The Incredible Journey, as it was daubed by a journalist further down the track, was about to start. It was 6.00am on 27 December 99 and we were packing our sea kayaks to paddle from Esperance to Perth. Taking on some of the roughest coastline in Australia and the Southern Ocean, for a distance of 1200 km. I can distinctly remember that feeling of excitement tempered with a touch of fear. It's the same feeling I got rock climbing and is a major reason why I love doing adventure sports.
Pity you couldn't bottle it and take a swig when life gets you down. My two companions Tell Williams and John DiNuci were probably feeling the same.

The weather was excellent with light winds and calm seas but we all knew that was going to change and at about 10.00am the wind started to pick up.  The first day we had planned to stop for lunch at Plum Pudding Beach and camp at a beach inside a headland 51km from Esperance. We used aerial photographs to pick our campsites as the southern coastline has few safe landing spots for kayaks. The first part of the day was easy as we paddled out past the harbour and the spectacular Islands that dot the Esperance coast line. As the wind picked up so did the seas and at lunchtime we decided to forgo stopping at Plum Pudding and do the 51 kms nonstop. By 1.30 we had reached the camp spot but from the ocean it looked totally different. When you are in big seas it is very difficult to see from a sea kayak as the only view of the coast line comes when you are at the top of a wave and even than you are very low to the water and can't see a lot.  We knew from the aerial photo there was a safe beach to land on, but the photo did not show a break across the front of the bay.

The break did not look too bad so Tell set off first to show the way. He disappeared in the break and then reappeared at the rock reef protecting the beach and again as he landed. As it was safe he called John in as I sat outside the break waiting for my turn. John had disappeared into the break when a huge wave just picked me up and I was involuntary surfing. Once I had my composure I looked up to see I was heading for the rock reef and had to hard right rudder and lean the boat to miss the reef. The only problem was John was at the end of the rock reef in dead water. At that stage I was a 150kg javelin doing 20km per hour and capable of cutting John's boat in half. I was shouting at John and fortunately he glanced back and instantly put his boat on it's side and swept the bow around leaving me a two meter gap to flash past his boat. As I past him with my heart pounding he took the wave sideways and I kept going into the beach. Day one finished, but it could quite easily have been the end of the trip had I hit John.

The rest of the day was a total contrast. Beautiful beach, Sea Eagles, Shy Albatross, Terns, rock and reef to explore everything for a relaxing afternoon. This was very typical of the rest of the trip. We were averaging 45 to 50 km which we did non stop in the mornings and relaxed and explored the magnificent coastline where we camped in the afternoon. The first 4 days to Hopetown were very similar with high winds by 10.00 am and excellent beaches to camp on. The seas were about 2m with large sets to 4m. The winds were between 20 and 30 knots with gusts to 45 knots. This produced a lot of large white caps which made kayaking serious, but fun. The reason we chose this time of the year was for the consistent easterlies and although they are strong, they were right behind us making for some interesting surfing.

This area is also frequented by some of the funniest birds I have seen. The Sooty Shearwater is like the old fighter planes. They come swooping down turning and diving strait at you, only to turn off at the last second. Their ability to glide up and over waves with wing tips a centimetre off the water was amazing. Pacific Gulls are just as graceful as the Shearwaters in the air, but crashed and burned on every landing. They would glide about 2m away getting closer to the water then crash land next to our boat and sit and watch us go by. As well as birds we had shoals of small bait fish leaping at our bows.

Between Esperance and Hopetown we had two big thunderstorms in the evenings. To sit up at night and watch hundreds of lightning strikes was very entertaining. When I say sit up at night I mean to 7.30 or 8.00. We were getting up at 4.00am and paddling 8 to 10 hours then walking for 2 hours every day. With this much exercise sleeping was not a problem.

