The Sea Canoeist Newsletter No.52 - August - September 1994 THE SEA CANOEIST NEWSLETTER Issue 52 August - September 1994 Editor: P Caffyn, RD 1, Runanga. West Coast .N.Z. Ph/Fax: (03) 7311806 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 $10.00 per annum & should be made out to K.A.S.K. (NZ) Inc. & sent to the Treasurer: Sandy Ferguson,12 Dunn Street, Christchurch 2. Ph: (03) 332 5155 home, Fax: (03) 364 2110 Correspondence to the Secretary: Peter Sullivan, 7 Monowai Cres, North New Brighton, Christchurch. Ph.(03) 388 3380. INDEX FORTHCOMING EVENTS miss a roll and grovel ashore. Hoping Editorial p.1 1994 COASTBUSTERS- AUCKLAND no-one would notice me empty the Forthcoming Events p.1 14-16 OCTOBER boat, I skulked back out in time to see Kayaker Saves Dinghy Occupants The annual Coastbusters Sea Kayak- what I thought was a bloody great by John Kirk-Anderson p.1 ing Symposium is to be held in Auck- shark fin. By the time my eyes had 13.5 Days at Sea - Fiordland land over the weekend of October 14 climbed back into their sockets I real- by Bevan Walker p.2 to 16. It will be held at the Marine and ized it was the bow of the runabout Letters to the Editor p.6 Recreation Centre (MERC) at Long reaching for the sky. I beat a couple of Trip Reports. Foveaux Strait Cross- Bay on Auckland's North Shore. The wave riders to the scene, mindful of ing by Phil Handford p.7 programme will be a combination of the spoils. A young girl and her Letters to the Editor p.8 keynote speakers, panel discussions, granddad were clinging to the boat as Book Reviews p.8 & 9 workshops and practical sessions of surf knocked them around while Dad News Round Up 10 the water. Manufacturers and retail- was doing a runner, swimming for a ers will be in attendance to show the dinghy about 50m away. I got the two EDITORIAL latest in boats and equipment. away from the boat and they played At long last, a story from Bevan On Sunday morning there will be cling-ons as the surf blasted over the Walker on his trip with Craig an announcement concerning a major top. With them lying on their backs Hornblow around Fiordland in the event in the Auckland sea kayaking (they were both wearing buoyancy summer of 1990. Their trip was quite calendar for 1995. vests) and kicking we were able to a remarkable achievement consider- MERC offers full accommodation make good progress. I don’t recom- ing that the first trip from Te Waewae but with a limit of 55 beds. Delegates mend a couple of swimmers as a re- Bay to Jacksons Bay took Max are advised to book early as up to 100 placement for paddles however. As Reynolds and myself 27 days, and people are expected to attend. To ob- soon as they were on the dinghy, the even now I still consider this stretch of tain a copy of the programme and a Sumner lifeboat arrived to claim the coastline one of the most committing registration form, contact MERC by glory. The wave riders and I tried to in the world in terms of frequency of telephoning (09) 473 0714 claim salvage rights on the overturned bad weather, rough seas, and paucity or fax (09) 473 1945 runabout but our cries fell on deaf of sheltered landings. I would suggest ears. We paddled around collecting that the development of lightweight, the million-and-one things that had kevlar kayaks and the deepdraft over- floated free while seagulls cleaned up stern rudder contributed to Bevan and KAYAKER SAVES DINGHY the soggy biscuits and bread rolls. Craig's success. Max and I paddling OCCUPANTS. SALVAGE The boat was towed to shore, blowing 65 pound kayaks (unladen weight) RIGHTS REJECTED!. bubbles and getting lower with every and using matchbox size, semi-re- by John Kirk-Anderson wave. Once close to the lifeboat sta- tractable skegs, considered 30 miles I’m not sure whether to paint a Red tion the ‘headless chicken’ surfaced. I in one day quite exceptional whereas Cross or a Jolly Roger on the side of landed and watched some 10 chiefs Craig and Bevan nudged 50 miles on my kayak. After the fun and games of yelling instructions to three guys on their good days. the KASK forum, I thought I’d prac- the tow boat. After watching for five The story by Phil Handford of a tised enough rescues for awhile, but minutes, I wandered into the water successful Foveaux Strait