Starring: Greg Schwarz, Jim, Gnarlydog, Adventuretess Guest Appearances: Moira, Bruce
12 months since the tradition of ‘birthday rolls’ began, it was time to do it all again. All rollers chose to use Greenland Paddles, including Jim who was using his homemade GP for the first time. Birthday presents are not exchanged among group members; the act of getting together in this way is considered gift enough. I was therefore taken by surprise when Greg Schwarz handed me a small red fleece bag. What lay inside left me speechless: Greg had made me a Norsaq, a Greenland harpoon throwing tool similar to a Woomera. My Norsaq is a beautiful work of art meticulously made with the same timber used to make my GP. Greg substituted Ash on the tips and trim where traditionally bone would have been used. I have no experience rolling with a Norsaq so was appreciative that Greg included lessons as part of the gift. Entering the water, the effect of the recent devastating floods was apparent by the unusually brown water and our discovery of a freshwater catfish eel flopping around on the tide line. This poor fellow must have been washed out of a nearby freshwater creek. 12 months ago aged 45, I had wondered at my ability to perform as many rolls. Today attempting 46, plus 1 for luck, I had no such concerns. The challenge for me on this birthday lay in doing different types of rolls. The groups abilities are at different levels but throughout the session, butterfly, Greenland, hand, offside, speed, forward ending and other types of rolls were successfully performed. On top of these, Greg decided to do his as hand rolls, all 50 of them, one after the other! After completing the required number of rolls, we played. Gnarlydog perfected his skirt-in-place re-enter and roll while Greg turned to his role as mentor, helping Jim achieve his first offside roll, using his new GP then guiding me in the use of the Norsaq. I've found practicing and playing in my kayak improves both my skills and confidence and I’m fortunate to have many opportunities throughout the year to celebrate my kayaking friend’s birthdays in this way. Jim & Tess
For most of this year I've nursed an injury which has impeded my adventure activities. Opportunities to kayak were precious and with a little help from a Gold Coast instructor, some good kayaking DVDs, books and the endless patience of my mentors, I've experienced some quality bum-in-boat moments. I enjoy rough water paddling and am in the process of acquiring the skills of kayak surfing. I'm fortunate to have spent the final day of 2010 with my friends in gentle surf, in my Nordkapp LV.
Team Vanstix_Vanilla, Adventuretess, Gnarlydog NYE 2010
While others were fighting for bargains at post-Christmas sales, or staying out of the wet weather on their couches at home, I was itching to get my kayak wet.
The only post-Christmas “sale” I was interested in involved using my Flat Earth kayak “sail”. Unfortunately the forecast was for heavy rain instead of wind, so I left the sail at home, grabbed my GP and Gnarlydog and launched under threatening skies. In contrast to the sky, the bay was calm and unusually devoid of boats. My body relaxed into the familiar rhythm of the forward stroke; the only sounds the occasional splash of the paddle and the ‘tic tic tic’ of rain hitting the brim of my hat. A feeling of peace enveloped me. It was 6 years to the day since I first took up sea kayaking.
Approaching the reef surrounding of our destination, the water line was clearly higher than usual, with the incoming flow encroaching on the usually dry land. The king tide was flooding the small protected bay with warm, clear water providing perfect conditions to practice sculling and rolling. Taking advantage of the rare water height, we weaved a path over the submerged beach through mangroves and shrubs, inaccessible at other times. Small sandstone cliffs were reminiscent of the coastline in North Queensland, the pink colours a contrast against the surrounding dark foliage. This rainy day exploration had left me with the feeling of a remote experience in my own backyard bay.
