Bass Strait: First Woman Solo Crossing.

It was great to receive one last update text from Shaan Gresser on Friday the 25th February to confirm that she had safely arrived at Little Musselroe Bay and in so doing, became the first woman to kayak across Bass Strait single handed.

Last year when we discussed her preparation for the solo trip I asked her whether it might be a "first". She just shrugged her shoulders and made it obvious that this was not even part of her motivation for making the crossing. For Shaan, the freedom of travelling on her own and the opportunity to explore the wild and beautiful Islands of Eastern Bass Strait were the key attractions.

Shaan rightly recognised the precarious nature of solo paddling and set out to make herself as safe and self sufficient as possible through solid training, good technique and detailed research of the Straits. Although lacking the brute strength of some other paddlers, Shaan made up for it with fitness and attitude. In the months leading up to the crossing her increase in speed had many wondering what was driving her and now they know!

Shaan's success is a reminder of what we can acheive if we commit ourselves to a challenge and keep a clear sight of our goals. Her trip should inspire many of her peers who have the ability and the desire. I am sure many will ask themselves why they shouldn't be next and hopefully they will pull out the maps and start planning.

Congratulations Shaan.

Stuart Can Do It - Stuart Trueman's Biggest Adventure Yet

Many years ago I can remember sitting on the beach at North Era and reluctantly deciding to join the rest of the group portaging all our gear and boats about a kilometre over a steep hill and muddy track to South Era to avoid an almost impenetrable surf that had built up overnight. I say "almost" because Stuart Trueman was already sitting out the back.

With a minimum of fuss, he had paddled straight through the whole horrible mess. An air of dread descended among the so called "hard men" who were still back on the beach. Discretion was no longer an option and boats were readied for the challenge. (So much for the non competitive nature of sea kayaking!)

A paddle was broken, backs strained and egos battered but ultimately the rest of us walked to South Era. From that day forward I realised Stuart was a pretty unique and focused character.

As I watched him paddle into Watsons Bay many years later nothing had changed except the challenges just seemed to be getting bigger. Given the sheer scale of his present undertaking and the distance he has achieved already, it was great to find his dry wit and good humour intact.

It was a highlight of recent evening paddles to have Stuart as our special guest and a real privilege to buy him a beer. In return we got to hear his understated but at times chilling account of paddling the big cliffs at night and trying to land through heavy surf only to discover undercut rock platforms where he had hoped for sand.

Stuart's respect for the achievements of others separates him from most others at the sharp end of the kayaking world. On numerous occasions I have seen him listening to vivid accounts of more modest adventures with the same genuine keenness as he would if he were comparing notes with peers. Then again he has so few equals in the sea kayaking world that these exchanges are probably an important means to remind Stuart that there are many people from a pretty broad demographic in the paddling community who share his passion for open water adventure.

I think Stuart is refreshed by these meetings with paddlers experienced enough to grasp the enormity of his project. To sit around a table with people who at least speak the same language of sea kayaking, must be very reassuring when compared to the chance meetings with so many strangers who, despite their good intentions, know nothing of kayaking and just keep asking WHY? or even worse, dismiss his efforts as "madness".

Stuart left Sydney on Wednesday. I paddled with him for a while as he eased into the steady pace that has pushed his kayak to so many wild and wonderful places. As I watched him disappear along the cliffs of North Head I realised that regardless of where I was over the next 7 or 8 months I could be pretty sure that Stuart would be out there clocking up the sea miles heading for Broome and planning his next adventure.


Owen, Bill, Mark, Rae, Stuart, Wendy, Matt and Brett off Diamond Bay.

Sandy Robson.

I first met Sandy a few years ago, about 1nm SE of Cape Banks. She had just paddled from Melbourne, visiting Sydney enroute to Cape York so I organised to escort her to Sydney Harbour and show her around.

When I left La Perouse to find her there were camera crews lining the shore hoping to snap photos of a Great White shark that was reputed to be eating pelicans and stray dogs around Botany Bay. As I launched you could almost feel the air of hopeful anticipation that I would lure up the monster and become a newsworthy victim in gory full colour.

Long before I spotted Sandy their hopes were thwarted as I became an ever diminshing but intact dot on the horizon and a story of far more substance quietly paddled under their noses.

The next chapter in Sandy's adventurous story is planned to commence next year when she retraces the first leg of the epic voyage of German adventurer, Oskar Speck who paddled a folding kayak from Germany to Australia arriving in North Australian territorial waters at the onset of WW2.

She was recently in Sydney to research the Oskar Speck archives retained at the Australian Maritime museum and also test paddle some boats while she was here.

Sharon and I were lucky enough to catch up with her for a meal, share some paddling stories and to talk about her upcoming trip.This is a fascinating project and one worth following over the upcoming months.

I will put up a link to her new website as soon as it goes online.

QSKC Big Weekend.

(photo courtesy Eddie Safrik)

Last Friday night members of the Queensland Sea Kayak Club were out in force to hear what three of their most adventurous members had been up to out on the Capricorn Cays. This trip has caused a buzz of interest along the east coast; especially North of the border where there is a sense of excitement that a trail through the offshore cays has been forged and pride that local QSKC kayakers made it first.

