Sea kayaking - Montague Island
SEA KAYAKING TRIP – MONTAGUE ISLAND, NSW – 26 AUGUST 2006
Participants: Lyle, John, Josh, Colin, Craig, Mark
Weather conditions: Fine, S wind <15kts, seas <1m, swell <2m
Critter count: whales - numerous, seals – numerous, penguins – nil
On the Friday night at 2000, we left Canberra for Mystery Bay, which is about 10km south of Narooma. After a short break in Batemans Bay, we arrived at our destination about three and a half hours after departing Canberra. We bivyed at the Mystery Bay campground so that we could be ready for an early start the next day. In the morning, we RVed at 0700 with Colin and Mark at the beach near the boat ramp. After gearing up, going through the trip plan and logging in with Narooma RVCP we were on the water by about 0900. We were delayed for 30 minutes as a rudder problem was fixed but this allowed us time to investigate the maze of rocks just off the shore of Mystery Bay. Once underway, we headed for the southern tip of Montague Island. A gentle swell of less than 2m was rolling across our beam from the south and we aimed off slightly to the south to allow for the effects of the light, southerly wind.
Early that morning from a headland above Mystery Bay, we had searched with binoculars the northern and southern tips of Montague Island looking for indicators of a strong current passing the island. The effect of the East Australian Current can be quite varied around Montague Island. The current runs from north to south which means that normally there is a southerly ocean flowing past the island. However, sometimes, due to the local area effects, the direction of the current past the island is northerly. The current is usually strongest in summer and it can run at a speed of up to six knots although usually it is between one and three knots. From our observation point that morning, we had not seen any indicators of a strong current around the island but we remained alert.
It was not long before someone called out “whale!”. I had not been expecting to see whales on this trip because normally they have completed their migration north by July and do not start returning south until September. Fortunately for us, there were to be many sightings of whale indicators, such as the splash of a breeching or the spray of a blow. We were now on the look out for whales. We were about 2kms from Montague Island when we all called out ‘whales!' in unison as three humpback whales bobbed out of the water less than 200m directly in front of us. The whales proceeded to entertain us with a spectacular breech and an awe-inspiring fluke-up dive where the whale's tail extends high into the air and then slips serenely into the water. Seeing the whales at such close proximity was exciting and a little unnerving. The prospect of a whale breeching and landing amongst us seemed less far fetched now than when I had viewed the video footage circulating on the internet of the orca breeching amongst sea kayakers.
Shortly after, we approached the south-western corner of Montague Island. A rock shelf extends from Montague Island in this area and the southerly swell was rising and occasionally breaking as it crossed this shallow area. As we headed north along the western side of the island, we were being propelled forward by the larger waves. I was so distracted by riding the waves that I did not notice the entrance to the harbour until some of the others disappeared ‘into the island'.
The entrance to the Old Jetty is hidden behind a naturally formed rock harbour. This tight harbour protects the ‘jetty' from seas coming from virtually all directions. The jetty is now just a tight pile of rocks but the small beach to the side of the jetty provided an excellent spot for us to land. Landing on Montague Island is prohibited. However, we had sought and been given formal approval by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to land on the island at the Old Jetty so that we could stretch our legs. The rangers that were stationed on the island were expecting us and, shortly after we landed, they came down to greet us. We introduced ourselves and agreed that we would land again once we had circumnavigated the island.
After our short break, during which time we got a weather update from the Narooma RVCP by VHF radio, we launched again and continued north past the New Jetty. It did not take us long to reach the NW corner of the island where we encountered the seals.