Lou, a friend’s daughter survived a horrific MVA which resulted in the amputation of one of her legs. Lou has been asking me how she can become a sea kayaker. After talking with her, I remembered ‘Birthright’, a moving short film I had seen. In ‘Birthright’ Sean Mullens captures Michael’s daily ritual to find his natural self through surfing. BIRTHRIGHT from Sean Mullens on Vimeo. I reflected on ‘Birthright’ and options for Lou. Sea kayak manufacturers invest a lot of time and money into developing and improving sea kayaks, but what about kayaks specifically designed for people with disability? Weren’t sea kayaks well suited to people with lower limb mobility challenges? During my search, I was drawn to Hybrid Unlimited, the project of sea kayaker Andre Janecki who is trying to develop a recreational kayak specifically designed for double leg amputees and paraplegics. Hybrid Unlimited Designer Andre Janecki Andre’s concept is that to feel free, to feel natural, feel in the moment, means you need to be independent. The Hybrid Foundation Ltd, a not for profit organisation was formed to design and develop products to support people with disabilities. Andre’s design, the Hybrid Unlimited is the world’s first kayak equipped with wheels. Hybrid Unlimited concept design Getting to, in and out of the water without assistance, is the key. Having motorised wheels would make the job much easier. In Andre’s design, quad inflatable sponsons are used for safety and durability. Seats are individually cast to the paddlers profile and a breathable top deck provides additional comfort. Aeronautical quality composites keep the weight to a minimum. This is no ordinary kayak, but neither are the paddlers the Unlimited is designed for! Intrigued, I asked Andre a few questions to try (and) better understand the Project. Andre, why is your design special? Because it's the first ever kayak with wheels! Wheels are the key factor so you can go down and up the boat ramp on your own! To feel free you need to be independent! Have you been able to test your design? To fully test the UNLIMITED we need to "stretch" the scale down model for another... 4meters (12ft)! However with over 20 years of kayaking experience I know that this kayak will perform as intended (including the fun as well as the safety factor). Do you have any indication on the demand for your design? I wish there would never be demand for it, but sadly accidents happen every day. I can't quote double leg amputees statistics, but there are 80 cases of paraplegics per year (half of it involving young men) and this is only in Australia. Will the kayak be transported on roof racks and if so will assistance or a special system be required to do so? The roof rack or the passenger seat will do. The kayak centre section which includes the 3 wheels and the seat (I call it 'a cocoon') is only 1.2meters (4ft) long and will weight no more than 6kg (16lb). You shift your self in to it like the standard wheel chair and 'zoom' around your car to pull up the paddle, PFD, lunch box, sun glasses, etc. Then by flicking a switch the car battery will inflate the side sponsons (in less than 5 minutes) and you ready to roll down. Having the wheels motorized would obviously help (specially on the way up) but for the time being a 20 meter (65ft) long thick rope with equally spaced knots will do the job. Where will the Hybrid UNLIMITED kayak be manufactured and how affordable will it be in comparison to sea kayaks currently on the market? As a kayaker I see no boundaries. I am willing to sign with anyone regardless where (and who) they are. The UNLIMITED will always remain as a "recreational special need kayak" with cost equal to a quality "expedition sea kayak". Andre, how do you fund the Hybrid UNLIMITED Project? The Concept Design is on me. I am committing $350.00 from every "Hybrid 550" (a sea kayak like no other, in Andre's words) sold worldwide to the project. But for the full size prototype we need a Sponsor with $50k. Funding is needed to purchase components and custom made features like carbon kevlar disc wheels, inflatable sponsons, vacuum mouldings, etc. Will the Hybrid UNLIMITED kayak be available internationally and how will I be able to test and purchase one? Internationally of course! But before we can test (and purchase) one, we need to find a Sponsor for this project! If there is one area I'm hopeless (and a failure!) with, it’s the correspondence to government and corporations. In September and October of 2009, I travelled through Europe, USA and Canada where the Project was well received, but we still need a major financial partner/sponsor. Should anyone wanting more information contact the Hybrid Foundation Ltd directly? By all means! I hope that together we can make it happen sooner! hybrid8@bigpond.com Finally Andre, if you had one wish what would it be? I wish for no accidents at all. But knowing the statistics I really wish for a CEO somewhere to realise the rewards for sponsoring the UNLIMITED ... at a cost equal to a replacement set of boardroom chairs!
Will the Hybrid UNLIMITED Project help Lou realise her goal? I don’t know, but a project as ambitious as this seems to sit appropriately within our sport, a sport that fosters ambitious sea kayaking expeditions and ‘firsts’. Race Around Australia's Freya Hoffmeister Hybrid Foundation Ltd image Andre Janecki_used with permission
If you have suggestions or comments to help Lou or Andre realise their goals, please join in this discussion and add your comment below.
Footnote - On 3 Dec every year, International Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is celebrated worldwide to recognise the achievements and contributions of people with disability. One of IDPwD's aims is to involve people with disability and the broader community in activities to celebrate and raise awareness of IDPwD.
The story includes shark & marine life encounters, tips on dealing with sharks and why it is always a good idea to listen to your kayak instructor. Just as we practice recovery scenarios, recent media on sharks (giant hammerhead and great white 'lurking' off the Qld coast & the tragic loss of surfers lives in Perth W.A. and Santa Barbara U.S.A.) could encourage non-hysterical discussion among sea kayakers to plan for the unlikely event of a shark encounter - defence, first aid, kayak damage etc ? Eric's (and the other Tsunami Rangers) experience with sharks as sea kayakers compliments the information shared with us in Shark I.D. by Valerie Taylor A.M.
