This course was held over the Anzac Day/Long Weekend, starting from Port Welshpool on the south eastern Victoria coast, operating in the area of Wilsons Promontory and Corner Inlet.

Our group totalled sixteen paddlers, the instructors being myself, Earle Bloomfield and John Brewster of Tasmania circumnavigation fame, and John Ramwell from the U.K., an international renown sea canoeist and secretary of the Advanced Sea Kayak Club, which produces an international newsletter giving the latest information on expeditions, equipment, boats, etc. Of the twelve participants we had 6 South Australians and 6 Victorians. (why no New South Wales paddlers or Tasmanian).

The programme commenced with 2 evening lecture sessions, attempting to cover the areas of history and development, the sea kayak and its fittings, paddling gear, tides, currents and winds, charts and navigation, safety and coastguards. Any one already initiated in sea canoeing will realise that we had only had time to brush over the basic principles in each area.

Our three day practical was intended to allow exploration of the coastline, rescue and touring techniques, night paddling and boat handling in a great variety of sea conditions. Due to conditions, several areas were not covered fully, but learning in other areas compensated for this.

Friday morning saw the startling sight of 16 Nordkapps lined up on the beach being packed with full gear for three days. This must surely be by far the greatest gathering of sea kayaks in Australian history, though I felt it was a pity that no other designs were present for comparisons of performance.

The weather did not treat us kindly and we set off into a 15-20 knot wind which produced slow going and the first of our problems. One boat (hired from a manufacturer) had a front bulk head but no hatch. This meant that all the gear had to be packed in the stern. In the head wind the boat had only one desire, to turn around. We solved the problem temporarily by towing the exhausted occupant, but by this time he had over-stressed body reserves and become violently sea sick. Not surprisingly, we stopped for lunch shortly after this, though we had made good progress and covered about six miles in the morning.

After lunch we had our first real challenge, a three mile open crossing to the tip of Wilsons Promontory. After strapping a sand bag to the front deck of the wayward Nordkapp we set off, operating on a 2 group basis and keeping well bunched up in case of capsize. Three miles may not sound far to touring paddlers, but out in the centre, where tide and wind meet, and a six foot sell is encountered, 1 ½ miles from the nearest shore, one begins to appreciate the sea canoeist’s predicament.

Wilsons Promontory being safely reached, we spent a short while on exploring the coast, before finding a secluded campsite on the edge of a small beach. Fortunately, we were carrying fresh water, as there were very few streams in this area, and we were dependant on our own supplies.

The following morning brought heavy seas and an increase in wind, so both groups decided on further coastal exploration, with the idea of staying in sheltered waters. John Brewster and I led one group round the north eastern tip of the Prom, intending to look at Corner Inlet, however the wind had other plans, as several people were blown over, including our sand-bagged Nordkapp, which had a rather high centre of gravity. The experience of being hit by 30 knot plus wind squalls is like paddling into a fast jet of water in a grade 4 rapid. All the novice can do is a support stroke. Those that capsized were quite shaken by the force and velocity of the wind, and the speed with which things had happened. Fortunately for the capsized their boats had bulk-heads and were quickly righted and pumped dry using the roving hoses. Even in these conditions T and H rescues would have been difficult or impossible.

Retiring back to the campsite we had a subdued lunch and many cups of tea to recover. The rest of the afternoon was spent practising rescue and towing techniques in sheltered water.

The instructors had a difficult decision to make at this stage, whether to complete our return open crossing in difficult conditions, or wait till morning, hoping things would ease off. We all voted in favour of staying put for the evening, which I was glad about. Just before dark John Brewster and I paddled out to get a shipping forecast from a passing freighter. The swell was big and breaking in places. We frequently couldn’t see each other, despite keeping close together. No place for an inexperienced group.

Our arrival at the freighter was funny. They had anchored for the night and in the ship it took some time to attract attention. They were rather confused to hear voices when no other ships were present, and were amazed by the sight of two sixteen foot kayaks sheltering beside them. Fortunately the forecast they gave us was good and we returned to camp feeling much happier.

The following morning we were off early in order to catch the last of an incoming tide, and there was relief when the crossing and return to Welshpool via Snake Island was accomplished. The afternoon was firework time, and we spent three hours letting off assorted flares (having previously contacted the coastguard for permission).

All comment about the course seemed to be good, and every one had a great time, as well as learning a lot about sea canoeing. We learnt far more in the inclement weather than could have been possible in a flat calm situation.
JOHN WILDE

A few comments from the Editor: - For those that don’t know John, he is the full time Development Officer for the Victorian Board of Canoe Education. Formerly from England, he was a member of the British National Team for five years, and to see him in a C1 in a rapid doing reverse loops is unbelievable. In 1975 he canoed the Colorado River.

The Vic BOSE is partly funded by the Govt and they obviously require reports now and then to see where their money is going and this is one such report. It is not meant as a trip report, as John points out in the accompanying letter...

“Dear Laurie,

Enclosed is the information you asked about and a report on the weekend. This was written for non sea canoeists, but gives a reasonable account of our activities, bearing in mind that it was a novice course."

I feel I must comment on the comment about why no Tasmanians participated. Part of the course included lectures during the week which would have meant air fares for one person, freight for one kayak, accommodation for at least a week, $50 to enrol for the course, plus incidentals – all in all a terribly expensive way of getting an introduction to sea canoeing. A far cheaper was is to borrow a sea kayak and come on one of our club trips, and in fact the Hunter Island report in this issue is written by a non sea canoeist – a five day trip for just a few dollars. As can be seen by the programme there are generally two trips a month – ranging from novice to advanced.

Apart from that it is very pleasing to see sea canoeing getting established in other states – John also informs me that there is now a Sea Kayak Club in Victoria. We certainly hope to hear more from them in the future.
 Laurie Ford

John Ramwell (UK) has sent me a copy of THE FULL REPORT ON THE THIRD NATIONAL SEA CANOEING SYMPOSIUM – Feb 1980. This is a beautifully prepared report with talks by Tom Baptie, Dick Goodman, Derek Hutchinson to name a few. John has suggested if anyone wants a copy of this report to send their request to me and I can order in bulk.

The cost is 75p and I can recommend it as a worthwhile addition to your library.
 Laurie Ford