There is something special about mid-winter, mid-week sea kayak trips. If you are lucky, you’ll see more whales than people, and the long nights spent outdoors are restful and restorative. When Megan suggested a mid-week lap around St Georges Head, Doug and I were keen, and Fish Killer came down from Canberra to make four paddlers.
We were expecting strong northerlies, and, with gusts, the northeasterly winds topped 20 knots but were mostly a much more moderate 15 knots. But, first, a calm and quiet introduction as we paddled southeast from Hyams Beach to Murrays Beach. The sand around Jervis Bay is bright white and the water clear torquiouse blue; arguably the perfect colors for Instagram posts about #my best life.
Immediately upon paddling through the small gap between Bowen Island and Governor Head we were into rebound. The water is deep right up to the cliffs but that did not diminish the rebound and clapotis and we had bouncy water for the first couple of kilometres. For whatever reason - the currents into Jervis Bay lessen or the coastline drifts slighly southwest - calmer water can be expected the further south you paddle. There was still a good deal of rebound, but the seas ameliorated as we paddled south.
Our last trip along this coast, we had strong westerlies and calm seas and were able to explore all the caves and grottos as we headed south, not so today, with bouncy conditions and a reasonable swell keeping us off the cliffs. There were whales, however, one that dived only a few metres from the bow of my boat and seals, improbably perched on steep rocks east of Steamers Beach.
As we turned St Georges Head into Wreck Bay we were surprised to see a few more whales in the shallow water off Kitties and Whiting Beaches. Every so often, the largest whale would emit a loud groan, not something we had heard before. The whales stayed around the whole time we were there.
The northerly winds continued overnight and the next morning the nine kilometre paddle across Wreck Bay to Sussex Inlet featured beam on conditions. I caught the perfect wave coming into the channel at Sussex Inlet and my speed hit 17 km/hour for the few seconds I was happily riding the wave. There was very little current as we paddled the six kilometres north up Sussex Inlet and a steady headwind as we crossed St Georges Basin to Sanctuary Point and Erowal Bay.
Our timing was perfect as the rain started the minute we had completed the car shuttle and loaded the kayaks.
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