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Showing posts with label Kayak Down Under NZ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kayak Down Under NZ. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Leg 1 of kayak Down Under NZ Expedition Complete!
With sore muscles, ready to eat lots, repair electronics and boat bits, and have a couple of days off, we loaded our boats atop a car and headed to a friends place.
the next two days we will repair ourselves as well as faulty solar charging sytems, a kayak rudder AND ....... FINALLY our Lendal Paddles have been Released by NZ Customs, YAY!
for more stories from the adventure www.kayakdownundernz.blogspot.com
Sunday, November 14, 2010
31 miles to Home
In training for the kayak down under NZ expedition i headed out for some fun with a friend and got all i needed.
They say those who make mistakes are those people who haven’t a clue or those who know better.
People with half a brain on a subject generally avoid possible conflict with it, however those who tend to deal with something a lot can become a bit blasé and over look a little thing that can lead to an interesting adventure, though could also lead to tragedy. Tragedy is often the outcome for those who don’t have a clue, though hopefully those who should know better know how to deal with the mistake and come out of it with a smile.
My recent mistake (though not a super critical one) lead to an interesting adventure, however I should point out it was a shared mistake and a shared adventure, and shared by two people who should know better and thankfully, by Luck and preparedness, where able to get through it.
After being on Vancouver Island awhile I wanted to explore a bit so I had loaded my folding Trak kayak onto its travel bag from the roof of my car, using the bag with wheels as a kayak cart and Boarded the ferry to Powell River as foot traffic. I was heading over to catch up with a Friend Hugh who ran an outdoor adventure operation there, he had turned down my request to join me for the paddle over the Georgia straight from Comox to Powell river, in hopes of a less character building paddle (this trip would have been 16 nautical miles and about 5 hours) but had invited me to come stay the night at his place for a great dinner and the next day head to Saltery Bay south of Powell River with the thought of exploring the area.
The next day after a lazy start, we headed of with the idea of circumnavigating Nelson Island. As we unloaded and set up the boats, Hugh asked if I was worried about looking at a chart, I replied “nah should be ok.” Hugh agreed saying “yeah I feel the same and that there should be Nelson Island!”. At this I shuddered “Ah, ok maybe we should have a quick look then.” as my inner voice spoke warnings. We perused the Chart to get exact bearings on where the island was, I did a quick distance calculation with my hand span, and stated that it would be about a 16-18 nautical mile paddle which should be about 5 hours. Hugh agreed. I ignored a little voice in my head as we stuck the chart back in the car and headed to the water.
It was a stunning day on the inside passage of BC, the mountains where swept by low clouds, the water glass flat and only a breath of air hinting at moving. As we pushed off across the liquid glass, paddling smoothly into the reflected horizon of the hilly shores of Nelson Island, we both stated how it was the perfect day for a casual paddle of a good length. We paddled along step cliff shoreline, with Cormorant perched in tiny nooks and crannies, and along the edges of large trees who’s leaves touched the water (as it was high tide) and merged with their almost perfect mirror image. This was one of those west coast winter days that was mild and calm, yet crisp and cool and left you grinning from ear to ear at the beauty of it all.
We paddled for a couple of hours and eventually stopped for lunch and a pee on a little beach. Here we found a huge sea urchin skeleton, it was almost as big as my head, and must have been bigger with it spines still attached when it was alive. After a short stop, we shoved off back on to the water, and picked up the pace we had been dawdling up to this point now we put in a good pace especially now with the ebb current going with us.
Paddling down the pass that we felt should have only taken a bit; Hugh decided to check his GPS. 4 hours into the paddle and we seemed to be only half way round. That doesn’t make sense, we must have been dawdling more than we thought. “Well we should be fine now we have picked up the pace” we commented “and we are now moving much faster, and it just as far back as it is forward.” We both agreed, still not checking any other info.
