Liquidlogic Remix XP10 ready for action
Team Fat Paddler met early at The Spit for a paddle and a sticky at my new whitewater boat, the Liquidlogic Remix FP10. Cmdr Grumm and Lt Nat were keen for some distance training upstream, whilst Lt Burnsie and I were keen for some rougher water, so we split the team in two and went our separate ways.
The conditions were relatively calm as we arrived at Grotto Point and I put the little boat through some rocks in the small swell. The boat is ridiculously easy to turn and I was having a ball as I pushed the boat around and over the rocks, scratching up the boat’s pristine bottom in the process! We then took off for the Grotto Reserve cliffs, playing in the small whitewater as I slowly got a feel for my boat.
Bouncing around in some rebound and wash
As we neared Dobroyd Point I decided to run my usual gauntlet a few times, but then had a new idea – what if I paddled over it instead? The gauntlet is made of a large angled rock with a steep drop on one side only a metre out from the cliff’s rock ledge, so it was going to be an interesting test. I took off on a surge and, scraping the boat’s bum across the rock, dropped down the ledge on the back edge and submarined the boat on the other side.
Riding the washover, a little more bumpy than expected and almost lost my paddle!
Dive! Dive! Dive! Off the ledge and under water
I struggled to recover as another wave rolled in and the boat seemed to be sinking below me, which wasn’t far off the truth since I’d left the rear hatch unlocked earlier and it had popped off, with the back filling with water! I managed to just maintain control enough to get out of the wash and over to Lt Burnsie, who pulled out the pump and drained the back hatch before securing it properly.
As we finished up, we witnessed one of those amazing events that make paddling so wonderful when we were joined by a pod of dolphins, frolicking around our kayaks and slowly cruising about us. I watched in awe as they surrounded Lt Burnsie and slowly rolled on the surface, and amongst the blowing spray I could just make out a baby dolphin amongst them. They stayed for half an hour, playing around us as we bobbed around, feeling incredibly lucky that they had let us witness their playtime.
Lt Burnsie watching the dolphins nearby
Hello Mr Dolphin. Thanks for playing with us!
Frolicking in the early morning sunshine
When the dolphins finally departed, we decided to track over to North Head and paddle the length of her impressive southern cliffs. Lt Burnsie was having a ball in the lumps and the cliff line looked stunning as we cruised past. Then finally we passed her south eastern corner and paddled a little ways out to sea.
Lt Burnsie outside the North Head cliffs, with Manly off in the distance somewhere
Once out there, Burnsie celebrated as only he can – he pulled out a cigarette for a quick smoke. The ridiculousness of it made it even funnier as he bobbed about enjoying his smoko break, to the muffled laughter coming from me!
Lt. Burnsie celebrating being at sea his way! Took him back to his navy days apparently
Time was running out by this stage so we begrudgingly turned for the return journey home. I was still astounded at how well my Remix handled lumps and feeling even more in love with the little boat as I tagged along behind the somewhat faster Burnsie. I’d had her in some lumps, some swell, a little surf, ferry chop and rebound and she handled all really well – provided her back hatch was secured – haha!
Loving my Liquidlogic Remix XP10 - why did I wait so long to try a whitewater boat?
Running through some more rocks
The Remix just loves the frothy stuff
Did I mention how much I love this boat??
When we finally returned to the Spit (and to Gumm and Nat) we had our usual egg & bacon roll breakfast whilst we swapped stories of the morning’s paddle. Somehow, between the dolphins and the visit to North Head, I think ours was probably better – ha! Needless to say, can’t wait to get the Remix out again today – cheers, FP.
Back on the beach - the Remix stands out against all the the long thin sea kayaks - a bit like me!
By the way, I bought my Remix from the good folks at Capacity Sports in Melbourne, who also stock H2O Crystal-X paddles. Go and check them out and tell them Fat Paddler says hi.
Looks glassy at The Spit, where it's protected from the wind. Not for long!
With helmets in hand Gelo and I converged on the lawn of Sydney Harbour Kayaks ready to seek out surf and some fun in the rocks. The weather told a pretty bad story though – small swell (1 metre), 30+ knot WSW winds, with gusts around 40 knots. The likelihood of surf existing in those conditions are practically nil, but ever optimistic, we set off for Grotto Point looking for fun.
Gelo, all set for some action. And hoping to shake off his hangover...
Leaving the calm waters of The Spit, we entered the blow zone, with a roaring wind whipping up the water and sending spray flying across the surface of the Harbour. As we approached Grotto Point we pulled our helmets on but clearly any surf that might have existed was being blown to pieces by the ridiculously strong winds howling around the headland. We meandered around the rocks, looking for something to play with, but the breaking water and wind was making the whole zone pretty ugly to be around.
In the hopes of seeking some shelter from the wind, we paddled off through the chop towards Middle Head. There were some belting waves rolling in but they were sucking up dry over rocks – not really an area we wanted to try our luck in. And furthermore, the wind was hammering us as the outgoing tide dragged us out into deeper waters and towards the Heads. If anything this was worse than Grotto Point, but not wanting to give up we turned around and started paddling for the cliffs of Grotto Point Reserve.
