Paddle For Peace

A fundraiser/recreational paddle from Byron Bay to Newcastle. It will be used to raise money for VOCAL (Victims of Crime Assistance League) based in Newcastle.
We will be camping along the way and just enjoying the scenery of the east coast of NSW.

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Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 18, 2009 at 6:51pm

Day 14

Well day 14 turns out to be Simon and Adrian’s last day and what a day. In total the paddlers cover over 70km to finish at Horse Shoe Beach Newcastle. When they reached Anna Bay which was due to be there lunch spot, the swell was massive so they had no choice but to raft up to each other and eat on the sea. This also meant that they were unable to land along Stockton beach and so headed for there final destination. They reached the finish line by 4.30pm, and were greeted by Mark, Nathan, Jess, Emma and myself (family) as well as good friends Owen and Anne. The VOCAL ladies Robyn and Taryn also joined us all at the finish line. Well done Simon and Adrian your adventure has inspired me and hopefully many others.

Comment by Simon McGuire on November 17, 2009 at 9:49am

We paddled into Newcastle Harbour yesterday afternoon. A long challenging day of about 70 km's with big seas along Stockton Beach and challenging conditions leading into Newcastle harbour especially being fatigued as I was.
Thanks to all for their support

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 15, 2009 at 9:09pm

Day 13

Another 5.30am start for Simon and Adrian. Today’s paddle saw them encounter another whale, which was no more than 20m from Adrian’s kayak. They also encountered a pod of 5/6 dolphins, which at one point jumped through the back of a wave into the air before diving back into the water. Today was hot going for our paddlers so they used the best cooling method a kayaker has at there disposal, a roll. They are camped on the beach at Dark Point which is slightly north of Hawks Nest. The next couple of days are not looking great weather wise so they are hoping to power through to finish either tomorrow or Tuesday. The end is in sight!!!

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 14, 2009 at 3:04pm

Day 12

Simon and Adrian were on the water by 5.30am this morning. Much better wind conditions today, they paddled for 9 hours covering approx 50km. They encounter a whale again today. It dived deep and flipped its tail up out of the water no more than 300m from them. Also they saw a pod of dolphins on the hunt just 3 m from there kayaks. The dolphins speed past the kayaks and splashed as they caught there prey. Simon way side swiped by a large brown sea bird today. He said it look as though it was going to land on the front deck, but only ran into it. The bird hardly missed a beat, landed in the water and then was on its way again. They are camped at McBride’s which is about 7km from Forster. If the weather conditions stay paddler friendly they may just finish early next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 14, 2009 at 12:47pm

Day 11

6am start today for our paddlers. They left Laurieton with high hopes of making it to Saltwater but were hit with strong head on winds. They made it to Crowdy Head after a six hours battling with the elements. The struggle was briefly alleviated by two whales diving under Adrian’s kayak. Adrian has video which we will post up at the end of there trip. When they landed on the beach I was ready with lunch and drinks for our paddlers. Exhausted they made the decision to stay put and made camp near the life saving club. This made me, Adrian’s wife Sara and children Beth and Jamie very happy as we all got to have dinner together. With our reluctant good byes we left our paddlers to there rest. The paddlers covered about 25km today. Hopefully day 12 will bring better conditions.

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 12, 2009 at 6:54pm

Day 10

5.30 am and the paddlers are on the water. They paddled to Port Macquarie and had an early lunch. The landing on Main Beach was a little hairy mainly due to the rocks. However due to the ever increasing skills of our paddlers they had no trouble at all. I know, I know, I’m totally biased. The conditions were great for Simon and Adrian today, they had the wind at there backs and the waves with them. At North Haven a kite surfer come out to chat, which was a real treat. It turns out that this kite surfer has media connections and as a result local media have left a message for Simon and Adrian. Look out they may end up on the news :). They are camped tonight at Laurieton. They have paddled 62km today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 11, 2009 at 4:08pm

Day 9

Another 5.30am start for our paddlers. They paddled 30km to Hat Head were they stopped for lunch. They saw 5 sharks between them whilst coming to and past Hat Head. Adrian had a Hammer head following him for just a little while, but moved on before Simon could get his camera out. They continued onto Crescent Head were they are camped for the night. Conditions were good today with the first north easterly since there first day. Simon was having trouble with his rudder, so a minor adjustment is needed. Today they paddled a total of 63km!!! Good new for me, they will be stopping in Port Macquarie for lunch, so I will travel up with lunches backed to meet them 

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 11, 2009 at 11:08am

Day 8

After there day of rest the paddlers were keen to get back on the water. They started at 5.30am and paddled to Uranga some 37km away were we joined them for lunch. On the north side of the Uranga bay area the paddlers encountered a mother whale and her calf, breaching out of the water only 300m from there boats. Watching the paddlers land on the beach at Urunga was exciting. The swell was up and they did well not to get dump on the beach. Equally as exciting was watching them launch off the beach, waiting for the right moment to head out and not have a wave break on them. They both managed to get back on track without having to practice there rolling skills again. The wind conditions were favourable and Simon was able to use his sail. They paddled on to Scott’s Head which was another 30km. Once at Scott’s Head they met two local kayak enthusiasts, and the boys let them paddle there kayaks. Just for a brief moment when the two locals were out of site did they consider that, letting total strangers out on the water with there only means of transport might not have been such a great idea? However there doubts were short lived and when the two returned, they then help Simon and Adrian carry there kayaks and gear up the beach. After setting up camp near the local life saving club they had some much welcomed visitor. Two friends of Adrian’s, Dean and Darren turned up with beer and good humour, which was a pleasant ending to a long day. In total Simon and Adrian travelled 67km!!!!!!!!!!

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 10, 2009 at 5:46pm

Day 7

Today was an official day of rest. Our paddlers spent the day in Coffs Harbour. Mark and my self travelled up to stay with them overnight. They were able to have hot showers and wash there paddling gear. All in all a relaxing time was had.

Comment by Sarah Johnston on November 8, 2009 at 7:16pm

Day 6

Our paddlers were on the water by 5.30am this morning. They travel through to Woolgoolga with the wind at there backs for most of the morning. However as they approached Woolgoolga the wind changed and they were once again faced with head on winds. To quote Adrian “Just one day” one full day with the winds behind them is all they need to really make a dint in there journey. They stopped for lunch in the town, before heading out again. It rained all afternoon and they had the winds against them again!!! However they pressed on and made it to Coffs Harbour by 4.30pm. They found a caravan park to stay at, and have splurged on a cabin for the night. The owners gave them a 10% discount and free linen to contribute to the VOCAL fundraiser. The only draw back was the 500m carry of two kayaks and all there gear. But they have hot showers and warm comfy beds for the night. What a day they ended up having, they paddled approx 58km today!!!!!!! GO BOYS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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