Craig Lancelet

Last week I had a long chat with Craig Lancelet, the Carterton kayak fisherman (pictured here) who was winched to safety from Wellington Harbour after he fell off his Viking ProFish sit on top kayak. Craig had no communication devices to call for help when he capsized.
Following a few failed attempts to get back in the kayak, he decided to leave the kayak and swim towards land, whilst hanging on to a ill-fitting life jacket that was not buoyant enough to keep his head above water.

After being winched to safety minutes before drowning he was pretty clear about what he needs to do before he goes out on the water again. The incident has highlighted the need for dressing for immersion following a capsize, the need to check the marine weather forecast and leaving trip intentions with family or a friend. Even during a short paddle, it is vital to carry at least one form of emergency communications, just in case conditions deteriorate – a VHF radio, flares or a mobile phone.

Kayaking Education with KASK and CBE:

What could KASK do for paddlers like Craig above? KASK is working with Coastguard Boating Education to deliver a new ‘Sea Kayaking Theory Course’, focussing on essential knowledge on sea kayaking and safety.

Tuesday 16th Feb 2015 6.00pm – 9.00pm
Saturday 9th Mar 2015 9.00am – 12 noon
If you or anyone you know who can benefit from the course, please get them to enrol. For more details on the Auckland course please checkout the KASK Facebook page post.
Alternately, call CBE on 0800 40 80 90 or you can enrol online here:

We want to know about you!

  • How many kayaks do you have? How often do you paddle?
  • Help us serve you better – we want to know more about you so KASK can stays relevant. Go ahead and click below to take part in a quick survey.

Complete the survey and enter the draw
Complete the survey by clicking on the button above before 16th Dec and we will enter you for a draw to win one of five waterproof smartphone pouches. The winners will be announced on 16th Dec and get their pouch (valued at $25) in time for Christmas! More details about the pouch below:

Review – Wilco Waterproof Pouch

The Hutchwilco bag, made of PVC gives Waterproof protection for mobile phones, handheld GPS, car alarm remotes etc. Comes with two Minigrip seals with roll-over protection. Designed to hang around the neck.

Pros: PVC is clear and see-through and allows sound to get through for in-bag operation. Value for money. Love the double seal. Better than old school ziplock bags and drybag style pouches. Floats with air in the bag.
Cons: Bulky (compared to device shells like Otter case), The PVC is not optical grade – so photos taken while in the bag didn’t look good (compared to Lifeproof case). Lastly, I dont know any sea kayaker that wears their phone around their neck!
Special thanks to Maritime NZ, who sent KASK 100 of these bags – we will be giving them away in coming months at various events and competitions.

Checkout the hot discussion going on in KASK Facebook Group on Smartphone bags and have your say.

Marine Forecast Apps

If you are going out on the water this summer, please consider investing in some marine forecast apps for your smartphone. Be sure it is a marine forecast you are using – land forecasts are different and will not help you on a kayak as they do not take into account wind speed over water. Here are some apps KASK recommends:

MetService Marine opens with today’s recreational marine forecast for the default location of your choice, and includes forecasts for all New Zealand coastal and recreational marine areas, severe weather, tide, rain radar and other information.I use this a lot and love it.
Total Download: 90,000
Cost: Free
Download

Coastguard Nowcasting provides up-to-the-minute live wind data, including direction, actual peak and average speeds, forecasts, situations and tide information.

Total downloads: 8,500
Cost: $1.29
Download

MarineMate from Maritime NZ uses your location and provides bylaws about lifejackets, speed limits, boat ramp locations, towing access lanes, fishing rules and much more.
Total downloads: 35,000
Cost: Free
Download

Latest New Zealand Sea Canoeist

New Zealand Sea Canoeist 179 is going to the Printers today. If you are a paid up KASK member it should be in your letterbox early next week.
The New Zealand Sea Canoeist is packed with articles and features including a writeup about the Safe Boating week (Sandy Winderton), whitewater paddling technique by Bev Thompson (who is also on the cover shot above), and the usual features including bugger file (John Gumbley), West Island report from Dave Winkworth), local and overseas trip reports (including update from Lynn Patterson and writeups on a Canadian trip by Susan Cade), Red Billed Gull writeup by Kerry Jayne Wilson, book reviews – including Wild Coast 2 (Paul Caffyn), review of Hutchwilco Smartphone pouch by JKA and other bits – all brought together with superb editing from Paul Caffyn.
Also, If you want to follow Lynn Patterson here are the links: live track, Instagram, Right now she is waiting for the wind to die down at Castle Point, Wairarapa coast before resuming paddling around New Zealand.

KASK Forum 2016 – Anakiwa, Marlborough Sounds

For your diary: The KASK Forum 2016 will be at the Cobham Outward Bound School, Anakiwa, Marlborough Sounds Fri 26 – Mon 29 Feb 2016.
If you want to helpout or know someone who wants to present at the Forum, please get in touch with Paul Caffyn. Please email JKA (John Kirk-Anderson) if you can instruct or assist with on the water sessions. For Forum registration queries, please get in touch with Lois Cowan.

Getting in Touch with KASK

Kiwi Association of Sea kayakers has an active committee. The contact details of the committee members can be found here.

Recently, we have been talking to the kayaking community about how KASK can stay relevant and how we can add value to local kayaking clubs and networks. We are always open to your comments and input and feel free to contact me any time.
Happy paddling over the Christmas break and stay safe on the water.

Tim Muhundan
President
Kiwi Association of Sea Kayakers
(021) 2767727
[email protected]