There were, perhaps, a hundred seals on the rocky, slabs of the NW tip of the island. The northern end of Montague Island is home to a colony of Australian fur seals. Although it is predominately a male-only colony, the rangers advised us that in recent years, young pups (and hence females) were in location. The seals seemed just as excited to see us as we were to see them. They barked, dove into the water and swam out towards us. We sat placidly in our kayaks as the seals inspected us, waved the occasional flipper at us and then ignored us. The seals were interesting to observe but the stench of the seals carried by the wind towards us– think of rotting fish and poo – was gut-wrenching, so we paddled on. We passed the NE corner of the island, and another group of approximately fifty seals bobbing in the water, and turned south to head down the eastern side of the island. We pushed into the swell and head wind, which was 15 kts (but seemed like less for some unknown reason), and made our way gradually past the southern end of the island. The swell was breaking on the shallow reef on the SW corner of the island so we paddled in a wide arc around the southern end of the island and back to the Old Jetty. We landed here again for lunch.
Once again, the rangers came down to our landing spot to greet us. They were extremely hospitable. We ended up spending much longer on the island with them than we had planned but learnt so much from them; including the true nature of penguins. It was a highlight of the trip. By the time the rangers left us, it was nearly 1430 and we needed to commence the trip back to the mainland although most of us could have quite contentedly stayed on the island for a little longer – like a week.
The paddle back was a fairly typical ‘last leg' paddle. We pointed our bows towards Little Dromedary Mountain and paddled hard – well, some did. At about 1600, we started landing on the beach at Mystery Bay. We quickly loaded the kayaks, washed them down at the tap near the campground and were on our way back to Canberra. As we drove through Narooma, someone said: ‘Where's our next trip?' I fell asleep before the question was answered.
Tully River Decent 06
Tully River Descent Jul 06 Activity
During the month of July, two weekend activities were held on the TullyRiver, North Queensland. The first activity consisted of general river running in kayaks for more experienced members and the second an introduction to white water and a river trip for newer members who had spent time in lead up training in the Lavarack Barracks Pool. Kareeya Power station was releasing approx 88 meg on both weekends. Also the additional rain that was hanging around the local rafting companies put the volume at around about 100 megs. With this level the newer members received a lot more than they bargained for, especially during the Pre-activity training.
Due to the volume and skill level required in a hard deck kayak, several IK2's were paddle within the group. As one would know, the IK2 can be quite forgiving for some but occasionally things didn't quite go as planned. Not leaning onto rocks and generally downstream when getting out of shape was the major contributor to the spills encountered by the IK2 paddlers. Eventually on good advice, this shortfall was rectified which reduced the time spent self rescuing.
Overall Tully River Descent One and Two were a success and special thanks goes out to the UATL's and all who were involved to make these weekend activities possible.
Article by Bob Godfrey
(NQ Rep)
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| The Lower Campground |
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| Mick S |
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| Stu! |
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| The boys |
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| Throw bag training |
Sea Kayaking - Jervis Bay
by Lyle
| Route |
Summercloud Bay to HMAS Creswell Distance: 23km |
| Conditions |
Light variable winds, calm seas and swell less than 1m |
| Participants |
Lyle, John T, Tony C, Adam B |
| Critter count |
Whales: 2 |
We had intended to do the trip on the Sunday but the front moving towards the east coast meant that Sunday was not going to be a viable option. So, on Friday night, we decided to bring the trip forward to Saturday. We left Canberra at 0500 and were at Summercloud Bay before 0900. We RVed with Tony, geared up, positioned the vehicle and trailer at Creswell and were on the water by 1000. The conditions were cool and overcast, and the sea was calm. As we glided towards St Georges Head we could see the ocean bottom beneath us at a depth of about 10m. In the distance, we could see a couple of whales breaching as they headed north as part of their annual migration. As we rounded St Georges Head, the small, easterly swell created slightly more interesting conditions as it reflected off the sea cliffs. The mild sea conditions allowed us to penetrate some of the interesting gauntlets and caves along the cliff line from St Georges Head to Steamers Beach. After playing in these for a short while, we headed directly to Steamers Beach and landed at the eastern end in very, small surf. It had taken us about 1h 45mins to travel the 9kms to this point. After a short break for mornos, we were back on the water. As we rounded Steamers Head, we could hear the amplified sound of seals barking within a cave. Shortly afterwards, we came across the seals. Some were wallowing in the water inside the entrance to the cave, and some were sunning themselves on a rock ledge on the main cliff face. After observing the seals from a respectful distance for a few minutes, we travelled on, passing the ruins of the Cape St George Lighthouse and an increasing number of walkers on the cliffs above us. As we approached Governor Head, we were overtaken by a pod of dolphins that passed within a few metres of us. We found a couple more caves to play in although these were not as dramatic as the ones further south. Although it was only an hour after low tide, the crossing between Bowen Island and Governor Head was benign. We moved quickly to Murrays Beach and pulled out on the western end for lunch. The time was now just 1350 and we had paddled 9km since leaving Steamers Beach at 1200. At 1425, we were back on the water and heading briskly across the flat waters of Jervis Bay to Creswell. We completed the 5km leg in 45mins and pulled out for the last time that day at the Creswell boat ramp to clean gear and pack up. After a round of sangas and a brew at Tony's place, drawn out by copious amounts of paddling talk, we were on the road again and heading back to Canberra
NQLD Labour Day Activity
Labour Day Weekend FNQ
Story Bob G.
