A Circumnavigation by Kayak By Lyn Battle

I was paddling my 18-year-old Perception Contour sea kayak ChardonNay through a choppy southeaster about a mile off Sweers Island, in Australia’s south eastern Gulf of Carpentaria. Training to become the first female to paddle around the island, and the first person to do it non-stop. (American visitor Nick Zajak had paddled around the previous year, picnicking on a beach along the way).

It is about 30 kilometres around the island, depending how far offshore you must go to avoid the reefs (which depends on the height of the tide). I planned to do the circumnavigation on a calm day, preferably during neap tides to minimise current.

As we operate a tourist lodge on the island and I needed a free day for the paddle, it was not easy to tee all these things up on the same day!

Why this challenge? In April (2018) I took on a 30-day Alcohol Free Challenge with the UK-based International OYNB (One Year No Beer) group, giving up my chardonnay habit and putting the money saved into an old wine bottle (can’t steal from that piggy bank ‘til you smash the bottle at the challenge end!). OYNB recommends a physical challenge to keep you focussed and utilise the non-drinking time to get healthy and fit. Most members take up running or mountain climbing – both in short supply on Sweers Island – so I opted for a water-based activity. “Aim high,” they said, “Something you cannot do right now, but with time and training is achievable in a month or so.”

I thought of Nick’s paddle round the island and how I used to kayak on Irish rivers and canals nearly 40 years ago – surely sea kayaking couldn’t be all that much different? 

L… O… L…

The first challenge was the boat. I didn’t even OWN a sea kayak. Synchronicity to the rescue and I found a second-hand boat for a very good price online. I arranged transport by truck and barge to the island. Old but well cared for, the boat seemed perfect for this project. It was even PINK, although previous owner Cliff insists it is “faded purple”. 

I named it ChardonNay since it was saying “Nay” to my chardonnay wine habit that brought about this whole seafaring adventure. I contacted the manufacturer Perception (now Mission Kayaks) in New Zealand and was delighted to learn that their makers mark on the hull dated her to November 15th 2000, the 174th one made, and shipped to Australia just before Christmas that year. Howzat for Ancestry Dot Com for Kayaks!

My dear husband (DH) was bemused but supportive. It turned out that several friends and guests were into kayaking and gave me lots of tips. Well known sea kayaker Stuart Trueman called into Sweers during his circumnavigation of Australia and had lots of good advice. I even had sponsors – including surfski paddler Trev and his wife Sandy who own the Australian company AlcoFree, selling great tasting alcohol free wines, beers and yes, even spirits – for those ladies who are now (Eskimo)* rolling their eyes at the thought of giving up wine at sundowners.

I climbed in and started paddling. First just along the sandy shore, venturing a little further each day, gaining confidence and remembering old strokes and bracing techniques. On windy days I spent hours in the shallows practicing falling out of the kayak, then flipping it over, draining out the water and trying to find the most graceful way to haul myself back in. Until I had seen paddler Ann in Townsville do her amazing side-saddle-slide into the cockpit, I thought there was NO graceful way to climb back into the boat; thank you Ann for inspiring me to learn a new challenge instead of my clumsy-cowboy-clamber up the back deck! Oh, to be able to do the Eskimo Roll!

I also had heaps of fun researching and buying safety gear. A manual water pump; paddle float; lines to attach my paddle and myself to the boat; a spraydeck – this was more fun than buying new shoes (especially living on a sandy island where the shoe fashion oscillates between thongs in summer and Ugg boots in winter). I chose a nylon one with a zipper at the front and a snug neoprene waistband. It probably won’t keep water out in a roll, but for a long paddle in tropical heat, it meant I could easily access water bottles, food, and radio stored in the cockpit.

I downloaded a GPS app to my mobile phone (Polaris GPS Waypoints Navigator for Android – it was the most accurate plotter of those that I tested) and learned how to use it. I bought an Australian made ‘Paqua’ waterproof pouch for the phone and DH gave me a little waterproof camera for my birthday – pink of course.

Perhaps the most important, if not the most glamorous gadget required, was a means to go to the toilet inside the cockpit, so that I wouldn’t have to go ashore for a comfort stop, and although I had practiced it, I wouldn’t have to lever myself out onto the back deck to “Go”, it’s okay on a calm day but dangerous in rough seas. Some pilot friends came to the rescue and gave me a plastic pouch called a ‘Travel John’ to test out. It worked a treat! Upon contact with liquid, the crystals immediately solidify to an odourless gel, the press-seal top seals it all in and you just toss it up the front of the cockpit until you get ashore.

This paddling challenge led to all sorts of new skills and mini-challenges, so that the project became all about the journey and not just kayaking around the island. I gained fitness and grew new muscles – something that totally surprised me at my age, especially never having been a sporty person or having any upper body strength. I surprised myself as I mastered the cowboy-clamber** without needing the paddle-float, and returned from two-hour paddles saying, “I only went for a short one today.”

I breezed through the 30-day Alcohol Free (AF) period and upgraded to the next level: the 90-day Challenge. I discovered alcohol free wines and beers, less calories than soft drink and more fun than soda water. My social life continued with all the perks and none of the downsides, I wasn’t missing alcohol at all.

I was introduced to a terrific motivational training tool called ‘Virtual Mission’ (developed by a Kiwi) whereby you tot up miles in your chosen forward-moving activity and log it online to a pre-set course on Google Earth. This way you can “see” (compare) your progress along routes such as Crossing the English Channel, The Grand Canyon or my current mission: Australia’s Great Ocean Road.

