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The Sea Canoeist Newsletter THE SEA CANOEIST NEWSLETTER Issue 77 October - November 1998 Editor: P Caffyn, RD 1, Runanga. West Coast .N.Z. Ph/Fax: (03) 7311806 E Mail address: [email protected] The Sea Canoeist Newsletter is published 6 times a year as the official newsletter of the Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers (N.Z.) Inc. Subscriptions are $20.00 per annum & should be made out to K.A.S.K. (NZ) Inc. & sent to the KASK Treasurer: Helen Woodward, 82 Hutcheson St. Blenheim Ph: (03) 578 5429. email: [email protected] Correspondence to the Secretary: Peter Sullivan, 7 Monowai Cres, North New Brighton, Christchurch. Ph.(03) 388 3380. INDEX EDITORIAL. ing year in a folboat. Although Franz LETTERS TO EDITOR Firstly my profound thanks to those Romer was the first to paddle/sail a Abel Tasman N.P. p. 2 kindly folk who have written or folboat across the Atlantic in 1928, Amateur Qualifications p. 2 emailed and said how much they en- from Portugal to the Virgin Islands, Paddle Weight p. 3 joyed the last newsletter, particularly he disappeared without trace on his Bollocking for the Editor p. 4 the marvellous report by Donna last leg to New York when he was The X Factor(new kayak) p. 5 Hammond on the trip around Stewart caught in a hurricane. Hans Island. Donna’s account had all the Lindemann survived both crossings HISTORY ingredients of a good read, exciting and his 1958 first edition account of Interview with Hans Lindemann dramatic moments, humour, encoun- both trips, ‘Alone at Sea’, has been by Ralph Diaz p. 5 ters with the locals, building up vi- reprinted and is still available (see George Park , West Coast gnettes of the participants for the read- Book Section for ordering addresses). Pioneer Paddler ers, and lovely personal touches with by Trish McCormack Ross p.8 reference to Donna’s mum. Ed Gillete is another understated in- Ed Gillet's Hawaii Trip spirational adventurer, whose exploits by Ed Gillet p.10 This newsletter is rather lean on trip have not been widely acknowledged Australian E.Greenland Expedition reports, largely because the weather or publicized. Ed paddled most of the from Weekend Aust. Magazine p.13 has been of the ‘tickle your arse with length of the west coast of South a feather’ variety, or said in more America, before threats to his life TRIP REPORTS propitious terms, ‘particularly nasty from local bandits forced a premature Dark Side of Mana weather’. I had to blackmail Conrad abandonment only some 400 miles by Conrad Edwards p. 7 Edwards, for his two rather brief albeit short of his goal at Panama. Then in The End of the Sellotape well written reports, by withholding 1987, Ed paddled and parafoiled a by Conrad Edwards p. 8 addresses for overseas second-hand Tofino double kayak from the book addresses, but the blackmail was Monterey Bay on the central Califor- INCIDENT REPORTING worthwhile. If he does not promptly nian coast for some 2,400 miles out to Double Kayak Rescues & Bent Blades produce a superb account of our recent Hawaii, this totally committing trip by Bill Gibson p. 15 Greenland trip, a photo of the young taking 63 days. fella sunbathing on a stranded ice floe BOOKS will appear in the next newsletter. Hugh Canard has again raised the Book Review: 'Canoe & Kayak Books' subject of qualifications for amateur reviewed: P. Caffyn p. 12 Thus bereft of absorbing trip reports sea kayakers. Vincent Maire broached for this newsletter, I am indebted to the subject in an earlier newsletter HUMOUR cybermail searcher Sandy Ferguson with a muted response received from Legally Dead? p. 7 for some superb and inspirational read- readers. As Hugh notes the SKOANZ The White Hat ing that he plucked off the net. Some qualification is an assessment of guid- by Derek Hutchinson p.14 years ago Ralph Diaz, editor of ‘Fold- ing and instruction skills, not a skills ing Kayaker’ newsletter and author of development course. The KASK EQUIPMENT the manual ‘Complete Folding Kay- Handbook is a positive step for pro- Radio Communication in the aker’, interviewed Hans Lindemann. motion of safe paddling, and perhaps Great Outdoors For those not aware of this remark- the next step for the committee is to by NZ Mtn. Safety & able man, Hans Lindemann crossed consider the subject of an amateur NZ Land S & R. p. 16 the Atlantic first in a dugout canoe qualification. and then repeated this feat the follow- 1 No. 77 October - November 1998 tors and the number of kayaks? What GUIDING, TRIP LETTERST OT HE about the trampers, the fizz boaters LEADERSHIP - and the yachties? Did Geoff Gabites QUALIFICATIONS - DO EDITOR give a breakdown of the numbers of WE NEED THEM? ABEL TASMAN each sector and the proportion of day visits to overnighting? from Hugh Canard NATIONAL PARK from Allan & Joyce Singleton The introduction to the 1976 edition John Kirk Anderson’s article on of the Park Handbook states, ‘The SKOANZ was an excellent Our family first visited Abel Tasman Park is essentially a sea coast area backgrounder. My thanks to John for National Park in January 1979, when deriving its unique qualities from its building bridges between the com- we camped for a week at Totaranui. golden beaches.’ What better way is mercial and non commercial (ama- We have been back a further four there to access such an area than by teur doesn’t sound right) sea kayakers. times: kayak? As an association we should - in January 1983 I paddled an open vigorously promote sea kayaking, and SKOANZ developed a Sea Kayak canoe from Totaranui to Marahau at the expense of other forms of rec- Guides qualification out of the sheer while the other family members reation if necessary. If DOC wish to necessity of setting a standard in the walked the coastal track. cut visitor numbers down, then they absence of any credible New Zealand - in January 1987 we tramped the should close the coastal track from standard at the time. We did not want complete circuit of inland and Marahau to Awaroa to walkers during to follow the slippery path that the coastal tracks. periods of high Park usage. Kayakers, commercial rafting operators found - in September 1993 we sea kay- after all, do not require tracks and themselves on, with client fatalities aked Marahau to Awaroa return. bridges that are expensive to main- and a cowboy image. All their busi- - in July last year Joyce and I kay- tain, and servicing of the coastal huts nesses suffered for the actions of a aked from Marahau to Shag Har- and campsites is all done by boat, not minority in their industry. bour and back. via the tracks. The commercial operators involved For a Hamiltonian, I am thus fairly Personally (and I still do a fair bit of in setting up the scheme received a familiar with the park. tramping) it would not worry me if the great deal of assistance from Mick Marahau to Awaroa track was closed Hopkinson and Brett Whitely, both In January 1983 I did not see any other permanently, and KASK should ad- wearing their NZOIA and NZCA hats. paddlers at all. In September 1993 we vocate this if necessary. There are KASK members with heavy duty sea hired kayaks from one of the long plenty of other places to go tramping, going experience also were very help- established operators. Our group com- but the coast from Marahau to ful when we came to deciding on the prised a double kayak and three sin- Onetahuti Beach is ideal for kayaking, skills base requirements. The result is gles. Another double set off at the especially for introducing novices to a workable scheme which has built its same time as us, and we met one other coastal paddling. It is likely that this own mana. The polytechs and out- group of about five singles during our would also provide more off-season door trusts quickly picked up on the five day trip. clients for the commercial operators. SKOANZ syllabus as a basis for their outdoors leaders and adventure tour- In July last year all the ‘established KASK should leave the commercial ism courses. operators’ were closed for the winter, operators to sort themselves out, it is and we hired from the one company none of our business. The cowboys What may not be readily understood open for business. On the day we set will eventually find the going too tough is that the SKOANZ scheme is a quali- out, our operator accompanied two and disappear, but a good level of fication, and it is based on an assess- clients on a day trip. When we came competition for clients is necessary to ment process. It is not a skills devel- back three days later, we met him with keep prices down and service stand- opment course. It is also focussed on another two day-paddlers, but in be- ards high. assessing guiding skills not necessar- tween we had not seen another kayak. ily how good a paddler you are. Where We always paddle with our eyes open, As far as finding a beach to your self and how you obtain the skills has been so where is the problem with over- in mid-summer or at Easter is con- something the commercial operators crowding? cerned, forget it! Even with some re- have left to individuals to get from strictions it will not get that good wherever they can - ‘Training Provid- Obviously kayaking the coast has be- again. Put your wetsuit on and go in ers’ such as Polytechs and outdoor come rather more popular in January the winter.

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