The Mysterious Sinking SeaYak [38]

Day Two of the Pancake Paddle, Mystery Bay, 1999

By David Whyte

The next day saw the surf still pounding the beach at Mystery Bay.

Feeling a bit lazy and full of Arunas’s pancakes it was decided that a nice easy paddle up the Narooma River was the order of the day. So we set off up the river for a few k and ran some training sessions. These involved filling the entire cockpit up with water and testing the paddling characterics of our boats.

Rolls, re-enters and rolls but it wasn’t long before a bit of frivolity crept in and someone pulled the back hatch of Dirks boat and filled it up with water. And if that wasn’t enough they pulled the front cover off as well.

Fortunately for Dirk his boat had neutral buoyancy though not with him sitting in it. The water temperature was superb and cooled us down nicely before heading back to our cars and a feast of fish and chips.

Press Release [38]

State Government Protects Prime Coastal Site

The State Government has paid $3 million to protect 106 hectares of pristine coastline between Bermagui and Tathra in southern NSW from being developed.

It is the largest acquisition under the Carr Government’s Coastal Lands Protection Scheme, and follows the $1.5 million purchase of Cullendalla, north of Bateman’s Bay, late last year.

Announcing the settlement today, the Minister for Urban Affairs and Planning, Mr Craig Knowles, said the Goalen Head property, which has a 3 kilometre coastline, has been bought from the family company of Mr Geoff Hammond, a retired transport company director from Sydney.

“This site has long been regarded as among the State’s most outstanding areas of coastline, given its spectacular views over Murrah and Bunga beaches and its proximity to the coastal forests around Mt Dromedary,” Mr Knowles said.

“The acquisition will not only provide a significant addition to the South Coast national park system, but will enable the public to have access to a previously closed off piece of prime coastland.”

Since March 1995, the Carr Government has acquired more than 520 hectares of coastline under the scheme, including properties at Bega Valley, Byron Bay, Eurobodalla and Greater Taree.

Mr Knowles said the property would be immediately transferred to the National Parks and Wildlife Service as part of the Mimosa Rocks National Park. The NPWS will assess the best means of providing public access across to the coast without detracting from the environmental and scenic values of the areas.

Mr Hammond began negotiations to sell his property to the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning in June this year with the desire that it remain in the ownership of the State Government. He will retain his house and a small parcel of land on the site for private use.

Mr Knowles visited the property with the newly appointed Chair of the Government’s Coastal Council, Professor Bruce Thom.

Further information: Helen Willoughby 0419 239 178

Presidents Report [38]

The Club is well on its way to achieving a successful remodelling after the turmoil of the past months. Dirk Stuber has been investigating insurance and has come up with a promising quote on a policy which should give us all peace of mind. On the legal front, the Waivers are now required for each paddler in a Club event and the Constitution will be amended at the upcoming meeting.

I think the members now have a greater appreciation of what it means to be in the Club and realise the importance of cooperation with the Paddle Coordinators. The policy of holding a Sea Proficiency rating for Grade 3 paddles and above will soon be in place. With this in mind, the Club will hold more training and assessment weekends and will pay for the Certificate out of the treasury.

The recent Sea Proficiency session at Barlings Beach was a great success. Some 20 paddlers attended the weekend — and signed the Waivers, in spite of the warning that “Kayaking Can Be Fatal” at the top. About a third of the group were in the “Pre Proficiency” stage when they started on Saturday morning, but their learning curves were very steep and by Sunday afternoon they were happily surfing and some were learning to roll. Their progress was due both to their own ability and the expert tutelage of Gordon Carswell. (I did a little tutoring, myself.) The more advanced paddlers practiced under the watchful eyes of David Winkworth and Andrew Eddy.