12 months on Vanilla, Gnarlydog and I revisted Mud Island. With a benign forecast and Gnarlydog's renowned lack of interest in flat water paddling, the only challenge on this 35km trip would take place in the mind. Fortunately Gnarly was blessed with great companions and an interesting destination. En route to Mud, Gnarlydog spotted movement across the calm passage. It appeared to be kayaks also moving north. One, clad in bright orange was particularly visible 4km away. If you want to be seen on the water, those high vis tops favoured by some really do work! Close to St Helena Island south of Mud, my attention was drawn below the surface of the water. The floor was bare here except for hundreds of small cone shells. As the water depth increased, I began to see sting rays and passed in amazed silence over a dozen turtles on the bay floor. A minor commotion in the water and swirls of black ink, left behind by a defensive fast moving squid captured my attention. Vanilla alerted us to an eagles nest precariously built on the very top of one of the super tall radio towers. It seemed to be an optimistic engineering feat but made us wonder how long any chicks would last when their first unpracticed flight was such a long way down. Crossing the deep channel between St Helena and Mud Island, the boys asked me to investigate some movement in the water ahead. As I approached the source they eagerly asked 'is it a shark'? While it is pupping season, it was only a large ray. At Mud we entered the moat like lagoon surrounding this part of the island and approached the creek entrance just as 2 kayakers, one wearing a bright orange top, were exiting. kayakdiary.net's Mark & Sue were the distant kayakers seen earlier, who were also exploring Mud Island on this calm day. Leaving Mark and Sue to continue their exploration, we entered the creek. Surprisingly, there is still matter from 2 of the 3 whales decomposing among the mangroves but only the biggest bones of the 3 whales remain on the creek floor. The creek is quite shallow even on a spring tide and the missing bones are too heavy to have simply washed away. Perhaps the EPA or souvenir hunters have removed them. Weaving through the mangroves past the remains, Vanilla and Gnarlydog chose to follow the creek while I stayed behind and took photos to compare with Kate's, taken 12 months ago. 2009_Kate Yeomans_used with permission 2010_Tess Dodd Up close, the smell was overpowering. The rancid stench stayed with me for most of the day. The edges of the flattened remains were fatty and drifting with the movement of the water. The top had hardened and was littered with mangrove leaves. Through the shallow water I could see vertebra and a rib lying on the floor beneath the floating remains. When my kayak nudged the fatty mass it startled a school of fish approx 30cm in length which swam out from underneath. While it looked and smelled disgusting, it was very interesting to see how long decomposition was taking and the effect on the immediate environment. Gnarly called out to me concerned that I may have passed out from the smell. I stayed taking photos until I could bear the smell and mosquitos no more and rejoined him to paddle further up the creek. The creek is a tight shallow channel surrounded by a submerged field of mangroves giving the feeling of being in a maze. On a spring tide you could lose your way. Vanilla was nowhere to be seen or heard which is not unusual given his low profile nature. We were unsure which direction he had taken so followed what we thought was the channel. Vanilla eventually emerged driven back by agressive swarms of mosquitos. 'Sand-Fla-Van'** was hastily produced and applied to already bitten skin. We returned to the lagoon as the tide began to ebb enjoying the chance to paddle inside the islands protective coral barrier. Conditions remained calm and returning to our launchsite we were compelled to create our own excitement, chasing and catching the small waves in the chop and mini tideraces along the way. Vanilla raised his sail but forward paddled faster than the weak tail wind. I was very happy to be in my Nordkapp LV Sialuk as my expedition boat would not have been as much fun in these small conditions.
**'Sand-Fla-Van' (Sand-Fly-Vanilla) was created by Vanilla using non toxic ingredients to replace commercial products containing DEET which destroy expensive outdoor gear. During the past 12 months, we have used it almost exclusively on trips with satisfying results. It is also multi use and has been used to stop bites itching and as a low grade anticeptic.
During a recent expedition we discovered a Humpback whale carcass washed up on the beach by a full moon tide. Locals later advised us that the carcass had been drifting around the area in the previous weeks. I ventured closer observing that the baleen had washed up seperately along the beach. The birds seemed to like it but I did not linger as the smell was overpowering.
Report and images from the expedition to follow shortly.
