The Fellowship of Paddlers

It's a funny thing - I've been paddling since I was about 12 years old (which, god help me, makes that 32 years so far) - and one thing seems to be an almost universal constant - paddlers are nice people!

As you know I am spending a year away from my beloved home of Kangaroo Island, enduring 12 months of anaesthetic upskilling in Orange, NSW. Whilst a necessary evil for me to gather the skills I need in anaesthesia to ensure the safety of my small island community for the next 20 yrs or so until my retirement, it means time away from my beloved partner and time away from the ocean. Neither of these is a good thing.

There's some small respite this weekend - I am down in Sydney for a rural doctors/anaesthetic conference. I travelled down early today and thought I'd indulge with a visit to one of the kayak stores, as it's a rarity for me to see any other paddlers or indeed kayaking kit when back on KI.

And as I got closer to the shop, I spied two very slick looking 'Hybrid' kayaks on the roof rack of a parked car - then the smiling, lithe Andre Janecki doing some business.

So we got talking, and within 30 seconds was invited for a paddle, a BBQ and offered a bed for the night. Sadly have had to decline as I am staying close to the City and the concept of bringing a kayak down was alien to the hotel where I am booked (bugger, bugger as it's shaping up to be a beautiful weekend and I'm yearning to get wet - Orange is a 'mere' 4 hrs drive form the coast and my waistline is ever-increasing as I can't get out in my beloved Nordkapp).

This is in stark behaviour to the storeowners, who barely said hello and were clearly more interested in taking my money than any sort of relationship. I get it, selling kayaks is a business, but I do miss the 'old days' when even commercial stores made a connection with their clientele.

But I digress.

The point I am trying to make is that such behaviour (thanks Andre) is almost the norm amongst fellow paddlers. And that is a splendid thing which should be acknowledged.

Encountering Andre made me think of a William Nealy cartoon (anyone else remember the wonderful cartoons from 'Whitewater Tales of Terror' and 'Kayaks to Hell'?) in which two kayakers pass each other on the freeway - and both pullover, stop and run across to embrace each other as 'brothers'.

It's true that nowadays we are more likely to drive past other paddlers with barely an acknowledgment, but this is in part because there are so many sit-on-tops, tupperware barges and all manner of 'paddlers' out there that sorting the aesthetes from the masses can be difficult.

But overall, I think we're a friendly bunch and aside from the sheer pleasure of "messing about in boats" and the chance to interact with nature, such comradeship is just one more reason to love kayaking.

Apart from devising roadkill recipes, one of my hobbies is inventing 'collective nouns' - everyone's heard of a parliament of owls, a murder of crows....for my medical colleagues I've herd of gems such as 'a knot of surgeons', 'a body of pathologists' and even 'a snatch of gynaecologists'!

But what is the collective nouns for sea-kayakers? A dunk? An endurance? A sogginess? Suggestions are invited...

Anyhow, with comradeship and collectivism in mind, I invite fellow paddlers to drop in and say 'G'day' if you're visiting Kangaroo Island - there are some great places to paddle and once I get back in Jan 2012 the ki-yak website should be refurbished with paddle reports and local maps to some of the better paddling locations etc.

And Andre, I'll catch up next time I'm down in Sydney. Now, if only there was somewhere to 'park' a kayak for visiting paddlers...

Gear Fetish

Call it a mid-life crisis, or call it a syndrome of any outdoor activity, but it seems that I'm spending more and more time checking out gear than actually getting out on the water.

There is no doubt that sea-kayaking can be an equipment-intensive sport. A casual perusal of Sea Kayaker magazine or the excellent Australian Sea Kayak Forum soon overloads the reader with gear tips, reviews and recommendations.

Part of this comes from a safety culture. The sea can be a hostile environment, and it's prudent for anyone paddling to have not just the traditional "body, boat, blade" but also a PFD, spraydeck, protection from the weather (sun or rain) and some water. But suppose you're paddling a little further? Or on a club trip? Do you need a VHF? An EPIRB? Satellite phone? Spare paddle? Towline? Helmet? Medical kit?

Then factor in the possibility of a swim and prolonged immersion (dress for the water, not the weather). Do you paddle in shorts and T-shirt? Thermals? Chillcheater gear? Neoprene wetsuit? Drysuit? How about one of those fancy new "007" NRS HydroSkin paddling jackets (actually, I have a cunning plan for a special expedition involving one of these, which I'll blog about later...)

How about if you are camping...what sort of tent? Sleeping bag? Sleeping mat and chair? A Trangia or a Jet-Boil cooking system? Dehydrated meals or roadkill? Going to take a photo? Point-and-shoot camera or dSLR? Waterproof housing or 'waterproof' camera? Don't even get me started on video...

It's easy to get bogged down in all this and I am as guilty as anyone. However, recently the topic of the ideal medical kit came up and this has forced me to re-examine my gear and fetish for always wanting more and more 'gadgets'.

It's hard to believe that twenty years ago I'd happily set off on a first descent on some far-flung European river with not much more than a low-volume slalom kayak (or C1!), a cheap summer-season sleeping bag wedged behind the seat, a bottle of water and a few Mars Bars. We seemed to manage.

Talking to some of the Kangaroo Islander's who grew up on the water, they fondly remember making makeshift kayaks out of cardboard and paddling them a few kms offshore to Busby Island from Kingscote, exploring the island at low tide then paddling back. In cardboard boats. With sharks in the water.

