Tasmania

Whilst crossing Bass Strait in a kayak isn't on my TODO list, paddling around some of the local Tasmanian islands certainly is!

I've just spent two weeks on a family holiday doing some research on the Tasman Peninsular and Bruny Island  whilst doing some sight seeing around Tasmania including some hiking around Cradle Mountain. We had a wonderful time and love the diverse wilderness that can be found in this Southern State.

The following link shows a short collection of photo's from the trip.  I'll update the post at some point post Christmas showing some photo's of the amazing coastline around this country.  I'm a surfer at heart and the Tasman Peninsular includes Ship Stern Bluff, one of the premier big wave spots in the world so paddling this area needs to allow for cold water (14 degrees in summer) and the roaring 40's.  We had relatively mild conditions and small surf as you can see in the east coast photo's included.

Hope you have a Happy Christmas and paddle safe!

Worst online company I have ever dealt with - CITIWIDE (rant warning!)

As a kayaker and a cyclist, I buy a lot of my gear online, and 99% of my online experiences are great.  That was until I came across an online shop that sells electronics and specifically camera gear - known as CITIWIDE (http://www.citiwide-online.com/).

After purchasing a NIKON AW100 waterproof camera from Citiwide, I started having issues within the first few weeks of using the camera (the camera would not open its shutter intermittently when you turn it on - i.e. envisage black pictures).  I thought it might be an incompatibility with the memory card so tried a few different options, but it would start working again each time I thought about returning it.

This went on for a few weeks before it started to over expose the photos.  I knew I needed to return the camera so started proceedings and contacted Citiwide.  I filled out the appropriate paperwork, took photo's of the camera as I couldn't find the serial number and sent this off to Citiwide asking if they would honour their warranty.

They emailed back and instructed me to send them the camera at my expense.  To cut a long story short, they said because there was no serial number sticker on the camera they wouldn't warranty it and sent the camera back to me, leaving me with a six week old camera that is useless and me out of pocket.

I'm not sure who is a fault here, Citiwide or Nikon for having a serial number which is a sticker on an underwater camera....seems like a fail proof get out of jail free card when it comes to providing a warranty on the products you sell.

Sufficient to say, I would never use this company again!

Well that was cathartic! Now to balance the post, I have some positive warranty stories as well.

Firstly, I broke my split Werner Ikelos (I'm not the first and won't be the last unfortunately).  Werner came to the party and replaced the joining components.  After some more use I broke the paddle again in the same spot - this is a paddle I had been using since 2010.  Werner (via Rosco Canoes -  http://www.roscocanoes.com.au/) suggested the solution was to replace the paddle with a new one with no out of pocket expenses.

Another supplier who I use frequently is Expedition Kayaks (http://www.expeditionkayaks.com/).  As a cyclist I have a bit of leg drive when I'm paddling and this caused the floating seat in my Nordkapp to break (a known issue with this design).  I told they boys from Expedition Kayaks what had happened and sent a photo and within a week my new seat arrived with some instructions how to install and get around this problem occurring again.

Done with my rant - off for a paddle!

Time for a new boat?

I have spent the past few years paddling a Valley Nordkapp.  It is a beautiful boat which has allowed me to undertake expeditions that most people only ever dream of doing.

From chasing small runners in the bay to sliding across the face of 6 meter waves 100 kms off the Australian coast, this has been my boat of choice.  Until recently, this boat was considered a fast touring boat, with a natural hull speed of around 7.5 to 8 km/hr on flat water.

The need for speed has seen new designs entering the sea kayaking market and now we are seeing a selection of boats that are incorporating aspects of ski designs with the traditional sea kayak, allowing for a more ergonomic and efficient paddling position.

The trouble I am having is that my paddling mates are making this transition which means that I am flogging myself to keep up with average paddling speeds over 9 and 10 km/hr.  Once you start pushing your boat past its natural hull speed you are expending a lot more effort for each minor increase in speed (law of diminishing returns!)

Whilst I love paddling a skeg boat, I am considering moving with the times and purchasing a boat with a rudder.  The main reason for this is when I am paddling an expedition laden skeg boat, the worse the sea state and longer the paddling leg, the more wear and tear on your body.  So for myself, I go with the rule of thumb now that up to 40 kms is fine in a skeg boat, but in excess of 40 kms I am starting to feel the effects of edging and correctional strokes and this could be counteracted by the use of a rudder which allows my energy to be concentrated on forward strokes.