crossing no such luck. Surf was up at Sumner with a tow rope and assisted in pulling also reflects on the importance of and I had a Seahawk out from Topsport the boat onto the ramp. My claims to sound research, planning and physi- for a play. The surf was topping out at salvage rights were brushed aside so I cal training as integral ingredients of around two metres when I saw a runa- gave up and went paddling. a safe trip or expedition. bout launch into the surf zone. I soon John Kirk-Anderson lost interest as I chose that moment to 1 The Sea Canoeist Newsletter No.52 - August - September 1994 was very close to the horizon. We light was once permanently manned 13.5 DAYS AT SEA were surrounded by breaking waves. but two of the houses have now been A Sea Kayaking Odyssey in We had to find a channel to go over removed. The light is now powered Fiordland - February 1990 this reef. It was low tide. by batteries and charged by a solar by Bevan Walker Craig and Keith were just behind panel. We had lunch here and looking DAY 1 - Te Waewae Bay to me as I approached the reef. A large to the north-west we could see Cape Green Islets wave lifted me up and I surfed down Providence in the distance, our camp It was 12.20pm and we had just bro- it’s steep face. Over the shallow reef for the evening. ken out through the surf at Te Waewae and into smooth water, I glanced over We pushed off from our small cove Bay. We had been planning for this my shoulder and saw Keith knocked and round the outside of Coal Island trip for quite some time and at last we sideways with a breaking wave but he and across to Gulches Head, through were on our way. The team included rounded the Nordkapp up and soon Break Adrift Passage, the sea was Craig Hornblow, Keith Dekkers and they were alongside me on calm wa- lifting. Gulches Head is jagged with myself. Keith was going to come half ter. It was a step-out landing on a numerous rocks sticking up. Across way with us, up to Doubtful Sound sandy beach rising to a small flat piece to Chalky Island and around the out- then go over Wilmot Pass to Lake of land with a steep cliff behind. We side and then straight into Landing Manapouri. Craig and myself were made camp in fading light, had tea Bay at Cape Providence to Pickersgill heading for Jacksons Bay in South and climbed into our sleeping bags. It Harbour Westland. I had undertaken several was a great feeling. We had achieved This was another good landing on a kayaking trips in Fiordland but had over sixty kms in eight and a half boulder beach in a sheltered bay. We never been right around the outside in hours non stop. This coast is wide moved the kayaks into the bush, one go and never on the south coast open to the Southern Ocean and we grabbed our overnight gear and walked before. could see by the driftwood that some through the bush on an overgrown Our Nordkapps were heavily loaded massive storms must come this way. track to the outside coast. Down a with a month’s supplies. An average steep bank to a shingle beach where a swell was rolling in and as we paddled DAY 2 - Green Islets to cave was found. This was an old around Sand Hill Point it started to lift Cape Providence sealers gang cave that was used last and a 15 knots south-east breeze was We are up before the sun, a small fire century. It was a dry cave in all nearly directly astern. Conditions were going, cooking our breakfast. The weather, big enough to swing an axe really good - the day was warm and sun lifted up over the horizon and in. We made our first radio contact the swell and a lump on top whipped shone through one of the headland’s and heard a marine forecast which up by the following breeze. With archways. It looked promising for a sounded good. Tea was cooking over such good conditions, quite rare on good day’s paddle around Puysegur a small fire at the entrance of the cave. this south coast, we wanted to go all Point, the south-western extremity of This part of Fiordland is rarely visited day and land just before dark. the South Island and considered the by kayaks and we were feeling very We headed past Sand Hill Point and crux of a kayaking trip around Fiord- pleased with our progress and the pointed the bows westwards. Two land. The tide was half out as we conditions.