The June Long Weekend Sea Kayak Trip
On the June long weekend 5 paddlers set out from the Wallagoot Lagoon boat ramp and two others followed the paddlers by road in their Subaru. Saturday was a warm day with blue sky and little wind. As we paddled towards the entrance of the lagoon we saw two beautiful white sea eagles and thought this was an auspicious beginning to our adventure. Sure enough we were shortly to have some action. Up ahead near the entrance were two female sunbathers, one was topless. As we drew near she started to complain about lack of privacy. I apologized profusely and offered to pluck out my eyes as compensation. Behind me I heard rumblings from the Red Rooster that this would be a good place to stop for lunch, no one agreed with him so we paddled out through the surf, past Turingal Head and headed north.
On the first day we paddled about 15 km in idyllic conditions. The sea was gentle and light SW wind pushed us along. The beautiful, spectacular reddish brown cliffs tumbled into the sea. Most of us took time out to partake in the great sport of running the gauntlet (the channel of while water found between the headlands and bommies). We conquered gauntlet after gauntlet and were led magnificently by Action Man. At this stage we had our first capsize for the weekend. She-who-must-be-obeyed was toppled by a mountain of white water as she entered the meanest gauntlet. She was quickly rescued because her calls alerted us to the high probability that there was a shark snapping at her heels. We paddled on to the camping spot at Nelson Lagoon. A one metre plus surf was breaking at the entrance, the Rooster did a beautiful nose dive on one wave and Adnauseum capsized when he came to the Rooster’s rescue. We set up camp and had a pleasant few hours around the camp fire sheltered from the cold. We discussed sea kayaking trips, gear and the possibility of making a quid by leading sea kayaking tours.
Sunday dawned a little overcast, with a stronger breeze and a choppier sea. We headed out through the surf and a large set claimed one of our party. A most marvellous rescue was performed. Puffin Man used his towrope to pull the capsized kayak through the surf and Action Man threw what looked like a drowned rat on to the back of his Pittarak and bravely negotiated the pounding surf. We headed north for another 15 km and stopped at Aragunnu Bay for lunch which was another beach landing. No one capsized: we must have improved our surfing skills. At this stage Adnauseum was complaining that he felt nauseated and needed a rest. It was good fortune that the Subaru was available and Five Sprouts and Macbeth were kind enough to give Adnauseum a lift to the camping spot at Bunga Lagoon. The paddlers made good time, they arrived at the camping spot at the same time as the Subaru.
Bunga Lagoon was a great camping spot. We all complimented Puffin Man on his excellent local knowledge and trip planning skills. Sunday night turned out to be quite lusty. A roaring fire was made and the last of the port and sherry was drunk. We could have used some more of the fermented grape however the bird send boys (Puffin and Action Man) ‘forgot’ to bring some grog. Anyway after an hour or two the conversation warmed up. Most of the problems of the universe were debated and solutions put forward. I was truly impressed by the intellectual abilities of this group of kayakers however at one stage the conversation became very bizarre. We discussed rats: rats were everywhere, in the oven slowly cooking, down peoples jumpers and in a certain women’s bra, I can’t remember why the rat was in her bra, I must have been laughing too much; maybe next trip the story might be repeated, Also the Issue of the Aussie flag got thrashing; it became interesting as more of the closet Royalists came out in force. Another highlight of the evening was the insight into Five Sprouts and She-who-must-be-obeyed’s relationship. Never have I heard such loving, affirming and uplifting words, it was very romantic. Someone, who was moved to tears of joy, suggested to our love birds that a training video should be made so that young lovers everywhere could benefit.
Monday was a repeat of Sunday’s weather. A strong SW pushed us towards Bermagui and an active one metre chop bounced us about, It was a good 15km paddle along some more beautiful coastline and it gave us a last chance to think about the many pleasures of sea kayaking. We paddled into Bermagui Harbour about midday had some lunch, collected our cars, packed up and said our goodbyes. We all drove home contented and daydreaming about the next trip.
NSW Sea Kayaker 