The other consideration is space.  The Nordkapp has taught me the fine art of minimalist camping and creative packing.  Such fine lines and skeg box have to have some downside and packing volume is what you loose.  Having undertaken a 19 day remote expedition out of this boat I know it can be done, but the weight of that kit was too heavy for the Nordkapp to carry comfortably and had the boats sitting too low in the water, extending the water line of the boat and making it paddle like a barge.

So the current options in this part of the world seem to be Taran Rockpool and the Pace 17 Tiderace.  The Taran seems to have an edge on boat speed in rougher downwind conditions giving a more exciting ride, with the Pace 17 being a little bit more conservative and stable.

Whatever my final decision, I don't think I'll be looking for a new home for my Nordkapp!

Picture above was taken in 2010 on the first sea kayaking expedition to the Capricornia Cays, looking north from Lady Musgrave Island - we all paddled Valley Nordkapps given their expedition credentials.

Old Women (Mudjimba) Island

Old Women Island is a well known surf and fishing spot a kilometer off the Sunshine Coast.  The island itself is surrounded by rock platforms and rock reefs, and is home to around 2000 wedge-tail shearwater nests, commonly known as mutton birds.

Apparently the island was leased from around 1940, and you can see the remains of various buildings on the island.  On its day, this is one of the best reef breaks on the East Coast.  The swell wraps around both sides of the island and you can surf into an on-coming wave on the western side of the island.  Its not often you can get airborne in a 5 meter sea kayak, but this is the spot to try!

Access to the island is via a rock platform on the north-western side of the island - only rocks and more rocks!  The waves wrap around the island so you need to get your timing right, coming in on the back of the set and getting into the rock lagoon before the next set cleans you up on the rocks.  Not recommended for days with large swell and you only have access from half to full tide.  The white water behind Rowdy is where the two waves are meeting and you don't get swell much smaller than the conditions today.

The mutton birds have recently finished hatching their young and only the weak and dead remain as they continue on their migration. More and more of these birds are washing up on our beaches and there are concerns about the overall numbers of these birds diminishing.

Access to the top of the hills is restricted by a forest of prickly pear and the lower slopes are a mine field of mutton bird nests - so tread carefully and avoid the island when the birds are nesting.

Bring your snorkeling gear along as the on calm days the water visibility is great and the reef has a lot to offer.


Old Women Island - Nov 2013 from Paul Wilton on Vimeo.

Lady Elliot Island - Sea Turtles

We have skipped spring this year in Queensland and gone from a mild Winter into Summer.  The water temps in our local waters are fantastic!  My wet suit is packed away for another year; I spent a couple of hours in the water this morning surfing on the Sunshine Coast in a rashie and boardies.

Apparently the warmer weather and subsequent warmer water temps is messing with our Turtle population. According to an article about the turtle population on Lady Elliot Island, the turtles have arrived there in numbers and are mating earlier this year than normal.

I paddled out that way in 2010 and love the place.  Apart from the turtles, you have seasonal visits from Manta Rays and Whales as well as a myriad of different types of birds - though the smell is a bit overpowering in the breeding season.

The photos are from some of the turtles I came across snorkeling around Lady Elliot Island on that trip.

The smaller turtles were a lot more interactive than the larger turtles and would come over and swim around you, allowing for some close up underwater shots.

The following shot was taken of one stranded on a reef platform at low tide. It got itself off the reef on the next high tide so all was okay!

One of the unique things I came across was whilst snorkeling was turtle cleaning stations.  The following picture is a turtle parking on a bommie, letting some of the local fish come out and give it a clean - a symbiotic relationship of sorts where the turtles get a clean and the fish get a feed.

Just one of the amazing animals that we share the planet with!

Sea Kayaking to North Moreton Island - Trip Report

Moreton Bay is always full of surprises - this time was no different coming across a pod of whales including this very large specimen (you are looking at the tail end) that decided to swim under my kayak. This was one of a number of pods we came across over the weekend.

The trip plan was to paddle from Bribie Island up to North Point, a trip of around 26kms where we would camp and explore around the northern end of Moreton Island.  The first hiccup came when we found that we couldn't fit everybody in at North Point due to its popularity this weekend, so we booked the next campsite down at Yellow Patch.

The second hiccup was paddling up to North Point to find that Yellow Patch would have to be the worst campsite on Moreton Island.  After packing a cut lunch and a water bag to walk from the beach to the campsite across sand fly infested swamps, we decided to paddle back to Comboyuro Point to setup camp where it was less populated and a more laid back camping crowd.

We all slept well that night after the 37km paddle and the 10kms we paddled against the 3.5 knot current and head wind.  I slept extra well as I was chasing Taran's all day in my Nordy, or maybe that was the wine!

