Australian Summer
Those poor buggers in the UK and the US. Constantly lamenting the icing up of their paddle world. Derrick at Kayaking Quixotica is left to wax philosophical, spending the North American winter in introspection. The UK boys are rugging up but are still getting out it seems. I have gently teased about the scorching Australian summers traditionally had here, about getting about in thongs (flip flops to the Murrigans), wearing nothing but your Billabongs and Mambo, feasting on prawns and beer and of course…paddling. The thing is, the weather is just weird. Freezing cold winds (to an Australian) then hot and steamy with a cold southerly late in the day. Rain the next day, overcast for a week, storms, then hot. This week the temperature got down to 18ºC. I had to put on a shirt with sleeves. God, it’s so overwhelmingly pleasant!
But there is a down side.
Photo by George Trinkler
These.
This thing was out smiling for the camera of fisherman George Trinkler at Stockton. Read the article in the Herald. The warm seas are bringing millions of school fish close to the shore. More than normal. The marine reserves set up by the State government and the commercial fishing moratorium in the Lake are seeing large increases in the population of fish. And where there are millions of fish there are things that eat fish. Big things. Like that big bastard up there and all his mates. Someone got bit on the arse by a bull shark last week and there will be more to come. Forgive me for being paranoid but it has been said that the paranoid are just people with acute situational awareness. I’ve lived along the beaches of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie all my life and I’ve never seen shark incidents of this frequency. Everyone agrees it’s only a matter of time before they take someone. I’m thinking of getting a Shark Shield but I don’t know how effective they are. Some small depth charges and a sonar mounted on Eco would be desirable as well. Surely there’s a technological solution out there. Give me freezing any day.
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Greetings Brad, we are still getting out here in Scotland. I8 degree, I wish!!
Do you think those clever South Africans could be persuaded to make something similar to Shark Shield to keep the fiercesome Scottish midge at bay?
Good old Aussie Aerogard should do the trick. I bet Freya Hoffmeister is copping some abuse too from NZ sandflies.
well, luckily we have our heated lake, and indoor pool. . . still, I think I’d rather be tempting sharks!
Top of the morning to ya Brad ! I am sitting here in Northern Ireland listening to hail stone’s drumming of my window and it’s – 4c outside as I write this ! so please keep up the cracking work and photo’s and when I’m out paddling I’ll think of you lot in OZ in the Heat as I try and thaw out my poor finger’s to take my day hatch off! Best regard’s for 2k8 from my famliy and me, ps got the other half a new p&h capella rm sea kayak for xmas, she cant wait till next paddle I’ll post the photo’s soon ….
Thanks mate. Stay warm and safe. Make sure you review that boat so I can cross link to you. We don’t see many P & H here so put some good pix up. All the best to your family, we’re all sunburnt here from freak UV levels.