Bay Crossing - Kim's impressions

We had been talking about paddling across False Bay for a couple of years.  The more we talked and strategized, the more opportunities we missed.  The weather forecast and sea conditions for Sunday 29 March were perfect for a crossing.  “Let’s Just Do It’” someone said.  So we did.

Seven experienced sea-kayakers from the Paddler’s Kayak Shop network of regulars set out early on Sunday morning from Millers to tackle the 33kms to Rooiels.   To be honest, I joined the group for `the t-shirt’.  So that I could say, if anyone asked, that I had paddled across False Bay.  The experience was awesome with perfect conditions and for those of you interested in numbers, we completed the crossing averaging a comfortable 7kms per hour.   It was not at all the long, eventless, open ocean slog that I had expected.  Hardly had we left the slip at Millers when we were surrounded by wheeling Malgas (Cape Gannet ) who eyeballed us almost as if they thought we were a fishing party worth watching.  Our route took us just south of Whittle Rock which seems to have lost its marker buoy, but which we located surrounded by Kalkbay Chuckies.  The crew was busy with their hand lines and not especially interested in us – no doubt in their long years at sea they have seen so many unusual sightings that a handful of sea-kayakers in mid ocean is all in a day’s work.

At about the half way mark with Cape Point looking rather small behind us and Cape Hangklip and the Koggelberg Mountains still a distant smudge half buried in cloud we rafted-up for very welcome coffee and crunchies.   After over two hours at sea there was the inevitable discussion about how to relieve a full bladder while sitting in an unstable craft over 17kms from nearest land.  There were various solutions, most of which were not tested so that for some of us the situation did add to the endurance aspect of long distance paddling.

In our experience, the middle of the bay is not the quiet preserve of deep ocean swells but is full of life.  The variety of seabirds that we could not recognize added to the excitement of being in new territory.  Judging by the birds and the vast assembly of seals, there must be huge shoals of bait fish in the bay at present.  The seals looked satiated and hung together in companionable rafts of raised flippers.  As we paddled past, small groups of seals detached themselves and porpoised playfully after our boats.  The spray kicked up by diving Malgas had us thinking about whales, and sure enough a Bryde’s Whale blew and then surfaced close by.

As we approached the-other-side of False Bay our destination became more real.  We were also, sadly, seeing floating plastic as we approached land. Hangklip lighthouse, which at first looked as if it was standing in the sea, was now visible on its low-lying fringe of land and Rooiels was taking shape – as were the white plumes of breaking waves crashing onto the rocks along the coast.  We know that Rooiels has a safe landing beach and that Derek had recently paddled from Rooiels while escorting swimmers in an across the bay attempt. Ja!  We thought that we had done amazingly well to paddle across False Bay, but that swimmers have swum the same crossing is really impressive.  We followed Derek around the point into Rooiels Bay and saw not only an easy beach exit, but also Liz and Honey our support crew waiting for us.   We had just done it - the plan came together.  There is no t-shirt big enough to say it all, but I shall never be able to look across False Bay again without reliving a part of the wonderful experience. There is nothing False about this Bay – but that’s another story!!
KimK