Day 2 came and we discussed a plan for the day.  After 3 hours of deep discussion where we perfected the art of doing nothing (very comfortably in our new Helinox camping chairs).  Eventually a plan developed where we surfed the tidal race down to Cowan Cowan to look at the battlements before some of the more energetic Taran paddlers decided on a race home.  An afternoon spent chillin' led to more of the same in the evening.

Day 3 saw the wind come up from the North bringing 1-2 meters of waves, so with a beam wind we surfed our way back to Bribie getting some great runs.

Camping at Comboyuro Point gives you access to running water, toilets and cold showers, albeit with a bit of a walk, as well as access to the shops at Bulwer which is around a kilometer south of the camp grounds.  There are bins near the amenities so you don't need to carry your rubbish back to the mainland.

The 16 km crossing itself can be a little daunting for the novice.  At max tidal flow, the shipping channel runs at around 4 knots and I like to do the crossing around the top of an incoming tide as the banks will start to have breaking waves depending on the swell size on a low tide.  I do the crossing back at the start of the ebb tide, heading for the southern tip of Bribie and using the current to carry you northwards to Woorim. I recommend crossing at the M4 channel markers as it gives a clearly defined channel and you can wait for any ships to pass before crossing.  Timing for the crossing will depend on the average paddling speed of the group.

There is always the barge of shame if you want to paddle around the inside of Moreton without the risk of the crossing.  Paddle with the tide as the tidal flow near the island can flow at around 3.5 knots according to the charts but local knowledge would set the figure higher at various points.

201310 Moreton Is from Paul Wilton on Vimeo.

Fraser Island East Coast

Just did the family camping holiday up to Fraser Island for the second week of the school holidays.  Didn't go exactly to plan, but it was a nice get away!

It has been a number of years since we had been to Fraser Island, last time being about 14 years ago with a V8 Range Rover and trailer.  This time we took a low clearance 4 cylinder Suzuki loaded to the brim with camping gear, fishing gear, kayaking gear, food, etc...

After 10 weeks without any rain I was certainly nervous about the inland tracks and the ground clearance given the amount of traffic on the island with school holidays and perfect weather. I went through the worst case scenario with the family before setting off on the track to Central Station after getting some 'erroneous' advice from other 4WD enthusiasts.

Enough to say that sinking feeling occurred when we got stuck behind a slow moving 4WD and we lost momentum and the worst case scenario became a reality.  Note to self - trust to your own experience!  With a little help from some friends I got off the track and got a tow out through a couple of spots which left the suzuki sitting high and dry with wheels spinning.

A new plan was hatched and we "camped" at the Eurong resort and spent time exploring the Eastern side of the island.  There was a lot a whale traffic heading south and they didn't seem to be in a hurry to get back to the cold waters of the southern ocean.  It was nice to do the fishing thing again with the family after many years away from Fraser.

The main differences in the last 14 years were; less sharks so assumably less fish to bring them close to shore, less dingos, less pippies, and more people - lots more people.

2013 Fraser Island from Paul Wilton on Vimeo.

Deloraine Island - Whitsunday Group

Google Earth is your friend as a trip planning aid - This is one of the islands that I included on my bucket list after poking around Google Earth looking for some alternative paths through the Whitsundays. Deloraine Island is one of the outside islands and whilst not wanting to over promote this island - it is a bit of a gem.

It has a north facing coral beach, offering protection from winds with any south in them.  It is surrounded by a fringing reef where spearing is allowed.

In the winter months whales can be heard passing by, and very little else as tourists, including charter boats don't venture this far out.  It isn't an ideal anchorage so you won't be overrun by the boating fraternity, but you will need to watch your tides and currents as there are over-falls created in this area by tidal action.

No water or facilities, but mobile phone access (try the headland or western beach).  Note that you usually loose mobile phone reception on the Eastern side of Whitsunday or Hook Islands so it was unexpected.

With a bit of planning, you can enhance your next trip to the Whitsundays - and treat yourself to some crayfish if you can catch them!

Some images below taken from and around Deloraine Island in 2012.



Deloraine Island - Whitsunday Group from Paul Wilton on Vimeo.

Cribb Island

I was out paddling past the airport the other day and one of the paddlers mentioned that we were passing Cribb Island.  I remembered this name from my early days in BrisVegas (aka Brisbane) but hadn't heard it mentioned in years.

I have paddled past this structure and always wondered what it was before the airport was extended.

The only reference I could find mentions "bathing" houses.  I found the following picture in some archives which shows the bath houses in the background.

