliff</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG70f0Mr5or4hIk92099iPP47eTpdjf27LXfHXT959WuWtwDnEyi-betISTWlKbrBvFAUmSDVxlM9T8IyYROFErpbkPeGoOc_1Zoko6GWB36H9L7ceNX01aRNkiWcttUJ3xwlX0d0_SU0/s1600/20140118+Inlet+big+wave-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG70f0Mr5or4hIk92099iPP47eTpdjf27LXfHXT959WuWtwDnEyi-betISTWlKbrBvFAUmSDVxlM9T8IyYROFErpbkPeGoOc_1Zoko6GWB36H9L7ceNX01aRNkiWcttUJ3xwlX0d0_SU0/s1600/20140118+Inlet+big+wave-2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing in the inlets a big wave came, the adrenaline was pumping</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xghdWlg5AB6nwiW3e1RZggPj0It10ytpPWUAHzIt7X9zTqnVsjGNAgIitB8zq4p8Twk5ggIRZDoEsDxbNnrVIpeXkn2_r8Il1yefzT6afdLUmyG2F3x66AOlCzhIHYVzjnt8m1uLd3w/s1600/DSCN0542-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_xghdWlg5AB6nwiW3e1RZggPj0It10ytpPWUAHzIt7X9zTqnVsjGNAgIitB8zq4p8Twk5ggIRZDoEsDxbNnrVIpeXkn2_r8Il1yefzT6afdLUmyG2F3x66AOlCzhIHYVzjnt8m1uLd3w/s1600/DSCN0542-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adrian and Stuart go to a kayakers' 'temple'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdYf5IH6kn-jNsbB2ZvIV7Bj5PtvvyqHC_Ra_dHzMbtYFs4WTiYSUBjWghggIt-RHq4-01XGJe5eO3OUZc2vRA6EaewfvqOQ3rlGiburqveZ8bPxMQxqDZJGsjFC35vAXEYOgHLN0BE/s1600/DSCN0549-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVdYf5IH6kn-jNsbB2ZvIV7Bj5PtvvyqHC_Ra_dHzMbtYFs4WTiYSUBjWghggIt-RHq4-01XGJe5eO3OUZc2vRA6EaewfvqOQ3rlGiburqveZ8bPxMQxqDZJGsjFC35vAXEYOgHLN0BE/s1600/DSCN0549-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the 'temple' Adrian is 'iluminated' by his god</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhHFuUWYzihJtGV2Y2n0-VpNp5iQ0uGXeGMERO7iCw1QuetwcK3vehVwyfpWuq8W1qDA_OfsZkk78gRjthmdthbqQ2flcbO-DfNidhpNeG6_xznkN79e47ZdGAUg1y4hwrtq4yD2wI8E/s1600/20140118+Camp+1-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhHFuUWYzihJtGV2Y2n0-VpNp5iQ0uGXeGMERO7iCw1QuetwcK3vehVwyfpWuq8W1qDA_OfsZkk78gRjthmdthbqQ2flcbO-DfNidhpNeG6_xznkN79e47ZdGAUg1y4hwrtq4yD2wI8E/s1600/20140118+Camp+1-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael about to land on our idyllic campsite.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Along the way we visited 2 seal colonies and saw plenty of aquatic birds including eagles. On Saturday we were 'attacked' by a bunch of flying fish jumping off the water and above our heads in high. At one point I was paddling and one of the flying fish jumped in front of my kayak. I looked again and there was a shape under the place where the fish jumped from. As I approached I could see clearly the shape of a hammerhead shark. When I was almost on top of it I reacted and screamed "SHARK". It seems the sound of my call travelled under water because the shark started to swim very quickly and all the others could see was the fast disappearing fin. I was not quick enough to take the camera at that point but I did use it when later we saw a group of seals sleeping.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDewj-435KbcX3qsMY8D7EpMKBjB1DwTo7fFFpAAkThwGIiLe0R1909H3cy03lfQW4Ahd0zg8NieLKfedh2VT9Mp38ngf2T0l5yKf2g7krPs-rw9aWZuH8E6y6uNp06HehHEfRhVXhpnA/s1600/Seals-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDewj-435KbcX3qsMY8D7EpMKBjB1DwTo7fFFpAAkThwGIiLe0R1909H3cy03lfQW4Ahd0zg8NieLKfedh2VT9Mp38ngf2T0l5yKf2g7krPs-rw9aWZuH8E6y6uNp06HehHEfRhVXhpnA/s1600/Seals-2.jpg" height="360" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was explained they sleep in group and with the fin in the air when the colony space on land is insuficient.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Almost on our return point a fisherman was trying to get his prey of the day without falling to the sea. I was waiting to see if he got tired and let got of the Marlin to take it to my dinner plate. In the end I had to conform with a fish burger in Currarong's burger shop.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUjlaMlshk-LL3acUf5fxuM-Vw5Mi-FbS6BvI1myiPI7ZFeG83yHQOz1PQtbXJKpi8IwoEIHQVlu898wNquR1e_G9Dd6kcUkld8xPFeHGvAytB9oQDKZ9SqG4w1Vm6Sy1sRgQHv5pgB0/s1600/DSCN0561-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUjlaMlshk-LL3acUf5fxuM-Vw5Mi-FbS6BvI1myiPI7ZFeG83yHQOz1PQtbXJKpi8IwoEIHQVlu898wNquR1e_G9Dd6kcUkld8xPFeHGvAytB9oQDKZ9SqG4w1Vm6Sy1sRgQHv5pgB0/s1600/DSCN0561-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The fish is dead but the fight goes on.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The weather was also amazing with warm temperatures both days, seas up to 2 meters and wind peaking on the low 20knots. We went south on Saturday and north on Sunday and the wind that blew south the first day turned 180 degrees to help us again on Sunday. What else can you ask of a weekend paddling?<br />
<br />
Some photos were taken by Matt and others by me.</div>
ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-62759991692596171162013-12-27T22:40:00.000-08:002013-12-27T22:40:01.231-08:00An exciting momentThe blog has been quiet for a while, however I have been kayaking, I have had a few adventures and I have written a couple of stories. The problem is that I wanted to share them with Salt magazine, the magazine of NSWSKC. The magazine went out last week and I received it as Christmas present (good timing editor!!). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrFCnJXfdX_Nnz9hgnnP9u-Qfg-iR2ztfXTXZwdlSOwk-31rJ_eCkpG0aw6D4RkgEsYO2rXjSw9wTScBjyOFLGK0snF_UdDBpqSWu9HjZQazm1-3PGmuyjKJiyfxh20nzxVaNmsmaA4k/s1600/DSCN0479-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrFCnJXfdX_Nnz9hgnnP9u-Qfg-iR2ztfXTXZwdlSOwk-31rJ_eCkpG0aw6D4RkgEsYO2rXjSw9wTScBjyOFLGK0snF_UdDBpqSWu9HjZQazm1-3PGmuyjKJiyfxh20nzxVaNmsmaA4k/s320/DSCN0479-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Within the magazine there were two 'articles' I submited. One of them was about an exciting moment<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvywsv-sVCX-d9toU3CnYtNgazqkIe7eQ8lkf8iffOMTOfCa92xgRARcUjmipahmaRfb04Lc_WLFt6r02HdJ8Ctz7DFw90IEKBF-6ADSXAJsdwk_eCzH6RXma4wFGcS0JwOLp4AW3inTk/s1600/DSCN0477-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvywsv-sVCX-d9toU3CnYtNgazqkIe7eQ8lkf8iffOMTOfCa92xgRARcUjmipahmaRfb04Lc_WLFt6r02HdJ8Ctz7DFw90IEKBF-6ADSXAJsdwk_eCzH6RXma4wFGcS0JwOLp4AW3inTk/s320/DSCN0477-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The other was prompted by the editor of the magazine asking me to answer a few questions in the form of an 'article'.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yu_bmcy-x_cysw71lRDd3yQVpfmljddHqd4C_GIruhxoA2ITJMTABSexliJAvTZZcfVz3onvxNGoSopPD5-NFANaE1DPERCbuxQm03HUTxwEGtpyIS4JahT5cqiurgS6toS_bXj8G_Y/s1600/Capture-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Yu_bmcy-x_cysw71lRDd3yQVpfmljddHqd4C_GIruhxoA2ITJMTABSexliJAvTZZcfVz3onvxNGoSopPD5-NFANaE1DPERCbuxQm03HUTxwEGtpyIS4JahT5cqiurgS6toS_bXj8G_Y/s320/Capture-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Below I will reproduce the first, minus some editions and the photos that I didn't submit because I had none from that afternoon:<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I arrived for this paddle that normally attracts more than
10 paddlers, sometimes a lot more. On this occasion we had 7 turn up which is a
good number for some play around rocks. However my hopes for that gradually
ebbed away as I looked around at the mix of boats. All composite kayaks with
rudders and not a single helmet to be seen. I imagined it would be just a
normal cruise along this beautiful coast. During the briefing Rob confirmed my
thoughts adding the that there were good chances of seeing whales. He had seen
whales almost every day in that last 3 or 4 days… And I hadn’t brought my
camera!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We launched and paddled out. The front of the pack was not
going far out to sea, just following the coast some 300 meters from the cliffs
so I stayed where I like it, closer to the cliffs, some 0 to 5 meters from them
</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There was no wind and the swell was between 1 and 2 meters