Two hours later and we were still beating along the coast of the island just rounding the western side and suddenly I realised the mistake that the little voice back at the dock was warning me of. We didn’t check the scale! It must have been a 1:90,000 scale map not a 1:50000 and my calculations where off by almost double, we had now committed to at least a 30 nautical mile (not a 16 NM) journey, and we were at this point 6 and a half hours into it. Only way to go was forward and now it was getting dark, this will be fun. We do have a GPS, but it was low on battery, Hugh had also brought headlamps, and we had a basic shelter if need be, and VHF radios, but no cell to call Hughes wife to tell her we would be late. It would be no disaster this trip, but I reflected on how it could be; We just need to injure ourselves (easily done if we didn’t have good paddling technique), get separated in the dark by a squall or strong winds, get hit by a boat, etc ,.
However for us it was a hard long paddle full of; hurt, effort and uncomfort, but also full of wonder, beauty, reward and achievement. The clouds cleared in the dark as we paddled into a ten knot head wind with a one foot swell, the moon shone down upon us and the stars danced among the clouds. Hugh and I paddled on, entering after 2 hours of darkness into the channel leading back to Saltery bay. The water became glass flat again and the wind disappeared, the stars shone from above and below us, as seals snorted at us from the rocks we paddled by. The shore became deceptively close due its reflection on the water, we paddled the shore of a large Island in the middle of the channel and at the end of it we turned to see the ferry terminal all lit up and we crossed, overly aware that we had no lights and a ferry could come anytime.
We punched across the channel tired and sore, and pulled up to the dock, dragging ourselves out of our boats, after sitting in them for 6 and half hours nonstop, since our last pee break, and had just finished a 10 hour 31 nautical mile paddle, without intending too, with 3 hours of it being in the dark. Oh and on top of that I had done it all in a folding boat the Trak T-1600 which had kept pace and performance with a Kevlar Current Designs Gulfstream almost a foot longer. What a wonderful trip it was, though we both knew we were exhausted and we both knew we would feel it in the morning. I was planning on paddling back across to Comox the next day, though I felt certain I wouldn’t, however I would see what I felt like in the morning. Though when I awoke the next day, I was so tired and the weather was so bad, I took the ferry back instead.
At the end of the trip I had stated “such a trip would be hard to sanely plan.”, and Hugh stated “and that’s why we didn’t plan that well! “
sometimes it is fun and interesting to throw yourself at something you haven’t quite given much thought to, only though if you are happy to have your limits pushed past what you know and directly face your own personal unknowns, as well as those in the environment around you.
Here’s to adventure, may we all find it!
J
More Kayak Down Under NZ stories Here
They say those who make mistakes are those people who haven’t a clue or those who know better.
People with half a brain on a subject generally avoid possible conflict with it, however those who tend to deal with something a lot can become a bit blasé and over look a little thing that can lead to an interesting adventure, though could also lead to tragedy. Tragedy is often the outcome for those who don’t have a clue, though hopefully those who should know better know how to deal with the mistake and come out of it with a smile.
My recent mistake (though not a super critical one) lead to an interesting adventure, however I should point out it was a shared mistake and a shared adventure, and shared by two people who should know better and thankfully, by Luck and preparedness, where able to get through it.
 | |
| Trak on the Ferry |
After being on Vancouver Island awhile I wanted to explore a bit so I had loaded my folding Trak kayak onto its travel bag from the roof of my car, using the bag with wheels as a kayak cart and Boarded the ferry to Powell River as foot traffic. I was heading over to catch up with a Friend Hugh who ran an outdoor adventure operation there, he had turned down my request to join me for the paddle over the Georgia straight from Comox to Powell river, in hopes of a less character building paddle (this trip would have been 16 nautical miles and about 5 hours) but had invited me to come stay the night at his place for a great dinner and the next day head to Saltery Bay south of Powell River with the thought of exploring the area.
 |
| Loading up Hughs truck |
The next day after a lazy start, we headed of with the idea of circumnavigating Nelson Island. As we unloaded and set up the boats, Hugh asked if I was worried about looking at a chart, I replied “nah should be ok.” Hugh agreed saying “yeah I feel the same and that there should be Nelson Island!”. At this I shuddered “Ah, ok maybe we should have a quick look then.” as my inner voice spoke warnings. We perused the Chart to get exact bearings on where the island was, I did a quick distance calculation with my hand span, and stated that it would be about a 16-18 nautical mile paddle which should be about 5 hours. Hugh agreed. I ignored a little voice in my head as we stuck the chart back in the car and headed to the water.
