Newsletter 17
Southland Sea Kayakers
16th October 2004
On 12th of September we had our last rolling class at Splash Palace, this time in sea kayaks. It was a great session and illustrated the greater skill necessary to roll a sea kayak as opposed to a river kayak. Tara was the star consistently rolling a Penguin as was Tim in a Tasman Express. On 15 September there was a network evening on Kayaking Photography by Belinda. although the turnout was poor those attending found the content very useful and hopefully we will produce better photos and slides of our kayaking trips from now on.
I am putting the Monowai Skills weekend programme together now and will dispatch by separate email soon. This has been booked for the weekend 6/7 November. I am very keen for the Preservation Sound members to attend so we can refresh ourselves on survival skills as well as discuss the trip.
I am currently caught up in climbing trips and have no plans to lead any kayaking trips for the present but if anyone else is keen please let me know.
Belinda and I are currently doing the Coastguard Day Skipper course which I'd recommend to serious sea kayakers. There are also courses in the use of VHF radios.
I have enclosed some trips reports and I'd be more than happy to publish any members ones if they email them to me.
committee
Matt Sillars: advise on kayaks and associated equipment [email protected]
Terry Macnamara: network website [email protected]
Belinda Mulvany: social and evening meetings [email protected]
Stanley Mulvany: chairperson/secretary and contact person [email protected]
Kevin Pasco: skills organiser [email protected]
Trip Reports:
YOBBOS ON THE YARRA
16/September/2004
Stan Mulvany
Ross Sinclair
Stan was in town. Driven by memories of past shared adventures I felt a need to show Stan Melbourne's kayaking wonder of the world, the Yarra.
For those gently readers who have never visited Melbourne, the Yarra River spills through the centre of town- much like the Avon though Christchurch- but much deeper and wider. Tour boats and rowing clubs ply it's waters and the bustle of the big city crosses it on countless bridges. It's banks are grasslands for picnic tables, jogging trail, a casino, "Southbank restaurants, skyscrapers, a helipad, a huge container industry at Docklands. When you kayak the Yarra you become the focus of a thousand eyes and the object of a thousand fingers speaking the languages of the world.
So---
If you yearn for the rattle of trams
the yowl of connex trains on overhead bridges
the yo-yoing of congested traffic
then the Yarra is for you
urban kayaking at it's best
One of Ross's kayaks--Shikra--( a fibreglass Southern Aurora) is a dusty yellow--but so is the water of the Yarra. So---feeling comfortably colour coordinated, Stan and I launched at the Aquarium and headed upstream against the tidal flow. The Yarra is probably not a river to practice your rolling in. It's probably not a good river to even fall in out of your kayak. Splashes on the face are treated with great caution and one rows reasonably tight lipped. Days later, one could some down with something virulent and exotic---like yaws.
There are in fact a number of hidden hazards on this trip-- heavy metals, mercury toxicity, brain damage, low lying bridge spars and the ever present spectre of oars and hull dissolving before the journey ended. But-- oblivious to the danger we were off, riding the bow waves of tour boats and ducking under bridges.
Yesterday, we had stood pensively around a graveside as Philomena Mulvany-- Stan's Mum -- was lowered gently to join her Husband. A Priest intoned a lilting eulogy and Stan added an 'event' in Gaelic. Phyllis -- a pioneer in Psychiatry had given her last advice. At that moment the heavens opened and it was as if the tears of countless salvaged patients all fell at once on those of us that must continue life's journey.
We kayaked past a classroom of yammering schoolkids, hailing us for a lift, past a lone cyclist on the trail, four yahoos in Indian canoes, boat loads of tourists who seemed fascinated that we existed- then- about an hour upstream, we turned. Congested rush hour traffic was honking on each bank and the sky was becoming muddy. Hurricane Ivan was currently battering Jamaica, and there was discussion that we might get the tail end of it. It was back to the car for some hot soup and some further erg depletion on the indoor climbing wall.
