Rob, Matt & Gazza - Highs and Lows on the Capricorn Coast

Here's Rob's account of his recent trip around the Capricornia Coast with Matt & Gazza....

The Plan

The plan was to attend the Keppel Bay Kayak Symposium and then sneak an extra week out of our busy schedules to enjoy some paddling on the Capricorn coast. I would paddle with Gary and Matt with the stretch objective of reaching Mackay via some of the more remote Islands beyond Shoalwater Bay.

Meanwhile Sharon would explore the Keppels with Anne and Alan and maybe even get down to beautiful Hummocky Island in the south.

With such a tight time frame we had little slack for weather days and as the symposium drew to a close it became apparent that strong cross winds and heavy rain from an approaching complex weather system would likely require us to modify our plans as we paddled in opposite directions out of Keppel Bay.

Retirement Paddling

Matt, Gary and I launched from Yeppoon the next day into a strong and building SE wind. As we portaged over the foredune I saw the air was heavy with salt haze and I cheered at the densely packed whitecaps that filled the horizon. I have enjoyed many thousands of tropical sea miles surfing or sailing these short steep waves in my kayak and this was shaping up to be a lively start to our adventure. 

Matt had previously avoided paddling in the tropics on the basis that he would save the easy paddling for his retirement and as he punched out to set sail I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what he expected when I invited him along for a cruise.

Surf?

Paralleling the coast and heading north toward Corio Bay we became more exposed to the longer swells that sometimes sneak through the Great Barrier Reef. Locals explained to us at the Symposium that around a hundred miles east of Yeppoon there is a break in the reef between North Reef Lighthouse and a reef complex listed on the maritime charts as The Swains. With the right swell period and direction locals take their chances with crocs and sharks to surf the Corio Bar and The Big Dune Surf Reserve just beyond. Officially Agnes Waters well to the south of here is the end of any real surf on the North East Coast of Australia but the wave action on the outer bar at Corio Bay was way too fast and heavy to be local wind waves and we found ourselves beating out to sea to avoid some seriously high walls of water.

Beyond Corio Bay we were surprised to find ourselves being sidesurfed by a couple of big swells breaking heavily in the shallow water; camouflaged by the mess of whitecaps, these breakers seemed to be hiding in amongst the chop. According to my GPS we were sustaining speeds in the high teens for most of our second hour and hitting peaks in the high twenties (kmh)!

As five rocks emerged out of the afternoon glare we moved in closer to shore picking our way through the breaks and eventually surfing into the sheltered southern corner of the beach to investigate a leak in Gary’s boat. He had finished the day with his boat low in the water and his stern awash. In true Gary style he took this serious problem in his stride but we knew we would have to investigate this before heading out again.

The Worst Campsite Ever!

Camping at Five Rocks was a tricky business; the only spot sheltered from the driving wind was tucked under the dunes in the southern corner but on spring tides with a surf running this would be underwater. Fortunately we were a couple of days after springs and the water mark from the previous nights high gave us hope that we could camp on piles of pumice, driftwood and plastic flotsam without being swamped. The moon rose large over the tiny stand of twisted trees perched on five rocks bathing us in light.

There were a few anxious moments with the occasional bigger set sending waves within a metre of our tents but we all slept well as the water receded through to sunrise. Despite the shelter and the view both Gary and Matt rated this campsite amongst their worst ever!

By morning my tent fly was flogging in the wind so I knew our SE was now a fully-fledged Easterly and had ramped up another notch. The new day greeted me with a sand blasting as I exited my tent.  

With Gary’s boat to fix and spindrift dancing up the beach I moved my camp deeper into the driftwood and pumice pile and settled in for a leisurely breakfast.

The morning forecast was not too promising with a couple of days of heavy rain ahead and more strong easterlies (crosswinds) slowly moving to Northeast (headwinds).

