sim's blog

 Today I went for a paddle with the inimitable Frankie J Holden.

He's got his own surf Kayak which he uses to scare people down at Pambula Beach, his local break, so he brought that along and we went for a paddle around Merimbula harbour together.  Talking to Frank about the proposed mill in Tassie was great, and I was really impressed by the considered approach he has to social and environental issues.  He obviously cares about issues like water, land care, climate change and biodiversity, and we talked about the importance of careful scientific evaluation of projects before decisions are made. He also has an enourmous amount of compassion for people and their livelihoods.  

Had another great day today, with the Northerly blowing first thing in the morning, freshening all day, and making the 40k trip from Mystery Bay to Tathra a hoot.  I did have a “situation” pulling in to some unknown, uninhabited beach for lunch. There were rocks all over the place and the surf was quite high driven by the wind accelerating around the headland, so I was picking my line and waiting for the right moment to paddle in through the shorebreak.  I spotted a lull and started in on the back of a wave, and just then my hat blew off.  Mind you, this is no ordinary hat.  It’s a BC hat, made just for the trip by Bill Connor himself out of some waterproof, shrink proof, bomb-proof leather. It was supposed to be tied on but instead of trailing behind the kayak on its lanyard it disappeared behind the kayak and started sinking.  With the surf coming in behind me it was already 4 foot underwater by the time I got to it. I went for it, just reaching it in my fingertips, and then, there I was, upside down in the breakers on an unknown beach, rocks all over the place, with the paddle in one hand and a hat in the other.  Obviously you need two hands to Eskimo roll, and there was no way I was letting go of that hat!.   Beauty.  Letting go of the paddle with the other hand I managed to stuff the hat down my spraydeck (actually it was “up” my spraydeck since I was upside down).  Found the paddle, re-orientated after a wave went over the top and rolled back up.  Hat saved, sinuses cleared, rocks avoided, Eskimo Roll tested in unusual circumstances.  Double Beauty. The rest of the day was uneventful - surfing whitecaps in a gale. Now we’re at the Tathra SLSC where we’ll be staying for the night, and had a fantastic chat with the people here.  They already have solar on the club’s roof and are about to install put a wind turbine too.  They will also soon run Australia’s first carbon neutral sporting event  - good on them, and just as well since the clubhouse is only a metre above sea level. Its no longer just the ‘greenies” who are concerned about the environment, its everyone.   Most people around here also seem opposed to the wood-chipping mill in Eden.  They don’t mind forestry for construction material, but think that wood-chipping is a terrible waste of a precious resource.

The sun rose a fairytale shade of pink this morning, promising perfect weather.  Struck out for Montague Island 7km off the coast, home to a famous seal colony.  I must say I was expecting the island to be teeming with seals, but it must have been a good day for hunting because there wasn’t a seal in sight.  I went exploring amongst the rocks and eventually found a nice big one.  He gave us a welcoming wave with his flipper and a toothy grin and then went back to his siesta. That’s the nice thing about being in a kayak, its so quiet, and so non-threatening that you can really get up close to sea life. Surfed all the way to Mystery Bay, our stop for the night

Saw two seals today - big fat happy ones lazing around in the warm clear water together, a sure sign that we are entering wilder waters. Today John, Mike and I were joined by Ken, and the four of us had a nice long paddle chatting about everything from super-string theory to John's solo midwinter kayaking trip down the Franklin and Mike's mate's tangle with a croc up North (he survived). Its great to be spending time with people who share such a love of adventure, and the tall tales that inevitably accumulate when you're out in nature pushing the boundaries. In contrast to the high drama of the conversation, paddling conditions were mild - a gentle Easterly wind blowing over clear water. The coastline was stunning and we got to paddle through a headland which has a split in it just wide enough to paddle through, granite walls rising steeply either side and water levels rising and falling over the rocks with every wave.

Had the most amazing day today, and without even getting wet. Some trips I've done have been planned to perfection, and seem to "peak" right at the beginning. But sometimes its better to have faith, and let things develop in wonderful and unexpected directions. So, after Mick put some lettering on the kayak, I felt that it needed some artistic input and searched the web for an artist around Bateman's. I had a vague idea of the style I'd like, but when I saw the work of Nick Summers, it was better than I could have imagined. So today Nick and I painted the kayak and had an absolute ball. The photos tell the story, and huge thanks to Nick. Due to his talent and humour the result is fantastic, and the process was brilliant too, and he even let me paint some of it (the not so brilliant bit).