A short history was that the area was occupied in the late 1800's by a group of local Aboriginal people before being sold as farming land.  It was developed around 1916 and ended up with a population of 900 by 1970 and was home to the young brothers Gibb (aka Bee Gees) at some point.

In 1970 the Government started to reclaim the land to extend the airport with the last resident reluctantly leaving by 1980. There is a lot of information available which describes how the reclamation was handled and the affects on peoples lives which is a darker chapter of our local past and is only a shadow of the reflection of how we treated the traditional owners of this land.

Sea Kayaking around Rainbow Beach and Double Island Point

I have surfed and fished this part of the world for a lot of years, but haven't ever been Sea Kayaking along this stretch of coast. A quick plan was hatched with a couple of fellow sea kayakers and  we took off for an exploratory paddle last weekend to check out the potential for running a club trip up this way.

We have had a week of northerlies which kept the swell small and the temps up around 28 degrees C for the last day of winter. The water was  crystal clear and the ocean life plentiful.  Within minutes of being on the water we were encountering Bottle-Nose Dolphins and Turtles.  Whales pass close to this headland and whilst we didn't see any on the water, people had been viewing them earlier in the week.

There was nothing not to like for a Sea Kayaker!  It would be close to a 30km return paddle from Rainbow Beach which means you don't need to worry about the tides or slogging through some soft sand in your 4WD.  Paddling around the headland would be under 10kms if you drove up to the point.

We took the opportunity to paddle over to Fraser Island on the Sunday and had an impromptu surf session at Hook Point.  This is an amazing part of the world and well worth spending some time here outside the holiday season.

The only negative to the whole weekend was camping at Inskip Point - it was very busy.  We ended up camping in the SS Dorrigo campsite which was further away from the point and less crowded.  That said, Fraser Island is just a stones throw away...


201308 Rainbow Beach from Paul Wilton on Vimeo.

A Rare Encounter

Whilst I have noticed a decline in the fish life in Moreton Bay in recent years, I have still been surprised by the diversity of wildlife I have come across.

On one of my first Sea Kayaking trips on Moreton Bay, a friend and myself went out for a Sunday afternoon paddle and came across a fully grown Leatherback Turtle less than a kilometer off the shore front at Nudgee Beach. We didn't know just how rare these sightings were at the time and that these turtles are an endangered species in Australia.

We had no idea what we had come across and it took us a while to decide to paddle over for a closer look.  All we could see in the setting sun was a gaping pink mouth, followed by some barnacle encrusted ridges.  The pink mouth/esophagus we could see turned out to be something from a horror movie (I think George Lucas might have borrowed this look for his Sand Worms).

Photo: Karumbé

According to some research I have read, these turtles can grow to 2 meters, but I have read reports of them in excess of this size.  They are the oldest of the marine turtles as well as the largest. They primarily eat jellyfish, and can dive in excess of 1,000 meters in depth.  Those flippers get a work out as they have been known to swim 6,000 kms between breeding and feeding grounds.

Photo: Scott R. Benson, NMFS Southwest Fisheries Science Center

I feel privileged to have seen and paddled with one of these creatures, not to mention amazed that we did so in our local waters. It was this sighting that convinced my that I needed to get a waterproof camera to capture these once off encounters.

Unexpected Company

Sea Kayaking in remote locations in Australia, generally means you will be interacting closely with the local wildlife.  On the ocean, we are an oddity and many sea creatures are inquisitive which leads to some amazing experiences.  In the ocean is no different - I'll share a couple of stories of encounters with the larger pointy teeth variety.

We were off for a snorkel in some deeper water to look for some Manta Rays that frequent the area and the photo below captures one of two Grey Whalers that came over and started circling near us when we scared some fish off a bommie (coral outcrop)  in about 25 metres of water - southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.  They came up to investigate and moved on after a closer look or maybe that was because I stuck my camera in its face?  This was a beautiful stream-lined shark - built for speed.

I had been snorkeling along the reef edge in a lagoon on a remote coral atoll and had just seen the grand-daddy of Gropers in a huge sea cave. I dived down and was holding onto the reef trying to get a shot of him when I got the feeling I wasn't alone.  The lagoon keeper (pet name for the Tawny Nurse below) had come over to investigate what I was doing - sufficient to say I missed getting the shot of the groper I was looking for.

This shark was like a Labrador (i.e. fat dog that wants to be friendly - always in your face). I wasn't that familiar with sharks and their behaviour and this one wouldn't leave us alone - I think it was lonely but it could easily have been telling us to keep out. I was a bit nervous of an overly friendly shark in a remote location over 80kms off the coast.