It was my DH who suggested I practice in bigger waves, in case the weather came up half way round, forcing me to contend with the infamous Gulf chop. So, after a day spent clawing my way up and down steep waves barely a boat’s length apart, I knew that 15-20 knots of wind was my limit for forward motion. 

A weather window appeared around September fourteenth; neap tides, no guests, and forecast wind of 10-15 knots from the northeast.

Based on my paddling pace of around six km per hour, I estimated anywhere from five-to-six hours to travel around, depending on wind and current. I loaded up the kayak the night before. Seven litres of water, a couple of bananas and hard boiled eggs, inflatable PFD (Personal Flotation Device), VHF marine radio, UHF radio, EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), signalling mirror and sea-dye, bailing bucket and pump, sunscreen, waterproof camera, mobile phone in waterproof case to record the GPS trail, Travel Johns, gloves, spare paddle and my trusty little rubber Deck Duck*** for company.

Atop my head I wore a bright pink straw hat. I am not a ‘hat person’ at all, I hate wearing hats, but I needed sun shade and thought what the heck, this was all about Girl Power, so I might as well embrace my pink side we just happened to have a hot-pink hat on the island and hey, it was high-viz if I got lost at sea.

The wind was forecast to increase to 15 knots by 9 am, then peak around high tide at 11 am and start dropping off around noon. I set off at 8 am and made great progress on the first leg along the western (lee) side of the island. Rounding MacDonald Point and after a VHF check-in call back to the lodge, I turned into the rising easterly and made slow but steady progress along the south end of the island. 

DH had arranged to come out in a tinny and guide me through the ‘Gap in the Reef’ – he was a bit concerned about how choppy it was, but I was making good forward progress, and so long as the wind stayed this side of 15 knots, I knew I could do it. (The maximum gust that day reached 17 knots). He went through the gap first to check the sea state on the long east side of the island, returning to say it was no worse, and with just a couple of hours to go til it was due to start dropping, I decided to keep going. He guided me through the narrow gap in the rocky reefs, then I continued alone up the east coast, staying well offshore due to the low tide and slop over the shallow reefs. The waves were side-on, but ChardonNay is a very stable craft, and we only took a couple over the deck. 

There were several times I dipped my paddle only to find it clawing air in the troughs, it was hard work, but I slowed my pace and dug in for a steady slog up the east side. After an hour or so I saw DH on the beach, having ridden the quad bike across from the other side, checking to see if I was bailing out or continuing. I kept going, pausing regularly for water, food, and yes! – the toilet stop! It was such a relief to be able to do that, as it meant I did not restrict my fluid intake and stayed well hydrated throughout the circumnavigation. 

Seabirds flew from shore to check me out, fish darted under the hull, turtles gasped nearby. As I approached the northeast tip of the island, the wind eased and the seas began to drop. I called our staff member Rachelle on the VHF: ‘I’m passing the last bailout beach and going around the top now. She let out a YAY as she knew this meant that unless something awful happened, it looked like being a successful circumnavigation. But it’s not over til it’s over, and despite making good time up to now, and the tide now running in my favour, I was starting to tire and slow down. 

As I rounded the final northwest tip of the island, DH once again appeared in the dinghy to check my progress. It was 1:30 pm, and it usually took me an hour-and-a-half to get from this point back to the Filleting Table. He raced back to rustle up the welcome party. They told me later they waited and waited, as the tiny dot on the horizon gradually got closer! I just plodded along, knowing that so long as I kept paddling, I would get there eventually. About a half mile out I paused and used another Travel John, so that when I landed on shore I could celebrate in style and not have to bolt to the loo first thing! After training for months for this moment, it really was all about the destination at this point, and the bottle of alcohol-free champagne that was waiting in the esky under the tree!

During all those months of paddling up and down the shores of the island, I had seen countless fish, birds, and turtles, but to my dismay I had not seen a dolphin. Imagine the thrill, when in that final mile, a grey fin broke the surface beside me and a bottle-nosed dolphin smiled across at me. Just to make sure I did not think I’d imagined it, he rolled again, keeping the moment special between us by not lingering long enough for me to get a photo to show the others.

As I neared the shore, Rachelle paddled out to meet me, also wearing a bright floppy hat! She’d started paddling a few weeks earlier, and it was a real thrill to have someone accompany me on the final leg home. She graciously let me touch shore first, and I tried to get out of the kayak without falling over, while everyone took photos and cheered and hugged and cheered some more! It really was a team effort, and I hope everyone got as much of a kick out of the whole project as I did. Six and a half hours after I left the beach that morning, we sat in the shade of the tree and sipped champagne; alcohol-free, cold, and delicious. Yes, the guys had a ‘real’ beer! 

As everyone drifted back to the lodge, I was left alone on the beach. I walked over to ChardonNay, unpacked my gear and carefully hosed her down with fresh water. I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. This 18-year old boat had carried me safely around the island, First Ladies both of us – next adventure please! 

 

MORE INFO LINKS:

Sweers Island: www.sweers.com.au

OYNB: www.oneyearnobeer.com 

AlcoFree: www.alcofree.com.au

Virtual Mission Program: www.theconqueror.events

Mission Kayaks: www.missionkayaking.com

Polaris GPS App for Android: https://polarisnavigation-system.soft112.com

REPRINTED FROM SISTERSHIP MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2019