It’s weird when you get a song stuck in your head. Well actually in your brain to be more specific, but you know what I mean. How does that actually happen ? Maybe Mr Google can give me some answers although I’m not sure I can wade through all the advertising to find the answer.
Anyway, moving on I’ve been plagued by this one song recently. “I’m living in the Seventies” by Skyhooks and it was released , funnily enough, in the seventies, 1974 to be exact. Then I started thinking about the reasons it’s embedded in my brain. Well, I was definitely living in the 70’s and apparently survived unscathed despite the Magic Mushrooms, Flared Pants, Body Shirts and Platform Shoes, and it was the era when I moved water sports from Scuba Diving and Freediving to Kayaking. Maybe it’s because I’m now Living in the Seventies in another way. Yes, you guessed it, in birthdays.
Just in case you’re not fully informed in the category of 70’s music here’s a link to Skyhooks Live on Countdown TV show.
Ok, back to reality of some sort, here’s a short video of what Living in the Seventies paddlers get up to.
It’s “Park and Play” which suits more when you only have a hour or two available as the Coffee and Bun is calling. Sea kayaking will be missed this week as the wind is forecast to increase and we also need to fit in a couple of Mountain Bike sessions.
It was a cooler morning for this time in Summer. No blazing sun to bake you in a 40 degree C oven or searing bitumen in the carpark. I scanned along the line of cars to find the rest of todays’ crew. Easy to spot the Old Bulls, amongst the gaggle of young board riders, as they readied for a little ocean playboat fun.
The youngster parked next to me peers out to sea and sighs. No great waves for him today but not so for us. He downs a can of Red Bull sports drink, grabs his board and jogs down the cliff path, hoping the Red Bull will kick into the waves as well. I look at the Red Bull can still sitting on the bonnet of his car, thinking “maybe it does give you wings”. It’s a bit of a climb down the cliff path carrying your kayak and wings would be handy.
The closest I can see of an energy drink is Steve sipping a lukewarm breakfast coffee. I don’t know how he manages to consume it that way. We are here for the fun of surfing a few small waves, no energy drink, no sponsors stickers, no Go Pro. Just a small group of Old Bulls having FUN.
We aren’t sponsored by anyone. Actually, that’s wrong; some of us are sponsored by our Superannuation Funds and others by various side line acts and supported by our wives and partners although maybe they are just happy to see us out from under their feet. I think we actually sponsor the nearby Becks Bakery as we often seem to end up there.
We are definitely Old Bulls not Red Bulls, but we are out there running like Bulls, or should I say Paddling. The surf is “below average” today but the fun levels will be sky high, especially in retelling of exploits at the bakery. Funny how the waves are always bigger and maneuvers more spectacular when accompanied by a coffee and bun.
Here’s a few photos of FUN.
I just realise that I didn’t fit my nose plug
Seaweed Steve always seems to be nearby.
Seaweed Steve on the charge
Just cleaning out my sinus cavity
Berny looking serious but still having fun
You’re still with us !! Well here’s a short video to waste another 90 seconds. I have to go now as I need to check my letterbox for the expected bundle of Valentines Day cards.
The Barbie movie is about to hit the screen and we took our own “Barbie kayak” out for a splash around.
Well actually it’s a Jackson Rockstar V but with all the pink colour it’s certainly worthy of the Barbie name.
I’m not sure Barbie approved of the weather with a cold 8 degrees C and light rain but what the heck, we were out there celebrating the cold.
Another amazing fact. Barbie and I have the same birthday. When I was younger some people compared me to Ken, but now I think I’m more “Ken Oath” than Ken. (work out the Aussie slang you foreigners. Yes, it’s rude).
Winter is with us again. Those sunny days of Autumn are gone. No more lazing around in shorts and T shirts, it’s back to fleece jackets and beanies.
We have been travelling for a couple of months, paddling sea kayaks, bush walking and riding mountain bikes as well as some photography sessions. If you missed the sea kayak article it’s here and bike riding in the northern Flinders Ranges is here.
Our latest attempts in photography try to capture the landscape in a more abstract way . What do you think ?
Back home for a while I drag out the playboat and head out for a short session.
The beach is deserted except for a couple of dogs chasing a ball. No one else in the water today, probably because it’s chilly and only us retirees get “Fridays free time”. The swell has also deserted the beach but I still manage a few rides and get my head wet.
I find Steve (King of England) had the same idea and was already on the waves.
Robyn managed to get some video of the small wave session. We enjoyed our first winter session and hope to fit in many more between sea kayaking, mountain biking and coffee and croissants.
I woke before dawn to a special silence. No distant crashing of waves, no wind swaying the trees, no flapping of canvas; the silence of a calm sea.
The dawn came with a burning red horizon viewed through the trees and then as a red streak as I made it to the beach.
A sign of Calm Seas
On the beach
Today we would be paddling on a calm sea. The last few days had been choppy, wind swept and wet but still a lot of fun as we launched in sloppy conditions and paddled into sheltered bays to investigate the rocky, boulder strewn coastline.
Yes, it’s windy on this coastline as you can see from the trees. The sandy spot around the tree is used as a resting place for the local kangaroos. You can see the tail drag marks in the sand.
Windswept
Launching in a fairly protected cove
Not only did we have to content with the less than ideal conditions, but this is also a major shipping channel for Port Lincoln where grain carriers carefully navigate the passage of islands that lead them to the Southern Ocean. A Bulk Carrier puts out a hell of a wake which adds to the wave chop and rebound from the islands.
Keep your distance
Not only where the launches interesting, but even the landings in a protected cove, at the end of the paddle, were a mad dash to surf to shore, jump out and drag the kayak up without getting too wet.