I suspect google earth has received a hammering from many of the eighty plus members and guests who crammed into the beautiful old Yacht club in Brisbane and were inspired by the Capricorn Cays story. It may very well be that even as I write this report cyberspace is buzzing with virtual trips as many ask themselves whether they might have a crack at this logistically convenient but challenging voyage that has been waiting so many years to be paddled.

It was a really upbeat and positive night and I was honored to be invited to introduce the boys and speak about the significance of the trip.

From their presentation we learned how team work and cohesion helped them through their toughest day on the water and it was a relief to see the contrast of paradise juxtaposed with the hardship of getting there. There were images contributed by all three paddlers with photos, chart extracts and GPS tracks arranged so we could match the images with their location and chronology. The teamwork that had served them so well on the trip was in evidence throughout the show with the guys working together to convey to the audience just what it was like to kayak out among the cays. I was especially impressed by some of Eddies beautifully composed seascapes and the groups underwater wildlife images.

Commodore Graham (aqua) Dredge and his team of volunteers are to be commended on a great night. There was strong sense of community in the waterfront clubhouse making it feel very cosy despite the wind flogging the rigging of nearby yachts, and rain lashing the weatherboards. As I looked around the room I realised how many of these people I had paddled or trained with over the last few years and knew I was among friends. So I settled in, enjoying the good vibe, trying not to think about how I would manage the training scheduled for next morning.

The following day didn't really dawn at all. The cloud hung low maintaining a deluge over Gary's place on the ''Sunshine Coast'' and the sky stayed a dull predawn colour until just before we packed the car and headed for Mooloolaba Beach.

With a Gale forecast and the closest coastal observations at Cape Moreton already recording mid thirty to low forty knot gusts we opted for a morning of stroke blending and balance skills on the coffee coloured canals of the Mooloola River. As we lined up to launch I was pleased to see the vast majority were skeg boats well suited to some of the tight turns and other tricks we were going to try.

The plan had been to use the sheltered corner of the ocean beach to start the day then work out into more exposed conditions just before lunch, but the wind kept us inside the river all morning. Fortunately I had designed a plan B program with Gary late the night before and this kept us busy until lunch.

In the afternoon the group composition changed a little with some of the morning group retiring to warmer places and some new recruits joining us for a session on mentoring skills aimed at guides and leaders. Peer review and role play exercises raised some interesting questions and a few laughs.

Throughout the day I was impressed with how receptive paddlers were to new approaches and different techniques. I think local instructors and senior club members should be pleased with the way their next wave of adventurous kayakers are developing, it is a credit to all involved. The QSKC is a relatively young club but they are definitely coming of age as the skill base continues to deepen.

I have always enjoyed paddling with the Queensland Club, the hospitality is warm and the passion for paddling is hot even when the weather isn't. Special thanks to Gary, Eddy and Paul for a fine presentation and the invitation to come along to the show, Commodore Dredge and his team for hosting the evening and organising the training day, to Gary again for being an exemplary host and fellow instructor and, most important, to all those who attended training on Saturday for your commitment and good humour.

Above: All smiles, whatever the weather. (photo Graham Dredge)

Above: Gary helps Martin fine tune his roll. ( photo Graham Dredge)

Above: The group tries a rotation exercises I picked up from Ginni

(Photo Eddie Safrik)

Above: Commodore Dredge pictured admiring the new club support vessel named in his honor.
(photo Eddie Safrik)

Making The Grade

(Above: posed rolls in flat water are only the beginning. Photo: Sharon Betteridge)

During skills assessments I always take the time to remind participants of the artificial nature of certification, after all it is the skill and judgement and not the piece of paper that matter. In a tricky situation the most futile strategy would surely be to wave your nicely printed certificate at an angry sea.

Just the same, a valid assessment provides a good opportunity to demonstrate both physical and communication skills in swell, sea and surf. The best rolls happen spontaneously and effective boat control is proven during rescues or other realistic tasks at sea. It is simply not possible to second guess how paddlers with apparently solid skills on the flat will adapt to dynamic water; some paddlers who work with the waves actually look better when it is lively whilst others operate with little or no feel for the sea. To 'keep it real' I often postpone assessments because the day offers too few or too many challenges.

Last Wednesday I drove past twenty of Sydney's favourite ocean beaches through heavy traffic, en route to Barrenjoey. The reason for the extra drive was a heavy 2-3 metre southerly groundswell that was hammering the open coast producing surf way beyond the: ''surf to 1 metre" specified in the award.

The extra driving provided us with a short paddle to surrounding headlands where we worked through rescue and towing scenarios in rebound and a freshening sea breeze. These activities were intensive but not unrealistic when you consider how often rescues, self rescues and towing happen in clusters in real life. At lunch we negotiated the surf at Umina Beach and as planned, the waves were worn down to manageable size by the natural breakwaters of Broken Bay, Lion Island and the reef off the southern point.