with some reaching 3.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">From time to time I did a sprint from the cliffs to the
group and went back close to my silent rocky friends. In that fashion we
reached the corner where the ‘dragon’s cave’ is located. I was unsure if going
in or not, I didn’t want to drag all the group when the stated aim of the
paddle was to try and see some whales out of the coast. Luckily Mark was just
ahead of me and he turned the corner to have a look. Of course nobody had to
call me twice to go after him into the mayhem produced by the clapotis and the
jets of water bouncing from the cliff walls. The smaller swell created the
clapotis and some jets of water, the bigger swell hit the wall and created
spectacular splash reaching high and far. Those bigger swells spilled the top
when ‘felt’ the shallower bottom in our playground. The foam from the
spilled waves mixed with the rebounds creating bigger waves that travelled
parallel to the wall. When I spotted that dynamic in the water I positioned
myself to catch them and I managed one really nice ride and some not so good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Unfortunately the rest of the group was just looking, none
of them had helmets and their ruddered boats were more designed for speed than
for playing. After a little while I felt guilty and I retreated from the
rebounds and jets of water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We started to return but not so close to the cliffs. However
the whales were still hiding.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Reaching south head I saw the waves breaking in a nice
seducing way over the rocky reef. A few months ago we were coming back from a
similar paddle but with bigger surf over the reef. On that occasion I
completely misread the waves and got trashed by a wave that broke over my head,
that time I rolled and paddled out before the next set could get me. After that
day I take more care when trying to surf the south head reef. However this time
the sirens songs enchanted me and I could do anything but going onto the reef.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="color: #1f497d; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU; mso-no-proof: yes;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter">
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0">
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0">
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1">
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2">
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1">
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2">
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth">
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0">
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight">
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0">
</v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:f></v:formulas>
<v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f">
</v:path></v:stroke></span></v:shapetype></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I should have known better when I saw the waves were smaller
than what I had seen before but I was still under the spell. The<span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;">n the incantation</span> was broken
and the water below me was being drained<span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;">. </span>I looked behind me I saw the wave mouth ready to eat me.<span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;"></span></span><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuu_LcpUaT2V9vB9IU7P-11IApL4XON2vyBGYSAtw2t6ZRIu0C7y4XWxWEzOcRRQYYtMLLL0bL47kH5gzsT9lQrdPPVu4YD4GcFMYcL0j-f93ztsjAfddc-wAUPb_Cyw1n7JoOdp9Q_j4/s1600/sirens_cove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuu_LcpUaT2V9vB9IU7P-11IApL4XON2vyBGYSAtw2t6ZRIu0C7y4XWxWEzOcRRQYYtMLLL0bL47kH5gzsT9lQrdPPVu4YD4GcFMYcL0j-f93ztsjAfddc-wAUPb_Cyw1n7JoOdp9Q_j4/s640/sirens_cove.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The siren spelling while the wave swallos me. My kayak is red and plastic only :-)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;">T</span>he cliff and most of the
rocks were over my left, so I started to paddle as fast as I could towards the
right. I wasn’t fast enough and finally the wave caught up with me. As the wave
was already breaking and its speed was greater than mine I broached
immediately. I was holding a high brace while surfing sideways over <span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;">the</span> rocks. I had to do
something because my trajectory and speed was taking me straight for the cliff
wall. I tried to move my body to turn the kayak and escape the locked position
I was in. My idea was to try to rotate it forward to see where I was being
taken and hopefully regain the upper hand. You can do that <span style="color: #1f497d; mso-themecolor: dark2;">by </span>moving your weight back
and stalling the stern of the kayak but I moved my body the other way and what
stalled was the bow. I was now surfing backwards among rocks! With the momentum
the wave was carrying me I could not hope to stop the boat and paddle out. Soon
I was broaching again and my stern caught a rock. The kayak finished the broach
and I was again trapped in the spilling wave on a high brace. This time I was
already inside the rock garden. I held onto the aggressive high brace as I slid
sideways closer and closer to the wall. I could feel the bumps of
some rocks against my hull. I prepared for the inevitable hit. I kept my top
knee high and I hoped my hull would take the full force of the hit against the
wall when it came. The wave finally squashed my boat against the cliff. The
wave surge receded without me. For an instant I was like a
cartoon character suspended in the air. The kayak’s
bottom was flat against the wall and me protruding away from the vertical rock
sitting in my kayak. Still sideways I fell onto the water. I touched the rocky
bottom with my paddle and while my head was still above the surface I took a
quick look to see if I had time before the next wave. I went for a roll.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The moment before I tucked in to set up for rolling I was
hoping I had enough depth and that I would not hit any rock while performing
the roll. I wasn’t lucky, neither unlucky. My helmet hit something and my arm
brushed the seagrass on the cliff wall. I rolled up and before I could
manoeuvre too far from where I was the next wave came and carried me some more
meters above some more rocks to finish a perfect uncontrolled side seal landing
on a rock platform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I got out of the kayak and I signalled Rob I was ok. Then I
dragged the kayak to the other end of the rock platform to relaunch on the calm
side of the bay. The rest as they say is history </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-43672623128432641962013-11-19T05:33:00.000-08:002013-11-19T14:44:57.095-08:00Another down wind run<div style="margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The
weather forecast has not worked well lately. Last weekend they predicted winds
and storms and the run with the wind and swell I wanted had to be changed for a
surf session on an overpopulated beach with a relentless sun and warm
temperatures. A couple of friends said lets go to Umina, a beach that has
usually good surf and is not so full of surfers as the beaches in Sydney. I
said with this forecast lets organize a car shuffle and ride the conditions.
The went anyway and had a good time, while Rhys and me stayed in
Sydney. We had to change the downwind paddle for a paddle around the crowded
beaches and a bit of surf.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">This weekend the forecast was the
same so when Rhys said lets go to Umina I said yes despite the bad forecast.
