SeaTrek The Long Reach of the Past www.vskc.org.au Winter 2016 Issue 86 The VSKC Bass Strait, and take their kayaks its annual general meeting held to remote and interesting areas. as part of a weekend of activities The Victorian Sea Kayak Club Equally, we all love relaxing short on and off the water, with was formed in 1979, aimed at trips in our local waters, with informative training sessions and bringing together sea kayakers in plenty of time to socialise. presentations from interesting our part of the world, creating We welcome new members and speakers. We run a range of club opportunities to meet and encourage a culture in which trips throughout the year for all organise trips, and to promote members help each other with levels of ability, helping members the interests of sea kayakers. skills, gear, safety, trip to improve their proficiency and Club members have done some information and organisation. take part in trip leadership. We marvellous and sometimes very The club runs training courses keep in touch through this challenging trips by sea kayak and has a grading system, website, email news, and our club around our nearby coasts of although training is not aimed at magazine Sea Trek. Victoria and Tasmania and absolute novices. New members For more information read go to further afield. Our founding are expected know something of the Docs and Downloads link members made the first sea sea kayaking, have access to a from the Web page, and kayak circumnavigation of kayak, and be ready to explore download our Operating Tasmania and the first south to the marvellous opportunities Principles and Membership north crossing of Bass Strait. which sea kayaking offers. The application, or contact our Members regularly paddle across club gets together once a year for Membership Officer. Sea Trek 86 Winter 2016 In this Edition Regular Columns Editorial 4 President’s Podcast 4 Feature Warped Lineages (Helmut Heinze) 5 The Past is never where you think you left it! — Reflections of the 40th anniversary of the Valley Nordkapp forti (Bob Fergie) 8 Day Trips and Overnighters Around the Prom with the VSKC Mob (Andrew Bronsvoort) 16 Sea Kayaking in British Columbia (Evelyn Feller) 18 Seeing The Light (Penny Byron) 21 A Journey in the West — Altona to Werribee South (Ben Flora) 23 Nooramunga Marine Park — The Full Monty Paddle (Richard Rawling) 25 Club Life Cover Sorrento — Level 1 Assessment Day (Joe and Kate Alberico) 29 Photo: Ben Flora (Red Eye, 23 July 2016, Snake Island Queen’s Birthday Weekend 2016 (Kate Alberico) 30 adapted for Sea Trek) Sigla BF: Bob Fergie • BFL: Ben Flora • DF: Doseena Fergie • HH: Helmut Heinze • JA: Joe Alberico • KA: Kate Alberico • KR: Keith Russel • PW: Peter Wilson • SF: Safina Fergie • TB: Terry Barry. Responsible Editor for this Edition: Helmut Heinze in collaboration with Ben Flora Contact Photo Stories [email protected] http://www.vskc.org.au Nooramunga National Park — The Full Monty — Photo Story (Richard Rawling) p27 Snake Islanders — Photo c Victorian Sea Kayak Club – http://vskc.org.au Story (Ben Flora) p32 SeaTrek 86 Regular Columns Editorial many future issues. Many Joe Alberico with 2 arti- of you know Ben already cles!, Andrew Bronsvoort / as an avid Red Eye paddler, Sasha Innes!, Evelyn Feller photographer and author of and Penny Byron), and the Sea Trek stories but you will many photographic contri- get used to him chasing you butions from the Fergies. for stories as well ... Work on Sea Trek won’t Now, let’s get this Win- stop here. Ben and I will be ter edition out, warts and starting working right away all (I claim responsibility on the next edition which for all typos and format- is to appear in November Two pictures? One sink- ting flaws). A big thank just before the AGM. As al- ing, one rising editor? Dear you to our all our authors, ways suggestions and con- Sea Trek readers please the reliable ones, the pro- tributions welcome! welcome Ben Flora as con- lific ones (a massive 7 page tributing editor of this Sea article on the Nordkapp!), Ed. Trek issue and, hopefully of the first-timers (Kate and President’s Podcast dles this winter, I’ve also a 10km paddle down to Ea- lowed by coffee and break- relished the occasional pad- gles Nest on the Saturday fast at the local sea side dle out from Cape Paterson afternoon. The conditions cafe. (where, incidentally, this were perfect with barely In these and many other years Paddle Fest and AGM a breath of wind, a gen- club activities, we are in- will again be held early tle swell and oily-glass-like deed fortunate to expe- November). water. Many thanks to rience the wonder of There is something re- Brandon for coordinating our stunning maritime play- ally special about quietly this and to