Sitting off the point of Umina it was still hard to imagine that the two metre plus mounds rolling under our boats had really lost much power as they pounded the middle of the beach and everyone seemed pleased with the easier landing through smaller surf and reflected waves close to "kiddies corner". After lunch and a stretch we took to the surf to demonstrate support strokes,control strokes and rolls. By this time the break zone had become more erratic with onshore wind chopping up the surface and a few rips cutting across the break to add an element of surprise.

The debrief is always a tough time for me. There are clear guidelines for the assessor and all the boxes need to be ticked for a successful performance. This is easy when you are reading through the document in a comfy chair at home, but on the day, there are always many shades of grey. As always the big hurdles seem to be surf and the reentry and roll in open water. These are also the easiest ones for the assessor; a roll that doesn't finish with the paddler upright is is obviously not working no matter how you view it and support strokes that don't work in small waves are also pretty plain to see. What is harder to measure is the attitude that will make a safe sea paddler. Fellow assessor Stuart Trueman once commented that skills without judgement just increase the ability to find trouble and if we focus on self rescue as the answer to every situation then some paddlers will make their plans based on getting out of trouble rather than staying out of trouble in the first place.

At the end of a long day, despite a generally strong performance everyone still had some work to do to complete their assessment, so it was rewarding that the group viewed the exercise as a valuable learning experience in its own right and a chance to take stock of personal progress. Beyond the piece of paper it is this self awareness that will stand these paddlers in good stead as they "make the grade".

Onshore Winds

Recent winter westerlies and pulses of groundswell have created some clean and heavy surf against the coast. Serious surfers live for the alignment of these wind and swell events but for sea kayakers these conditions mean hard launch/landings on open beaches and a perilous slog across embayments or when returning from offshore islands.

In contrast, the onshore winds that shred the swells and ruin the surf, also kick up steep sided wind waves right against the coast providing hectic but often enjoyable kayaking conditions.

In deep water the rounder and more majestic swells travel far faster than we can paddle. According to the "Users Guide to Australian Coast"*, deep water swell waves with a 15 second period between crests will have a wavelength of 350metres and be travelling at 45knots! These are the impossible rides we try to catch as they roll under us at sea, and by the time they are are slow enough to catch they are in shallow water with almost vertical or barrelling faces that munch sea kayaks.

By comparison, even large wind waves of comparable height produced by a recent change will travel at only a fraction of the local wind speed thus providing steep close spaced waves that may travel within the sprint range of kayaks and other paddle craft and dissipate into foamy turbulence when they approach the beach.

Initially the new wind produces ''chop" travelling at around twenty percent of the wind speed. Over time this will approach 50percent of the wind speed as the waves reach a fully developed state, at which time they will be around 5 times as steep as swell waves of the same height.

So local winds produce waves that are steep, relatively slow, and close together even in deep water. When these winds are onshore, typically from the southeast or northeast, we are fully exposed as soon as we reach the sea and with careful planning or good luck we can often enjoy a downhill ride home at the end of our exertions.

The following shots were taken paddling into a fresh ENEaster earlier this week, there was almost no underlying swell off Sydney so almost all the wave action was the result of existing local conditions. When we had finished our workout we turned downwind and the following seas provided some excellent runners for everyone. There are no downwind images because :

1) The return paddle was over too fast.

2) I was having too much fun to take photos.

3) I was too busy listening to the skeg hum.

Hans approaching some wind driven waves .

Note the difference in elevation between Matt and I. This is a good indicator that things are getting steeper.

Henry in the foreground with the Stern of Alan's boat pointing skyward in the background

Alan about to get wet. Sooner or later the toppling crests dont break somewhere else.


*For an excellent discussion of wind, waves and swell see "The Users Guide To The Australian Coast" by Greg Laughlin, New Holland Press 1997.

Solo

This week I cancelled my Tuesday night paddle and headed to the Blue Mountains for the launch of Vicki McAuley's book, SOLO.When I returned home just on midnight I started reading and after just a few pages I was compelled to read the whole book in one long sleepless sitting, I simply couldnt put it down.

The book stands as Vicki's personal tribute to husband Andrew McAuley and a chronicle of her personal voyage as she learns to live with her loss and find the courage to keep going.

It is a powerful and honest account and through the pages you get the feeling that Andrew's spirit of optimism and passion continues to support and inspire her. It is an exploration of what drives an extreme adventurer written by the person who knew him best.

Many modern adventurers claim to be ordinary folks who just want to do extraordinary things but this book avoids this cliche to present Andrew as a gifted natural athlete driven by an impulse to explore the limits of human performance. To those of us who paddled with him at one time or another I think this is a far more honest appraisal; he really was an elite adventurer without being elitist.

Anecdotes covering earlier kayaking expeditions and climbing adventures are interwoven into the text to illuminate the bigger issues of outdoor adventure, self sufficiency, and community attitudes to risk. Also included in the book are emails and letters that cover a broad range of opinions along with Vicki's responses, but the key to the success of the book lies in her willingness to write from the heart.

It has been famously said of adventurers that if you need to ask the question then you will never understand the answer. For those who ponder these issues Vicki's brave words will help to enlighten.

If you buy a copy through the EK website, Vicki receives all the proceeds.