Charlie coming into protected waters
Greg showing his style to land without wet feet
We knew today would be different as we prepared the kayaks on the beach at Taylors Landing. Taylors is protected and generally the last mainland point before heading across Thorny Passage to Thistle Island. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a good enough weather window to be taking that route, but we would be exploring some stunning coastline.
Thistle Island is far in the distance and the closer island is Taylor Island.
Perfect conditions
Charlie had decided to make attach a Shark shield to his kayak this morning as we had just received the very sad news that a surfer had been taken by a Great White shark not far along the coast.
Loading up and checking the Shark Shield
We slid into the water and were away.
Clear calm water
How’s that for style
With Charlie keen to explore every small rock pool and Greg diligently following it was an excellent day of fun paddling.
We passed rugged granite cliffs and explored around lichen coloured boulders.
Greg was often around rocks
Charlie likes to poke his nose in
The Gulls
The next two photos show the clarity of the water and the reflection of the kayak. Charlie has “borrowed” my Greenland style paddle and is now an affectionado of the “carbon toothpick”.
Along the way we chatted to the local Sea Lions, caught a whiff of the local cormorant flock, watched small fish dart under the kayak as well as enjoying the stunning coastline.
Cormorant Rock
Drifting in close
When we got a little too close the Cormorants would waddle close to the rock edge, jump off and madly flap and run to get height. If you were in the wrong spot they would come straight at you, emptying their bowels, to lighten the load, as they struggled for altitude. Just don’t be in that wrong spot.
…and they’re off
The calm conditions gave us the chance to explore around the rock pools.
Charlie rocks
Ochre cliffs
Clear water
Relaxing
A White Bellied Sea Eagle kept a close eye on us for several kilometres, however, I think we were a little too big to be considered likely prey.
I’m watching you guys
It’s hard to do the scenery justice when taking photos from the kayak with a small Canon camera but here’s a few of the seascape. I have managed to drown another Nikon camera so it’s back to the “point and shoot” Canon until I decide on a new camera.
Our paddle ended on a sloping rock shelf in beautiful warming sunshine.
All that was left to do was take the 4wd track back to camp, take a walk on the beach, indulge in a cold beer, followed by a few glasses of red wine by the fire, which was diligently tended by Greg.
…and then the rain came.
A few days of great paddling. Ian and Robyn, Greg and Charlie.
The phrase “Time and Tide wait for no man”, or more correctly man or women, is a common phrase but what does it really mean. The common conception is that it’s a call to action, to do it now, with urgency.
That phrase came to mind prompting action stations as my kayak plunged into the short sharp wave in front at exactly the same time as another hit me beam on and the one behind broke on my rear deck. Oh what fun, buried up to my armpits in a low volume skeg kayak, in a following sea, in 3 metres of water driven by wind gusting over 20 knots.
But back to the beginning. I had been invited to join 2 distinguished gentleman paddlers on a 20+km sea kayak paddle in the northern reaches of Spencer Gulf where we would visit Cockle Spit. Aptly named because it’s a bar that is formed of cockle shells and is dry at lower tides. Steve and Greg are locals to this area.
We arrived earlier so that we could ride the nearby mountain bike tracks at Willowie forest, with Steve as our guide. Riding in 36 degree heat (C not F) is certainly taxing but fun. Settled in the beachside park we watched the sunset and Robyn chased a few photo opportunities.
The Jetty is an old wooden affair that was around 1.5km in length
Sunset on the high tide
The fading sunset
There are old storage sheds and railway lines from earlier days that have been restored
Back to the present. The day had started calm, with the knowledge of increasing wind, as we left the Port Pirie harbour making our way past large ships docked in the channel.
We followed the channel markers as they weaved their way into open water, leaving the Mangrove trees behind.
The last mangrove tree in the channel
The wind gently rising with more to come
The wind increased, as predicted, making for a slightly bumpy, but not unpleasant, 16km paddle until we had Cockle Spit in sight. Actually, you can’t see the Spit until your almost on it but you can use line of sight from various markers to navigate. Steve led Greg and myself to the calm inside of the Spit for a well earned break.
The wind increased again, adding another layer of complexity to the paddle. Steve and Greg decided to push the boundaries of their Mirage kayaks by hoisting their kayak sails. That put my ego under serious pressure, so I engaged warp drive to keep up. Luckily, they soon decided that sailing was a little precarious in these conditions and reverted to paddle power alone.
We made reasonable headway considering the conditions and soon had the Port Germein jetty in sight. I noticed a change in water color at the end of the jetty which is 1.2 km long. Then I realised why Steve had insisted we all had a kayak trolley with us. The tide goes out over 1.5 km in the bay and that sand colored water was indeed sand. So when we ran out of water we simply hooked up the trolley and walked making it more of a biathlon than simple paddle. Steve insisted that we should have made it a triathlon by all going for a swim but Greg and I declined.
Back on dry land with a long drag ahead. You can see the choppy conditions in the distance.
The happy bunch
Cockle Spit had previously had a tide clock erected in the channel telling ship captains what the tide was at the time. Ships would enter the harbor and anchor whilst being loaded with wheat and other produce by smaller vessels called Lighters.
The Tide Clock has been salvaged and is now housed at the beginning of the jetty as a reminder of an era when navigation was a tricky affair.
The Jetty previously had a lighthouse at the end of the jetty and that has also been restored and placed on land.
Complete with sculptures the Jetty precinct is a nice place to wander, especially the nearby coffee shop.
An interesting paddle in an unusual location with a fair bit of wind and wave thrown in for good measure. We learned later that winds had been strong near our home in Adelaide resulting in downed trees and power lines.
Robyn and I are heading into the Southern Flinders Ranges for gravel road and mtb track riding and some serious Bakery visiting. Time and Tide wait for no man or women. Do it now !
PADDLING SOUTH 