 |
| The boats ready to go |
It was a stunning day on the inside passage of BC, the mountains where swept by low clouds, the water glass flat and only a breath of air hinting at moving. As we pushed off across the liquid glass, paddling smoothly into the reflected horizon of the hilly shores of Nelson Island, we both stated how it was the perfect day for a casual paddle of a good length. We paddled along step cliff shoreline, with Cormorant perched in tiny nooks and crannies, and along the edges of large trees who’s leaves touched the water (as it was high tide) and merged with their almost perfect mirror image. This was one of those west coast winter days that was mild and calm, yet crisp and cool and left you grinning from ear to ear at the beauty of it all.
 |
| Beautiful day on the water |
Paddling down the pass that we felt should have only taken a bit; Hugh decided to check his GPS. 4 hours into the paddle and we seemed to be only half way round. That doesn’t make sense, we must have been dawdling more than we thought. “Well we should be fine now we have picked up the pace” we commented “and we are now moving much faster, and it just as far back as it is forward.” We both agreed, still not checking any other info.
 |
| A big sea urchin skeleton we found |
Two hours later and we were still beating along the coast of the island just rounding the western side and suddenly I realised the mistake that the little voice back at the dock was warning me of. We didn’t check the scale! It must have been a 1:90,000 scale map not a 1:50000 and my calculations where off by almost double, we had now committed to at least a 30 nautical mile (not a 16 NM) journey, and we were at this point 6 and a half hours into it. Only way to go was forward and now it was getting dark, this will be fun. We do have a GPS, but it was low on battery, Hugh had also brought headlamps, and we had a basic shelter if need be, and VHF radios, but no cell to call Hughes wife to tell her we would be late. It would be no disaster this trip, but I reflected on how it could be; We just need to injure ourselves (easily done if we didn’t have good paddling technique), get separated in the dark by a squall or strong winds, get hit by a boat, etc ,.
However for us it was a hard long paddle full of; hurt, effort and uncomfort, but also full of wonder, beauty, reward and achievement. The clouds cleared in the dark as we paddled into a ten knot head wind with a one foot swell, the moon shone down upon us and the stars danced among the clouds. Hugh and I paddled on, entering after 2 hours of darkness into the channel leading back to Saltery bay. The water became glass flat again and the wind disappeared, the stars shone from above and below us, as seals snorted at us from the rocks we paddled by. The shore became deceptively close due its reflection on the water, we paddled the shore of a large Island in the middle of the channel and at the end of it we turned to see the ferry terminal all lit up and we crossed, overly aware that we had no lights and a ferry could come anytime.
We punched across the channel tired and sore, and pulled up to the dock, dragging ourselves out of our boats, after sitting in them for 6 and half hours nonstop, since our last pee break, and had just finished a 10 hour 31 nautical mile paddle, without intending too, with 3 hours of it being in the dark. Oh and on top of that I had done it all in a folding boat the Trak T-1600 which had kept pace and performance with a Kevlar Current Designs Gulfstream almost a foot longer. What a wonderful trip it was, though we both knew we were exhausted and we both knew we would feel it in the morning. I was planning on paddling back across to Comox the next day, though I felt certain I wouldn’t, however I would see what I felt like in the morning. Though when I awoke the next day, I was so tired and the weather was so bad, I took the ferry back instead.
 |
| Hugh trying to get his legs to work after 6 and a half hours on sitting. |
 |
| Still dont work! |
At the end of the trip I had stated “such a trip would be hard to sanely plan.”, and Hugh stated “and that’s why we didn’t plan that well! “
sometimes it is fun and interesting to throw yourself at something you haven’t quite given much thought to, only though if you are happy to have your limits pushed past what you know and directly face your own personal unknowns, as well as those in the environment around you.
Here’s to adventure, may we all find it!
J
More Kayak Down Under NZ stories Here
Sunday, November 7, 2010
New expediton Member Joined the Kayak Downunder NZ expediton
Dave and I have Known each other for 5 years while working on the Oceans and jungle rivers of Belize, Central America. I am stoked to have this experienced canadian along for the ride and cant wait to see what he thinks of my home land as we explore it as not many have.