The Yarra Yabbo Chapter of the Southland Kayakers had had it's inaugural outing.
Dr Ross Sinclair.
Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island
On 26 September the Mulvany family set off to Stewart Island on the Foveaux Ferry with our sea kayaks. Liz Cave very kindly met us and took us over to Golden Bay. Looking out to sea there were lots of white caps but we were determined to set off for Bravo Island despite Liz's concerns. It was sunny and a strong westerly was blowing down the Inlet.
Once past the shelter of Golden Bay we were into a strong wind. We decided to head to the west of Ulva Island and then run with the following sea to Bravo. However this proved quite difficult as the wind grew in strength as did the hight of the waves. We became separated as inevitably kayakers do in such conditions. Dana and Tara were in the K2 Double and off to my right and Belinda was trailing them. I found I was slipping further behind and was tiring punching into the wind so decided to turn and run with the seas aiming for a gap between Ulva and some smaller islands off it's western tip. This was a bit tippy as some of the waves were slamming into me forcing me to brace and sometimes burying the kayak. Once in the relative shelter of the island I stopped and kept a lookout and spotted D and T coming around to the west. I then pushed off and headed off to the south side of Paterson Inlet and put ashore at Burnt Point to await the others. D and T had an exciting time and told me they too had been buried in one wave. Belinda's foot rest had dropped off so she had no rudder on the way over! It was nice to reach Liz's house on Bravo.
Over the next few days we kayaked over to the neck and walked to Ocean Beach, circumnavigated Ulva and went for a walk there and returned an errand float to the Salmon Farm in Big Glory. We had comfortable nights at Bravo seemingly a million miles from no where. On our last day we kayaked over to Ringaringa and paid our respects to the Rev Wohlers who rests on a hillside overlooking a vast expanse of ocean he knew so well. In the afternoon we kayaked around Ackers Point to halfmoon Bay where we spend a pleasant evening and night before catching the ferry back to Bluff.
Our thanks to Liz Cave for her hospitality.
Safe kayaking
16th October 2004
On 12th of September we had our last rolling class at Splash Palace, this time in sea kayaks. It was a great session and illustrated the greater skill necessary to roll a sea kayak as opposed to a river kayak. Tara was the star consistently rolling a Penguin as was Tim in a Tasman Express. On 15 September there was a network evening on Kayaking Photography by Belinda. although the turnout was poor those attending found the content very useful and hopefully we will produce better photos and slides of our kayaking trips from now on.
I am putting the Monowai Skills weekend programme together now and will dispatch by separate email soon. This has been booked for the weekend 6/7 November. I am very keen for the Preservation Sound members to attend so we can refresh ourselves on survival skills as well as discuss the trip.
I am currently caught up in climbing trips and have no plans to lead any kayaking trips for the present but if anyone else is keen please let me know.
Belinda and I are currently doing the Coastguard Day Skipper course which I'd recommend to serious sea kayakers. There are also courses in the use of VHF radios.
I have enclosed some trips reports and I'd be more than happy to publish any members ones if they email them to me.
committee
Matt Sillars: advise on kayaks and associated equipment [email protected]
Terry Macnamara: network website [email protected]
Belinda Mulvany: social and evening meetings [email protected]
Stanley Mulvany: chairperson/secretary and contact person [email protected]
Kevin Pasco: skills organiser [email protected]
Trip Reports:
YOBBOS ON THE YARRA
16/September/2004
Stan Mulvany
Ross Sinclair
Stan was in town. Driven by memories of past shared adventures I felt a need to show Stan Melbourne's kayaking wonder of the world, the Yarra.
For those gently readers who have never visited Melbourne, the Yarra River spills through the centre of town- much like the Avon though Christchurch- but much deeper and wider. Tour boats and rowing clubs ply it's waters and the bustle of the big city crosses it on countless bridges. It's banks are grasslands for picnic tables, jogging trail, a casino, "Southbank restaurants, skyscrapers, a helipad, a huge container industry at Docklands. When you kayak the Yarra you become the focus of a thousand eyes and the object of a thousand fingers speaking the languages of the world.