Our plan to take the multitude into the beach at Sunpatch (Tomakin) for a surfing session was curtailed when Dave and I got caught in the channel leading to the beach. There was a big swell running, but I assured David that they never broke in the channel. Most of them didn’t, but one rogue wave did. The ever-conservative David rated it as 3 metres, plus. All I know was that it was VERY BIG. We both rolled over in front of it. I got turned every way but loose and at one stage felt my paddle hit the bottom. I finally exited when I couldn’t find the surface. Dave had rolled up successfully and I soon followed with a re-entry and roll. We paddled quickly back to the group and continued with slightly less exciting exercises, many of which involved the trainees getting very wet. By the end of the weekend, four members, Sundra John, Stuart Trueman, Nick Gill, and Rob Mercer had won their Sea Proficiency Certificates. The participants were unanimous in the opinion that the session was very useful and enjoyable. For my part, I thought that it was an excellent example of the value of being a member of the New South Wales Sea Kayak Club.

The Old Sea Dog’s Gear Locker [38]

by Norm Sanders

The OSD has bowed to the hundreds of requests for reprints of his invaluable compendium of gear to be taken on kayak trips. Since he feels that extended kayak touring is the ultimate sea-going experience, he is happy to refresh the memories of older members and assist newer paddlers to venture forth on overnight trips in comfort and safety.

Kayak Essentials

• kayak
• paddle and leach
• spray skirt
• maps and charts
• compass
• signalling devices (mirror, flares, V sheet
• 15 metre towline
• drinking water (accessible on deck)
• snacks (jelly beans, chocolate)
• deck knife
• sponge and bailer
• sunglasses and sunscreen
• hat, helmet

Additional kayak gear

• spare paddle
• repair kit (duct tape, pliers, screwdriver, 5 minute epoxy, needle and thread
• first aid kit
• dry bags

Kayak Clothing

• PFD
• spray jacket or cag
• poly top
• shorts
• wetboots or sandals

Camping gear

• tent, ground cloth
• sleeping bag
• sleeping mat
• sit pad (cut from and old foam sleeping mat)
• swiss army knife
• grog (in moderation, of course)
• matches
• stove and fuel
• cooking set and utensils
• water in PET bottel or wine cask bladder
• water filter
• food
• headlamp or flashlight (torch)
• candle lantern
• 30 metres of nylon cord
• toilet paper and trowel
• toothbrush and paste
• bug (insect) repellant
• small towel
• personal items
• camera and film
• watch
• camping and fire permits
• money and phonecard
• notebook and pencil
• map and itinerary of trip, including name of the nearest ranger station, left with someone at home

Other gear to individual requirements eg.

• Tiger Balm
• fish-killing apparatus
• kite, Frisbee

The Next Step Training Weekend [38]

By David Winkworth

Currarong 17th & 18th April

This weekend will have 3 sections:

• Training in Sea Kayaking Skills following on from the Rock ‘n Roll Weekend
• Advanced Sea Kayaking Skills (as promised at the Rock ‘n Roll W/E)
• Special General Meeting.

For those paddlers new and relatively new to sea kayaking, we will continue with skills training, including roll practice to get members up to and through the Sea Proficiency Award. If you haven’t been to one of our training weekends, this is your chance. You’re guaranteed to learn heaps. We will be doing Sea Proficiency Assessments

Our venue is Currarong Caravan Park – plenty of shady flat grass for camping, great amenities and a superb undercover meeting area for the meeting. They also have a gas outdoor BBQ so if you like bring along a BBQ meal for Sat. evening. From the caravan park you can launch your boat straight onto the creek and paddle out into the bay. Use the boat wash facilities on your return! Luxury!! If wind or sea conditions are not too your liking, Honeymoon Bay is a short drive away for a launch.

Currarong has a pretty good take-away shop, mini supermarket, grog cellar and service station.

If you have your Sea Proficiency award, why not sit in on the two advanced skills sessions and contribute your knowledge! The sessions, to be held on Saturday afternoon are:

• Handling difficult conditions
• Techniques for big surf

On Saturday evening we will hold our Special General Meeting to discuss our insurance position and to vote on an amendment to our Constitution. If you are unable to make the meeting, please, please send in your proxy form. Bring along any sea kayaking or outdoor slides you have and a projector. The editor will be bringing along a screen and slides from the last Rock n Roll weekend. If you plan to learn to roll at this weekend, please help us to help you by making sure that you are a secure fit in your boat! Bring your dive mask too.

Don’t forget a folding chair and all your usual stuff.

Hope to see you there. I’ll have the first of my new boats there (at last!) if you want a paddle.