Got off to a nice early start and it was another glorious day for paddling, the sea the deepest shade of blue and a strengthening Nor Easter. Passing Brush Island I ran into Mike and John and we had a great little chat in the
lee before resuming our paddle South. What do you know but these two old buggers launch the most massive sails I've ever seen on kayaks. Fair enough they're getting on in years, and sure they're loaded up with a week's worth
of food and camping gear, but they just sat there doing 10k an hour while I was paddling my guts out to keep up. Before long I was out of breath and needed all the help I could get so I headed out to sea where the swell was bigger. There I was, huffing and puffing and sweating like crazy, pitching myself off the lip of every wave I could get into, spray flying all over the deck trying to keep pace. Miraculously, I was keeping up, even getting ahead a bit, but then I got too hot so I had to roll, and then I got too thirsty so I had to drink, and then I started to run out of energy so I had to scoff a banana, and then I needed to pee from all the water I'd just drunk, all this while Mike and John cruised serenely on, enjoying a close view of the spectacular coastline. You know what I thought? I thought "this is not sustainable". It felt like a perfect little microcosm of today's society, straining itself to the limit, desperate to keep up, consuming huge resources, doing itself damage and getting hotter by the minute (!) when all that was needed to achieve was a bit more experience, and working more harmoniously with nature.

Great paddling today - calm in the morning and then the Nor-Easter got up as I was coming into Ulladulla. It was a short day’s paddling because I was on a mission to get some sign-writing done on the kayak. All the sign-writers in town were busy or on holiday and it was becoming a very frustrating afternoon until I went into a newsagent and met Toni and Roxanne who recognised me from the Telly and the article in the South Coast Register. They made a big fuss and then put me on to their friend Mick Murphy. Mick had been mowing lawns all day in the sun, but had it in him to help me out - what a legend. Mr Murphy is one of those blokes who looks a bit rough but has a great sense of humour, a heart as big as a house, and a happy family to prove it. So now the kayak has the basics on it, and if I run into an artist further down the coast, there’s room for that too.

Felt very ordinary this morning after 2 rest days, pizza last night, and running out of muesli for breakfast – the things that can bring you undone! Getting ready to leave Murray’s beach, my friend and first business partner Richard Milroy joined me with his 4 month old daughter Flo. We haven’t seen each other much since we sold the business, so it was fantastic to catch up. He’s always wanted to have a kid too, and its wonderful to see him so utterly besotted. Also waved goodbye to friend and rock-climbing buddy Sam who dropped in on his way up the coast.

Murray’s beach (pictured) is as idyllic a spot as one could imagine and was once the site of a proposed nuclear power plant. Fortunately that got scuttled, and then they tried to put a huge sewerage works there instead while across the bay they tried for a steel works. Fortunately none of this went ahead, and today Jervis has a healthy, diversified, sustainable economy. It is also about to become a word headquarters for a Shao-Lin Monastery, bringing 3000 jobs to the area. My friend and Jervis Host Geoff Bliss will write up the full story - to be posted to the site as yet another example of choosing sustainability.

Saturday I reached Jervis bay, and on Sunday the Southerly change hit. Taking two rest days, I’ve had the chance to get up to date on happenings in Tasmania. It appears that the winds of change are blowing there too. Late last week two members of the Resource Planning and Development Commission resigned, Dr Warwick Raverty and the Chair of the RPDC, Mr Julian Green. The RPDC is the body responsible for objectively assessing Gunns Mil proposal. Initially, word from the government was that Mr Green had chosen to take an early retirement, and the Premier Paul Lennon praised Mr Green highly for the service that he had offered the Tasmanian Government in his long career. On Friday, Mr Green’s resignation letter was leaked to The Examiner .

Saturday morning dawned in Currarong, and I wasn’t nearly as sore as I expected after yesterday’s paddle. After a leisurely breakfast I pulled out of the creek and around the headland, heading for Jervis Bay. The wind and swell had swung more easterly, which males for a different sort of paddling. In a wind-swell, the waves form peaks which gradually build energy until they peak in a whitecap. As they so they send a secondary ripple out at about 30 degree to the direction of the main wave. Yesterday, with the wind directly behind me I could surfing the main swell. Today I was surfing the secondary ripple. It runs nicely across the face of the main swell direction, wave, and you can usually aim for the back of oncoming waves to stay with it. every now and then though, you run straight into a peaking wave. One option is to turn towards that swell, staying dry but losing momentum. The other option, the one I’m working on, is to throw yourself forward and to the high side as you approach the wave. This sinks the nose of the kayak into the oncoming swell and, at least in theory, catches the edge and turns you down the face of the oncoming wave. If it all goes to plan you surf this wave for a while before carving off into the next subsidiary ripple. In practice, what usually happens is that the whole wave lands on your head as you brace heavily to stay upright. I’m working on it.