1 May 06
Over the Labour Day long weekend FNQ members got together and participated in some sea kayaking and white water kayaking. Mark J and Ken M headed off on a five hour journey around the Bernard islands off Cowley Beach. Mick S conducted swim training techniques for newer members on the Sunday in order for some river running on the Monday. The rest of the gang met up on the Monday for two river trips which were conducted on the lower half of the Tully River, one, from The Bridge to the Ski ramp, and the later from Mudslide down to the Recreational park. Water levels on both days were well and truly up, which was obvious due to a few swims on the day. Some thrills and spills were the order of the day for the guys in the IK2, especially at Sharks tooth rapid. Dan Waugh and Mark Winder only just managed to right the IK2 and get back on board before entering Zig Zag rapid.
Once again fun was had by all.
Members who attended:
Bob G Mick S Mark W
Mark J Jason S Dan W
Ken M Keith J
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| At Double D rapid |
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| Dan and Mark |
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| Mick |
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| Mick tail standing |
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| Putting in at Mudslide |
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| The Gang |
Sea Kayaking - Batemans Bay
Lyle Dahms
| Route |
Maloney's Beach - Tollgate Islands (circumnavigated) - North Head - Maloney's Beach. Distance: 15km |
| Participants |
Lyle Dahms, Jeff Matsen, Penelope Radunz, Jordan Witt |
| Critter count |
Dolphins: 3 |
The plan was to do an easy trip to introduce Penny and Jordan, who had recently completed the Basic Skills Award, to sea kayaking. We arrived at Maloney's Beach at 0930 and finally, after spending way too much time sorting gear and faffing around, we were on-water by 1200. There were light winds (<5kts) and the seas were calm so we cruised quickly towards the Tollgate Islands at the entrance to Batemans Bay. The Tollgate Islands are a nature reserve for nesting sea birds and the site of a recently proclaimed marine reserve to protect grey nurse sharks which have a breeding ground in the waters on the eastern side of the islands. It took us about 45mins to cover the 5km to the islands. As we rounded the southern side of the islands, the small southerly swell (0.5m) generated some enjoyable conditions as it reflected off the cliffs of the island. Jeff found a tunnel in the cliffs which he was able to negotiate. By the time we passed the northern end of the islands, the wind had picked up to about 7kts from the NE and small seas started to rise across the swell. Another 40 mins of paddling and we had crossed the 4km stretch to reach the placid beach on the southern side of North Head at 1400. After a 30min break for lunch, we were back on the water and heading the remaining 4km to Maloney's Beach with the light breeze now behind us. We stopped just off Maloney's Beach to practise rescue drills and then headed in to be off the water at 1530. The eastern end of Maloney's Beach (near the old boat ramp) was a very convenient location from which to boat as it had toilet facilities, a tap and plenty of space for cleaning gear. By 1630, we had logged off with Batemans Bay RVCP, cleaned up and were in the car and heading back to Canberra.
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| Jeff and Lyle - heading to Tollgate Island |
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| Penny and Jordan - heading to Tollgate Island |
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| Jeff explores the cave |