Mystery Bay Weekend [38]

featuring the paddle to Nowhere

By David Whyte

The thunderous sounds of the breaking surf during Friday night forebode an unlikely chance of getting to Montague Island. Saturday morning saw us sitting down at Mystery Bay looking at substantial surf breaking over the rocks and this was still high tide. It was worse than the infamous kayak breaking weekend of 96. My wife was going to catch the boat cruise out to the island but as she left I said “I think I will see you back here shortly”. Sure enough it was cancelled.

We decided our best option was to head for Horseshoe Beach at Bermagui. I was a bit concerned when we drove through town I saw a camera crew rushing to load their car with gear and head down to the beach. Even as we packed our kayaks on the shore onlookers started to line up along the fence. For those who don’t understand the last bit read ‘Entering the Locals at Bermagui’ story on our web site.

John Caldwell plays in the surf

Under the guidance of Paddle Coordinator Arunas Pilka we dutifully signed our waivers and launched off Horseshoe Bay into a moderate swell.

We had a couple of new comers — a fellow called Denish and his partner Sue. Whereas Sue was a accomplished paddler Denish was very new and discovered some of the problems of surf entrys. Namely, after loosing several items of gear and been thrown back on the beach a few times, the importance of timing and having nothing loose on the outside of your boat. He eventually got off a bit battered but a bit wiser. I think he will WEAR his lifejacket next time.

We grouped up and I asked Arunas, “Where are we off to?”

“Over there” was his reply.

“Over where”.

“Over there,” said Arunas again, pointing his finger in a NE direction.

“But theres nothing over there”.

“Yep that’s where we going”.

So nine paddlers set off paddling straight into the wind to over there. When we got over there, some 15 K off shore in the middle of nowhere, we had our lunch in the kayaks did a few rolls and turned around and come back.

It was on this paddle to Over There that I noticed a problem with Arunas. Normally a strong competent paddler, he seemed nervous and a bit twitchy. I mentioned this to Dave Winkworth who had also noticed it. But as we were discussing it a pod of dolphins broke the surface not far to our right and we heard Denish yell out to his girlfriend.

“Hey Sue, Sue, look at that!”

Then it dawned on us. It was Denish’s girlfriend, or rather her name.

On the mention of Sue’s name Arunas quickly turned around and nervously replied “What, who, is someone in trouble. Do they need a tow rope? Do I need a lawyer?”

We then asked Sue if we could use her second name and it wasn’t long before Arunas was back to his former glory.

Day two — the Mysterious Sinking SeaYak

David Winkworth about to launch in his prototype Nadgee Expedition …

… balances in the white water …

… and buries the bow on another wave

Arunas’s inimitable “Jack-In-The-Box” style of egress

Mirage Designer and Manufacturer’s Response [38]

By Paul Hewitson

The first point that should be made is that the author of the Barlings Beach report was about to launch an unknown kayak onto the market a week or two after he wrote the article above.

The incident was full of inaccuracies from the start. Firstly the owner of the kayak entered the water without his rear fibreglass cover on the kayak at all. This all reads a little differently to the original article. The neoprene cover did come off in the surf. We tried an experiment when the kayak was returned for repairs, the neoprene cover was fitted & no matter how hard we pushed on the cover it would not release, I have to ask whether it was fitted correctly in the first place.

“Repairs will not be cheap” I believe was quoted in the original article. The repair bill was $70.

The opposition manufacturer then goes on to say three popular brands of Australian sea kayaks (his main opposition) do not have taped seams. Well I cannot speak for the others; there are plenty of our kayaks out there with taped seams and it has always been an option. As for the “clearly lightly built” comment, the owner of the kayak does not agree with that comment. As for the other 3999 owners of our kayaks, they do not seem to have a problem with the rear hatch cover.

Mimosa Rocks National Park Gets Bigger! [38]

By David Winkworth

I know there’s a State Election coming up and the pollies go beserk with pork barrelling at this time …but there is a State Government announcement that’s worth advertising from the far South Coast.

In December last year, the State Government announced the acquisition for $3 million of 106 hectares of stunning coastal land between Bermagui and Tathra which adjoins the northern boundary of Mimosa Rocks National Park. This will increase the coastline of the park by about 3 kms, and extends the park from Hidden Valley (where clubmembers camped on the recent Bermagui –Tathra paddle) to Goalen Head.

