On Sunday the wind was forecast to be
lighter, but was actually stronger, and the swell was considerably
bigger hitting 2 to 2.5 metres on the bigger sets. Only eight
kayakers lined up on the beach at Guerilla Bay for a one way paddle
to Corrigans Beach. Originally, the plan had been to paddle north
from Tomakin but that means rounding Burrewarra Point which gets
pretty rough in windy conditions. Launching from Guerilla Bay put us
on the north side of Burrewarra Point.
Guerilla Bay
After a quick briefing by Wildey, we
headed out towards Burrewarra Point. Doug and I had paddled around
Burrewarra Point the weekend before and, even in very calm
conditions, we found quite a strong current and many haystacks. The
swell was really picking up at Burrewarra Point and it was a bit
challenging paddling up and down over the swells. After a short
time, Wildey pointed us north and we turned downwind and started
heading north up the coast.
Heading out to Burrewarra Point
I found the paddling relatively
challenging all the way to Circuit Beach. The wind was only about 10
to 12 knots, but the swell was around two metres with a confused sea
on top. Paddling was a matter of continuously adjusting balance and
throwing in correction strokes to maintain tracking with a following
sea. Doug and I both had our sails, but the sea conditions were far
too challenging for us to try sailing.
There are various bomboras off the
coast and these were all breaking solidly. As we paddled past
Jimmies Island, I saw Wildey paddling about 2 metres off shore while
the rest of us kept a cautious distance from the waves. I guess
forty years of paddling experience conveys a lot of skill.
Jayne paddling into shore with grey clouds behind
At Circuit Beach we landed for a short
break in a small swell. There was some minor carnage with two or
three people dumping, but most of us managed the landing with some
degree of style. Launching was also easy with Wildey acting as beach
master and launching last. I found the launch much easier than when
we paddled out from Cormorant Beach a couple of weeks ago.
Doug and I managed to get our sails up
and kayak sailed almost all the way to Corrigans Beach. With my sail
up, and paddling lightly, I was actually at the front of the group
for a change and Doug was getting quite a way ahead of the rest of
the group. Near Sunshine Beach, the wind really picked up and I
pulled my sail down for a little while as I was afraid of tipping. I
always feel a bit unstable with the sail up.
Easy paddling as we get closer to Corrigans Beach
Once we got to Caseys Beach, the swell
was much diminished and I was brave enough to put my sail back up to
cruise around Observation Head. Once into Batemans Bay there was
insufficient wind for sailing so the sail came down for good and we
paddled the final few hundred metres into shore.
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