SeaTrek Navigation Tools and Rules www.vskc.org.au Winter/Spring 2015 Issue 84 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 84 Winter/Spring 2015 In this Edition Regular Columns Editorial 4 President’s Podcast 4 Feature Using a GPS for kayak navigation (Raia Wall) 6 Rule of Twelfths and 50/90 Rule revisited (Helmut Heinze) 8 Gear A year in the Epic 16x (Helmut Heinze) 11 Day Trips and Overnighters The Prom Alternative — Gippsland Lakes ( Terry Bary ) 12 To the First Village in Scotland (David Golightly and Heather Tor- bet) 13 Keppel Snippets (Bronwyn Skowronski) 16 Greenland — Sea Kayaking Heaven (Richard Rawling) 18 Cover Food for Thought Photo: Helmut Heinze Skills and anxieties (Roger Bellchambers) 29 Missing the Point? Women in Kayaking (Kate Hives (Vancouver Island, BC)) 29 Do you Leave No Trace? (Bronwyn Skowronski) 31 Club Life Sigla Walkerville Weekend (27–28 June 2015) (Greg Skowronski) 33 Level 3 Surf Assessment (Steve Collins) 34 Level 3 Assessment BF: Bob Fergie • BS: Bronwyn Skowronski • DG: David Golightly • GO: Gerard OReilly • GS: Greg Weekend (Steve Collins, Helmut Heinze, Gerard Oreilly, Kerry Vo- Skowronski • GT: Graeme Thompson • HH: Hel- gele and Graeme Thompson) 35 mut Heinze • HT: Heather Thorbet • KH: Kate Hives • KV: Kerrie Vogele • LC: Lynden Costin • PC: Peter Costello • RR: Richard Rawling • RS: Roger Bellchambers • RW: Raia Wall • SC: Steve Collins • TB: Terry Barry. Responsible Editor for this Edition: Helmut Heinze Contact [email protected] Photo Stories http://www.vskc.org.au On—In—Under at Waratah Bay — Photo Story (Bronwyn c Victorian Sea Kayak Club – http://vskc.org.au Skowronski) p37 SeaTrek 84 Regular Columns Editorial in a separate small pond. I of kayaking in two ways. own navigation challenges briefly hesitated but could One. All natural envi- that have to be dealt with. not see to make it work ronments are at the same Low-tech or high-tech? for me, to my own disap- time cultural environments. A compass, a chart, a wet pointment and of those lo- A landscape may be ideal to thumb, a GPS? High-tech cals who were taking snaps be explored from a kayak preparation before the trip of me all the time on their but pollution and regula- and low-tech execution on smart phones, for Fuzhou tions may prohibit it. In this the water? What works, does not encounter many respect we are very lucky what doesn’t?— I would tourists at all. Let alone in Australia with environ- like to explore these ques- long-nosed ones. mental conditions by and tions a bit more, starting What is the connec- large improving since the with this Seatrek. tion between long-distance mid 70s. Still we can do As always I am most jet travel and kayaking? our tiny bit — see Bronwyn grateful to our authors, Some club members travel Skowronski’s opinion piece our prolific regulars, our around the world either in this edition. first-timers and our guest to get on the water (read Two. The topic of nav- contributor. A big Thank Richard Rawlings account igation. There’s a strange, Your to all who have con- of his Greenland adven- inverse connection between tributed (in order of their ture in this edition) or at jet aviation and kayaking. initials): Bob Fergie, Bron- least manage to sneak in a In a fast jet the motion wyn Skowronski, David paddle worth writing home determines place and time. Golightly, Gerard Oreilly, about (David Golightly and Good enough a kajak ersatz? Flying east or west, your Greg Skowronski, Graeme Heather Torbet). watch is always wrong. Thompson, Heather Thor- I myself had to contend The Fujian province is There’s the local time of the bet, Kate Hives, Kerrie with winter paddles in local full of shippable water- departure port, the destina- Vogele, Richard Rawling, waters with some time off ways, rivers with strong tion port, and the current Roger Bellchambers, Raia due to the flu and a visit to currents winding through location. The fast motion Wall, Steve Collins and South China in June. valleys with steep moun- compresses or dilates time Terry Barry. There I was in Fuzhou, a tains. Scenes out of a on the clock, determines Finally the obligatory provincial capital with few Chinese picture book. A the season when crossing not exactly kayaking re- attractions and a steamy kayaker’s dream. Yet the the equator, changes the lated (but close enough) hot climate. Suffering se- rivers are a brown sludge location and its attributes. reading recommendation: vere kayaking withdrawal and carry a whiff of de- Navigation in aviation has A. J. Mackinnon, The Un- symptoms — even a mid- cay and sweet smelling to deal with these dynam- likely Voyage of Jack de winter Red Eye in pitch chemicals, bringing back ics criss-crossing the globe.. Crow. Collingwood: Black darkness started to look ap- childhood memories of the Navigation in kayaking, in Inc, 2009. A young teacher pealing — I was looking river Rhine in Germany. contrast, is bound to the travelling in a 12 foot sail- for some on-the-water ac- Most Chinese never learn local conditions, and the ing dinghy from England to tivity. Our hotel was next to to swim — so the concept actual motion of kayaks the Black Sea. A craft even a central leisure park with of water sports in general is influenced by tidal cur- slower than a sea kayak. a large ornamental shallow and boating in particular rents and local wind condi- Light entertainment, well muddy lake. But all it of- has not emerged. tions. These are sufficiently written. fered to the burgeoning ur- This China trip and strong forces to be dealt Enjoy! ban middle class were some other long-distant travels with. Thus, travelling in Helmut Heinze (Editor) motor-driven plastic swans bring me back to the topic a sea kayak comes with its c Victorian Sea Kayak Club – http://vskc.org.au 4 SeaTrek 84 Regular Columns President’s Podcast states and territories be- join us for this year’s VSKC water tasks, testing leader- yond Qld. It was an honor Blue Water Paddle Fest in ship, judgement and sea- to have been invited by a spirit of welcoming reci- manship proficiency. This the organizer, Tim Mor- procity. was then followed by a two ris, to provide some Green- hour theory exam requiring land paddling and rolling an 80% pass mark. instruction as one of five in- While this was a very structors (Rob Mercer, Dave enjoyable time together, Winkworth, Garry Forest, everyone (instructors in- Lyndon Brown being the cluded) concluded the Photo: Tim Morris other four). We were kept weekend feeling rather busy over the five days weary given the demands As the weather warms leading trips and offered a of assessment tasks. I’m up quite a few folk are get- broad range of training in- certainly looking forward ting back into the water af- struction. I was also asked to presenting certificates to ter a period of winter hi- to give an evening presen- Showing little respect ... the successful candidates at bernation. Others, on the tation based on one of my the Blue Water Paddle Fest other hand, have enjoyed paddling proverbs: Capsize over the Cup weekend (in a range of paddling trips may be inevitable, but it’s spite of them showing little through the winter period also recoverable. respect for my presidential not only along the Victo- carcass on one occasion). rian coast but interstate and The time and commit- overseas as well. This issue ment involved in provid- of Sea Trek includes articles ing these training programs on a number of these. Per- are not insignificant and I sonally, I find winter pad- thank all those who have dling a real delight and I’ve been involved, candidates enjoyed regular opportuni- and instructors alike. While ties to get out on the wa- L3 Assessment — Photos: TB Training is not our primary ter for day trips in the main.