Coast Boast a New Competition Sponsored by Prokayaks Narrabeen
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THE MAGAZINE OF THE NSW SEA KAYAK CLUB ISSUE 104 | MARCH 2017 Coast Boast a new competition sponsored by ProKayaks Narrabeen Solo or Group - what is your paddle style? | Shorebirds and Waders of NSW | Strength Training | The NSW Islands Challenge is underway | South Coast NSW | Raja Ampat 2 Above: Caoimhin Ardren exiting from High Tide Pool at Seal Rocks at low tide (Image - Adrian Clayton). Front cover: Nick Blacklock getting distracted on the last day of the trip from CONTENTS Batemans Bay to Eden (Image - Caoimhin Ardren) From the President’s Deck 3 NSW Sea Kayak Club Inc. From the Editor’s Desk 3 PO BOX R1302, ROYAL EXCHANGE NSW 1225 Solo or Group? 4 The NSWSKC is a voluntary organisation run by members who give their time freely to the club. Membership is offered yearly. Please see the website for details Shorebirds & Waders of NSW 12 and application. www.nswseakayaker.asn.au PRESIDENT: TRIPS CONVENOR: Surf and Turf 16 Megan Pryke Selim Tezcan [email protected] [email protected] Tight Arse Corner 18 VICE PRESIDENT: ROCK ’N ROLL COORDINATOR: The Coast Boast 19 Tony Murphy Simon Swifte [email protected] [email protected] Strength training for kayaking 22 SECRETARY/TREASURER: INTERNET COORDINATOR: Saltiest Submission 24 Alison Curtin Stephan Meyn [email protected] [email protected] Kayak snorkelling 25 TRAINING COORDINATOR: EDITOR: Club Trips Nick Blacklock Ruby Ardren [email protected] [email protected] Five Islands, Wollongong 26 Contributions yes please! Salt the magazine of the NSW Sea Kayak Club is published three to four times a year by the NSW Sea Kayak Club. The NSWSKC welcomes articles relating to sea kayaking for inclusion in the Club’s magazine and website. Publication in the magazine and/or website is at the sole discretion Montague Island 28 of the editor. All articles submitted are subject to review by the editor who reserves the right to reject or edit material. Please email contributions as Microsoft Word or text files. Images need to be supplied at the Private Trips highest possible resolution. All material is copyright. The contributor retains underlying intellectual property rights in the contribution however the contributor grants the club a global perpetual all-media license to publish the contribution in club communications, including in print and digitally. Reproduction in whole or Bay of Islands, NZ 32 part is strictly forbidden without written permission from the editor, author or photographer. Advertisers must adhere to legal requirements and undertake to indemnify NSWSKC against any consequences South Coast NSW 36 arising out of their advertisements. For further information contact the editor. All views expressed in this magazine are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Five go to Raja Ampat 40 NSWSKC. IMPORTANT: Please review the Paddler Safety, Required Equipment, Grading System and Club Calendar An uninhabited island 42 sections of the club website. MARCH 2017 | SALT 3 smart phone! I have poked around From the the back end and found it to work better than I felt was rumoured. For a club our size it really assists President’s to achieve effective and efficient, paperless administration and record keeping. Deck This is the sixth year that Stephan has been in the internet coordinator MEGAN PRYKE role. Unfortunately, per the club’s constitution this means that Stephan is due to step down. Due I have perhaps been a bit slow at to the importance of this role and formulating a vision for our club the need for a good handover to share with members. The club we are calling for expressions of is already there in so many ways. interest in the internet coordinators It has been a scorcher of a summer. What I sought to achieve when role. The club’s website backbone I am pleased that the club has had joining the club was to get out on is Joomla 2, though the long-term twenty new members join up. I the ocean, have safe adventures goal is to move to Joomla 3. The know that our Vice President Tony with great friends and this has been system is a series of plugins and is Murphy has welcomed you all. It’s achieved. My vision for the club is designed so you do not need to be tricky to name everyone, you know to have trip leaders feel they can an IT programmer. who you are. Please enjoy your first lead club trips no differently to how Our Facebook page is up thanks edition of Salt. they would conduct private trips, to Karen Darby, and already has a The club calendar has been very except for a