When? 7.7-8.7.18

Where? Paradisbukta – Ny Hellesund (Kapelløya) (15km southwest of Kristiansand)

After two prior days of kayak paddling around Kristiansand and getting to know kayaking basics (paddling gear, keeping balance, paddling techniques and strokes, getting in a kayak from a dock / a shore) and safety skills(exiting a capsized kayak, assisted kayak emptying, low brace, signals), the main aim of the Sea Kayak field trip was not only to improve our general kayaking techniques, but also to gain more experience in sea kayaking. The latter included the two main topics which are important when kayaking in a sea and coastal area:

–       Navigation, performance and safety in an coastal environment

–       how to plan and realise a two days kayak expedition

 

Day 1: We took the roadNordsjøvegen (Route 456, coastal road between Kristiansand and Søgne), until we reached the parking lot Paradisbukta, where we met with our group and our instructor Evan at 10pm.After unloading the kayak-trailer together, Evan told us where to put our gear into the kayaks.

The sea kayaks we used, also called touring kayaks, had a lot of cargo capacity.With two bigger and one smaller hatch, everything is under deck except the paddler. This is essential to protect the supplies and to keep a low centre of gravity in the event of an upset. The driest place in these kayaks is the front hatch. Thus, we put our sleeping bags and values in this compartment. Even though the hatches stay relatively dry when the lid is closed correctly, we had packed all our gear in drybags or extra plastic bags. We attached our maps and a water bottle on the deck, adjusted the footrests according to our leg size and sorted out a fitting life jacket, spray deck and paddle. It was a sunny day, so I was wearing a hat, sunglasses and I made sure to put on a lot of sunscreen before we started paddling.

The kayaks were quite heavy when we carried them down to the water, and I was a bit worried how I would cope with the weight while paddling. But once we were sitting in the cockpit and paddling along the skerries, I barely didn’t feel the heavy load anymore. The wind was blowing gentle, which made the paddling easy. But while we were paddling to the island Herøya, I experienced how powerful the waves of the “open” sea can be. Steering my kayak was much more harder than near the coastline, because the waves made me drift to one side all the time. Therefore, I had to adjust my paddling strokes in the manner that I put more effort on one side and use correction strokes.

In pairs, we had the task to navigate to specific points on our route. Linda and me took the second navigation rotation and lead the group from the north side of Herøya till the destination of our lunch break (Kvidbjørnsholmen). We decided to handrail along the islands of Skiftingsholmen and Slåttholmen in order to make use of their sheltered side. There was one situation, which I need to specify due of its safety aspect: When we paddled across an “open sea area” from Herøya to Slåttholmen, the group was spread a lot. At one point, a bigger boat was approaching and Linda, me and another guy were amidst the roadway of the ship. First we weren’t sure whether to wait or to keep on paddling, but then we decided to separate from the group and paddle to the other side of the boats’ roadway. Our mistake was, that we didn’t tell the rest of our group that we would continue paddling and that they should wait till the boat has passed. Especially when working with younger students, this could have been a tricky situation, because without a clear instruction from us (Linda and me as leaders), the students would probably have continued paddling instead of waiting till the boat had passed. This situations lead to my main learning outcome of this day:The leader of a group needs to make sure that the group stays together as close as possible(minimum within earshot). When a boat is approaching he or she should give clear instructions whether to keep on paddling in a fast manner or to wait until the boat has passed. Although there is the rule: manpower, sail, motor,which explains the traffic regulation on sea (motorboats have to give way to sailing boats, both motorboats and sailing boats have to give way to kayaks and canoes. This rule pertains to every boat except ferries or bigger ships as container vessels, because they need a longer time to manoeuvre.),it is absolutely necessary to prevent collision and thus give the boatmen clear signals where you are going and when in doubt: give way for bigger boats. When paddling in an area where ferries cross, it is urgent to check the local ferry schedules in advance. After 4,3km we had lunch on the top of Kvidbjørnsholmen and jumped from the cliffs into the water. We started paddling again around 2.30pm and passed by the islands of Ny-Hellesund and Skarpøya. After another 4,5km we arrived at our destination: Kapelløya, a nice bay on the east side of the island Ny-Hellesund.

 

 

 

 

When we went ashore we found a balloon and a little note on the rocks. The note entailed a little treasure hunt around the island. We followed the instructions and found a cake and a bottle of wine. We then realised that some of the guys of group 1, who did the kayak-trip two weeks earlier, were behind that. At some point Jed, Johanna, Sam and Maike jumped out of the bushes. They had taken the ferry to Kapelløya without telling anyone in advance. It was a big surprise and together we celebrated Zoe’s birthday and had a great evening.

We unloaded our kayaks, explored the island, massaged our backs and arms and made dinner on our kitchen stoves. After a day on the sea we were quite hungry and therefore Linda, Zoe and me cooked a big amount of vegetables in coconut sauce. Concerning the nutrition during the trip, I had eaten a big bowl of oats with fruits at lunchtime and some pieces of banana bread in the afternoon. For the following morning I had some slices of banana bread and fruits left and was totally content with the amount and content of this nutrition. Concerning the water supply, luckily our instructor had told us in advance that there was no possibility to get drinking water on Kapelløya. Because of the salt water environment we had to take enough water for two days. Therefore I took 3 x 0.75 litre bottles and a hydration pack bladderwhich contained another 3 litres. This amount of water was perfect, because I had half a litre left when we got back the next day.

Due to the great weather conditions for the night, I only took an inflatable mat and my light sleeping bag (comfort zone: 5 degrees). This worked out very fine and I wasn’t cold during the night. Only the blackflies were nerve-racking: These little flies (2-6mm) cause painful stings and their buzzing is really loud. Next time I definitely will take mosquito spray with me.

 

Day 2: 

The next day we cleaned up our campsite and loaded our gear back into the canoes. We started paddling around 10pm and surrounded the island Helgøya. We crossed another “open sea area” and handrailed along the island Ydre. The crossing from Ydre to the island Lyngholmen and back to the coastline was a bit exhausting, because the waves were bigger and the wind stronger. We arrived in Paradisbukta at 1pm after 8,4km. We only took little breaks (in total approximately 20min), which means that we were paddling with about 3,15 km / h.

After going ashore, we unloaded our gear, tied the life jackets and spray decks together and loaded the canoes on the trailer. This process took us another hour. I am really glad about this last trip, because we got the possibility to explore the coastline of south Norway from the “sea perspective”. The navigation on sea was much more difficult than I expected, because it is often really difficult to distinguish the edges of the different islands. Thus, it was sometimes necessary to paddle to another point, in order to determine the contours of the islands better and to adjust the navigation from another angle. I am stunned about the beautiful coastal area of south Norway and the facilities on the islands (toilets, barbecue areas, maps etc.). The skerries and little islands work very well for doing multiple-day kayak trips. However, when planning a kayak trip it is necessary to familiarize with the map in advance and check local conditions. The latter contains nature protection, such as bird sanctuaries which are marked on maps. There is a 50 meter limit around these islands, which has to be well considered when planning a trip.