Once there the sky was covered by clouds but the wind was not so bad and the storm
didn’t show up. We also had the beach for ourselves and we surfed
until we were tired... In reality I surfed until my stern got impaled in the
sand while back surfing and I hit my back hard against the cockpit rim when the
backwards motion was stopped suddenly by the crash. With my back in pain and
the body tired after almost 3 hours of playing I called it a day. Rhys kept
going a bit longer practicing his re-entry and roll in the surf. Later in the car
park he put his head down and a river of salt water came running from his nose,
that is perseverance!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJ-v6gOYLsZhVtMyWJIG8tVY3CaTxSiSGVnpyoviqPrDhOd8xb2tp6Unsx-hqO-h8caMyHYcdF3GLrdhW4UbmP8cpalXsTXtL9QhoLIcIaOx3PwYfiAYS0kiN3_rLVFg8QSUwuQ-YdmY/s1600/20131117+Break+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJ-v6gOYLsZhVtMyWJIG8tVY3CaTxSiSGVnpyoviqPrDhOd8xb2tp6Unsx-hqO-h8caMyHYcdF3GLrdhW4UbmP8cpalXsTXtL9QhoLIcIaOx3PwYfiAYS0kiN3_rLVFg8QSUwuQ-YdmY/s640/20131117+Break+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddling in the storm on Sunday</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">The storm finally came during the
night and it was a big one with lots of rain and wind that lasted all the
Sunday too. Finally!! I thought when I woke up and organized a downwind
paddle with Barnabas. The sea developed during the night storm was perfect with
fresh but big enough wind waves to push you forward and catch enough speed to
ride some of the faster swell. The wind gusts coming from behind gave us a good
push too and more than a few breaking tops were spilled over our decks. To top
up the day we had two close encounters with the local fauna. Soon after we
started paddling I saw between sets a fin flapping against the water, I thought
it was a seal but after getting close we saw a beautiful 'baby' shark. I think
it was not a healthy specimen because it swam a bit on its side and a bit as
you expect a shark to swim, with fin erected out of the water. That side swim
was what I saw that confused me with the flapping of a fin that many seals do.
We passed it really close and it was the first time I managed to see a shark’s
body on the wild. In the past I have seen a few shark fins but never
the body that come attached to the fins. Luckily I didn’t manage to see
the teeth that come with the body.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELPEp2MwFO7-GdlK4Wq8Yt3nCxXPf1KdvF5UBIbhou7gekcqTo6JoK7HRFFmrBbXPnugixo5KjMj6tnPiAUYiAGlXGYW0QDs2uhCFM-8vNhH-uYf_FQIyUdTMC1QfzgZh-FIQ9aY4vYI/s1600/20131117+Windy+tips-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELPEp2MwFO7-GdlK4Wq8Yt3nCxXPf1KdvF5UBIbhou7gekcqTo6JoK7HRFFmrBbXPnugixo5KjMj6tnPiAUYiAGlXGYW0QDs2uhCFM-8vNhH-uYf_FQIyUdTMC1QfzgZh-FIQ9aY4vYI/s640/20131117+Windy+tips-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The wind blew the water lifted by the paddle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> was a bit worried of the big
dark clouds above us, I have paddled inside an electric storm in the past and I
am very keen not to repeat that experience. Luckily no flashes of light came
down from those clouds, only heavy rain that washed the salt from my face,
diminished the vision to a few hundred meters and tingled over my
helmet incessantly.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L0dloqNPnhoiDSkTnQdUMgQBQHpmWLnH8kjw44Hunh01fxxC61G2IzSCgUHYymXQY_pLtWrrDun9Fzh7xsivffLmSzuO9es0TZEjaA9o2oFkSEv01IHHVDZsSGdx4aCaIVE6VOp_s_c/s1600/20131117+Break+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5L0dloqNPnhoiDSkTnQdUMgQBQHpmWLnH8kjw44Hunh01fxxC61G2IzSCgUHYymXQY_pLtWrrDun9Fzh7xsivffLmSzuO9es0TZEjaA9o2oFkSEv01IHHVDZsSGdx4aCaIVE6VOp_s_c/s640/20131117+Break+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many white horses riding with us.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Then half way through our route I
got really scared. I was very focused on the waves around us, trying to catch
them while keeping an eye on Barnabas who was a few meters
behind. Suddenly in front of me, no more than 10 meters away, something
jumped out of the water. The first thing I noticed was a big fin on top of a
torpedo like body. The second was its size, as fat as my kayak and probably 2
or 3 meters long. Being primed with the shark before I thought it was another
shark... but jumping out of the water? and landing on the water like a dolphin?
Immediately after that though I recognized it was a dolphin. A pod of at least
5 fat dolphins come to check me up. Another one jumped at my side and I saw
clearly another 2 swimming past under my hull. Barnabas came up on a crest just
in time to see the farewell jump before they disappeared swimming in their up
and down swing behind the next wave.</span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaE_-Gr3BXyn436oCspg1aB1iWpzKAcx5j9dnDoBpX-RfiXhz8RpHxvYG0T-riaS-k7NlQ1mQDMHv4MVsoihLFtEmL0C2Yd0h92bRiUkf6SVHBkjJRkgUxH3dXPnt0P8j1KF3LhKMR6A/s1600/20131117+South+Head.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNaE_-Gr3BXyn436oCspg1aB1iWpzKAcx5j9dnDoBpX-RfiXhz8RpHxvYG0T-riaS-k7NlQ1mQDMHv4MVsoihLFtEmL0C2Yd0h92bRiUkf6SVHBkjJRkgUxH3dXPnt0P8j1KF3LhKMR6A/s640/20131117+South+Head.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I want more of this kind of
weekends. Even the rain that kept falling helped me to wash the kayak and the
car :-)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">All the photos starring Barnabas were taken by me with his camera.</span></div>
ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-20302554397107594582013-10-22T05:48:00.001-07:002013-10-22T15:12:05.183-07:00Playing with the zipperI am not talking the trousers' one, but the one that closes when the waves coming from opposing sides of the reef (or beach or whatever is shallowish) crash against each other. If you manage to time it and position yourself right in the spot of the colision you are sort of launched into the air. That is a hard trick to pull though. It is not only timing but also the precise point in space you need to 'estimaguess' in advance. Regardless, it is a very fun and chanllenging area. You have to be very awake because you may be watching one wave coming from behind to surf it and another coming from the front brakes on top of you. Then, when you think the wave is gone another rebound comes from somewhere else. In one of those zippers I know a good kayakers who broke a paddle and another one who capzised and wet exited to discover the water was just above his hips. He just walked out instead of swimming. The most fun for me is to surf a wave and use the one coming from the other side as a launching ramp, with the speed of the surf and the ramp you may get a short airtrip.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIJ-hY_8wlJADvhTcRMsJbSt0KFXHZ-tuqS6snTPpytET1eyc3qvrOyG5fpOWudAPYJfT88M6fGX6L3or5r2BdM3PQVJTN7vBz-AnHcEB3L_qRqa4ZdTy2_xi8OaFf_nrQKYkh4ZeYT0/s1600/Me+in+the+zipper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYIJ-hY_8wlJADvhTcRMsJbSt0KFXHZ-tuqS6snTPpytET1eyc3qvrOyG5fpOWudAPYJfT88M6fGX6L3or5r2BdM3PQVJTN7vBz-AnHcEB3L_qRqa4ZdTy2_xi8OaFf_nrQKYkh4ZeYT0/s640/Me+in+the+zipper.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another wave in the zipper, white in front and white behind.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The other day I launched with the idea of surfing but after spending 1 hour trying to catch a runner and only succeding in getting smashed by dumpers I decided to quit the spot. No wonder the beach was all for me with no surfers around. It was good though, because I kept paddling to a spot near by where a short reef coming from the cliffs forms a small rocky outcrop, almost like a tiny island of rocks that is covered at high tide. The part linking the coast and the island is filled with lots of rocks submerged, forming a shallower sea floor. With the right swell and tide it gets interesting to play on it. If the swell outside is big enough it gets around the island and comes onto the shallower floor from both sides forming a zipper. The catch is that the floor making the waves to break is hard if you go down.<br />
