When you look at the photos coming from the Transparent Sea website and stand in awe of the sheer amount of rubbish these guys are collecting from the beaches, it almost makes you feel ashamed to be human. At least that's the effect it has on me... and I don't litter! Clearly, however, many people do and frankly, it's an absolute disgrace. Just look at what these guys are picking up from what would otherwise be pristine beaches (Iluka above, Sandon below). And this is just the stuff that hasn't been blown or washed out to sea. C'mon people... and you know who you are... have some respect and stop messing up your own playgrounds. You're ruining it for everyone else. I'm sure these guys would rather be sailing or surfing than cleaning up after you.
Looking at the bright side of all of this, by the time the guys have finished, a good deal of some of the best beaches that Nth NSW has to offer will be a lot cleaner and we have these guys to thank for it. Kudos guys. Maybe the government should step in and fund a full tour around the entire coastline of Australia!
I had a shark encounter today, but what made this different to the typical experiences is that this one was jaw-droppingly huge. At the time I was sailing around the Newry Islands trying to troll up some pelagics in the 8 – 10 knot winds when the wind died down. I decided that it was time for a kitkat as I drifted and broke out the pizza I cooked the night before and washed it down with some water. The winds were still light barely filling the sail and I was thinking of a game plan when the need to pee came upon me, so I stood up to relieve myself over the edge.
Thinking how lucky I was, standing on my boat and absorbing the picture-perfect environment, checking out the islands and the tropical waters when my attention was drawn to rear of the AI. If I wasn't just emptying my bladder I could have wet myself then and there. Just a few of metres behind the kayak and several feet below the water was the shark. Now I have seen numerous sharks and caught quite a few but this one was massive, it's head looked to be as wide as the yak and it would have been over 4m long.
As I cautiously sat down I quickly and naturally thought WTF do I do now? 'Take a photo you dill' came to mind. To do this I had to stand back up again, however the angle of the sun and the glare off the water made it impossible to get any sort of image and I wasn't going to put my hand under to take a shot. I could see it's outline fairly clearly up to its dorsal fin and past that got obscured by the murk and the glare off the water but there was no mistaking it for anything else. A tiger shark for sure.
Sitting back down I contemplated what action I should take, the shark was just sitting there keeping pace with the slowly moving yak. The nearest land was a rocky outcrop about a kilometre away so I made for that, the light wind was of little help (how I wished for 20 knots) so I pedaled slowly at first then built up the rate till I was moving as fast as I could. Sitting down the shark was not visible to me and I had the camera filming over my shoulder but only managed to shoot mainly the sky capturing only a little of the water where the shark actually was, Doh.
As I pedalled I was waiting for the shark to strike or at least 'bump' the yak, thankfully it didn't do either. Once I reached the relative safety of the shallow water I stood up again to check if the shark had followed me. It hadn't. I sat there for about 10 – 15 minutes trying to settle my beating heart before attempting to get over to Rabbit Island just a couple of hundred metres away. This journey was a bit nerve wracking but was uneventful so I decided to continue, staying close to the shore and make my way back to the boat ramp. Once I got past the islands I felt much safer as the water here is quite shallow and I doubted if the shark could follow me here. So I went from looking out for sharks to looking out for crocs, don't you just love the tropics?
With a sizable sea swell of around 7' it was surprisingly pleasant out on the water off Broome's Head today, due mainly to light winds. Today's plan was to meet up with the Transparent Sea adventurers out on the water, partly to catch up with the guys and see how they were all fairing, as well as to catch up with the boats to see how they were fairing. I'd serviced the boats a few days before the guys left but they'd all done well over 100km on the water by the time they reached me, so I was curious to see how everything was holding together. To see them in use on the water might also give me a different perspective to that in the workshop.
Well, hello dinner!
I was on the water hours in advance, well before the crew were scheduled to arrive and this was of course no coincidence. My secondary objective was to try and prove the Mouri fishing calendar wrong (today was supposed to fish poorly) and whilst watching a pair of active humpback whales through my binoculars I fluked doing exactly that. Drifting a squidgy flickbait tied to 10lb mono (using the Nitro Spin & Team Daiwa 2500 reel) proved too much temptation for what turned out to be a hearty snapper. It gave me a hell of a fight on light gear and when inspecting the lure upon retrieve I considered myself rather fortunate to have landed it successfully. And just as soon as I'd cleaned & bagged the fish, Rasta and his entourage of intrepid Adventure Islanders appeared on the horizon. They'd sailed some 28km (as the crow flies) though the first half of the leg consisted of tacking and or pedalling into a light southerly.
Sailing in to land at Broome's Head
Smiles beamed from salt-sprayed faces as they each relayed their individual state of plays. There's been highs (amazing speeds reported) and a few lows as well (Chris had a visitor tail his kayak in the form of a 12' tiger shark) but for the most part everything had been going really well. Dave was pleased to report that the Islands had been performing nicely. He had managed to break a rudder pin somehow (as they are designed to under excess stress) but is of course armed with spares and the know-how to replace them on the water. Aside from that they'd had problems with a couple of wheels, one of the mirage drive chains needed a bit of a tighten, but that was it. Considering how new they all were to sailing Hobie trimarans (not much experience outside of several weeks training & prep), I thought they were doing really well. They'd certainly timed their arrival well, coming in on modest surf at the front of the caravan park just a short while before a thunderous hail storm passed over.