By middle of the day Gary had isolated the leak to a wear point caused by a custom rudder he had retrofitted a couple of years previous. This was hard to find but easily fixed with epoxy putty and sail tape. The previous day he had taken about 30 litres on board through this fracture but with the repair set, Gary went for a surf and much to our relief the repair was watertight.

Walking, reading and staying out of the wind were order of the day with dinner under Gary’s tarp as the drizzle set in and the tide trapped us again on our little patch of higher ground against the dunes.

Matt even tried his hand at carving some pumice.

Although it seemed our weather window would not open in time for us to finish the trip I still wanted to push North so that at least we could find a better camp for the heavy rain ahead and see a little of the beautiful coastline within the boundaries of the Shoalwater Bay Military Zone.

Matt and Gary are two of the hardiest sea paddlers I know but neither were impressed with my idea to head out to Freshwater Bay, especially as it seemed likely that we would not make Mackay in the allocated time. When we finally hit the beach I had a few doubts myself as I rolled up after being surfed backwards during a badly timed breakout. The next 4 hours provided some of the most engaging, technical paddling I have done in North Queensland with real clapotis and a few overfalls around the Island off Cape Manifold.  I had timed our launch to hit the Cape at slack water but arrived a little early only to find a fast ebb current working against the swell and across the wind.

As we paddled through the gap between the rocky spire and the islet that guards the southern corner of Freshwater Bay I looked up to check if the Sea Eagle nest we had seen in 2007 was still there, sure enough the big birds hovered aloft guarding the nest as we ran a couple of not so small waves into the relative calm of the bay.

Tough Decisions

Setting up camp we disturbed a death adder. Drawn by its beautiful markings but repelled by its potentially deadly bite we were glad when it decided to hunt elsewhere. During the rest of the afternoon and evening the rain was relentless with the only other noise being the occasional screeching and snorting of a big “razorback” boar rooting around in the undergrowth.

As we looked out to sea from our forested refuge, Quoin Island and the hills behind Port Clinton disappeared in sheets of driving rain and the readings on Matts barometer continued to plummet. We retreated to our camp to listen to the forecast on Matts SSB radio and make some tough decisions.

It was day four. We were camping where I had hoped to be at the end of day one. Without even listening to the forecast, we could all see from conditions beyond the bay that we would not be able to head north until the next day so we would not reach Cape Townsend until day five or six. It is at times like this that valuable lessons in humility are learnt or re learnt; the bravado of the fast short adventure that has minimal impact on life back home was clearly not going to work this time. I must admit I even wished we were trapped out on one of the islands with no choice but to wait for the weather to clear. Beyond Cape Townsend the only viable option would have been to sit tight and then keep heading for Mackay, but here so close to Keppel Bay with so few days left, Matt and I really couldn’t justify pushing on.

As we paddled back around Cape Manifold I reflected on the trip so far. We had paddled 3 of our first 4 days in strong conditions and although we hadn’t gone far we had experienced so many challenges on the water. We had managed wind, waves and tidal flows on all quarters and could still crack a joke or two at the prospect of surfing through the fog for yet another night at “that campsite”

Positive Energy

After another rainy night the next day dawned clear and cool with an offshore crosswind for a change. As the sun rose and clouds lifted I felt a little melancholy for the trip that might have been, but the positive energy of Matt and Gary soon had us sharing stories over breakfast out on the beach.

From here the trip took a very different tack. Gary, who had plenty of time, headed back to Yeppoon to pick up the rest of his journey out of Mackay, paddling solo through the islands further north. Matt finally found his tropical paradise and camped on Conical Island enjoying the solitude and beauty of a starlit sky on his own whilst I had a rendezvous with the lovely Sharon and her group over on nearby North Keppel.

Matt joined us the next day for a circumnavigation and cave exploration to round out a very diverse week on his first tropical paddle.

On returning to Yeppoon I felt satisfied that we had done our best with the constraints of time and conditions, we discovered later that other groups had travelled all the way up to Keppel Bay and not even launched. I was grateful to have the team and the techniques to paddle despite the weather and still not exceed our limits.