For the main part, most of the sharks we come across on the reefs are black or white tipped reef sharks.  They generally keep out of your way, though we fed one once and it must of told its mates as every time we went in the water, they came from everywhere like a pack of hungry dogs! Note to self - don't feed fish frames to the sharks.

So sharks are okay, though they sometimes will come and give your rudder a nudge if it is making like a wounded fish and occasionally they might nibble on your paddle blade to keep you on your toes.

A Southern Visitor of an Unexpected Kind

In Winter 2012, I took a group of local paddlers out to North Stradbroke Island.  As we were passing Peel Island we noticed a strange object floating on the surface of the water - as we paddled over to investigate it disappeared with a splash and we were left speculating as to what it might have been.

On landing at Adder Rock on North Stradbroke Island we were surprised to find a New Zealand Fur Seal had come to visit.  We had a number of further sightings during the trip, including a seal pup we came across playing in the waves.

Over that winter there were a number of reported sightings of New Zealand Fur Seals within Moreton Bay and the islands .  Not sure of the purpose of their visit but they were a rare treat in these warm waters.

This one wasn't too concerned with all the attention.

Following Whale Footprints off North Stradbroke Island

Between July through to September, we have the opportunity meet some of our southern 'cousins' as they migrate up to warmer waters. For those of us living near Moreton Bay, we have the opportunity to head out to the outside islands to view the Whales on their migration North, and then again as they head south with their new calves.

Viewing whales from water level is a fantastic experience.  Most whales are inquisitive and will check you out, either by coming up under your kayak or by coming to the surface beside you, or in front of you as you will see in the video below.  Whilst we are dwarfed by these creatures, they seem to have a great awareness of their size and I haven't felt at risk at any time during the encounters, even when they have popped up in the middle of a pod of kayakers.

This year I noticed that a number of the Whales we saw were seemingly being shepherded by dolphins, like a local water pilot service. Listening through a hydrophone was picking up the constant chattering of the Dolphins as well as the Whale Song.

I took a group of fellow paddlers over to North Stradbroke early in the season this year for a long weekend of Whale Watching.  A couple of us got away a day early as the weather was looking perfect - the video below shows us paddling along with a couple of whales off Point Lookout.

What's in a name?

Ever get a nickname you couldn't outrun? Well it happened to me about 3 years ago and now all my paddling buddies call me "sharkbait".  Not a name to inspire beginners to push their boundaries and come off-shore with me.

I should state that sharks are inquisitive creatures and don't usually need to give your gel-coat a touch-up to determine that you are not food (i.e. repeat after me: Kayakers are friends, not food....).  I blame the skeg on my brand new Nordkapp flapping around like a wounded fish and not my paddling imitating a wounded seal!

In defense of the shark, it was prime feeding time, the water was murky and the shark may have been vision impaired.  What you are looking at in the picture above is where two rows of the said sharks teeth broke through the gel-coat and embedded themselves in the fibreglass.

The shark attacked from underneath the boat, hitting behind the cockpit and lifting the boat and myself out of the water.  It held the boat firmly for a few seconds before allowing me to paddle out of its mouth (had a nice set of scratches down both sides of the kayak).  I didn't get a look at the shark as I was making sure that I was going to stay upright and all my paddling buddy saw was the large swirl of the shark disappearing back to the depths.

So what can you take from this experience?  It was a mistaken hit and the shark let me go after realising this, the likelihood of this happening again is very rare, and a name...

'The Jetty', Boreen Point

Had a relaxing weekend away with the extended family at Lake Cootharaba, just a short drive North West of Noosa.  'The Jetty' accommodation is on the shoreline at Boreen Point, and apart from weekends and school holidays, it is a sleepy lakeside village with picturesque views of the tea-tree lake.

Whilst mainly home to the sailing fraternity, this lake offers some great paddling with access to the Noosa Everglades and the Upper-Noosa river which hosts a range of secluded campsites for those wanting to get away for a weekend or longer.

After an early morning training paddle on the lake, we loaded the boards and headed for the Eastern Surf beach for some fun small waves.

Another classic winters day in SE Queensland!

201308 Boreen Point from Paul 'Sharkbait' Wilton on Vimeo.

Moreton Island Day Paddle

There aren't too many parts of the world where you can be in the water all year round, but here in South-East Queensland is one of them.  I surfed through winter this year using a long-sleeve 2mm wetshirt.  I cycle every day and only used long fingered gloves once.  The video link below shows some shots from a day trip to Moreton Island taken during winter this year.

The only problem with a day trip to Moreton, is that you don't want to leave.



2013 Moreton Day Trip from Paul 'Sharkbait' Wilton on Vimeo.