Spring 2008

A rough guide to kayaking

I should begin by warning you that the title of this article is quite accurate in that it is indeed a very ‘rough’ guide, in fact it is quite incorrect in places and will no doubt be the subject of much ‘tut tutting’ from experienced paddlers. For this reason I can take no responsibility for any deaths which may and probably will result from anyone actually taking me seriously (there’s a first time for everything). So in summary this is nothing more than an excuse to put in writing some mildly amusing anecdotes in response to numerous requests from Ian for me to write something for the news letter.

Tip 1: Make someone else go first

I always find Bryce to be an excellent candidate for the role of guinea pig as he appears to have no regard for his own safety; I would advise anyone taking up kayaking to find themselves a Bryce. A particular example of Bryce’s usefulness came when Bryce, Iwan and I were paddling the Dulas. When we came to a grade five drop Bryce promptly ran it, swam and then found that his paddle and boat had made a perfect break out where they remained until we were able to retrieve them. At this point lwan and I decided that we fancied a walk and portaged the drop. However, Bryce was undeterred and had another go which resulted in a rather spectacular front flip followed by another swim. Bryce is still quite adamant that he was “unlucky”.

Tip 2: Tag along with good people

Another tip we picked up on the Dulas. A group of quite professional looking paddlers set off ahead of us that day so we quickly jumped onto the water in order to follow them at a subtle distance in order to try and follow their line down the river. They were particularly generous in fishing Bryce out of the water after his swim following Iwan’s truly woeful attempt at a throw line rescue which resulted in his rope getting stuck in a tree.

Tip 3: Know your limitations

Iwan and I began kayaking during the summer months and our early paddling involved regular jaunts down the Banwy with barely a trickle of water running down it. This held no particular danger or difficulty; however when it came to autumn and it rained for a solid fortnight it did not occur to us that the level of difficulty may be different. Merrily we set off on the pale brown torrent, which resembled the Zambezi, blissfully unaware of the presence of a very strong stopper just around the corner. When I hit the stopper I managed to break through only to turn around and see Iwan swimming without his glasses or paddle. It took us a further quarter of a mile before Iwan and kayak reached the bank, unfortunately neither his glasses nor paddle were ever seen again.

Tip 4: “Less than three there should never be"

Some people will tell you that this little phrase should be adhered to as in the event of an accident one paddler can stay with the casualty and the other one can go and find help. However the real reason why “less than three there should never be”, is because it leaves much too great a risk that no one in the group will remember a towel. The absence of a towel can not only lead to discomfort and wet cars but also inconvenient criminal records following charges of indecent exposure.

Tin 5: Don’t paddle with anyone too good

This is a mistake we occasionally make when we paddle with Morgan. He is an extremely good paddler who makes us feel terribly inferior and leaving us in no doubt that we are pathetic little girls not fit to paddle anything more exciting than a canal. Kayaking is a very enjoyable sport as long as it is undertaken safely and responsibly. This is why you should read this with “a pinch of salt” and join in the club trips.

Thomas Jenkins

Sea Kayaking in Middle Earth.
Abel Tasman National Park, Nelson, New Zealand

(Top of South Island for those with Maps).

Early this morning I was driven, very kindly by my mother, to the Abel Tasman centre for my day of sea kayaking. After a short safety briefing and being shown, very quickly, how to forward and backward paddle, we set off in four two-man kayaks, for a two kilometre paddle to Fisherman Isle, which is the smaller of two small islands off the coast. Due to the ability of the group we did the crossing in half an hour. He also said that when he’s racing one-man kayaks he can do the same crossing in just under a half hour, which made us feel good. We went to the only beach on the island for juice and cookies. Whilst there another two groups of Kayakers, one from the same company and the other from a different outfit, turned up. The guide showed us some penguin holes (the Blue Penguin in this case). When everyone was ready we set off again for a shorter trip to the next island - Adele Island, named after the wife of a French explorer who scouted/explored the area. The route we took was to the seaward side of Fisherman Island and then back though the passage adjacent to Adele Island, which we paddled to the other end and saw some seals. After watching two or three babies playing in the rock pools/waves splashing we had to set our sights on our final destination, a small bay/cove called appropriately “Watering Cove” for lunch. After lunch the group were water taxied further North and did a two and half hour walk down part of the Abel Tasman walkway which is a walk of several days. After being dropped off at Bark Bay, the group spilt up and walked at their own pace. I managed to complete the trek in one hour fifty five minutes - even with a ten minute diversion for a very nice view point. At varying points of both mine and Mum’s day we took photo’s of other groups of kayakers on the sea’s of the Abel Tasman. For those of the club that wish to see photos of the day and the rest of our Six month trip through New Zealand, please check out the Blog (Web Log) at this web address: www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Higblog

Extra:

Today (18 Feb) me and Mum went white water rafting on the Duller River. It was very exciting, even Mum enjoyed it. On the way down we saw some kayakers playing in the grade 3 and 4 sections. I didn’t really fancy it because the river was slightly up - also I got slightly cowardly at the only waterfall and watched as the rest in the raft went down. I almost wish I had gone down, even though one lady - not my mother - fell out. There are some brilliant action shots - not mine - of the guide flying across the raft to grab a pair of legs as she slid over the side. The lady in question had the presence of mind to keep hold of the raft.

Extra. Extra:

Enjoying the whole experience of being in New Zealand. If anyone is wanting to know what it’s really, truly like kayaking in the sea at the Abel Tasman national park. I recommend that you save up and come yourselves, because my words and photo’s – not just of sea kayaking, but the whole of New Zealand - don’t do it justice. Also if anyone wants to put comments on the Blog (see address above) please feel free to do so - Mum is doing most of the work with the writing. I’m taking most (some) of the photo’s - we welcome news from around the world.

Hope to see it in print when I get back.

Your foreign correspondent Alex Higson