Back home, looking at the charts as I pack my gear away my eye is drawn once again to the remote, seldom visited islands north of Cape Townsend: The Dukes, The Percys and The Guardfish Cluster. Next time I will go back armed with more days to spare and a fresh determination to reach them and experience their solitude.

For now I have pictures to remind me of the beautiful places we visited and good times we shared, especially some of the views when the sun finally shone on the “worst campsite ever”:

 

The Peak UK Tourlite Shorty - Reviewed by Ocean Paddler Magazine

Read the OP Review HERE

One of the surprise packets of the cooler months has been the huge popularity of the Peak UK Tourlite Shorty paddle jacket. 

It has a bunch of stuff going for it, even allowing for the great price at just $129 for a premium piece of cool weather kit.

In our climate it's a warm enough jacket for all but the rare howlers, when most of us are watching the action from behind a window anyway.

It's more waterproof than a non-cag paddle jacket, because the ingress point for water isn't around your wrists, it's above your elbows. This means any splash from a wave or your paddle won't slowly allow cold water to seep through, always a risk with a long paddle jacket that doesn't have tight gasket seal.

It's lighter than a traditional heavy duty cag, and being short-sleeved is practical as a warm weather shell on blustery summer days, or for immersion activities like surfing, where short high-octane sprints are interspersed with long periods sitting still, wet, in the wind.

We've found that that in this mild Sydney winter, the Shorty has been the go-to jacket, worn in concert with the Peak UK Thermal Rashie.

The UK's Ocean Paddler Magazine have written an excellent review of the Shorty which you can read HERE. You can buy the Peak UK Tourlite Shorty paddle jacket through our online store HERE, for $129.00 including delivery nationally.

Rob Mercer - Five Years in a Valley Nordkapp

It was wintry afternoon for Sydney with a forecast warning of strong southerly winds, 2 to 3m seas and long period easterly swells to 4m, the air temperature was a brisk 10C and I had no doubt that we would have the launch site to ourselves. Parking was easy and sure enough some of the regulars had already setup their boats and retired to the café for a hot chocolate foregoing their usual pre-paddle paddle. Upon seeing the sea kayaks lined up my first impression was what a fine picture these boats made; bright colours against a steely Harbourscape and then I realised what was really special about this scene; of the seven boats already on the beach all were Valley Nordkapps or Nordkapp LVs. On easier weeks some would have been in faster boats for a workout or more manoeuvrable boats to play but in the more challenging conditions of steep seas over rebounding swells these seven experienced paddlers had defaulted to their Nordkapps; a serious boat for serious conditions.

 So much has been written about this boat, its history, its evolution and its legacy that it is often referred to as a benchmark for describing the performance of newer designs, it figures heavily in the fleets of those with several boats and even where it is the first serious kayak purchased it is often the last one sold.

Neil using his Nordy where it's meant to be used.

My personal experience is mainly with the composite standard size Nordkapp in its most recent form. I believe the current design was last tweaked in 2008. When I say “tweaked” it seems that the cumulative effects of almost four decades of these successive tweaks or incremental refinements has yielded a boat retaining the original elegant line and sea manners but in a much more user friendly form. Indeed, I have seen both fans and sworn enemies of the original design with the same look of delight at the predictable manner of the newer model, especially in turbulent and difficult waters.

The antithesis of recent competing designs with their radiused hard chines and almost flat semi planning hulls, the Nordkapp has very round bilges for a sea kayak. Subjectively it is very slippery in the water, it is not a boat that is easily tripped up by cross chop or breaking waves abeam and there is no “notchiness” in the stability profile of the boat. As a result it is responsive to active and assertive technique but less accommodating of those who are just along for the ride.

