Paddling around

Some stats from our recent paddling ...

140 kms have been paddled in the last 6 days - that's with 30 kgs of bagged sand as load stashed into the fore compartment, cockpit and aft compartment..

Today Tony and I did a 70 km paddle from Sydney Harbour up to Broken Bay and back.
We were fortunate to have favourable weather and sea conditions - although there was a solid swell running.
We paddled the 70 kms in 9 hrs 27 mins. Average moving speed of 7.5kph. A good result with 30 kgs of sand on board.

In the preceeding weeks, four trips of greater distance than 50km each have been paddled out of Sydney.

And a total of 600kms has been paddled in the last few months. (Thanks to our wives for the multiple leave passes)

It's been satisfying to get these distances completed in varied sea and wind conditions.
Sometimes in grinding headwinds with lots of cliff rebound.
And sometimes with downwind bliss at our backs.

We've hardly taken any photos during this year's paddling.
However here are a few that we took today ...

Luke sailing northwards at dawn in Julian's Impex Force 4. The V-sail is custom made of Mylar with a reefable top section and an increased throat at the sail foot to minimise stalling when burying the foredeck in steep wind waves.

Tony on the way back from Broken Bay. Barrenjoey in the background.

"Only 35 k's to go"

Practising rescues

Derek and Ross at South Head

 

Cray hunting

Tony rolling for crays.
North Head.

Felix

Felix chasing his shadow.

Offshore

Derek rolling 8kms east of Manly.

Stuff

The image below summarises our last 3 months ...

Lots of paddling and a focus on improving our sea kayaking skills - rolling, surfing and other interesting stuff.

Below is a photo of Tony performing a roll, 9 kms east of North Head ... the cliffs are just visible through the bushfire smoke.

 

Kavieng kanu

A recent trip for my work has taken me up to Kavieng, on the north-western tip of New Ireland, which lies off the north coast of the Papua New Guinea mainland.

I got up before dawn, borrowed an outrigger canoe and its single-bladed paddle, and wandered over the short distance to Nusa Island.

I think that this area of the world is pretty close to paddling heaven ...

A kayaker's dream ...

These pavilions are at the Nusa Island Retreat.

This was a nice way to start the day in PNG.

Long white cloud

It's a long way to the long white cloud. 

Australia to New Zealand - Scott Donaldson - Day 1

On his way ...

Australia to New Zealand by kayak

Scott Donaldson preparing his long distance ocean kayak for launch from Coffs Harbour to the north island of New Zealand. 

As of writing this, it is anticipated that he will launch at 9am tomorrow - ANZAC Day.

His understated yet quietly confident manner seems to belong to an earlier era - perhaps consistent with other towering New Zealanders who have knocked the odd bastard off. 

Podcast interview:
http://www.abc.net.au/local/audio/2013/04/24/3744391.htm?site=midnorthcoast

Rolling

 
Thanks to Rob for the skills session today.

Montague Island

The tribe has been exploring the far south coast of NSW.

Here is a small impression of the experience out at Montague Island ...

 

 

Paddling origins

Papua New Guinea has a canoe culture that is strung out along its many spectacularly beautiful coastlines, river systems and island archipelagos.

Looking back on it now from the distant land that is adulthood, I was really fortunate to have been born and raised amongst the coastal culture of PNG.

That's me on the left, aged about 6 years old, standing beside a pair of Trobriand outrigger canoes on Muwo Island. The canoe behind me has an elaboratey carved bow and painted splashboard - typical of the manner in which Trobriand Islanders invested their paddle craft with meaning and spirit.

This is one of three scaled-down outrigger canoes that I still have from my childhood.

My oldest son's hand is included for scale.

I was back in Papua a few days ago and took these photos of gorgeous model canoes at the PNG National Museum located at Waigani, Port Moresby.

Innovative, decorative, spiritual, essential for survival, transport and war - canoe culture was once central to a life on the Papuan coastline.

Not a lot of rocker evidenced in this elegant beauty but she probably paddled like an arrow across the still surface of a Papuan lagoon.

The ledge at Sow 'n Pigs

Such a poor quality image ... but representative of conditions on the harbour this morning.

Nor'easter

 Tony and the nor'easter.

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South-West Solitary Island

On some charts this island is referred to as Groper Islet and good advice describes it as having some of the best snorkelling on the east coast. Its beautifully clear waters and marine life fall within a protected habitat zone. No trolling here ...

A view of S-W Solitary from just off today's launch location at Serenity Beach.