few bits of necessary significant following. It is a chance healthy and the registration page a administration. It does take more to check out what is going on and lot prettier. than just good intentions to be a share club experiences. The site leader, thus we need to ensure that is publically viewable. Facebook I am sorry but most likely I wont be the training, mentoring or support able to attend Rock ‘n’ Roll. It is has a lot of functionality that can of our leaders is available to those a club event that gets better each be turned on or off or changed. We who are truly passionate about sea year you go, as you know more and may broaden its scope once we kayaking. understand it more and the level of more people you share an interest demand from members. with. To the point that there’s The club website has great just not enough time to catch up functionality. I have found that I can I hope to see you all out on the big everyone you would like to. register my interest for trips from my blue, even if it is grey. From the Editor’s Desk RUBY ARDREN This issue of Salt Magazine feels article on shorebirds, a theme she a little like a photo album! Thanks intends to build on in future issues. to all those who contributed Cath Nolan thankfully continues to unsolicited articles (such a pleasure find parts of the body to talk about, to receive!) and responded to my so our health will not be neglected! call for contributions. I’m indebted And make sure you check out our to the NZ Sea Canoeist Magazine new ‘Coast Boast’ competition courtesy of Adrian Clayton. for inspiring and assisting with the (half the cost of production), so it’s Solo vs Group article, and I thank all It’s time to clean out the Salt a very good offer. Unfortunately, the those members who provided their storage cupboards, so bring along most recent two issues (including commentary on the subject. One your spare change to Rock ‘n’ Roll this one) will not be available for of our newer members, Caroline to get your copies of spare back sale, as we maintain some stock to Marschner, has contributed a great issues. They’re selling for $5 each give to new members. NSW SEA KAYAK CLUB | MARCH 2017 4 Solo or Group? A collection of views on the virtues of paddling together or alone COMPILED BY RUBY ARDREN INSPIRED BY AN ARTICLE IN THE NZ SEA CANOEIST MAGAZINE I think everything happens in time. There’s a time for everything. There’s a time to be in a group, and there’s a time to be solo. Lauryn Hill (Singer) Above: Solo UK (Image-Stuart Trueman) 5 Adrian Clayton others. This takes in other skills And talking of egos, I’ve been on beyond those of kayaking. Over the group multi-day expeditions where I reckon I’ve been sea kayaking years I’ve had many “ah ha – that’s personality clashes have detracted now for nearly 20 years. It took how it’s done (or that’s a better way from the enjoyment (never my me more than five years before of doing it)” moments observing fault of course!). Competing for the I was prepared to take on what my paddling companions – both on best tent site, having your sleep I considered a challenging solo and off the water. Some of these disrupted by a snoring or farting paddling “expedition” and that was lessons have come from the most companion – these are some of the from Sydney to Forster (nearly unexpected sources. issues the solo paddler avoids. 300kms). Subsequent solo multi- day trips have been along the NSW Paddling expeditions with others Despite my advancing years I coast and the eastern coast of provide the opportunity to avoid still think I’ve got a couple of solo Tasmania. duplication of some essential items expeditions ahead of me but my such as cooking equipment, tarps, preference nowadays is to paddle The longest time I’ve been on repair kits, etc. thus freeing up with others. Being invited to do so my own on a trip is six days – a space and lightening the load. Gear mere trifle compared to the solo might be a problem. failures become less of an issue. expeditions of others. Accompanied Expedition logistics, such as car expeditions have been greater times sharing, shuffles, are simpler. and distances – Elizabeth Beach Barry Marshall to Brisbane (700kms over 19 days) Group trips generally provide There are no doubts that both solo being the longest. a great sense of camaraderie. and group paddling has some Sitting around a fire cooking a Paddling with others advantages over the other. What I meal reviewing the day’s events, like about solo paddling is the utter Paddling with others where skills, discussing the next and swapping freedom to do as you please.