Imagine this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=505753&in_page_id=1770 Mike --------------------------------- Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Location? Shark Alley, on the south side of Danger Point, where the HMS Birkenhead was wrecked in the dark night in the early morning of 2th February 1852 while carrying troops to fight Xhosa invaders during one of the numerous Frontier Wars on the Cape Colony's eastern border. Not all the boats could be launched so the women and children were put off first, while the troops stood calmly on deck and watched the cutter and two gigs stand-off in the darkness. A survivor's letter reads: "I remained on the wreck until she went down; the suction took me down some way, and a man got hold of my leg, but I managed to kick him off and came up and struck out for some pieces of wood that were on the water and started for land, about two miles off. I was in the water about five hours, as the shore was so rocky and the surf ran so high that a great many were lost trying to land. Nearly all those that took to the water without their clothes on were taken by sharks; hundreds of them were all round us, and I saw men taken by them close to me, but as I was dressed (having on a flannel shirt and trousers) they preferred the others. I was not in the least hurt, and, am happy to say, kept my head clear; most of the officers lost their lives from losing their presence of mind and trying to take money with them, and from not throwing off their coats." - Letter from Lt J.F. Girardot, 43rd Light Infantry, to his father, 1 March 1852. Hermanus, so far my only sea-kayaking locale, lies 19km across Walker Bay on the far side of the point seen in the picture. Paddling the coast around Hermanus always makes me a little jumpy. There is no chance I will take the Klepper anywhere near Danger Point - at least not until I get a Shark Pod. A while ago, I was busy setting up my Folbot GII to paddle across the bay from the point to Hermanus when a local fisherman, intrigued by the aluminium ribs and rubber skin, came down to the quayside for a chat. When I told him where I was going, his eyes went wide and he said, "Nay, man, d'jy is mal! (you are crazy). In the water, that (he kicked the hypalon hull) will look d'jus like a eighteen-foot seal...!" I still haven't done the trip. Paul Click here to subscribe to the Sunday Times. This message (and any associated files) is intended only for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain information that is confidential, subject to copyright or constitutes a trade secret. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, copying or distribution of this message, or files associated with this message, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the message and deleting it from your computer. Messages sent to and from us may be monitored. Internet communications cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses. Therefore, we do not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions that are present in this message, or any attachment, that have arisen as a result of e-mail transmission. If verification is required, please request a hard-copy version. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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