So I'm going to keep it simple from now on. Most of my paddling is solo anyhow. for the overnighters just a simple tarp shelter or Hennessey Hammock. Catch fish for supper. Have a spare set of thermals and some wet weather gear. Sunscreen. Leave the phone behind, tell someone where you're going and when expected back...and have a bloody good time.

Safe Paddling

Well, if you're thinking about sea-kayaking on Kangaroo Island, I guess you need to have a fair idea of what you are doing. I'm a little disconcerted when people rock up to go paddling in T-shirts and jeans, with a sit-on-top kayak and a pair of whitewater paddles. You ain't coming sea-kayaking with me, with that shit.

A real sea kayak

The whole point about a proper sea kayak is that it is designed to allow the paddler to go anywhere. To do this, it needs to be a decked kayak, preferably with a minimum volume cockpit. It needs waterproof bulkheads and hatches, with buoyancy in case of flooding. Most importantly, it needs a paddler who is physically and psychologically prepared to cope with whatever the sea throws at him/her. The paddler must be able to swim, be able to self-rescue and, to my mind, should be able to roll reliably. A spraydeck, PFD and safety gear should be included, as well as clothing suitable for immersion in the sea.

Capsizing can be surprise for the unwary

So here's the dilemma - kayaking is generally a safe activity, and indeed is one of the fastest-growing outdoor activities in Australia...but much of this expansion is in the sit-on-top or kayak-fishing market - great fun for mucking around in protected waters, but a recipe for disaster on exposed coasts or if the weather changes.  At the other extreme is your expedition-hardened sea-kayaker - ready to paddle unsupported or in a small 'pod' across Bass Strait or to circumnavigate Kangaroo Island.

Not so long ago, people learned to kayak through joining a club and invariably learned to paddle under tutelage of more experienced paddlers. Nowadays it's easy to wander into a kayak store and walk out with a new kayak - or purchase a second-hand kayak on eBay - and be on the water with relative ease. I think this is great to encourage people to explore the marine environment...but it's a worry when people set out to explore with a lack of knowledge, skills or equipment. The death of two people who attempted to cross Backstairs Passage to Kangaroo Island is a good example.

Simon Willis sums it up nicely "Sea kayaking is a seductively easy sport. Photographs...are usually taken in the most benign conditions, because when it's rough both hands are on the paddle. While it's easy to get started and it's even easier to become complacent or take the sea for granted, this is a mistake some people only make once".

I like mucking about in kayaks and have been doing it for over 30 years (mostly in whitewater). Nowadays I like to paddle the coast of KI and get close to wildlife or explore the many cliffs and bays. I have a well-kitted out kayak (a skegged Valley Nordkapp LV) and of course can roll. But I am still learning about the sea and treat it with a lot more respect as I get older.

For me, sea-kayaking is all about freedom - being out on the water, exploring the coast, seeing wildlife, rock-hopping, surfing and just getting wet. It's an easy sport and one in which I'm always keen to encourage and mentor others...but it's wise not to venture out unless you know what you are doing.

Some chop off Cape Forbin, North Coast

Who wants to paddle with KI-yak?

So - if you're coming to KI and want to paddle, that's great. If you are an experienced paddler, or an intermediate paddler looking to expand your horizons, then give me a call. With a well-kitted out kayak and a paddler who has some experience, KI-yak can help you access some of the 'special' places on KI to explore the coast and see some amazing things.

But if you're a first time or novice paddler in a sit-on-top...well, perhaps KI-yak ain't for you...yet.

Get some instruction, join a club (Adelaide Canoe Club are good) or perhaps consider some excellent local instruction from Phil Doddridge (Adventure Kayaking SA) and get into paddling a real sea-kayak.

Once you've mastered it, there is nothing to stop you...

My end of the Island - Cape Forbin looking west to Cape Torrens

Welcome to KI-yak

Well, here it is...Sea-Kayaking Kangaroo Island's first foray into the cyberspace blog-o-sphere.

KI-yak is all about sea-kayaking on Kangaroo Island, Australia's third largest island off the coast of South Australia. It's a wonderful place, with the geographic separation from the mainland ensuring (mostly) pristine native vegetation in the various National Parks and conservation areas, as well as abundant native wildlife. Tourists come here to see koalas, wallabies, goannas, echidnas, seals, sealions, penguins, to dive with leafy sea-dragons and, of course, kangaroos!

Sealions are inquisitive and often approach kayaks

Sea Kayaking Kangaroo Island

With over 550 kilometres of coastline, Kangaroo Island is a sea-kayaker's dream. Paddling options vary from protected bays and lagoons, long deserted beaches, to rugged surf-coasts and the highest sea cliffs in South Australia. On the way you will see dolphins, penguins, seals & sealions, ospreys, white-bellied sea-eagles, spectacular geology, trilobites, shipwrecks...and maybe the odd great white shark.

KI-yak hopes to aid sea-kayakers visiting Kangaroo Island who wish to explore the coastline safely and use local knowledge of access/egress spots, best paddling locations and other valuable info.

You can usually get hold of me via the Kangaroo Island Medical Clinic, email me through the website KI-yak.com.au or check out the infamous Roadkill Recipes at www.wrongsideoftheroad.com.au.

Mark Deuter, North Coast Western River-Snug Cove