A classic icon of the sea, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

Much is made of the light stability of the Nordkapp but stability is a subjective term; underpinning it are theoretical concepts like resistance to various angles of heel. To a paddler in challenging water, predictability and responsiveness may be more valued attributes. After all it is how the kayaker and kayak work together that makes a design seaworthy. Those who proclaim a design stable or otherwise often forget that we only learn balance by challenging stability. The wider and less responsive the boat is to edging the less balance we will learn by paddling it.

 Ambitious novices prove the trickiest with regard to the issue of stability and balance. If the stability is too light they may never relax enough to develop good balance but if it is too stable they will develop very little balance at all and just become a passenger rather than ever feeling “at one” with their boat.

 Although not for everyone; I am surprised by the number of newer paddlers who have chosen a Nordkapp or Nordkapp LV as their first serious kayak and enjoyed the steeper learning curve that this has provided. 

At a personal level I find the boat quick enough in all but the fastest of sea kayaking company, manoeuvrable enough to be used to guide and instruct across a wide range of conditions and stable enough to take photos in rough water.  The rockered hull is well suited to steep seas; tracking is relatively loose and with the skeg up the stern slides easily for course corrections, allowing fast changes to hit just the right spot on the wave.

Its lean shape and sweeping lines are deceptive and if you use skinny dry bags it can carry plenty of gear for multi-day expeditions and yet still work very well as a day tripper for those in the manufacturers’ recommended weight range. I can’t think of a better boat to paddle out to Broughton Island or similar locations where carrying food, wine, water plus camping, snorkeling and camera gear need to be combined with the nimbleness to run the rocky features and sea caves when you arrive.

The seating position is very comfortable for me with enough bend at the knee to allow leg drive and enough contact with the thigh for good edge control and rolling. The back-band is really more of a lumbar support that encourages good posture when set up properly. There are adjustable pockets on the seat side plates that allow foam shims to be added for those with slim hips who need more contact.

 I recently sold my long serving Carbon Kevlar Nordkapp with it’s beautiful clear hull and tangerine deck to a keen buyer after a second hand boat. After about 700 days on the water it is weather beaten but still going strong and I wanted something new. So after much deliberation what do you think I have replaced this classic design with?

Another Nordkapp of course!

Rob Mercer, July 10, 2014

Harnessing Rebound & Clapotis

One of the most common questions I'm asked by paddlers new to the sea, is how to deal with multi-directional water. It's pretty hard to avoid off Sydney; as soon as you clear enclosed water you're bound to come under the influence of a cliff line throwing back some mess & chop.

Most paddlers feel comfortable bashing into a headwind, where the movement of the boat is very predictable, even paddling clean downwind, where you eventually tune into the tempo of the running sea.

Rebound, clapotis, confused water around cliff lines & headlines however, provoke the most tentative responses from paddlers not used to it, and it got me thinking about strategies for turning this less predictable sea state into something fun and 'useable'. By useable, I mean a free ride, instead of a leveller.

On Tuesday I joined Rob, Mark, Matt, Dave, Luke & John on a fun little downwind paddle from Sydney Harbour down to Malabar, about 20km of variable water parallelling Sydney's affluent Eastern Suburbs beaches. We had a clean northerly, some remnant swell, and a freshly developed sea moving at 'kayak pace', about 12-16kmh when you hooked into a runner.

The section between South Head & Bondi is a steep cliff bound stretch where the wind generated sea was colliding with the sandstone walls and sending back chop & rebound at varying angles, depending on which part of the cliff it was hitting. Underneath all of this the predominant north-moving sea was forming rideable waves, fast, steep & fun, which made this short 8km section engaging & entertaining to paddle.

My take on this sort of water is to keep positive, both in terms of posture and intent, & stick to the universal truth of following seas - the faster you go, the faster you go. I watched the video back after the paddle & figured it offered a reasonable look at what I do to nullify the unsettling nature of confused water. 

If I had to summarise it simply, I try to visually filter out the water that isn't going my way, and keep looking for the wave shapes that are. Combined with more power in my stroke when the boat is set to head downhill (this is the moment just before it actually heads downhill), this strategy makes me accelerate constantly, using the stability of speed to crash through anything unhelpful.