<br />
With that and the fresh trashing in the dumper at the surf beach in mind I went in and after I got used to the rithm it was a really fun session. At one point trying to stay straight on a wave another one came from the front. However I was not straight on the ride, almost about to broach when the other one hited me. I thought I was going over (1.25 in the video) and was half way down thinking 'oh no, I will definitly scratch the helmet here'.<br />
<br />
It is funny, during the last few outings I capsized 3 times that I remember when I didn't go straight down. I put a brace to avoid having my head upside down in the water. When the brace is not enough I go over but slowly and half way through I realize I am about to capzise. When that happens I used to just give up and set up to roll up. However, after the fact I realized I could have done something to prevent the capzise, like a sculling or turn the body like during a balance brace. That is what happened at that point the other day. I realized I was about to go over and because of the previous experiences and the rocks at the bottom I did a sculling that kept me up for another microsecond. When I was about to start to reverse the sculling another wave came from that side and gave me the small extra support and push to come back from the no return point.<br />
Later, while waiting for another wave to come I saw a bird dive in front of me and fly away with a fish half its size. I got it in camera but unless I tell you the black thing at the feet of the bird is a fish you wouldn't recognize what it is. It was an awsome afternoon that I only abandoned because I discovered one of the attachements of my spare paddle was broken.<br />
<br />
Enjoy the video and leave some feedback to know what others think.<br />
Cheers<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yeCMKbX0k7w" width="640"></iframe><br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-30880816488448984502013-10-19T05:06:00.003-07:002013-10-19T05:06:51.705-07:00K1The weather observations read wind close to 20kn with gusts in the high 20s. However that was in the coast. My intention was to go for a paddle just inside the bay so the wind should be a lot weaker than that... except the wind was blowing from the land. Anyway, I have been in high winds before, ritht?.... but not in a K1!<br />
<br />
I have known that Cahomin had a K1 and I have been asking him when I can go for a paddle, to see if I remember anything from last time I paddled those thin boats over 20 years ago. Finally a few weeks ago I had the opportunity and we went for a gentle paddle in the lake. He in his TK1 and me in his K1. It all went well and no rescues or swims were needed.<br />
<br />
Since I have moved, I have been wondering if I would use a K1 during the week for training paddles in the bay near my new home... if I had one that is. The Saturday I met with Cahomin, after the test paddle and after reasuring him I would not sink his K1 nor take it near the rocks I took his boat home while he doesn't use it. The Tuesday after that, I was working from home and at 5pm I put the kayak on my shoulder and walked the 500 meters to the water. It is a small pebble beach in the bay but the wind was creating small waves. I sat in the kayak and started to paddle towards the protected side of the bay. I kept going pushing against the wind until I reached the end and then I turned to follow the coast with the wind from the side now. It wasnt easy and more times I can remember I did an emergency brace to stay on top of the kayak. When it was time to turn with the wind behind it was releif. I was going faster than the waves near the coast. As I was feeling ok with the kayak I went out of the protection of the coast and there the wind waves were a bit bigger and I started to ride them... and brace like crazy to stay up right. I landed ok in the end and very pleased that I had not have to swim.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqHt-rKqw5Be46gKs_DHFP5E4WzIdxLJ4ftL3bo_DB2hAY_7a9V_P10tC5cH4NuU3KowIz-k8P6-nhXsY91glP70yaMHSa_A9wZ71XDNrCgOjuitD56SCJEQBH5eFWtIH9YxsPVhdPwo/s1600/DSCN0398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqHt-rKqw5Be46gKs_DHFP5E4WzIdxLJ4ftL3bo_DB2hAY_7a9V_P10tC5cH4NuU3KowIz-k8P6-nhXsY91glP70yaMHSa_A9wZ71XDNrCgOjuitD56SCJEQBH5eFWtIH9YxsPVhdPwo/s640/DSCN0398.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a calm hot day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That was the first of many more I did. Since the day light saving kicked in I ride my push bike back home from work and by 6.30 I am on the water paddling, not everyday but once a week or so. It is not the most exciting paddle when it is not that windy but it keeps me wet and as some very wise paddler once told me: "a day in the water is better than a day out of the water"... or something along those lines.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw0SSUKYlTxIjLVYiXWBQrEW-yEV1vPpemU3p13g6biUAWNRWVLeFOMLPKSWF8dR72gwaMtLC34aNADEQZ87m_a_7cp26PZdv-3dPquo1bLgUGXLUlaj-0bQK5ddRzACn8_R9ztewLS0/s1600/DSCN0396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqw0SSUKYlTxIjLVYiXWBQrEW-yEV1vPpemU3p13g6biUAWNRWVLeFOMLPKSWF8dR72gwaMtLC34aNADEQZ87m_a_7cp26PZdv-3dPquo1bLgUGXLUlaj-0bQK5ddRzACn8_R9ztewLS0/s640/DSCN0396.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the light, in this photo it looks as if I had big dorsals muscles</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnaC3DKIbVzAtC_2EYYx3ZBzCpk73qQfJC1ynGuxTNbRBT84f4FbRjAemaZc_5iIteURfMmsKIMgajuUHgaPEj5yHUIerDLevQNk2S-OFWWWdVmqPpOtD5tVvb8Hs7BLWnv_BKH5BQ3s/s1600/DSCN0402.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCnaC3DKIbVzAtC_2EYYx3ZBzCpk73qQfJC1ynGuxTNbRBT84f4FbRjAemaZc_5iIteURfMmsKIMgajuUHgaPEj5yHUIerDLevQNk2S-OFWWWdVmqPpOtD5tVvb8Hs7BLWnv_BKH5BQ3s/s640/DSCN0402.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A thing about the k1, it shows every defect in the tecniche.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<img height="72" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqHt-rKqw5Be46gKs_DHFP5E4WzIdxLJ4ftL3bo_DB2hAY_7a9V_P10tC5cH4NuU3KowIz-k8P6-nhXsY91glP70yaMHSa_A9wZ71XDNrCgOjuitD56SCJEQBH5eFWtIH9YxsPVhdPwo/s320/DSCN0398.JPG" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 328px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 472px;" width="96" />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-58215301649014695292013-09-03T06:08:00.000-07:002013-11-04T15:45:35.088-08:00Paddling to NikonHow many times can you expect a big company to honour the warranty? 1, 2, 3 it has been 4 times already!!! I have a new camera every 2 or 3 months and this time I got the newer model!<br />
The only problem is that the warranty lapses after 1 year... or they renewed it with each new camera they sent me? Because every time my Nikon AW100 leaked I had a brand new Nikon AW100 sent to me free of charge within 2 weeks.<br />
<br />
Before I moved I was collecting all the boxes from all the AW100 I got. 4 boxes, the first I lost, the others were replaced. However I threw all but one away when we changed house. I have started the collection again now, only this time one box is for the old AW100 and the other for the brand new AW110.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyw12h28jLK6YAppIo4SF2nOzOKDS-qgDTAVycAGsJgyDIfe8rK3AiQg0LrcEI2gUgP2BkggJ71V-3UAhyphenhyphenD69fRewNviVZWMb4fhTQm8DjvhiCVGhRHB9r78P3UF8eS7DoMCltHqZbtQ/s1600/DSCN0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinyw12h28jLK6YAppIo4SF2nOzOKDS-qgDTAVycAGsJgyDIfe8rK3AiQg0LrcEI2gUgP2BkggJ71V-3UAhyphenhyphenD69fRewNviVZWMb4fhTQm8DjvhiCVGhRHB9r78P3UF8eS7DoMCltHqZbtQ/s320/DSCN0291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The funny thing is that I know of other paddlers having the same old AW100 with no leaks for a long time... Is it bad luck or bad user? In my defence I can say that I use it in the surf on the kayak's deck 2 or 3 times a week and they don't... well that average has dropped a lot lately with the winter and my 'could be better health'.<br />
<br />