Then Gelo yelled out across the wind, “Dolphins!”. I turned, desperate to see these beautiful animals, something I’ve never actually seen whilst in a kayak. In the waves and wind all I could make out was some splashing that looked like waves breaking on reef – but the breaking water was in the middle of the deep channel of the sound, and I slowly realised it was a pod of around a dozen dolphins breaking the surface for air.
Breaking froth top centre. Dolphins, dead ahead!
Fumbling with the camera, I hit the video button and then watched as the pod belted along directly at as in full flight, launching themselves out of the water as they did so. We stared in awe as these beautiful marine animals, spread out across a front of about 15 metres, quickly closing at a pace that suggested they were going to collide with us at any second. But with about 15 metres to go they deviated slightly and passed me off to starboard, which is when I made the horror discovery that I hadn’t actually hit the video camera button at all!!!
Gelo whooped and hollered as I just stared after them stony-faced. I was ecstatic at having seen them, but completely gutted that I’d fumbled with the camera and couldn’t share what we’d seen. Fortunately, the backwards-facing GoPro captured them surfacing behind my kayak, so I could at least prove we’d really seen them!
For the next hour or two we paddled about looking for something to do, but no matter where we went, the wind was oppressive and only the stories of our amazing dolphin sighting kept us amused. We tried the Grotto cliffs, we pulled into the beach nearby looking for a wave, before finally striking out directly into the ridiculous wind for the ride home to hot coffee and an egg & bacon roll for breakfast!
Finally out of the wind for a breather!
As usual, Gelo could be found hanging out with a few birds
Ohh, and as for proof of the dolphins? You’ll just have to watch this short video of our paddle and see if you can find them in there. Cheers! – FP
The Cove - Japan's Shame
As a kayaker, I feel incredibly close to the waters I paddle in and the life within it. There is no doubt that paddling has made me into an environmentalist, as I see first hand both the splendour of our natural aquatic world, and the damage that we as a species are doing to it.
I have particularly deep feelings about our mammalian cousins who live in our waters, the cetaceans that allow us to share their world. From playful dolphins surfing along our shores to giant whales breaching along our coastline and occassionally in Sydney Harbour, I can’t help but feel these incredible and gentle creatures need to be protected from the men and women who would do them harm.
At 35000 feet above the Pacific Ocean on a flight to the USA, I was happy to see that our Australian national airline Qantas had supported Australia’s stance against whaling by including “The Cove” on its list of inflight movies. This incredible documentary and feature movie had grabbed my attention recently when I started advertising it on FatPaddler.com, so I was quick to make this my first selection during the long 13 hour flight.
Now I find myself sitting here looking out the window high above the world’s greatest ocean trying to hide my tears from the other passengers. It is hard to describe the real horror of this movie, but I wanted to write a short synopsis in the hope that others might look out for The Cove and add their voice to those that are exposing such horrific actions. Whilst it is not a movie that involves paddling at any point, as men and women sharing our waters with our cetacean friends I believe this is a movie that we can all relate to.
The Cove stars Ric O’Barry, the dolphin-trainer responsible for the original Flipper series, and his fight with both his own conscience and the Japanese authorities. His Flipper series created a global demand for the capture of dolphins for theme parks, and the birth of a global trade in dolphins, a point that tortures Ric as he discovers the truth behind the industry his television series had created.
The great disservice nature had bestowed upon dolphins was giving them a natural smile, and for years trainers like Ric saw the dolphins as happy playful animals that adapted to captivity well. However, evidence started to mount that stress was killing captive dolphins and Ric’s epiphony came when one of the original Flipper “actors” swam up to him and drowned itself in his arms – a literal dolphin suicide.
From that day Ric became a champion for freeing captive dolphins, not just as an advocate, but as a man of action who literally travelled the globe cutting into enclosures to free their dolphin captives. Finally he discovers a terrible secret in Japan, where 23,000 dolphins a year are slaughtered, with the town of Taiji at the centre of the horror.
The movie follows his battle with Japanese fishermen, politicians and police to gather evidence of the dolphin slaughter. It shows the high levels of profits and corruption, the incredibly high levels of mercury poisoning occuring through the consumption of dolphin meat, and the inability of the International Whaling Committee to take any meaningful action. Finally, with the aid of an incredible team of special effects wizards, adrenalin junkies and divers, he mounts a daring raid on “The Cove”, the hidden and well guarded killing ground of Taiji.
Using underwater microphones, cameras mounted in fake rocks, remote control helicopters and a cute “whale shaped” blimp, the team gets incredible footage of the barbaric slaughter enabling them to publicise the deception surrounding the dolphin industry.
Hidden Camera Designs... The Rock
This is not a movie for the squeamish. The scene of an escaping dolphin, wounded, terrified and gushing blood will haunt you, as it did the couple who filmed it. But it is an incredibly important documentary highlighting not only the terrible secret of Taiji, but of the corruption surrounding international whaling as led by Japan.
Like shooting fish in a barrel....
Lastly, watching the movie is only the beginning, and I would urge you to take further action if you feel as I do about our cetacean friends. Be it signing the petition to world leaders, or donating to the organisations taking action against dolphin and whale hunting, or even just writing your own review of the movie, do your bit to help protect our wildlife. Cheers – FP
Take action! The following organisations are fighting cetacean hunting:
