The Sea Canoeist Newsletter No. 104 April - May 2003 THE SEA CANOEIST NEWSLETTER Cover photo from the LRB3 - Third Edition of the KASK Handbook Just wait till you see it in colour! Bevan Walker, paddling into a strong nor-wester, Thompson Sound, Fiordland. Photo: Craig Hornblow The Journal of the Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers (N.Z.) Inc. - KASK 1 No. 104 April - May 2003 KASK LRB3 - KASK HANDBOOK RUAHINE Whitewater Club KASK, the Kiwi Association of Sea 71 Salisbury St., Ashhurst. Kayakers (N.Z.) Inc., a network of For a copy of this mother of all sea kayaking handbooks, contact KASK Ph: 06 326 8667 Fax: 06 326 8472 New Zealand sea kayakers, has the http:/ objectives of: Treasurer, Max Grant, 71 Salisbury St. ruahinewhitewater.orcon.net.nz 1. promoting and encouraging the BAY OF PLENTY sport of sea kayaking Ashhurst, 5451 Ph: (06) 326 8527 home Alan Hall 2. promoting safety standards Ph: 07 579 2922 Fax: 07 579 2923 3. developing techniques & Fax: (06) 326 8472 email: [email protected] email: [email protected] equipment ROTORUA/TAUPO Area 4. dealing with issues of coastal COST: New members: gratis Emma Haxton access and protection email: [email protected] 5. organizing an annual sea kayak Existing members: to be advised Non-members: $to be advised Phone: 07 357 4660 forum NEW PLYMOUTH Contact 6. publishing a bimonthly Make cheques out to KASK (NZ) Inc.Trade enquiries to Max Grant. Bob Talbot, newsletter. 10 Ranfurly St., Waitara. THE LRB3, or the Little Red Book Ph: 06 754 4191(H) or 0274 457038 The Sea Canoeist Newsletter is pub- email: [email protected] lished bimonthly as the official news- 3rd. Edition, is a mammoth compila- tion on all aspects of sea kayaking in WELLINGTON Sea Kayak Network letter of the Kiwi Association of Sea Christine Coshan, PO Box 26052, Kayakers (N.Z.) Inc. New Zealand, by many of the most experienced paddlers in the Universe. Newlands, Wellington Following a brief introduction, the email: [email protected] Articles, trips reports, book reviews, Website:Http:// equipment reviews, new techniques, handbook is divided into six sections: - Kayak, Paddle & Equipment homepages.paradise.net.nz/ianjenki/ letter to the editor, and moments when SeaKayak/index.SeaKayak.html the word 'Bugger!' was said singu- -Techniques & Equipment - The Elements larly or often {referred to by some as SOUTH ISLAND incidents} are sought to enliven the - Trips and Expeditions pages of the newsletter. - Places to Go MARLBOROUGH - Resources Helen Woodward Send in a plain brown envelope, or via Tel (03) 578 5429 cybermail to: Each section contains up to nine sepa- [email protected] Editor: P Caffyn, rate chapters. The Resources section, NELSON RD 1, Runanga. for example has chapters on: Martin and Karen Clark West Coast .N.Z. - guide to managing a sea kayak Tel (03) 548 5835 Ph/Fax: (03) 7311806 symposium [email protected] E Mail address: - Paddling Literature CANTERBURY Sea Kayak Network [email protected] - Author profiles Andy & Deirdre Sheppard - Guides and Rental Operators 53 Kent Lodge Ave KASK Annual Subscriptions are: - Network Addresses Avonhead, Christchurch. 8004 $25 single membership - Sea Kayaks in NZ listing Ph: (03) 342 7929 $30 family membership. email: [email protected] $35 overseas SEA KAYAKING OTAGO Cheques should be made out to: Rob Tipa K.A.S.K. (NZ) Inc. & sent to the NETWORK (03) 478 0360 KASK Treasurer: [email protected] Max Grant, 71 Salisbury St. ADDRESSES SOUTHLAND Ashhurst, 5451 NORTH ISLAND Stan Mulvany Ph: (06) 326 8527 home 03 215 7263 NORTHLAND [email protected] Fax: (06) 326 8472 Brian Lamerton email: [email protected] SKOANZ Tel (09) 437 2858 Sea Kayak Operators Assn. NZ AUCKLAND CANOE CLUB Correspondence to the Secretary: Dave Watson, President PO Box 147-282 c/o P.O. Box 255, Picton Maurice Kennedy Ponsonby, Auckland. PO Box 11461 Ph: (+64) 03 573 6078 email: auckland-canoe-club Fax: (+64) 03 573 8827 Manners St., [email protected]. Wellington. email: HAURAKI Kayak Group [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Pelham Housego PO Box 46-146, Herne Bay, Auckland KASK Website: www.kask.co.nz 2 The Sea Canoeist Newsletter INDEX EDITORIAL Prayers or Safety Equipment? LRB3 The ‘Bugger!’ File report, on the cou- ple rescued off St Heliers, brought to Editorial p.3 With a huge sigh of relief, I sent the new mother of all sea kayaking hand- mind two instances of prayer and sea kayaking. The February ‘Reader’s Kask Committe Column p.4 books to the printer on 20 May. Al- though the overall format is un- Digest’ has a story titled simply ‘SOS’. A 28 year old Hawaiian paddler, an NZ Home Building Kayak changed, the third edition has many evangelical youth pastor, was into the Website p.4 changes. Most conspicuous is the cover with a brilliant colour photo of third day of a week long coastal cruise. He had a sail up and was capsized by New Committee Members Bevan Walker paddling into a bit of a a squall. His rescue equipment was a Alan Hall p.4 breeze in Fiordland. The pic, taken by mobile phone, but as he was progres- Doug Vickery p.5 Craig Hornblow, is one of the best I have seen of sea kayaking. Although sively blown out to sea, he had no way of providing his location to the USA NZ TRIP REPORTS the rain is teeming down, and Bevan Coastguard. Rescue planes flew over- Stewart Island Circumnavigation is punching into a lousy chop, the head but without a signal mirror or Richie Bailey p.6 huge grin shows he is enjoying him- self immensely. flares he could not signal the aircraft. One night a Japanese vessel almost Lake Manapouri Circumnavigation ran him down. He was unable to sig- Evan Pugh p.9 Already, I have had two moans about the cover pic; the marketing side of nal for a rescue - no light or flares! Chalky & Preservation Inlet our esteemed president wants a pic of 160km out to sea, an astute Coast- Brent Harrison p.10 a sunny, calm day off Rangitoto Is- land with skimpy bikini clad pad- guard officer was able to guestimate his position from the time a rescue KASK FORUMS/MINIFORUMS dlers, while our hardworking treas- plane flew overhead and the position 2003 KASK Forum Appreciation urer is concerned that kayak manu- of a distant island with respect to the Malcolm Geard p.11 facturers will be peeved with the kayak sun. This bloke was praying and writ- OSKA/KASK Aromoana Miniforum shown! New chapters include Kayak ing his will in his bible, when the pilot Rob Tipa p.11 Kookery, GPS Navigation, the Rotorua Lakes and Tidal Streams. saw a ‘flyspeck of red kayak and yellow vest’. A rescue helicopter BOOK REVIEWS Nearly every chapter has been re- plucked this bloke to safety. I only hope ‘Southern Exposure’ written or updated. I would like to the Coastguard gave him a good talking by Chris Duff thanks all those involved for their too, with respect to carrying flares, a review: John-Kirk-Anderson p.12 time and effort: signal mirror and a VHF radio if he ever review: Cathye Haddock p.12 John Kirk-Anderson paddles out to sea again! ‘User’s Guide to the Australian Coast’ Stephen Counsell review: Paul Caffyn p.14 Innes Dunstan Conrad Edwards The second instance involves a slide show I gave to the Balclutha Lions THE ‘BUGGER!’ FILE John Flemming Club, many moons ago, on the Round Hauraki Gulf Romantic Date Max Grant Australia trip. Following what I NZ Herald p.13 Maxine Handford Phil Handford thought was a riveting talk, I was shocked and stunned when the presi- HUMOUR Rebecca Heap dent asked me, “If I believed in God?” Alternative Fuel Source p.15 Mark Hutson When I answered, “No,” he com- Hunting Season for Jet Skis p.15 Kerry Howe mented, “More fool you.” It has al- More Terrible Jokes p.19 Neville Jones Vincent Maire ways niggled me that I should have said to him, that when caught in a KASK Ann Schofield storm off the Baxter Cliffs, no amount Treasurer’s Report Andy Sheppard of prayer or faith would have helped Max Grant p.17 Deirdre Sheppard my survival. It was solely my physi- Notices p.18 Peter Somerhalder Peter Sullivan cal skills, inner strength, mental tough- Margaret Thwaites ness and pre-visualisation of worst Alison Wagstaff case scenarious that carried me Special thanks to proof readers Lynda through the night. Ferguson, Kay Costley and Pagemaker To sum up, for those who rely on DEADLINE FOR MATERIAL spellcheck. prayer to get through a dicky situa- FOR N/L No. 105 = 15 July 2003 If you see any glaring errors in the tion, make sure you have all the vital text, apart from punctuation and for- safety equipment items, to ensure your matting, let me know please. prayers are answered promptly. 3 No. 104 April - May 2003 cations. May many more recreational KASK sea kayakers follow their example. New Committee Committee Members The KASK website When we did the membership survey Column ALAN HALL by Vincent Maire last year, the results clearly showed us that the KASK website needed to be I first heard of kayaking in 1959 as a upgraded. This has now been com- 16 year-old first year apprentice, from Training pleted. A new page devoted to train- a work mate who had got hold of plans On a recent club trip I met up with ing has been added; the home page for a kayak.