Fiona for pro- ground. Its all part of cruising along in our long viding excellent first aid being members of a ter- skinny boats, being ab- instruction over the two rific club as this issue of Winter for many wa- sorbed into the mesmeris- days I should add. Sea Trek further demon- ter sport enthusiasts is ing ocean grandeur of in- Similarly the club’s strates. Again, many sometimes a time of hi- tersecting tide, swell, wind monthly Canadian Bay pad- thanks to Helmut and Ben bernation as temperatures and waves. Seeing close dles organised by Robin for putting it together and drop and daylight hours up the rich marine wildlife, and Richard continue to to all those who have con- shorten. Even so, there including the occasional provide terrific opportu- tributed their unique stories are others like myself who whale, not to mention the nities to enjoy a mixture as well. I trust that all really enjoy paddling dur- magnificent scenery of our of paddling, training and VSKC members will enjoy ing the cooler months. Of Victorian Coastline, is for- socialising. Early on Sat- the read as much as I have. course dressing for immer- ever fresh and fascinating I urday mornings, the Red Cheers sion is necessary, but with find. Early August was a Eye Ricketts crew led by Bob Fergie (VSKC Presi- the right gear there is great case in point when a num- Andrew Campbell and Pe- dent) delight in getting on the ber of us who were involved ter Costello, maintain the water. While I’ve enjoyed in the terrific Wilderness iconic pre-sunrise Saturday a number of Bay side pad- First Aid course, got out for morning Bay paddles fol- c Victorian Sea Kayak Club – http://vskc.org.au 4 SeaTrek 86 The Long Reach of the Past Helmut Heinze Warped Lineages Marvel at the infinitely complex, thoughts on the evolution of kayak applies to any evolution; the cultural sculpted shape of a contemporary design, on how history shapes shapes, evolution of tools is governed by the high-end paddle blade. Form fol- as it were. principle of “good enough” for the lows function. A shape that exudes purpose (unless there is a separate ad- beauty and tells of unconditional obe- ditional pressure driving some arms dience to the physics of fluid dynam- race between competing parties). ics. The material is space-age car- Second. If good enough is good bon fibre, a dark twill weave be- enough then there can be many so- low a glass-hard shiny surface. The lutions to the same problem. With blade is less than a millimetre thick respect to the designs of Green- at the edge. — Marvel at the beau- land kayaks it has been noted that tiful grain of the cedar wood of the there is a great number of differ- hand-crafted Greenland paddle, the ing hull shapes and construction de- varnish, the organic shape, the warm tails. Some may be attributed to touch. One paddle is produced in different sea conditions in different high-end factories, using the latest regions, but most differences would of technologies that are only avail- appear to be just random — vari- able in an industrial setting such as ants that emerge and stabilise with- ovens to cure the epoxy resin at a pre- Ethnological exhibit #1: A typical Western out any obvious cause. One sticks cise temperature. The other is hand- practice of shaping things — Sample from: to whatever works, the odd improve- carved from carefully selected pieces Jackson et al. The Hydrodynamics of Paddle ment in building technique notwith- of wood, guided by the critical eye Propulsion standing. In tribal societies without and touch of the maker, based on ex- written records all cultural knowledge perience, not unlike the work of a has to be handed down oral narra- luthier. One has its origins in com- A word on evolution — good tion and lived practice. Any devia- petitive racing, the other in the re- enough will do tion in design poses the threat of irre- enactment of traditional craftmanship versible disruption. This in itself is a received through (popular) ethnol- First. A common misunderstanding of strong cultural force that discourages ogy. Superficially both paddles can’t the forces of evolution is the assump- change, and with impedes variation be more different. They belong to dif- tion that they keep optimising the and selection of superior variants. ferent worlds. Yet paddlers use both adaption of whatever it may be (or- Third. Evolution often finds the paddles side-by-side, with very little ganisms, technical solutions) to the same solution for the same problem separating them — the occasional rib- environment. The often quoted Dar- multiple times. The same materials, bing between spoon and stick pad- winian formula “survival of the fittest” the same type of society, the same en- dlers notwithstanding.