You also find that the shape of the sea changes as you reach the speed at which it is running. Because you're no longer wallowing in troughs that can push you around, and instead constantly surfing in front of a gently sloping pile, the next move becomes more obvious & you can subtly change direction to catch the next steeper section that presents itself.

Trailing brace on my left side, where I naturally have a flatter more sympathetic blade surface.

Above all I only ever defend in the most dire circumstance. When running fast on a wave you'll notice the back of my blade drop into a trailing brace. This isn't a rudder or braking stroke, merely a gently skimming precaution to allow me to get my retaliation to an unpredictable event in FIRST. My weight shifts to the left so I can accommodate any unexpected movement on the side I have the most sympathetic bracing blade angle.

I've seen instructional videos where another technique is used, catching a runner then immediately going to a stern rudder to control direction. In my mind this is surrendering all of that hard won speed, and makes your day on the biggest free ride you'll ever get twice as hard, as you constantly stop & restart. My preference is to use power to control direction, so I'm accelerating towards where I want to go, as opposed to braking to make sure I don't go somewhere I don't. 

Confused...? Watch the video & see if you make any sense of it, the views from behind give a good perspective of the running waves as they form up. Then, get out & give it a crack somewhere safe in the company of peers who can help you out of something goes awry! With a little exposure & dedicated practice, you can very quickly turn rebound and clapotis from something you swing out wide to avoid, into something you actively seek out & enjoy.

What the Cold Paddlers Are Wearing.....

The Peak UK Tourlite Hoody Paddle Jacket - $189.00

Tomorrow marks Sydney's first day of proper cold weather (...he says imagining a loud snigger down the ethernet cable from our Tasmanian canoeist mates...), as the temps plunge down to 15C & a bitter westerly wind makes it feel a heck of a lot colder.

Almost on queue, we have had a gaggle of queries about cold weather paddling gear, and these two new additions to our online store certainly add to the armoury we have available through our online store.

Having tested the Peak UK Tourlite Shorty Jacket over the past couple of months, we decided it was so good we would also bring in the full blown Tourlite Hoodie. It's a practical paddling jacket for our climate, made from a X2.5 lightweight recycled polyester with 10m waterproofing, featuring Aqua-out waist and wrist seal.

This jacket has an articulated cut with bent elbows, a zip opening neck and large fully adjustable hood, and an easy access right hand side zip pocket. Another of the new generation Peak UK paddle garments released in early 2014.

NRS Men's H2Core Expedition Shirt - $99.00

The second cold weather addition is a complimentary one, the NRS Men's H2Core Expedition Shirt. Designed as a thermal base layer, using advanced H2Core fabrics to deliver maximal warmth without limiting your movements, while gasket-friendly cuffs and friction-free seams provide unmatched comfort underneath outer jackets and cags. 

Micro-fleece filaments efficiently wick moisture away from the skin, and the durable, smooth exterior resists pilling and abrasion. H2Core Lightweight fabric under the arms creates friction-free zones for comfortable paddling while improving ventilation where you need it most. It's cut in a semi-form fit for athletic comfort and easy layering over the top.

Both the Peak UK Tourlite Hoodie & the NRS Men's H2Core Expedition Shirt are available now through our ONLINE STORE.

From the River to the Sea

A few weeks back we offered to take some members from Sydney's famous old River Canoe Club out on Botany Bay for a morning of basic sea kayaking skills instruction.
We ran through the gamut of biomechanics & technique required to paddle & close-quarter safely on the sea, on a bright, warm & sunny Sydney morning.

The session was a success in both directions. We had the learning experience of instructing recreational & whitewater river paddlers, and they got some tips on adjusting their existing skills to an open water environment.

It was a terrific morning, and we offered to follow it up later in the year with a genuine open water day to allow participants to get out onto the sea & put the theory into practise.
We pencilled in yesterday as the date, but a big southerly system which developed on Saturday evening (as predicted), had Rob & I doing some very careful planning Saturday night to ensure an incident-free paddle.