The last day of this section we headed out from Lime Hill at 5.30am into a 25 kn wind gusting to 45kns. It took us 45 minutes to cover the 2 km to round the point. As we were heading out the waves got bigger and steeper. Some were around 3mt with white caps. As we paddled up and punched the white cap the boat would crash down the back of the wave. The punishment the boats were taking had me a bit worried as this was still very early in the trip. As we rounded the point the wind was directly behind us and strengthening. The trip into Hopetoun was very exciting as we were surfing very large waves at incredible speed. On some large swells if you could get the wind wave to white cap correctly on the top, it gave you the speed to surf these huge waves. As you flew down the face you could not see a thing as the water sheeting off the bow blinded you. This was an unreal feeling as the face of these swells is also quite rough and you bounced and slide all over the place till you hit the bottom and buried into the back of the next wave. It was not unusual to be chest deep in water and have your boat surface like a submarine.

 The first 11 days we had these big following seas but were very comfortable in the conditions. People we met on the trip were surprised at the seaworthiness of the sea kayak. There were times when you would look back and see a wave the size of a house coming at you. The boat just rode up the face like a cork and then back down the other side. The only problem we had was keeping sight of each other as you had to wait till all boats were on the top of waves to see them.

We stayed overnight at Hopetoun and resupplied. The tourists were very unhappy with the strong easterlies as they spoiled any beach or boating activities. From Hopetoun we headed for the magnificent Fitzgerald National Park. This was where we made a big mistake. Someone told us Edwards Point was the headland on the horizon and we did not check the map with the compass. As we were paddling we though we were taking far too long to get there but put it down to the Leeuwin Current as we were told it moves in and out along the coast. The wind was howling as we rounded the headland and large swells were steaming into the coast. The beach we expected to see was there but much smaller. We got as close as we could but was not happy with what we saw. As we were deciding what to do a large spilling swell came by as John was looking back at his rudder and over he went. I could not help thinking "oh no this is not the place to have to do a rescue". John of course rolled so it was not an issue but there was stress in the air. A lot of stress.

The decision was made, we had to land here, so Tell volunteered to go first. As he headed off John and I drifted closer to the danger zone. On the top of a large swell I looked in was horrified to see large jagged rocks on the beach and Tells paddle flash in amongst them. "That's it" I thought "we will be walking out of this one", then I saw on the next wave Tell on the beach. I could not believe it. John was on his way in and was turned off his course by the white water and was heading for the rocks. He bailed out and with Tells help swam and dragged the boat to safety. My turn next, a small swell and I am off and surfing. I missed the break picked up some white water and with Tells directions surfed straight into the beach safety.

What a spot, there were high steep mountain ranges in the back ground and spectacular rocky and rough beaches. The whole afternoon was spent bush walking the hills and beaches. This is one area I want to go back and spend more time. Later on that day we had to fix Tells boat. On the way in he did a magnificent job of dodging the large rocks in the white water only to hit a small rock an the beach. He was pissed off severely. This was new years eve year 2000.

The next morning we woke to the crash of large waves and the problem of getting off the beach. We decided to send out John first as he was the smallest and didn't have a choice. (Not really) I was spotting up the beach and Tell was holding John 's boat in the white water. On the next lull Tell pushed John off and he lit the after burner. Punched the first wave, punched the second and the third. The fourth wave stopped him dead and surfed him back so he had to paddle hard to make ground before the next wave hit him. The lull was over and the wind had blown him past the beach so he had rocks behind him. This meant if he was knocked out of his boat it would be smashed on the rocks. Wave 5 was huge and we thought this is it. John paddled up hit the curl and as the wave crashed he was sucked backwards again. Still upright and paddling like fury he hit the sixth wave punched the curl and was out. Tell and I started to breathe again.

Now we had the problem of getting off. One could hold the boat and spot for the paddler, then he would have no one to help him. Tell suggested  we try to swim one boat at a time out. We rigged his boat and with flippers on the two of us used the boat like a surfboard. We got to the third break and was stopped dead. Back to the drawing board. As Tell was first in twice I felt obligated to go last. Holding Tell in the white water it was difficult to pick the lull, but I managed to pick it perfectly and he punched all  4 waves without a problem.