Dave unfortunatley won't be able to join the expedition untill the end of January, once he has finished his obligations to work in Belize and help train the new staff that will be taking our place while we are on this expedition.
Read More about Dave Here http://kayakdownundernz.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-team-member-joined-and-confirmed.html
Friday, November 5, 2010
Kayak Downunder NZ Expedition Starting Soon
I have been developing an Expedition Concept over the year to return Back to New Zealand to Kayak around the North Island with my Trak Kayak, then to Kayak the length of NZ using the Trak to start then switching to a more large expedition suited Glass boat.
More Info at the official Site www.kayakdownundernz.blogspot.com
we will be linking periodic, blog updates to this site as it is a part of the Yak About the World project.
The Trip will begin at the end of Dec 2010 at the north western tip of the North Island, and travel 1500 nautical miles along the east coast to the southern tip of Stewart Island, finishing before late April.
This trip also hopes to birth a great adventure Documentary, spotlighting the journey and the Sea kayak Culture of the Country.
We still need sponsors for some more equipment and some funding for camera equipment to make this a real pro production. Any one who wishes to help, Sponsor or donate, please Contact me at worldwildadventures@gmail.com.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Leaving Norway
This is a bit of a leap from my last post, I have let my blog slip behind by about 3 months, and I feel I need to put up a time relative post. Don’t worry though I will continue to fill in the gaps for Norway and they will be seen chronologically, may make viewing a bit hard to find the new entry’s but we will see how we go.
Well it has been a great trip to Norway, a good mix of work, play, learning and knowing. I am heading now to the UK, landing in Heathrow and heading to Bristol to catch up with an old friend Fiona and her Boyfriend Stu. From Bristol I plan to catch a plane to S
plit, Croatia, hopefully meet up with a friend Tania and her Boyfriend and go sailing for a day or two, I then plan to jump in my Trak and just Kayak out around the islands, explore, meet locals and see what can be found. I am in much need of my own space and a solo trip, so, though I sent out invites to join me, I was quite happy no one could take me up on it. Solo trips are a much needed journey and they tend not to happen enough! Split is in central Croatia and I hope to travel north wards to see some of the islands around Rab, then head south along the coast as far as I can get in my Trak, with hopes of making it to Dubrovnik ( a fair distance and maybe not possible, but thankfully there are always buses). It will be a nice contrast to the cold chilly waters of the North Atlantic and I look forward to being able to walk around in a pair of shorts and nothing else.
I will fly back from Dubrovnik Croatia to Heathrow again, from there, catch a bus to Cornwall where there is a sea kayak symposium happening, I hope to meet some new friends and learn some new open water skills with the English, before then heading back to Bristol via bus. I hope then to fly up to Scotland to meet up with some other old friends, and maybe kayak, though also maybe just enjoy a journey without lugging all my gear around. Traveling light is a wonderful experience; having lugged 60 kgs of gear around beforehand makes it even more so! Sea kayaking in Scotland looks amazing though and the storm paddling could be great in October, so we will see what shapes up!
Planning this next stint has been a bit of a fluster, as all my spare time over the last few months went into the Lofoten Trip I just got back from with my two great clients Lyn and Denise. I have spent a lot of time on the computer in the last 40 hours looking at what I want to do and trying to find the best schedule of flights, fairs, departure points, arrival points, bus times ,cost and time analysis of flights versus ground transport ,etc, though it seems to be all working out well. I find it a real novelty how flights in England can be far cheaper and of course quicker than taking a bus!
I had big plans for Europe (as some of you may remember), though time, money, personal life and the looming and exciting 4 month kayak trip along the east coast of New Zealand starting in December, have created a conservative view in my head now. I want to have quality experiences in Croatia and the UK, and not try and fit in Spain and Morocco and Greece and........ You can see where this is going. It is so easy to bite of more than you can chew and you never get the taste of what you are eating.