There is just no doubt that this area, and much of the south coast of NSW, is amongst the very best of paddling venues in Australia…and possibly the world (is that correct Norm?)

The Government also announced the formation of “The Coastal Council of NSW’, established under the Coastal Protection Act of 1979. This “watchdog committee’ will advise the government on planning and management issues of the NSW coastline within one kilometre of the shoreline including rivers, lakes, lagoons, estuaries and islands and three nautical miles seawards.

On the day of the announcement by the State Government Norm Sanders and I went up there for an inspection of the area on foot. There is right-of-way road access to Goalen Head through private property but it is difficult to locate so call me if you’d like to go in there and I’ll give you directions. The road gives access to Murrah Beach which is ideal for kayak launching. From Goalen Head, the view south to Hidden Valley and Bunga Head is superb. There are a few small beaches in the acquired area for landing but the best camping is still at Hidden Valley.

The coastal strip is to be handed over to NPWS. They won’t yet say what they are going to do with it but I’ll wager that increased car access is on the agenda because of people pressure on existing park facilities such as those at Arragunnu and Picnic Point to the south of Bunga Head.

So, if you feel like a kayaking adventure, come on down and explore this area before the caravans move in and you have to pay to camp there. Sadly, I think that time is coming when kayakers will paddle green boats and camp in green tents to avoid paying exhorbitant NPWS camping fees for facilities they don’t use and damage they don’t cause.

Special General Meeting [38]

an Important Message from the President

With this newsletter you will have received a notice of a Special General Meeting to be held in conjunction with the Next Step weekend at Currarong on the 17th April. The purpose of this meeting is to pass a number of resolutions varying the Club’s rules (constitution). It is important that we get a good number voting as we need a majority of a 75% turnout in order to pass the resolutions.

Resolutions 1 to 3 are procedural changes that will make the club rules more closely reflect the way in which the club has operated for some time. Resolution 4 changes the way that proxy votes are appointed so that the process of voting at future Special General Meetings is streamlined. (More on proxy votes later). Resolution 5 is the main reason for the Special General Meeting. As you will be aware there has been considerable concern in the club regarding legal liability issues. Resolution 5 limits the liability of the Club or any of its members to the extent of insurances (options of more appropriate insurance are being investigated) held by the Club.

It is extremely important that members can hold club paddles without the fear that they could end up being sued for all they own in the event of an accident. I and the Committee urge as many of you as possible to attend the special general meeting to support the proposals, especially Resolution 5, if you cannot attend I urge you to vote by proxy. A proxy voting form and a stamped addressed envelope is included with this newsletter. You can either give it to someone who is going to the meeting or send your completed form in the letter provided. Important: if you are sending in your proxy vote please leave the space for the person appointed as your proxy blank. This is because under the current rules no person is allowed to hold more than 5 proxies.

Notice of Special General Meeting of the NSW Sea Kayak Club Inc. TO BE HELD ON 17TH APRIL 1999 AT CURRARONG, TO DECIDE THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS:

Changing the Rules of the Club

Constitution and Membership

Resolution 1

Replace

14. (1) (b) 3 ordinary members.

with

14. (1) (b) up to 3 ordinary members.

Resolution 2

Replace

14. (2) The Office-bearers of the association are to be:
(a) the President;
(b) the Vice President;
(c) the Treasurer; and
(d) the Secretary.

with

14. (2) The Office-bearers of the association are to be:
(a) the President;
(b) the Vice President;
(c) the Secretary/ Treasurer;
(d) the News Letter Editor; and
(e) the Trips Convenor.

Election of Members

Resolution 3

Replace

15. (1) Nominations of Candidates for election as office-bearers of the association or as ordinary members of the committee:
(a) must be made in writing, signed by 2 members of the association and accompanied by written consent of the candidate (which may be endorsed on the form of the nomination); and
(b) must be delivered to the secretary of the association at least 7 days before the date fixed for the annual general meeting at which the election is to take place.

with

15. (1) Nominations of Candidates for election as office-bearers of the association or as ordinary members of the committee:
(a) shall be proposed and seconded from the floor at the annual general meeting. The candidates consent shall be expressly given.