As I drove to Woody Head on Sunday morning I was hoping that the weather reports were right about wind conditions, but wrong about the swell. As it turns out they were right on both counts, so to some degree at least, the former made up for the latter. Among my primary objectives today, one of them succeeded and two of them failed. The success story occured just minutes after launch. That was to attempt attaching the tramps together on the water - I've rolled them up on the water but not yet rolled them back, so I decided to give it a try, succesfully. Although it was difficult to get the tramps taught (as I suspected) that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
The two failed objectives were finding & watching whales, as well as catching at least one noteworthy fish. Not only did I not catch a fish, in 4 hours of fishing, covering some 30km trolling in that time, I didn't even get a bite. Nor did I see so much as a humpback tail slap on the water. Of course, it's always difficult to see much when the swell is 8' high though. Despite the fact that I failed in those primary objectives, I succeeded in accomplishing the ultimate objective, which was to have fun. Even though conditions were heavily overcast and that I spent at least an hour getting rained on, it was pretty exhilarating sailing out there at times. Bolstered by a steady southerly I was able to tack out some 10km off shore and when the wind swung around into an easterly I was blessed with some great downwind action. There were a few moments where wind got under the tramps, but I think partly because they weren't as tight as I normally keep them, they were unable to catch wind anywhere near as effectively, and this did make the experience feel just a little bit safer when the going got rough.
I did emerge from the water with a dark cloud hanging over my head, however, because somewhere along the line - and I don't know how for sure - I managed to lose my favourite rig - the Nitro Viper matched with a Diawa Certate reel. I suspect that I leaned back to place the rod in the rear tube and incorrectly assumed the but was seated within the tube when I released it. I was sailing at the time with following seas giving a turbo boost (doing over 12km an hour) so perhaps I was too heavily focused on the action. However it happened, it was definitely a bad way to end the day.
Embarking on a kayak fishing expedition is one of the most exciting things that can happen to us kayak fishermen. After all the days and weeks of planning and preparing, we finally come to the point of having to to pack everything. It is possible that the thought 'how is all that stuff supposed to fit into my small kayak?' might enter your mind. Here's a few tips on getting it right.
Keeping things dry is obviously pretty important in a kayak, and especially so in an Adventure Island (which can make for a wet ride in rough conditions). There are various ways to pack gear to keep it secure and dry. Plastic bags are for sure the cheapest way to store gear in a more or less waterproof fashion: stuff everything into (thick) plastic bags & and tie them up. Unfortunately, this is also the least reliable method. If you choose this method make sure to take heaps of spare bags, because the plastic bags have a tendency to tear or rip while being stuffed into the hull. Waterproof drums are another good & secure way to keep things dry. But because of their bulkiness they are difficult to fit through the hatch and hard to store inside the hull, and are therefore most often used in open canoes.
Roller dry bags are probably the most common way to store items in a kayak, particularly handy for storing inside the hull. They come in a great variety of shapes, sizes and materials but most of them feature a 'roll down' mechanism to make them completely splash-proof (but not necessarily submersible waterproof). Because of their flexibility they are perfectly suited to be packed inside the kayak. It can be a good idea to use several smaller ones instead of a single larger drybag. They are easier to handle and carry, fit easier through the hatches, and can help to keep things organised. Colour-coded strings attached to the bags stored in the tips can make retrieving the particular one you're after a lot easier (alternatively, different coloured bags can also help).
Waterproof cases are the most stable and reliable solution, typically offering 100% submersible proofing. They are available in a great variety of sizes and colours and are ideal if you really want to ensure everything stays safe and dry. They are also perfectly suited for storage of first aid kits, electronics, optics or photography equipment. These cases are not cheap and not the lightest either, but are designed to withstand everything nature (and humans) can throw at them, including heat, salt water, sand, dust, and snow. They really give you the security of knowing that what ever is inside one of these cases will stay safe and dry no matter what. I use a Pelican 1550 as main storage in the rear storage well. It fits perfectly in there, and has enough room for my camping/sleeping gear.
Try to pack with some sort of system. Start with small bags, and pack them in the tight spaces. Very heavy things ( e.g. the water bag) should be packed right behind the seat, along the centreline and as low as possible. Things you don't need on a daily basis (e.g. the repair kit) can go into the tips (stern & bow) of the kayak. Other things like food, or the first aid kit should be within easy reach. Weight distribution should be even, with roughly 2/3 of the weight in the back, 1/3 in the front. Especially on the AI, I would try to keep the nose light to prevent nosediving and help it through the waves. If ever exeriencing weather coking (bow turning into the wind) your bow is too heavy. Move some weight to the back. And vice versa, if your stern is turning into the wind, move some weight forward. A well packed kayak will track well and straight in most conditions, so make minor adjustments to the position of gear and distribuition of weight if you experience steering and performance issues.