So---
If you yearn for the rattle of trams
the yowl of connex trains on overhead bridges
the yo-yoing of congested traffic
then the Yarra is for you
urban kayaking at it's best
One of Ross's kayaks--Shikra--( a fibreglass Southern Aurora) is a dusty yellow--but so is the water of the Yarra. So---feeling comfortably colour coordinated, Stan and I launched at the Aquarium and headed upstream against the tidal flow. The Yarra is probably not a river to practice your rolling in. It's probably not a good river to even fall in out of your kayak. Splashes on the face are treated with great caution and one rows reasonably tight lipped. Days later, one could some down with something virulent and exotic---like yaws.
There are in fact a number of hidden hazards on this trip-- heavy metals, mercury toxicity, brain damage, low lying bridge spars and the ever present spectre of oars and hull dissolving before the journey ended. But-- oblivious to the danger we were off, riding the bow waves of tour boats and ducking under bridges.
Yesterday, we had stood pensively around a graveside as Philomena Mulvany-- Stan's Mum -- was lowered gently to join her Husband. A Priest intoned a lilting eulogy and Stan added an 'event' in Gaelic. Phyllis -- a pioneer in Psychiatry had given her last advice. At that moment the heavens opened and it was as if the tears of countless salvaged patients all fell at once on those of us that must continue life's journey.
We kayaked past a classroom of yammering schoolkids, hailing us for a lift, past a lone cyclist on the trail, four yahoos in Indian canoes, boat loads of tourists who seemed fascinated that we existed- then- about an hour upstream, we turned. Congested rush hour traffic was honking on each bank and the sky was becoming muddy. Hurricane Ivan was currently battering Jamaica, and there was discussion that we might get the tail end of it. It was back to the car for some hot soup and some further erg depletion on the indoor climbing wall.
The Yarra Yabbo Chapter of the Southland Kayakers had had it's inaugural outing.
Dr Ross Sinclair.
Paterson Inlet, Stewart Island
On 26 September the Mulvany family set off to Stewart Island on the Foveaux Ferry with our sea kayaks. Liz Cave very kindly met us and took us over to Golden Bay. Looking out to sea there were lots of white caps but we were determined to set off for Bravo Island despite Liz's concerns. It was sunny and a strong westerly was blowing down the Inlet.
Once past the shelter of Golden Bay we were into a strong wind. We decided to head to the west of Ulva Island and then run with the following sea to Bravo. However this proved quite difficult as the wind grew in strength as did the hight of the waves. We became separated as inevitably kayakers do in such conditions. Dana and Tara were in the K2 Double and off to my right and Belinda was trailing them. I found I was slipping further behind and was tiring punching into the wind so decided to turn and run with the seas aiming for a gap between Ulva and some smaller islands off it's western tip. This was a bit tippy as some of the waves were slamming into me forcing me to brace and sometimes burying the kayak. Once in the relative shelter of the island I stopped and kept a lookout and spotted D and T coming around to the west. I then pushed off and headed off to the south side of Paterson Inlet and put ashore at Burnt Point to await the others. D and T had an exciting time and told me they too had been buried in one wave. Belinda's foot rest had dropped off so she had no rudder on the way over! It was nice to reach Liz's house on Bravo.
Over the next few days we kayaked over to the neck and walked to Ocean Beach, circumnavigated Ulva and went for a walk there and returned an errand float to the Salmon Farm in Big Glory. We had comfortable nights at Bravo seemingly a million miles from no where. On our last day we kayaked over to Ringaringa and paid our respects to the Rev Wohlers who rests on a hillside overlooking a vast expanse of ocean he knew so well. In the afternoon we kayaked around Ackers Point to halfmoon Bay where we spend a pleasant evening and night before catching the ferry back to Bluff.
Our thanks to Liz Cave for her hospitality.
Safe kayaking