After Europe I will head back to British Columbia on the 19th October and begin my training for my NZ Expedition which will be a very challenging 4 month trip along exposed surf battered coastline. The scale of the challenge is now hitting me and all I can now think about is preparing for it. BC in the fall and winter will provide a great training ground for me, with great surf beaches to train on, cold weather, storms, and expansive places to try out my gear and ideas on with loaded multi day trips. This environment should hopefully make the summer environment I will face in NZ quite enjoyable and have me prepared for the more challenging southern stretches on the NZ coast I will be hitting in the southern autumn.
The Site for the NZ expedition is up www.kayakdownundernz.blogspot.com, telling all the details so far of what the trip is planned to be, who could be involved. It will develop more as things come together so check it out regularly. I will also have updates posted to my “World Wild Adventure” blog and the “Yak’ About the World” Blog and my Face Book pages. Oh and if any of you would like to join me on the trip or part of it, let me know and we may be able to make it happen.
Keep dreaming, it’s what influences reality!
Jaime
Well it has been a great trip to Norway, a good mix of work, play, learning and knowing. I am heading now to the UK, landing in Heathrow and heading to Bristol to catch up with an old friend Fiona and her Boyfriend Stu. From Bristol I plan to catch a plane to S
plit, Croatia, hopefully meet up with a friend Tania and her Boyfriend and go sailing for a day or two, I then plan to jump in my Trak and just Kayak out around the islands, explore, meet locals and see what can be found. I am in much need of my own space and a solo trip, so, though I sent out invites to join me, I was quite happy no one could take me up on it. Solo trips are a much needed journey and they tend not to happen enough! Split is in central Croatia and I hope to travel north wards to see some of the islands around Rab, then head south along the coast as far as I can get in my Trak, with hopes of making it to Dubrovnik ( a fair distance and maybe not possible, but thankfully there are always buses). It will be a nice contrast to the cold chilly waters of the North Atlantic and I look forward to being able to walk around in a pair of shorts and nothing else.I will fly back from Dubrovnik Croatia to Heathrow again, from there, catch a bus to Cornwall where there is a sea kayak symposium happening, I hope to meet some new friends and learn some new open water skills with the English, before then heading back to Bristol via bus. I hope then to fly up to Scotland to meet up with some other old friends, and maybe kayak, though also maybe just enjoy a journey without lugging all my gear around. Traveling light is a wonderful experience; having lugged 60 kgs of gear around beforehand makes it even more so! Sea kayaking in Scotland looks amazing though and the storm paddling could be great in October, so we will see what shapes up!
Planning this next stint has been a bit of a fluster, as all my spare time over the last few months went into the Lofoten Trip I just got back from with my two great clients Lyn and Denise. I have spent a lot of time on the computer in the last 40 hours looking at what I want to do and trying to find the best schedule of flights, fairs, departure points, arrival points, bus times ,cost and time analysis of flights versus ground transport ,etc, though it seems to be all working out well. I find it a real novelty how flights in England can be far cheaper and of course quicker than taking a bus!
I had big plans for Europe (as some of you may remember), though time, money, personal life and the looming and exciting 4 month kayak trip along the east coast of New Zealand starting in December, have created a conservative view in my head now. I want to have quality experiences in Croatia and the UK, and not try and fit in Spain and Morocco and Greece and........ You can see where this is going. It is so easy to bite of more than you can chew and you never get the taste of what you are eating.
After Europe I will head back to British Columbia on the 19th October and begin my training for my NZ Expedition which will be a very challenging 4 month trip along exposed surf battered coastline. The scale of the challenge is now hitting me and all I can now think about is preparing for it. BC in the fall and winter will provide a great training ground for me, with great surf beaches to train on, cold weather, storms, and expansive places to try out my gear and ideas on with loaded multi day trips. This environment should hopefully make the summer environment I will face in NZ quite enjoyable and have me prepared for the more challenging southern stretches on the NZ coast I will be hitting in the southern autumn.
The Site for the NZ expedition is up www.kayakdownundernz.blogspot.com, telling all the details so far of what the trip is planned to be, who could be involved. It will develop more as things come together so check it out regularly. I will also have updates posted to my “World Wild Adventure” blog and the “Yak’ About the World” Blog and my Face Book pages. Oh and if any of you would like to join me on the trip or part of it, let me know and we may be able to make it happen.
Keep dreaming, it’s what influences reality!
Jaime
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