I have been taking the camera to Nikon's office my self and then they used to send me a new one. Last week I took the drowned camera to them. A longish drive and when I got there the office was closed and a sign said they had moved to a new address closer to my home. The new office is 200 meters from the Parramata river. My place is 400 meters from the same river. <br />
When the other day I got an email saying the replacement was ready to pick up I decided to paddle over the 7km instead of driving around 12km each way. Not my cup of tea for a paddle on flat water but still 'a day in the water is better than a day not in the water'. It was a placid paddle with very nice 'winter' temperature of around 23 degrees and sunny :-) Now I am thinking of getting a K1 to take advantage of those kind of paddles more often with less hassle (lighter kayak than a sea kayak, more core exercise and less gear to carry). I just need to find a cheap one to convince my wife to let me get it. Do you know of one in Sydney?ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-32127408726880677212013-08-20T06:45:00.002-07:002013-08-21T22:17:06.813-07:00Swim launchI have had <a href="http://www.seakayakwithgordonbrown.com/About2.html" target="_blank">Gordon Brown's DVD</a> for a while but I couldn't watch it until last week. In the second volume of the DVD he shows a landing and then launching from a rocky shore where there was no real room to land the kayak. So he swims in with a rope attached to the kayak. Once on land he pulls the kayak in. To launch again he pushes the kayak away with the rope attached and he swims out after it. He re-enters his boat and paddles away. Then he appears again on camera saying he finished the exercise very tired and that he would not want to do it again... or something of the sort.<br />
<br />
I paddled along some cliffs last weekend. The swell was low so it allowed us to get close and play with the features at the base of the rocky walls. Then I saw this section which looked challenging to land but not impossible. <br />
It was a shallow platform at the end of a narrowing gully. Just before the platform there was an overfall and further out the walls of the gully opening to the sea (by 'overfall' I mean where the water rushing out with the wave falls from the platform to the lower surface of the sea and creates some turbulence and a bit of a hole on the water surface, not sure if 'overfall' is the correct term though, if you know it let me know).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl_SVuui2Gm11lG9sEG8JcQlpDhqvYazG3LfHFnJ-Y8CxoS0TVrgi3-3ErZpCJFlNTKQQSp_0-rwqrcYoFy7xXzSBK7rTEr9oLftdHWPo5wzlZPFCUYuSHLWXEM1kMiI_H9OctxRXhsY/s1600/20130112+Rock+Gardens+(9).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRl_SVuui2Gm11lG9sEG8JcQlpDhqvYazG3LfHFnJ-Y8CxoS0TVrgi3-3ErZpCJFlNTKQQSp_0-rwqrcYoFy7xXzSBK7rTEr9oLftdHWPo5wzlZPFCUYuSHLWXEM1kMiI_H9OctxRXhsY/s640/20130112+Rock+Gardens+(9).jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On a different day, a different 'overfall'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Nearby there were a few rock fishermen, so if the situation went pear shaped I could walk out, if they came down there must be a way out too. I paddled backwards to be able to look at the waves coming and slowly, timing the peak of the waves I was washed over the platform. I removed the skirt and jumped into waist deep water on an uneven rocky floor. The place was no more than 1 meter wide. Quickly I dragged the boat up the side and out of the waves way.<br />
I was planning to drag the kayak to the front of the gully and seal launch from the low walls but after a quick inspection I saw the rock was full of barnacles and from past experience I've learnt you can't seal launch from there. The kayak doesn't slide on the shells. My options were seal launch through the overfall or swim launch. With the memory from the DVD fresh in my mind and the prospect of trying a new technique I opted to practise the swim launch.<br />
I tucked the paddle under the bungees and deck lines. Then I clipped the deck lines to my tow rope paying attention to clip it from below and clipped the quick release of the tow rope to my PFD. I waited for a wave to come and when it was going out I pushed the kayak out to go with it. I made sure the kayak was out of the overfall and I jumped into the water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIBO646NgyaMeq7h19L2kcpWXVmsBzcKBXnPDivLKgZVwdi8zqW89bzyi2-ZdwQPM6ufacZfurADuYQ-M0OP3uDUnazBTobh2A0FlEMBDQPPcFCnUJ4K60kb2AqALmak1LgV5HDr3x-E/s1600/Sea+Kayaking+Kurnell+to+Little+Bay+Return+11+May+2013.mp4_snapshot_00.24_%5B2013.08.20_23.29.20%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIBO646NgyaMeq7h19L2kcpWXVmsBzcKBXnPDivLKgZVwdi8zqW89bzyi2-ZdwQPM6ufacZfurADuYQ-M0OP3uDUnazBTobh2A0FlEMBDQPPcFCnUJ4K60kb2AqALmak1LgV5HDr3x-E/s640/Sea+Kayaking+Kurnell+to+Little+Bay+Return+11+May+2013.mp4_snapshot_00.24_%5B2013.08.20_23.29.20%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A previous experience where the kayak didn't slide.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
And here the things stopped going according to the text-book. When the kayak went out through the overfall it had capsized, came right again and back with the top down. I started to swim. The kayak, now upside down, was pushed again over the overfall and onto the platform very close to where I was. I decided to ignore it and swim out as fast as I could. I didn't want to be floating in that white water with the kayak bouncing close by. When I was a good distance away I started to pull the tow rope but it didn't come. <br />
It reminded me of times when I had climbed a 'needle'. After reaching the top you rappel down, then you start pulling the rope. It usually slides but sometimes it gets stuck. You start a fight to recover the rope, they are not cheap and you don't want to solo climb to recover it... anyway I am being side tracked.<br />
My tow rope was stuck. I could see the boat upside down in the middle of the white water and the rope that went under water close to its bow. What now? Gordon Browns DVD didn't say anything about the rope being stuck. I gave the rope a few more hard pulls and it started to come. But the relief was short as I realized the rope was coming with no boat! The carabiner was still attached to the rope so it was not rope failure. I can only think that with all the bouncing around and banging against rocks the carbiner came undone. I was floating, with 15 meters of rope around me and a boat stuck in the overfall. I started to coil the rope back into its bag but it was very difficult in the water so I asked Caoimhin, who had been watching from his kayak, to coil it for me. I was planning to swim toward the walls of the gully, climb out, fish the kayak out and repeat the swim launch hopefully with better results. However before Caoimhin could finish coiling the rope the kayak was released and came floating toward us. The rest was an easy re-entry and paddle away. I didn't want to temp my luck again.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEFOL5xxgb38ALa5rdUk7nVD01tTymTuvxd7t2W2cfsdR5uyiqDXPnt2WvST43zzf4zoB708FlYJfdSgP57u9MmosCxke-wzY8mYL1Er4e5XtXdhdC6fQFya3ggaG6qGkzWWDWa6EA4A/s1600/20130215+Broughton+Is+weekend+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkEFOL5xxgb38ALa5rdUk7nVD01tTymTuvxd7t2W2cfsdR5uyiqDXPnt2WvST43zzf4zoB708FlYJfdSgP57u9MmosCxke-wzY8mYL1Er4e5XtXdhdC6fQFya3ggaG6qGkzWWDWa6EA4A/s640/20130215+Broughton+Is+weekend+%252813%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Again, another day of good fun around the rocks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My camera on this day was off so I added some colour with photos from my archive taken by Rob, Josh and Matt in some previous paddles.ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-89121717812856286142013-08-08T23:46:00.000-07:002013-08-08T23:46:19.019-07:00Landing with the sunA combination of factors conspired to keep me out of the water for a few weeks. Some of them external like the colder weather that makes it harder for me to get out of bed. But most internal: a flu, some ear infection and a neck problem that comes back from time to time. Sometimes I feel I take a 2 slow steps forward and 2 quick steps back regarding my fitness. What takes me a couple of months to gain I lose in matter of 2 or 3 weeks of 'forced resting'. Well, it may be the natural process of life... or a defective engine.<br />
