The Sunday Paddles: The Bay, The Bar, The Point

The east coast low that promised excellent rainfall blew in as forecast the day after last Sunday paddle and although the winds and waves were strong we got a disappointingly small amount of rain. The swell, however, was big, peaking at 9 metres off our coast. There were surfers at Caseys Beach which is well inside the Bay and generally sheltered, and the waves were actually tubing.

Usually, we go out surfing in the Bay when a big swell event comes through as we can get really long rides way inside the Bay, but this week, I was running and climbing and did not get out paddling until the regular Sunday paddle.

It was a bit of conundrum of where to paddle. The swell was still around two metres with a long period and there was a strong wind warning. In the end, I settled on a plan to launch inside the Bay and potter along the northern shore. We had a big group with nine people and a few newer paddlers who had not been out with the group so a more sheltered option was a good choice.

We got out to Three Isle Point and around in to the North Beach bay, turning around at North Head. I was tempted to keep going along the Murramarang coast as we had good conditions, but, with a mixed group of nine compromises have to made and some people were not comfortable with this.

So we paddled back into the Bay for lunch at Cullendulla. Lippy took a run up Cullendulla Creek and then we split the group in two with half going straight back to the launch beach and the rest of us heading into Surfside and over to the bar.

Nick caught a wave, and an edge at Surfside and ended up capsizing but rolled back up and I was none the wiser until after the paddle. The bar was breaking extensively and we got some good rides but it was a bit wet for those of us not wearing paddle jackets, and even wetter for Adrian who capsized, rolled up, capsized again, and rolled up a second time. I admit to having some dread about having to perform a rescue in the breaking bar as I was not sure I would not be in the same predicament as Adrian.

One more wave on the way back and I left the group at the launch beach and paddled the last couple of kilometres to my home beach alone.