Special General Meetings – Special Resolution

Resolution 4

Replace

31. (2) All votes shall be given personally or by proxy but no member may hold more than 5 proxies.

with

31. (2) All votes shall be given personally or by proxy.

Resolution 5

New Clause Legal Liability

42. Every member agrees that on becoming a member of the Association, their right to seek compensation against any other member, officer or agent of the Association (“the defendants”) is limited as follows.

If :
any member suffers personal injury (including death), damage to property or financial loss while participating in sea kayaking or any activity associated with sea kayaking, and
a cause of the injury, damage or loss was the negligence or breach of other obligations imposed by law on any of the defendants,

then the liability of the defendants is limited to:
the extent to which the defendants are entitled at law to an indemnity for such liability under any insurance policy held by the Association (“the policy”).
the amount which the insurer is obliged to pay under the policy, or in the liquidation of the insurer, the amount which the defendants can recover, whichever is the lesser.

If the defendants or any of them are not entitled at law to an indemnity for whatever reason, the liability of the defendants is nil.

Every member agrees that this limitation of liability applies after the person making the claim ceased to be a member of the association.

Letters to the Editor [38]

Dear Ed and Sea Kayakers,

As you may have noticed I’ve been a bit quiet on the sea kayaking front of late, my life has been a flurry of activity.

I may have spoken to some of you about my intention to do so some serious overseas travel, well now is the time. By the time you read this, my panniers will be packed and my bike loaded up like a pack horse, and I’ll be well on my way. My plans are to ride up to Darwin in a round about way, stopping around the place to see some of Australia. Once in Darwin I hope to sail to Indonesia and keep on riding I’m not sure how long I’ll go for, until I’ve had enough I guess.

So I’d like to take this opportunity to say good-bye and thank you for your encouragement, advice, fun and friendliness. I have very much enjoyed being a part of such a fantastic club, and meeting some excellent people in the process. I’d like to wish you all the very best.

Happy paddling
Adam Behm
ACT

Dear Editor,

Congratulations on a bumper issue of the newsletter, I particularly enjoyed the excellent photographs throughout the articles, your roving photographer was clearly in the right place at the right time for some of those action shots.

The Beecroft Peninsula matter was clearly a sobering experience for all concerned, congratulations to all parties for going to print on the matter. Congratulations also to the club executive and the positive manner in which they have reacted.

My comments below are directed toward the future of the club and not individuals.

I support the introduction of an indemnity form, my five years as a Scout Leader taught me that indemnity forms were a fact of life. My Scouting experience has also been that some parents would happily sign an indemnity form without giving due consideration to the activity their child was about to undertake. Reliance was placed on the leader to match the activity with the skill level of the participants.

A counter to this was to ensure that participants had achieved certain skill levels, readers would be aware of the various awards and “challenge” badges available in Scouts. The NSWSKC has always been strong on training and is taking this further by encouraging members to achieve certain levels of skill certification.

Matching activities to skill levels ultimately means that all concerned enjoy the experience.

So far I am probably telling readers what they already know. So what is my point? My intention in writing this letter is to show support for the executive and the direction the club is taking.

Long ago, the easy option for the more experienced members of the club would have been to resign and go paddling by themselves. I am grateful for the existence of the club, my son and I learnt our surfing and rolling skills through the efforts (and patience in my case) of a few committed individuals without whom we would not have a club.

On a lighter note, the article by Stuart Trueman, besides confessing a mortal sin, mentions a solo trip across Bass Strait. Do you think you might be able to cajole Stuart into writing an article about his trip? I assume he is currently planning a solo voyage to New Zealand.

Kim and James Vandyke

Dear editor

Having returned to Australia recently after achieving some outstanding marathon swims in Mexican waters and from Cuba to Florida, Susie Maroney now plans to be the first swimmer to swim from Newcastle to Sydney in under 24 hours.

Susie will enter the water at Merewether Beach Newcastle at 10:00am on Saturday April 10th and hopes to cover the 150 kilometre swim by stepping out of the water at Darling Harbour Sydney mid morning Sunday April 11th.