<br />
I have discovered that play pladdling (surfing, rock gardens, playing rebounds, etc) is the best for me to gain back some fitness as I think of the environment I am in, instead of the aching muscles and sore bum. So with a forecast of wind blowing that way, tide and fat swell coming from the other I was back in the water. I went to the spot where the current would be the strongest (only 2kn in our part of the world) and the water the shallowest to paddle. <br />
<br />
My idea was to play the conditions for an hour or two. We got there and the tide was working, the swel not too high but very fat and the wind was blowing... somewhere else, probably in the middle of the ocean. With us there was barely a breeze. Instead of playing the flat water (what is to play there I wonder?) we went for a social paddle where we chatted while paddling all the way. In the end it was a longer way that I intended and I was lot more tired that I would have liked to admit. I came back with the last of sun.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH3eumd1AeZ6sZklfsGZmem_uDiSN2bu4TsHMYX3_UgeKF27tqleAs6lPvrSYWkv42Gxxt_m6yaYo4XEI1y1cWX5ZauZVcWggK1Z-2FSIrV-eBOGB6DFA0dBS6JTHE_r9Ci9v0ciKIjU/s1600/DSCN0230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRH3eumd1AeZ6sZklfsGZmem_uDiSN2bu4TsHMYX3_UgeKF27tqleAs6lPvrSYWkv42Gxxt_m6yaYo4XEI1y1cWX5ZauZVcWggK1Z-2FSIrV-eBOGB6DFA0dBS6JTHE_r9Ci9v0ciKIjU/s640/DSCN0230.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun setting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I had to land through the surf and the waves were dumping. Being tired as I was I put all the attention in avoiding the brakes which I mostly managed except for the last one that threw me on the sand.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kFerIjTs0iLR842K0BACknbpYQL0gE1z9I7GLfEzmVNYc1fRRhtAmZdNMJljYPQoVIXg0vSrxZlQFcOUQqYyeXhu_2wt4VQ-g4t-U6UUs4eKHGFGkcGgdc3_2ev4Tnxnefs_wuYL8eE/s1600/DSCN0232.MOV_snapshot_10.28_%255B2013.08.04_21.59.19%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kFerIjTs0iLR842K0BACknbpYQL0gE1z9I7GLfEzmVNYc1fRRhtAmZdNMJljYPQoVIXg0vSrxZlQFcOUQqYyeXhu_2wt4VQ-g4t-U6UUs4eKHGFGkcGgdc3_2ev4Tnxnefs_wuYL8eE/s640/DSCN0232.MOV_snapshot_10.28_%255B2013.08.04_21.59.19%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bracing onto the sand</td></tr>
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Below is the video of that landing, not much action but my face expresions are funny, especially when I look over my shoulder and see a big dump coming my way. It doesnt look big on the video, it never does...<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Fb-L_RW5NjA" width="640"></iframe><br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-9840017435338173082013-08-05T20:30:00.001-07:002013-08-05T20:30:41.414-07:00Nautilus lifeline vs PLBIt is getting cold around here and for the next couple of months the water is only going to get colder. I am skinny and get cold easily, specially if in contact with cold water. For that reason in winter I use thin neoprene gloves. They don't last long. Paddling 2 or 3 times a week, before the cold water is replaced by the warmer ocean currents, my gloves start to disintegrate.<br />
I went to a scuba shop to get a new pair. While talking with the saleswoman in the shop I asked her if the scuba divers use PLBs and she showed me the Nautilus Lifeline. She said it is better than a PLB because you can talk with it like a VHF on steroids (she said a range of 20km), it has a small screen showing you the GPS position, it can go far deeper than most PLBs and it has a distress signal that transmits the GPS position. I asked her if that distress is through satelites like a PLB or a line of site like a VHF and she claimed the first. <br />
I was very impressed and when I got home I googled it. It is really a good device but not what she claimed. The range for talking is not 20 km but more like 5 according to some <a href="http://www.scubagearreports.com/index.php/gear-reviews-wet-tested/393-wet-testednautilus-lifeline.html" target="_blank">reviews I read</a> and the important bit about the distress signal is not through satelites but line of site. So if you are in problems under the cliffs and no boats within the range (for the distress signal the range claimed is 12 miles) you are on your own. Another thing is that whoever receives the distress digital signal has to have a 'new' radio capable of understanding it. <br />
Bottom line the lady was confused and the Nautilus is a good VHF radio with GPS capabilities not a replacement for a PLB.<br />
<br />
While researching about the nautilus I came accross the <a href="http://www.panbo.com/archives/2012/11/ocean_signal_rescueme_best_plb_yet.html" target="_blank">rescueME PLB</a>. A new device that is 30% smaller than the PLBs I have seen before plus 7 years of battery and warranty (instead of the 3 or 4 usually offered). It also has a new system for deploying the antena that appears innovative. Of course all that comes at price and it is a bit more expensive that the other PLBs.<br />
<br />
Disclaimer: I don't own neither of the devices mentioned, except the new gloves that keep my hands warm and wet all day long :-)ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-34614125118857290352013-07-05T22:08:00.001-07:002013-07-05T22:08:17.177-07:00Warm images from a cold nightWe usually paddle south or north and this day we started south. Then form some reason we veered east and out towards the immensity of the ocean. We kept paddling for a few kilometres until the coast lost its usual form and we had a bird view of it. The sun was setting down, the swell was nice and the wind was playing somewhere else. A peaceful paddle shared with akin souls.<br />
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<br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-20627953195228721152013-07-01T18:46:00.002-07:002013-07-01T18:46:23.036-07:00Surfing sea kayaks<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Surfing sea kayaks... or I should rather say broaching and
capsizing sea kayaks. No, let’s leave 'surfing sea kayaks', it attracts more
hits in the search engines :-)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNgiNYGpMNZeBNS9Ja7GHtuzuhZWObgZNq8JFJ7V-Kwt-EjKa4C1SCxT4cTs3idu2YN58PiFJqnnsAOqtxrTQp0Smxzi67r_6X-pcSrhipvM31z6FDRanzmx7yha1msXY5wyuCoSTJk8/s1600/20130630+Joel+Broach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNgiNYGpMNZeBNS9Ja7GHtuzuhZWObgZNq8JFJ7V-Kwt-EjKa4C1SCxT4cTs3idu2YN58PiFJqnnsAOqtxrTQp0Smxzi67r_6X-pcSrhipvM31z6FDRanzmx7yha1msXY5wyuCoSTJk8/s640/20130630+Joel+Broach.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of broaching</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40e7yolwonD14xsadl2w-hcMKDsIlODOOcPp43aiOSUrTHPeupa3hbfaaYQlPAcqkcJmLRgYfMMD-ZfxV2L0uW-E0NHie3PwrUTTNWpuvUlirZ0Q8QXK9pFia7y0iDGfW90_4OP7VpLw/s1600/20130630+Josh+surf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40e7yolwonD14xsadl2w-hcMKDsIlODOOcPp43aiOSUrTHPeupa3hbfaaYQlPAcqkcJmLRgYfMMD-ZfxV2L0uW-E0NHie3PwrUTTNWpuvUlirZ0Q8QXK9pFia7y0iDGfW90_4OP7VpLw/s640/20130630+Josh+surf.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and some more</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">It happened during the sequel of <a href="http://rockyspray.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/youll-be-fine-rock-gardening-with.html" target="_blank">“’You'llbe fine.’ Rock gardening with composite boats.”</a> Apparently the people from the
club didn’t learn in the first round to avoid this ‘trip’ and more came. Again
Josh organized the paddle and I came to give him a hand. This time however the
swell was bigger, around 2 meters, and carried enough water with periods of 10
seconds to prevent us from getting too close to some of the rocks. Also the
group was different with more paddlers in the early stages of the learning
curve and one that I think was going to be the first time doing a surf landing.