 

As with all of the islands in the Solitary Group this one gets regularly smashed by wind and waves. It's below the water's surface that these islands have much to offer, with abundant and diverse marine life from the warm Coral Sea currents co-habitating with species from the cooler Tasman Sea.



 



A view of South Solitary between a rock garden.

 





A Solitary turtle keeping an eye on this visitor.

 



North Rock, Solitary Islands

A few years ago I went out to North Solitary (mid-north coast of NSW) by motor boat to snorkel around its beautiful sea gardens. Since then I've often thought that it would be a good place to reach by kayak.

The two obvious launching points along this section of surf beach coastline are from the channels at Wooli and Red Rock.
However both of these locations present challenges with migrating sandbars and breaking waves. Can be quite treacherous in an out-going tide, I'm reliably told. Particularly with the moderate swell now running. (Thanks to the local paddler who gave me some sound advice about these locations)

Having severely broken my left leg only seven weeks ago (and still being in a leg brace with a steel plate and screws in my leg) I decided that trying to launch through steep breaking waves at these sites was not such a wise option.

The first low-risk launching point is further south at Arrawarra - but that makes for a 50km return trip to North Solitary and back. That's more than I want to paddle on my own just now - having been out of the kayak for nearly two months.  

 

 

 

 

 

Realising that North Solitary would remain out of my reach by kayak for now, I pushed out from Arrawarra this morning and paddled to North Rock - located within the red circle at left. A 24km return trip.

 

The wind was a light nor-wester with occasional gusts to 10 or 12 knots.
Hundreds of juvenile flying fish leapt along beside me. This area seems to be their kindergarten.

 

North Rock was, however, soon reached and I paddled through the channel which splits it in to two distinct pieces. The water was a stunning turquoise colour in the channel. Must be very good snorkelling here.

 

While paddling around the eastern side of North Rock a Kingfish jumped on to my trolling lure and has made the journey back with me to be sashimi'd this evening.

 

All the while, North Solitary loomed temptingly within reach on the eastern horizon.

You can see it low on the horizon to the right of North Rock in the photo below ...

 

 I didn't get to North Solitary Island today but it was good to be out in the kayak and on the sea again - travelling along this very interesting section of coast.

 

The lead up

Everyone who has prepared for a kayak expedition will know that in many ways the long phase of preparation is as good as the relatively short period of the expedition itself.
It gives direction to your paddling, sets challenges to be overcome, prepares the body and the mind - all with a determined focus that constantly draws you out to sea when you may have otherwise stayed in bed.

For much of this last year we've been preparing to explore the Hogan, Kent and Furneaux Group of islands, over a deliciously generous month, during this southern summer. It is not easy to arrange a long trip such as this when 11 children and 5 wives are being left at home.

And then, with just a few weeks to go until departure day, a "lucky break" (aka broken tibia and fibula) has seen us defer the trip by one whole year. I am indebted to my paddling companions for postponing the adventure so that we may still all go together in 2014.

Looking at the situation positively, the islands will still be there and with another 12 months to prepare there is much for us to still look forward to and enjoy.

To Richard and our friends paddling the same route this year, but in the opposite direction to our planned route:
we hope that your adventure will be safe and highly enjoyable. We'll be thinking of you.

Various

The tribe has undertaken lots of varied paddling in recent weeks - out to sea, along the coast, up to the farthest ends of middle harbour.

This was a lovely local scene yesterday evening as the setting sun illuminated all of the rich colour in the cliffs on the harbour-side of North Head ...

At Bluefish Point last night a southward moving humpback whale crested the surface within 20 metres of our kayaks.

And yet another startled silver flying fish skipped away from us - they seem to be back in full force this season.

Kayaking and snorkelling

 

It is great to have our full tribe back on the sea together again ...

 

 

The air was heavy with the powerfully evocative smell of bushfire smoke as we paddled up the north shore.

Some hours of paddling later we had a very memorable snorkel in a shallow bay that revealed a small submerged cave with at least fifteen large crayfish tucked away beneath its ledge. The image below shows just some of the crays that made the journey home with us in our kayaks ...

 

And this is just one of the many meals that followed ...

 

 

Crayfish stir fried with ginger and shallots, fresh chilli, crushed garlic and coriander. Squeezed lime juice and slices of fresh mango as accompaniments.

How's that for kayak food sourced from our backyard?

And, jumping back in chronology a little, this was how the day began with a glossy seal pup leaping beside our kayaks on the way out through the Heads ...

If we thought that it was difficult to capture such a fast moving seal by photo then we had no chance with recording the silvery flying fish that later skipped into startled flight out at sea.

Another great day in our kayaks.