Ever had that lonely feeling? I was standing straddling the boat  trying to pick the lull. The cockpit was filing up, my bilge pump was on full, and I was scared. After an eternity I took the plunge dropped on my seat, popped on my spray deck and headed out. The first two waves were no problem then the third dumped right in front of me with the uplift picking up the front of my boat and throwing me over sideways. The last thing I saw before going under was the rocks. I had to roll. I did but the fear and adrenalin caused me to hip flick so hard I pulled a muscle in my side. Sweeping the bow around I surfed back to the beach got my composure and headed out again. Still under the effect of adrenalin I was able to punch out without a problem. It took an hour and a half to get off the beach and another fifteen minuets to get my heart rate down.

On the run into Corner Cove we saw the most sharks of the trip. They were mainly 1.5 to 2.0m Bronze Whalers. On one occasion we had a shark attack. Tell was surfing down a wave and a 1.5m Bronze Whaler was slowly swimming on the surface minding it's own business. Tell was heading straight for it and shouted out "look at the shark". At Dampier every time we approached a shark at speed it took off just before you hit it and we expected the same this time. Not so, Tell ran into the side of
this poor shark who got a huge fright and took off. He was probably down with his mates telling them how unpredictable and dangerous these humans are. Later on the trip Tell did see a big fin doing about 14 knots across our bow. Now it was our turn to feel scared.

That night we landed at Corner Cove with thirty people standing on the beach waiting for us. As we got out of the boats we were given beer and toasted sandwiches.  That night we were invited to dinner with some of the people who met us. This was typical of the incredible hospitality from the local people. ABC radio and local papers were giving us publicity and the local people seemed very interested in our trip. I can't speak more highly of the wonderful people we met all along the coast.

The next day we arrived at Bremer Bay. The area around Bremer is all cliff with deep water. The big rebound wave made paddling very uncomfortable and there was the constant risk of capsize in the confused seas. We were glad to be past this section even though it was spectacular. The island off Bremer has fur seals in residence but we did not take the time to check them out. We knew we would be able to do that at Chatem Island further down the coast. The coast line so far was spectacular and we new that was going to continue with the high rugged hills closer to Albany.

At Chainy Inlet it was my turn to damage my boat. We under estimated the size of the waves and I was too close to the headland. A big wave picked me up and as it started to suck the water back in front rocks were exposed. I went into panic mode, back paddling as hard as I could then throwing the paddle over the back of the wave trying to stop the boat. The wave sucked the boat off me but I was able to take most of the power out of the wave so the bow and hull of my boat only received minor repairable damage. I was left to swim in after my boat very embarrassed. Mistake two for the trip. With this trip there are very few safe landing spots and the distance between then quite large. Later on we had to do a 102 km paddle nonstop to get a safe landing. This means little mistakes can be big problems and attention to detail is very important.

The next day we camped at a beach that was at the bottom of a natural amphitheatre. The cliff in a semicircle at the back of a white sandy beach made a perfect campsite. The water was crystal clear and it was possible to see the bottom in about 25ft of water. The colours of the water have to be seen to be believed. Out on the ocean you would get large white caps with the sun behind then turn to an ice blue, just before they broke, that was so pure it was incredible.

The next day we arrived at Albany which was about half way. On the way we past Mt Gardener and were given a practical demonstration of how topography can effect wind. As we rounded the point the wind coming off Mount Gardener was at least 50% stronger. Fortunately it was at our back so surfing was the go, but had it been from another direction it would have had  been a major problem. After 11 days and 600km we decided to have a rest day at Albany.  The Albany Canoe Club were very helpful and their hospitality impeccable.  Once again we were blown away by the local people. Precision Paddles presented us with complimentary paddles including a prototype to test. I was a little apprehensive about changing paddles mid trip, but after a while very happy I did, as the prototype paddle was brilliant.

After interviews, repairs, BBQ's  and restaurant meals we headed off a little tired but happy. Unfortunately our run of tail winds came to a halt and just around the headland we were hit by a 20kn head wind. As we had to do a 43km cliff section and we did not know how bad the weather was going to get we turned around and headed back to Albany. The next morning the weather picked up and we made Dunsky Bay after a hard days paddle into a light head wind. From here on in the weather was very odd. We had a huge low over the state sucking up front after front. On the west coast we expected 20kn sea breezes to push us along but got
north easterly winds, rain and thunder storms. In fact we had the wettest day in Western Australia's history in mid summer.