For the others I think was also the first time with waves this size.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG_av4qzqD5aDCmuf5KZDW7xPBIblfLXgFtwJNImuLywJ-wDGWI4gWLiwU1JP9b4HFdufIehcde84bXjIqB85gMGvkDtOfcZ9EWzG0avI3yd2JggNH_jDlQp1SQFXFkzR5uS8u0tvGWU/s1600/20130630+Fer+big+wave+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYG_av4qzqD5aDCmuf5KZDW7xPBIblfLXgFtwJNImuLywJ-wDGWI4gWLiwU1JP9b4HFdufIehcde84bXjIqB85gMGvkDtOfcZ9EWzG0avI3yd2JggNH_jDlQp1SQFXFkzR5uS8u0tvGWU/s640/20130630+Fer+big+wave+1.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some good sized faces</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We launched from a small river mouth and went out through a
moderate surf with no problems. We had surfed that place before but this time
we didn’t because the water quality was no good. It had been raining nonstop for
almost 2 weeks and when that happens the waterways are not very nice. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">So we
then paddled a few kilometres to a beach that before the storms of late was
very nice to surf. We soon discovered that many sand banks had formed under
water and the waves were not as tidy as we had hoped for. They were bouncing against
the sandbanks, getting very steep and not braking, or breaking in places you
would think they should not. Then there was a good rip that flattened out the
brakes but also made it very hard to pick up speed to surf the waves. Or worst,
the current took you to the sand banks at the sides of the rip where the waves
were dumping heavily. At least all that added to keep it challenging,
interesting and gave me good footage that I captured from the beach </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 13.5pt;">J</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3AmiDTvNwgPobzYtdy61aYxCABR1kNM0KKDlNiBjmWgXo14C-bMeY0SOJdQNT9jHRqYAmu-YCoAYGT3CvJkRQ2cce4l9djEDkbMitsMaPMzCtyMn_JGxsslXvbgQgIVLFHYb8fwpv3Q/s1600/20130630+Rhys+endo+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA3AmiDTvNwgPobzYtdy61aYxCABR1kNM0KKDlNiBjmWgXo14C-bMeY0SOJdQNT9jHRqYAmu-YCoAYGT3CvJkRQ2cce4l9djEDkbMitsMaPMzCtyMn_JGxsslXvbgQgIVLFHYb8fwpv3Q/s640/20130630+Rhys+endo+2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Interesting images</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">After the guys rested a while in the beach and I kept trying to
time my goes with the dumps (with no much success as you can see in the video)
we headed to a famous blow hole nearby. With the swell of the day we could not
get into the cave too far but getting close was enough to see the huge splash
on the back, where the water is blown out through the roof of the cave and hear
the explosion of the water colliding the walls of the cave.</span><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CW9bUX0l2nM" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">We also manged to practice some unwanted rescues</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObRNM-fxVAO1P7D6sWFMRs_67ctpjcSREM4byjcAVpJNc4LkF9Bl8PtZK6rAUK06cp0r-WkzemNuyfynVMGBut1YvLrUmY7mhzZe4S1niQkjrlxvzF7OZZ9c3yKV7yu17Us1l7QWgwjM/s1600/DSCN0163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjObRNM-fxVAO1P7D6sWFMRs_67ctpjcSREM4byjcAVpJNc4LkF9Bl8PtZK6rAUK06cp0r-WkzemNuyfynVMGBut1YvLrUmY7mhzZe4S1niQkjrlxvzF7OZZ9c3yKV7yu17Us1l7QWgwjM/s640/DSCN0163.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">On the way back we also had a situation with serious cramps that made the paddler incapacitated to go on. There was some deliberation as what to do. One option was </span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">leave the paddler on a cafe in an easy landing spot and pick him up later. Another was to tow him with the whole group back to the cars (probably a bit over 1 hour of paddling away). And a third option that nobody voiced was to feed him to the sharks :-). The first option was chosen. We got him to shore where he changed into warm clothes and stayed in the cafe. There he spent a good time sipping hot coffee and chatting with a young pretty waitress while we kept paddling in the cold with the rain hitting out helmets. Some <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-AU; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">paddlers </span>don't get where the real fun is.</span><br />
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PS. As the cramped paddler is married I have to clarify that the part of the cafe and the waitress is only my invention. Any similarity with real events is purely a coincidence.<br />
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-90926315886432751082013-06-28T13:29:00.002-07:002013-06-30T00:59:10.538-07:00Changing timesIt has been quiet... at least in my blog. <br />
I have moved house and<em> </em>I<em> </em>no longer have 'my beach' 5 minutes from home. Now I need to drive at least 30 minutes to get open water. There is flat water 5 minutes from home now but I get bored in flat water so I rather drive.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CBTXclFF0d0QTlM_R0Mo8tkE0iWWDXxtO5sfh3xhVSD8kSnPZMU3dH9POGqpHSVjixXEn113Yqw3vFIORVKfX0s8VYJziocnhcaDylhF6eTuCZ5DidNTLmU5X16OOB3KSpn_pRUf__0/s1600/20121007+Bonging+Bay+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8CBTXclFF0d0QTlM_R0Mo8tkE0iWWDXxtO5sfh3xhVSD8kSnPZMU3dH9POGqpHSVjixXEn113Yqw3vFIORVKfX0s8VYJziocnhcaDylhF6eTuCZ5DidNTLmU5X16OOB3KSpn_pRUf__0/s640/20121007+Bonging+Bay+(2).JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"My beach", which is not mine anymore, in a rough day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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After we finished the change of address winter hit our part of the world. As usually happens at this time of the year my kid brought a bug from school. Soon the bug discovered my body to make its house for a couple of weeks...with the side effects for me... ugly weeks.<br />
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My attention was also focused in a different kind of paddling lately. I have been leading trips for novices into open water, paddling far from rocks or surf. This kind of paddle gives me a different kind of rewards. Watching transform a face from consternation and almost fear at the beginning to all smiles at the end of the paddle. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzBUvQg_7Ci7ZSFb3XBh-SIMP4KoGeo_ueIMBWCG2gpiAgD3Hd6mKNpkyeK6tK7jLWzmvG5d3oNlEe8kGPnfvtJqactsqD_O-PSj4exSJOSe6A-Gv7kAWAD8kulMqU_uekwGOYnYqnhY/s1600/DSCN0144.avi_snapshot_07.06_%5B2013.06.30_17.14.05%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzBUvQg_7Ci7ZSFb3XBh-SIMP4KoGeo_ueIMBWCG2gpiAgD3Hd6mKNpkyeK6tK7jLWzmvG5d3oNlEe8kGPnfvtJqactsqD_O-PSj4exSJOSe6A-Gv7kAWAD8kulMqU_uekwGOYnYqnhY/s640/DSCN0144.avi_snapshot_07.06_%5B2013.06.30_17.14.05%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Raft up, a good practice for not forward strokes and confidence to rest in moving waters.</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkR6HZvLwZ99RvwsIFUK8uJQZgX89aSCI1rUOCpqtQaQD0gAOCN1XoH2VJ6pBz6PkKBQ95AVObqIQhBq6kw1cW6NebbAFEaPrAEyMEJpjIdcUx9b3i17wBFfkc0QQiOrx-6BotTDA54h4/s1600/DSCN0103.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkR6HZvLwZ99RvwsIFUK8uJQZgX89aSCI1rUOCpqtQaQD0gAOCN1XoH2VJ6pBz6PkKBQ95AVObqIQhBq6kw1cW6NebbAFEaPrAEyMEJpjIdcUx9b3i17wBFfkc0QQiOrx-6BotTDA54h4/s640/DSCN0103.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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I will do more of those but I will not abandon the other kind of fun I have on the water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF80xcsWJ75nAP-R4vhWO34vXZcj9_n8acQg907zkEfSzfVmChOWM7sria2ZFZDU208j4mtSPXjBPSLAl27mJkXtqsJ70loIPoY_OwDMs_VnJRDu_vzIr-I3TGRELm43T3RLNX8IpVCc/s1600/20130119+Crash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRF80xcsWJ75nAP-R4vhWO34vXZcj9_n8acQg907zkEfSzfVmChOWM7sria2ZFZDU208j4mtSPXjBPSLAl27mJkXtqsJ70loIPoY_OwDMs_VnJRDu_vzIr-I3TGRELm43T3RLNX8IpVCc/s640/20130119+Crash.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White foam and rocks near by, yeah baby!!</td></tr>