The spot we'd picked is a long, mostly enclosed bay, adjacent to Sydney's infamous Long Bay Gaol. It has a sheltered launch spot on the sand at Malabar Beach, but a swift transition from lee to full-on open ocean conditions at the southern headland, only 1.5km from the beach.

Rob's briefing.

The southerly had abated somewhat from peaks in the early hours of Sunday morning over 20 knots, but the remnant sea state was peaky, short, and in places very steep. Had the wind stayed up we would have moved to a more protected location.
Rob gave his briefing out of the wind, so everyone could be sure to hear all of the details, & emphasised the forces at play on the sea overnight, and what we could expect to see & feel once out in the relentless moving water. I reminded everyone that the sea will take control of you, if you let it, and aggressive & positive paddling is rewarded with control, once things start to move around. Personally I hate the big briefing, mostly I reckon they overload groups with information, when in the simplest terms all you're trying to do is identify risks & make sure everyone is in on the plan. This one was short, succinct & most importantly, left everyone in no doubt as to what to expect.

My group leave the safety of Long Bay

We split our groups into two, me with 6 paddlers & Rob & Sharon with 8. In amongst them we asked Mick Taylor, the club's training officer, to distribute the more experienced members with the less experienced, so we had a mix of steady hands to help out in the event of a problem.

Sharon & Angie (on her first sea paddle) head back into the bay.

The stated objective was a paddle from Malabar around & into Little Bay, a return trip of just under 6km, but laced with everything from industrial strength rebound to the flat calm of the beach, to a tricky navigation through breaking reefs into Little Bay itself.

Crucially, we identified the northern cliffs of both Long & Little Bay as the dangers, with a breeze likely to very quickly minimise any sea-way should an incident occur that took some time to sort out.

The trace of Sunday morning's paddle

As such, we kept our groups as close as possible to the protected southern cliffs, and went very wide on the way around to Little Bay to avoid the steepest, most multidirectional sections of sea. These were most likely to produce a capsize, and we wanted as much distance between us & the cliffs should something go awry.

The approach to Little Bay can be intimidating, with reefs breaking on both sides of a narrow entrance, but experience has shown us a clear line in through the break, and a left turn behind the most prominent reef to the sand. It's one of those 'surely we're not going in there' sights from the sea, which is actually pretty smooth as long as you hold a disciplined line.

Sharon working with her group inside Long Bay

Not everyone made it out of the bay, with some novice sea paddlers rightly deciding they'd had enough as we approached the start of the steep stuff. We escorted them all back to the calm water as a team, where Sharon put together an excellent session guiding her impromptu group in less demanding water, & worked on some moving water skills.

Andrew having a short breather at Little Bay

I headed back out after this with Andrew, Dee, Deb & George, and we made it all the way around, landed at Little Bay, then rode a tighter line to the cliffs home as the wind abated. For a group with mostly little or no big water sea experience, they did incredibly well in some proper ocean conditions.

Dee (on her first sea paddle) & George heading out to sea after leaving Little Bay

Rob's prudence paid dividends, with several capsizes & rescues out in the middle of the biggest seas in his group, but nothing more serious than a bit of blue language!

We were so impressed with the ticker on display from the River Canoe guys, both from those willing to say enough, and those who took on the challenge with such relish. Like our mates at the Sutherland Canoe Club, this is clearly a place where a supportive environment encourages people to do their best, with a sense of humour underpinning everything.

For us it's no easy task to get a group of paddlers we know little about, except that they have very limited or even no sea experience, out into such intimidating conditions, without unforeseen problems. A lot of planning goes into the exercise, and in this instance the club you're banking on to have done the prerequisite basic rescue & group work has to have done their bit too.

Thanks to the River Canoe Club for allowing us to show them the sort of paddling we love, and for fulfilling their end of the bargain with a well prepared & enthusiastic bunch of members.