Newsletter 14
1/6/04
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
Our spell of windless weather seems to have ended with gale force winds last weekend. Our Milford trip was cancelled as a result. I have rescheduled our Milford trip for the weekend 19/20 June. The details as as before.
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Southland Sea Kayak Network Trip 19/20 June
The plan is to stay on Friday night at Homer Hut near the Homer Tunnel. This hut belongs to the New Zealand Alpine Club and costs $14.00 a night to non-members. I will be responsible for collecting this on behalf of the NZAC. This will allow an early start on Milford Sound on the Saturday.
There are several options on Milford Sound. One is to kayak out to Anita Bay and camp there. There are some old sealer roofless buildings there and a penguin colony. Another place to camp is at Stanley's Bivi Rock ( named in my honour on a previous trip). Another place easy to get to is Harrison Cove and there is plenty of camping in the forest there or a 2 hour walk up valley takes you to Graves Bivi Rock which I've also camped in. We can also walk up the Milford Track which is quiet this time of the year.
To be fair participants do need some basic kayaking /camping experience. If interested please ring me on 2157263 or email me.
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On the weekend 23 May we had a successful trip to Centre Island.
There were three of us Daan, Belinda and Stanley. We left Colac Bay at 10.00 AM on an overcast windless day. There was a gentle swell inshore but this built up to a 3 metre swell once clear of the bay. I paddled my Fujita folding kayak and found I had to rail the kayak to keep it tracking across the SW swells on the trip. Further out the sea was breaking on the reef between Centre Island and Kawakaputa Bay. We steadily gained on the island. I was a little apprehensive the further out we got as I was not sure the wind would not build as I had forgotten to check the marine forecast. I had my VHF on but reception was poor and I only got snatches of the forecast. Several Albatrosses glided past. Belinda was moving fast and went in to the beach first. This was adroitly handled and then I was surfing in on a wave. I quickly jumped out and we carried my kayak up the beach. Just then a seal came cruising past arching out of the water and ignoring us. Lastly Daan arrived and did an expert low brace into a breaking wave to land dry beside us. By now the sun had come out and we relaxed in its warmth as we stripped off damp gear.
There was a grassy airstrip beside an old hut and crossing this we made our way up the overgrown track past the light keepers houses to the lighthouse. As the houses are private property we kept away from them. The lighthouse lies at the western end of the island and is surrounded by a concrete wall and sits high on a bluff with the sea crashing several hundred feet below. We had lunch and admired the view and then returned to the beach. Launching was fairly straightforward though we had to punch into waves breaking out. Once out we turned into the sun which was now in our faces and in 1.5 hours completed the return trip.
Stanley Mulvany
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Proposed Summer camp Preservation/Chakly
I am interested in organising a summer kayak camp over in the western fjords in Preservation/Chalky Sounds. My idea is to charter a boat from either Riverton or Bluff for the outward and return journeys. The number of the party will depends on how many people and kayaks the charter can carry. I am anticipating a group of maybe 10-20 and we would establish a base over there split into smaller groups for exploring. The duration of the trip would be 10-14 days and I am not sure when we would sail but I would suggest anytime from mid January to mid February. The range of activities would include_ exploring, sea kayak skill practice, wilderness camping, wilderness medicine (courtesy of Stanley) , fishing, photography and bird watching. I was also thinking we could maybe do some project for DOC who do such a great job over in the Sounds. Maybe our DOC members could give this some thought and come back to me.
If anyone is interested or has some ideas about this please email or ring me.
Safe kayaking
Stanley
Dear Southland Sea Kayakers
Our spell of windless weather seems to have ended with gale force winds last weekend. Our Milford trip was cancelled as a result. I have rescheduled our Milford trip for the weekend 19/20 June. The details as as before.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Southland Sea Kayak Network Trip 19/20 June
The plan is to stay on Friday night at Homer Hut near the Homer Tunnel. This hut belongs to the New Zealand Alpine Club and costs $14.00 a night to non-members. I will be responsible for collecting this on behalf of the NZAC. This will allow an early start on Milford Sound on the Saturday.
There are several options on Milford Sound. One is to kayak out to Anita Bay and camp there. There are some old sealer roofless buildings there and a penguin colony. Another place to camp is at Stanley's Bivi Rock ( named in my honour on a previous trip). Another place easy to get to is Harrison Cove and there is plenty of camping in the forest there or a 2 hour walk up valley takes you to Graves Bivi Rock which I've also camped in. We can also walk up the Milford Track which is quiet this time of the year.
To be fair participants do need some basic kayaking /camping experience. If interested please ring me on 2157263 or email me.
----------------------------------------------------------------
On the weekend 23 May we had a successful trip to Centre Island.
There were three of us Daan, Belinda and Stanley. We left Colac Bay at 10.00 AM on an overcast windless day. There was a gentle swell inshore but this built up to a 3 metre swell once clear of the bay. I paddled my Fujita folding kayak and found I had to rail the kayak to keep it tracking across the SW swells on the trip. Further out the sea was breaking on the reef between Centre Island and Kawakaputa Bay. We steadily gained on the island. I was a little apprehensive the further out we got as I was not sure the wind would not build as I had forgotten to check the marine forecast. I had my VHF on but reception was poor and I only got snatches of the forecast. Several Albatrosses glided past. Belinda was moving fast and went in to the beach first. This was adroitly handled and then I was surfing in on a wave. I quickly jumped out and we carried my kayak up the beach. Just then a seal came cruising past arching out of the water and ignoring us. Lastly Daan arrived and did an expert low brace into a breaking wave to land dry beside us. By now the sun had come out and we relaxed in its warmth as we stripped off damp gear.
There was a grassy airstrip beside an old hut and crossing this we made our way up the overgrown track past the light keepers houses to the lighthouse. As the houses are private property we kept away from them. The lighthouse lies at the western end of the island and is surrounded by a concrete wall and sits high on a bluff with the sea crashing several hundred feet below. We had lunch and admired the view and then returned to the beach. Launching was fairly straightforward though we had to punch into waves breaking out. Once out we turned into the sun which was now in our faces and in 1.5 hours completed the return trip.
Stanley Mulvany
------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed Summer camp Preservation/Chakly
I am interested in organising a summer kayak camp over in the western fjords in Preservation/Chalky Sounds. My idea is to charter a boat from either Riverton or Bluff for the outward and return journeys. The number of the party will depends on how many people and kayaks the charter can carry. I am anticipating a group of maybe 10-20 and we would establish a base over there split into smaller groups for exploring. The duration of the trip would be 10-14 days and I am not sure when we would sail but I would suggest anytime from mid January to mid February. The range of activities would include_ exploring, sea kayak skill practice, wilderness camping, wilderness medicine (courtesy of Stanley) , fishing, photography and bird watching. I was also thinking we could maybe do some project for DOC who do such a great job over in the Sounds. Maybe our DOC members could give this some thought and come back to me.
If anyone is interested or has some ideas about this please email or ring me.
Safe kayaking
Stanley