It was another easy launch from Kioloa
as the four of us set off for Ulladulla, about 32 kilometres to the
north. We paddled inside Belowla Island, past Shelly Point, and
north to the passage between Brush Island and Wilfords Point. It
would have been nice to take a turn around Brush Island. I have
paddled past twice now and never paddled on the outer east side, but,
we had a long way to go, so we simply carried on. Passing Bawley
Point, the tiny boat ramp at the south end of Bawley Beach looked
like an easier launch than last time we had been there. Both the
lower tide and the southerly swell offering protection from the
surge.
A series of small headlands and beaches
followed backed by short cliffs or sandy beaches and the ever present
gum forest. A pod of dolphins followed us north for a long way,
surfacing close to the boats at times. A hammerhead shark cruised
casually by. With the sun, the clear water, the glassy sea and the
rolling swell, it was one of those days that etch a special kind of
magic in your mind.
We passed Stokes Island and rounded
Crampton Island at around the three hour mark and my butt going numb
coincided with my stomach waking up. It was easy to duck behind a
breaking swell and land on Crampton Island for some lunch and leg
stretch, but a bit confronting to think we were only half way to our
final destination. There is one afternoon bus from Ulladulla to
Kioloa and we needed to be on it to retrieve the cars which left
little time for exploring Crampton Island.
Somewhere between Kioloa and Ulladulla
Wairo Beach is long and it took an hour
for the next headland to draw near, and another half hour to pass it
and reach Burrill Beach. We could see the final headland that marks
the south side of Ulladulla harbour but not the lighthouse which is
short and squat (much like myself).
"Just one more headland" Neil
called back to us as the diminutive Ulladulla lighthouse on Warden
Head finally came into view. We could see the south end of Sullivan
Reef breaking below Warden Head. Had we not been so tired, it might
have been fun to see if we could run the gauntlet between the reef
and the shore, but we were tired, butt-sore, and ready to get out of
the kayaks. We were now just three kilometres from sheltered waters
in Ulladulla harbour, but, the most challenging paddling was yet to
come.
As we drew near with the lighthouse on
Warden Head the ocean suddenly changed character. The long easy to
manage rolling swell was gone and we were in the midst of haystacks
and clapotis with water going everywhere and peaked waves popping up
out of nowhere with devilish frequency. As usual, I was at the back
and it literally felt as if my kayak were being punched by a large
fist, first from the right, then the left, then bow quarter, the
stern quarter, back to the left and right again, a continuous pummeling akin to riding the spin cycle of a washing machine.
Neil paddles towards Stokes Island
The only option was paddling forwards,
throwing in a low brace here and there when the kayak threatened to
capsize. Doug told me later that he rehearsed eskimo rolls a dozen
times over as we paddled through this confused water. Gradually, the
pummelling eased, we paddled past the breakers on Sullivan Reef and,
when we got near the breakwater in Ulladulla harbour, the maelstrom
was over. Landing on the beach at Ulladulla, I fell out of my boat
rather than stood up.
Doug and Phil got changed and wandered up to
take the school bus run south to Kioloa to retrieve the vehicles,
Neil went in search of a coffee shop, while I sorted gear and watched
over the kayaks. Another stretch of coastline, Kioloa to Ulladulla
was done.
No comments:
Post a Comment