From Dunsky we headed for Madfish Bay but could not land through the huge swells that would have smashed our boats. Parry beach was the next choice and although we new we could land we had no idea there was a campsite there. The caretaker was typically very hospitable making us coffee and insisting we camp on her back lawn. After talking to her I was surprised to find out this lady and 2 friends  (well over 50) flew a tiny plane around Australia for 3 months going to very remote places. One interesting lady.

The next day we made Peaceful Bay, but had to stay another day shore bound to let a front pass. Back to the  head winds and hard paddling. Give me a large following sea any day. On the day off we walked from the river mouth to the headland. Tell had endless energy so John and I would take it in turns to do the walks as resting and eating were also high on my agenda. I ate by far the most on the trip and lost 8 kg. Tell ate the least and lost the least about 5 kg. Funny how  people are affected differently on the same trip.

Cliffy Head and Chatem Island were visited the next day. We spent some time with the seals and camped at the back of a gorge in the cliff line. This is one area I am definitely coming back to. We could have spent more time hear but the weather was not going to hold and we were coming up to the 102km section soon. The trip from Cliffy Head to Windy Harbour was rough but we had our old tail wind back so were quite happy. At Windy we had the same hospitality with free ice creams and wine and cheese that evening. The next day was forecast to be rough with strong tail winds, not ideal for our long day, but the days after we were going back to strong head winds for a while. At 4.00am in the morning with the wind howling, pitch dark and rough seas the mind was working overtime. Non of us had paddled 102km non stop before and the conditions were not inviting. This time the feeling was fear with a touch of excitement.

I felt a lot happier after the sun rose to an overcast sky and good paddling conditions. As the day wore on the storm clouds started to build behind us and that feeling started to creep back. At about midday the storm hit with strong gusty winds whipping up the sea. We plodded on. At this stage I started to get vertigo and could not tell how high the waves were until I surfed down them. I had never experienced this strange feeling and it was very off putting. It passed after a while and as the day wore on we had rainsqualls to keep us on our toes. John's Nordcapp was a lot slower than the Mirage 580's so he had to work harder than Tell and I through out the trip. This was starting to have an effect after 10hrs of non stop paddling and at the end of the day it was sheer mental guts that kept him going. Tell and I were fairing better but would have been hard pressed to help John in the big seas if he was not able to go on. Our big fear was hypothermia. The rain, wind, cold water and fatigue was sapping our heat and stopping or capsizing was not a pleasant option. Fortunately John is a very tough bloke and after 14.5 hours of continual paddling in rough seas with loaded boats we made Augusta safely. We did push the safety margin to the limit and could not recommend this as a smart thing to do.

The next day a front past with gale force winds and rain. We were snug in our tents and spent half the day walking around Augusta resupplying. Steve joined us in Augusta for the last leg home. We had the cape to cape to do then cruse home up the west coast. A total of 350 km to go. As we left Augusta to round Cape Leeuwin we had strong head winds and large seas from all directions. It was very difficult paddling for me as my right wrist was very sore if I pulled hard on the paddle. Fortunately my wrist improved with the weather and the day. After a hard days paddle we made Bornup Beach and a top campsite. Twice before I have tried to paddle the cape to cape only to be stopped by huge seas and gales. This time it was the opposite. The wind died down and the seas were dead calm. The cape to cape ended up being a very easy paddle.

The west coast on the other hand was discounted as a doddle in our planning  but turned out to be quite different. We had totally unseasonable weather  that made it into a hard slog all the way. One day the rain was so strong we had to shelter as it was stinging us through our clothes. Steve had enough and pulled out a day early. It was very hard for him to join a trip when we had 900 km of paddle fitness over him and I must say he did very well the 6 days he paddled.

Twenty eight days after we started it was the end. We covered over 1200kms, had a lot of excitement, laughs and fun. We finished with mixed feelings as none of us really wanted it to end.

To do a trip like that pushes interpersonal relationships to the limit, but we had no problems. I can't talk highly enough of John and Tell as paddle partners. The trip will always be one of the high lights of my life. Many thanks to Mountain Designs, Jasol Australia and Minesite Catering for their support.