Susie enjoys having company on her marathon swims. Because of this she is inviting members of the NSW Sea-Kayak Club to accompany her all or part of the way or in legs.

Susie’s marathon swim is being sponsored by Bankstown District Sports Club and Blue Haven Pools and Spas. The entire proceeds are being given to RETT Syndrome for research. Susie is patron of RETT Syndrome Fundraising in Australia.

Details of her swim will be formally announced at a media conference at Westmead Children’s Hospital on Thursday March 25.

Her marathon effort will receive widespread media coverage with Channel 10 already wanting to film the entire swim from start to finish.

If you can indicate whether your club can provide escort for the entire swim or for part of the swim, please advise me and we will announce it at the media launch and include it in our publicity releases to the media.

Regards,

W.F. Love
Advanced Public Relations

(See more about the swim and articles, written by NSWSKC members after the swim — by Sundra John, Robert Gardner, Robert Mercer & Sharon Betteridge and Andrew Eddy also to be published in issue 39.)

My Point Of View

I received my magazine with normal excitement, but read with disappointment about the incident with Alan Teal. I did not intend to initially respond, but upon further reading found too many biased and irritating comments through the magazine which prompted the following:

Firstly my response to Alan’s article

• It amazes me that Alan is such a faultless person. Everything in the article is someone elses fault.
• He is the only person I know who has taught himself to paddle and knows he is competent.
• It is obvious that ego and overconfidence dominated commonsense in nominating himself to go on a grade 3 paddle.
• Talking in hindsight and saying I should not have been there, or someone should have told me, is too easy now. Accept the fact that faults have been made by all in the party, and admit your incompetence in this situation.
• Sea Kayaking by nature is a sport with a moderate risk factor. You frequently get wet and sometimes swim.Accept this too.
• I also find it offensive when a persons personal gear is criticized. ie. PFD’s, paddles and kayaks. Gear is selected for personal safety, comfort, preference, and cost.

This therefore brings me to my second response regarding the constant biased comments relating to Mirages. The last edition (no. 37) refers to mirages in 3 separate articles. In response to Norm Sanders’ (Presidents Report), I wish to state:

• Mirages (except for the 22S) are NOT Racing Kayaks. They are standard touring sea kayaks having completed trips from Sydney to Hobart and Brisbane to Sydney to name a few.
• The description of “sprinted” also sounds a bit exaggerated and shows siding with Alan’s statement.

It is not my intention to discourage criticism, in fact I think that Mirage owners thrive off it. What I am trying to show is a bit of balance, since most criticism about Mirages seem to come from the same “Brigade”. So in concluding I have the following questions :

• Why are Mirages so popular in Australia? (also sold in very competitive New Zealand and Japanese markets)
• How many Mirage paddlers are there in the Club?
• Is Mirage supposed to build a slow boat?
• What is there achieved by constant negative criticism?

Sundra John

Footnote:

• penalties for Norm — paddle a Mirage 22S in the surf with a 90 deg offset propeller paddle.

[As the newsletter has come under a bit of fire for being biased I should point out a few facts as I feel the criticism in this case is unwarranted. The newsletter is a forum for all members to have their say and everything that is sent to me is published without bias. We all paddle different boats and have different opinions about boats which may be neither right or wrong just different. It would be terribly boring and bad for sea kayaking if we all paddled the same boats. Each boat has its good and bad points depending on what you want it for; horses for courses. If someone keeps bagging a particular boat then that’s their prerogative, the others are certainly free to reply. The newsletter is free for all to have their say . I will not start censoring articles on the basis that they are critical of a certain type of boat. The newsletter only becomes biased if I don’t publish articles not if I do.

It takes some effort to write trip reports and without them we would have no newsletter. I appreciate the effort and hope I continue to receive them. If the mirage paddles feel they are hard done by then they are more than free to put pen to paper – though I would prefer an electronic copy. BUT they can’t complain if they don’t send in anything. I know there is a lot in the club but the only reasons theres even photos of them in the last issue is because I took them.

Then maybe you shouldn’t take Mark’s writing so seriously – we don’t, and I think Dave’s poem says it all.

On a different note. A lot of paddlers (including myself) have black or partly black cags as they attract the suns warm rays in winter – Ed]