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Last time I managed that kind of paddling, the nos so gentle one, was like 1 or 2 months ago. A day with lowish swell that allowed us to play in a part of the coast I have not played before. We managed to practice some seal landing and launches, some dodging rocks and payed some rebounds. The funny thing is that part of the coast is where I used to paddle when just started going out to sea, Of course, during those early paddles I never went too close to the rocks and when I had the confidence to play harder I had never went back to paddle that area.<br />
Below is the video that Josh took and compiled from that day:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Zymu4__7rqo?feature=player_detailpage" width="640"></iframe><br />ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8229552599916012142.post-63582447902232697552013-05-30T21:04:00.001-07:002013-05-30T21:04:05.364-07:00"You'll be fine." Rock gardening with composite boats.<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
I have made this short, action packed video from the day with material from Dragomir, Josh and my camera. Thank you Josh and Dragomir for letting me use your footage.</div>
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</div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eTFYNx5ZVq0" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
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We met early in the morning at the river mouth. The location remains confidential not to scare new 'victims' of this club paddle.<br />
We were six, with 2 experienced in rock gardens and surf and 4 skilled paddlers eager to get more of this kind of fun. 3 plastic boats and 3 composite ones.<br />
The day started with rolls from everyone in the flat water. The idea was to know where each one was with this skill in case it was needed in a rock garden. We then paddled out into a very calm sea and turned the corner to find some amazing rock towers coming out of the water with enough depth among them as to be able to paddle comfortable. The perfect environment to get used to being close to rocks in moving water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjYUHIGguSg_CK8gTFKKPt0GzMLbSoT8khbO_97-7TRXzxO7Ap772Lb1OwiX3F4P1iftm4QKu9oDYPieBcGMtrytONVjodJwcfymAJ5nGwvQ4UzVppWeWhWVzL7zDUmnA_iFI8TH4ctk/s1600/Dragon+Teeth2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMjYUHIGguSg_CK8gTFKKPt0GzMLbSoT8khbO_97-7TRXzxO7Ap772Lb1OwiX3F4P1iftm4QKu9oDYPieBcGMtrytONVjodJwcfymAJ5nGwvQ4UzVppWeWhWVzL7zDUmnA_iFI8TH4ctk/s640/Dragon+Teeth2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect: some moving water, towers of rock and enough depth.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A brief intro, a couple of runs following the 'local' and some 'free' time to explore and get a taste of what was to come. <br />
<br />
- "Guys, lets move on so we have time before the southerly, forecasted for later today, hit us".<br />
<br />
So we moved on to another feature, then to another and yet another one. Each a bit more challenging than the previous one. A long narrow bay with some rocks at the end. Some paddling really close to the low cliffs where you see how you go up and down beside the rocky wall. Another narrower 'bay' with more rebound... <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8PLGjWsDc_QD3uwuPKUlLVMhLzWk0jbGUHe7MW6GGOy6K3nOaEVSIdDWaHLYr9zhhQL1HtYk5CrtWRt-hyeNy-6BZMoWe9sqINVNzUEuYOOzSRZKCo-RGMRtnkiN69FlNRZ-ckUCaTg/s1600/Drago+at+the+end.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD8PLGjWsDc_QD3uwuPKUlLVMhLzWk0jbGUHe7MW6GGOy6K3nOaEVSIdDWaHLYr9zhhQL1HtYk5CrtWRt-hyeNy-6BZMoWe9sqINVNzUEuYOOzSRZKCo-RGMRtnkiN69FlNRZ-ckUCaTg/s640/Drago+at+the+end.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dragomir in one of the narrow 'bays'.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At some point we got to this crevice with just enough water to go through in a lull period. It would be sitting on the rocks if you time the trough of the wave or a wild ride if you timed the peak. The advise given was "All you need to do is to inch your nose into the crevice here, wait for the swell to be right and go with it. You'll be fine."<br />
I landed behind the crevice to keep an eye and to be able to throw a rope from terra firma if needed, but also to have some practise on something I don't do that often: seal landing on rocks with moving water.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXZ87BkKKqC_7rbR2iH466BHV53ZFnG8AfmdjFHzG7q0PdSshaElndRA3KijAP2dnBSS5-BKE4Na68qana8YmUDghyphenhyphenLHtbQyooh42NA3oE7zfV6El1xJCiFdy7KGFXEpnyXStexc2zx0/s1600/GOPR0069_Trimmed.avi_snapshot_00.01_%5B2013.05.30_23.56.28%5D-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXZ87BkKKqC_7rbR2iH466BHV53ZFnG8AfmdjFHzG7q0PdSshaElndRA3KijAP2dnBSS5-BKE4Na68qana8YmUDghyphenhyphenLHtbQyooh42NA3oE7zfV6El1xJCiFdy7KGFXEpnyXStexc2zx0/s640/GOPR0069_Trimmed.avi_snapshot_00.01_%5B2013.05.30_23.56.28%5D-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crevice on the right and beautiful passages all around.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Everyone went fine, some went through more times than they should have... Of course, when you get many tickets the chances of getting the winner increase and we got some minor mishaps.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9kt_7kxOEgLNHIX89pMOOx3oJJlJgyngn5yQ4OOoN5QWIeN-xKIkM5JVz71koWvFUhpeT8JqOzzDmsfTdD6ac3V3nLvRGem1aFjx5FRjjtC2ybglSwFYJq-6e2EaUW3diWjNY3c8ltw/s1600/Megan+braking+the+boat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9kt_7kxOEgLNHIX89pMOOx3oJJlJgyngn5yQ4OOoN5QWIeN-xKIkM5JVz71koWvFUhpeT8JqOzzDmsfTdD6ac3V3nLvRGem1aFjx5FRjjtC2ybglSwFYJq-6e2EaUW3diWjNY3c8ltw/s640/Megan+braking+the+boat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the winner is....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We then moved on to a beach nearby where we hoped to find some surf. Not much on this day but we had some fun with what we were given.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLgp4sLa7xJ7e3Ck3AJisDPXg0mL1gAVu8V0a72dRZdgyUtoLvWwCfePJ_DF6deGFUw0sEFT3BmBLoIEwawDAuysrGdFfTUWUE9WRHF2vQ9OyCEc5_3hkDNOL96f5nZYNdlJ87shzlTI/s1600/rolling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCLgp4sLa7xJ7e3Ck3AJisDPXg0mL1gAVu8V0a72dRZdgyUtoLvWwCfePJ_DF6deGFUw0sEFT3BmBLoIEwawDAuysrGdFfTUWUE9WRHF2vQ9OyCEc5_3hkDNOL96f5nZYNdlJ87shzlTI/s640/rolling.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some rolling practise doesn't hurt</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We landed, had something to eat and drink and were quickly back in the boats to paddle back without stopping for any rocks or surf. We started to feel the wind picking up on our backs. By the time we got back to the river white cups could be seen everywhere and some menacing clouds had started to arrive. It was a perfect timing to finish the day and we were all fine... Well a couple of the composite kayaks were lighter when it was time to lift them onto the roof racks.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii20ar9C-nKSMLpUqV3pQoRBz6BsisjfKK2TyuurP8QXgHrf2jYZzOjhw1-EfZ2OpbeN0utuel_wBwQqeN9MLyTIhvyrH_yVgnJv6z1XnGIP97Qh-Lg2hducw17Egw-wcsD7t7-unNlWw/s1600/DSCN0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii20ar9C-nKSMLpUqV3pQoRBz6BsisjfKK2TyuurP8QXgHrf2jYZzOjhw1-EfZ2OpbeN0utuel_wBwQqeN9MLyTIhvyrH_yVgnJv6z1XnGIP97Qh-Lg2hducw17Egw-wcsD7t7-unNlWw/s640/DSCN0099.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing serious that some gel coat can't fix.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
ferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04277279426391686312noreply@blogger.com1