Yesterday while sorting slides for an upcoming show I came across a photo I took of a snapped Necky Tofino double kayak. I was one of two civilians taking part in a police fund-raising paddle on the east coast of NZ's South Island, from Kaikoura to Christchurch. On the second day the paddler with me, who was prone to impulse, got tired of waiting for the right wave sets on a steep beach with a good dump, so we launched. I was in the rear and I'm told that I was paddling air as a huge dumper collapsed under us. We didn't witness the carnage as two policeman, not to be outdone by a couple of civvies, followed us into another set. They got it completely wrong, and were paddling on wet sand as a wall of water hit them from above. The Tofino was snapped through the front cockpit, dislocating a knee of the paddler there, while as the back half was tumbled the rear paddler attempted a high brace on the beach, dislocating his shoulder. The tale was reported as a "rouge wave", and we continued that day on our own. The other paddlers drove down the coast, determined to paddle a similar distance at the end, to make up for their lost day. By the end of the trip this vow was forgotten, and we were deemed honourary policemen. I learnt quite a lot on that trip! -- John Kirk-Anderson Banks Peninsula NEW ZEALAND *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Apr 11 2003 - 03:25:41 PDT
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