Up the Creek without a paddle...

Saturday dawned calm and clear... I know this because I had already been up for several hours in preparation for the Victorian Sea kayak Club's (VSKC) Paddle the Bay in a Day expedition. 

This year the planned route crossed Port Philip Bay from west to east - a distance of about 35kms.  The plan was to start 5kms up Werribee creek at Ninety Degree bend and then paddle down the river and across to Sandringham Yacht club.  Accordingly the most Reverend Dr Bob and I rendezvoused with the six other paddlers at Sandringham 0630 hrs in order to load kayaks onto cars and trailer for the 50km trip to Werribee.

We decided to leave Bob's Caddy at Sandringham and hopped in Helmut's car, diverting to the city to pick up his partner (an essential part of the car shuffle needed).

It must have been a mere 5kms from our destination when the light dawned almost simultaneously for Bob et Moi... Whether it was the sleep deprivation or the unfamiliar nature of the boat transport, but whatever the mitigating circumstances, we had both managed to neglect to bring an important article with us on the paddle - namely the paddle!

Perhaps, we mused hopefully, others had brought spares?

On arrival at the assembly point, our predicament predictable became the source of much amusement for the assembled mob.  The former vice-president and current president had been found out - up the creek with out a paddle!  No doubt we will hear about this for some time...

Alas, only one spare paddle was found and so Plan B was called into action - we would nobly return to Sandringham, locate the missing paddles and set out from the previously assigned destination with a view to meeting the pod half-way (or thereabouts)

We finally got on the water around 10 and set our course to intersect with the Westerners ending our way...

A slight chop soon disappeared and flat calm benign conditions meant easy progress out past the Faulkner weather beacon (about 6kms offshore) and then we stopped beside the "Astro Sculptor", a 250m behemoth oil tanker,  for lunch.  No sign of the others, we headed further west for another 3-4 km, searching for any signs of paddles flashing in the sunlight.

Well, we thought, we have either missed them (possible, but with clear visibility???) or they had turned back/chosen another route.

With a couple of basking seals for company, we slowly hauled our way back the 13.5 kms to Sandringham... to be greeted by members of the aforementioned pod which had arrived 45 mins beforehand!

"Oh", they said, "we started off too far south and had to make a course direction halfway..." 

Unbelievable that we still hadn't seen them, even if they were several kms south of us while we were resting at the tanker??? Guess it shows how short your horizon is when you are a couple of feet off the water...

Nonetheless, we still managed to have a very enjoyable, albeit somewhat tiring, 28kms of paddling on one of the calmest days seen on the Bay

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Thirty years ago... a pictorial tribute to our darling daughter!

This past Sunday we were still awake not long past the witching hour of midnight and reminiscing...

Thirty years ago almost exactly Amber Catherine Stewart entered the world and greeted her excited parents with howls of delight (at least that was how we interpreted her birth cries!)

She soon captivated our hearts and became the much photographed/videod/coddled first of the Stewart clan's grandchildren.

 Her latter auburn locks were preceded by a fine ginger dusting which nicely matched her proud father's beard.

Dedication day

Big sister and little brother

Early fascination with primitive i-phone

Early driving lessons...

Thirty years on and we are still immensely proud of our darling daughter - and it was a treat to celebrate with the rest of the immediate family at Healesville's Giant Steps on Sunday night.  


Aunty Amber received a special gift from her favourite and highly talented niece Arieta of a painting she specially crafted for the occasion...

Not to be outdone, Nephew Samuel presented her with his own creation - a necklace to be treasured!

Ride, retreat, reflect

Two and a half Revs in Tuliq mode...

Decided to head south this time for my scheduled monthly Quiet Day.  Cool and overcast meant wrapping up and leather jacket on as the aged beemer and I traversed the new Peninsular link freeway and then continued on down to Sorrento.  

The brisk northerly was kicking the Bay into early premonitions of things to come and I was thinking of kayaks, waves and fetch across the more than 50kms of exposed water... it was only last week that the two and a half Revs (see picture) ventured out at Mornington into what was supposed to be 20+kts of a northerly for a bit of rough water practice. Turns out it was more like 25-30 gusting 35 kts and I for one found the going a bit tough (Funny that!).  I found a photo (below) of what happens in a decent Port Philip northerly blow... It wasn't that bad last week, but you get the idea!

 The hardest part was launching through the messy surf around the harbour and dodging the yachts which were being tossed about on their swing moorings (above is a photo of an earlier storm when the breakwater was still intact!  This and the wharf arecurrently being rebuilt and there is now no protection offered for yachts and paddlers alike.  After using a fair amount of 'juice' paddling out past the moored boats, I decided that discretion was the better part of valour in the lumpy 2m waves and headed back.  After several trashings, a couple of failed rolls,  a near ramming of BJ by my inverted-at-the-time Iqyax, (and a wet-exit or two...) Bob and I retired to the beach to watch Brandon effortlessly manage the rough stuff - ...ahhh what is is to be young and flexible (not to mention skilled and strong!) 

No kayak this time, so I parked my bike close to the beach at Sorrento close to where the Sorrento to Portsea swim begins (try again next year - see previous post!) and boarded the ferry for the 40 min trip across the heads to Queenscliff...

Queenscliff was one of the early places settled by Europeans and possesses some interesting and quite ancient buildings and lighthouses.

It's also a place I have on two occasions spent time on retreat at Sana Casa on the southern cliffs overlooking the rip.  It's a magnificent setting for quiet reflection and prayer, only becoming busy when school holidays come and the hordes descend...

So, after a more than decent coffee at one of the several cafes in town (I have tried most of them!) I spent an hour or so reading and reflecting while a lone Collingwood supporter strutted imperiously nearby (no doubt still dwelling on the Anzac Day victory over the Bombers!)  

All too soon it was time to make the trek back to the terminal and board the ferry for the return journey - a little more rock 'n roll this time as the strengthening northerly had begun to fetch across the bay and produce a few more whitecaps. You can still clearly see several remnants of early fortifications and structures built near the heads, including the Pope's Eye (which is still used by recreational craft as a shelter from rough conditions) and the South Channel Fort further up the bay.

Fort Queenscliff, in Victoria, Australia, dates from 1860 when an open battery was constructed on Shortland's Bluff to defend the entrance to Port Phillip. The Fort, which underwent major redevelopment in the late 1870s and 1880s, became the headquarters for an extensive chain of forts around Port Phillip Heads and it was manned as a coastal defence installation continuously from 1883 to 1946. The other fortifications and armaments around the Heads were completed by 1891, and together made Port Phillip one of the most heavily defended harbours in the British Empire.  The first Allied shots of World War I were fired when a gun at Fort Nepean fired across the bow of the German freighter Pfalz, as she was attempting to escape to sea.^[1] The orders to fire came from Fort Queenscliff. The same gun, with a different barrel, also fired the first Allied shot of World War II.

Forts were erected on both sides of Port Phillips Heads -- at Point Nepean and Queenscliff. Smaller forts were built in the South Channel and on the Pope's Eye shoal. Swan Island provided a base from which to control a minefield. Should all these defences be somehow avoided, a further, formidable obstacle remained -- the floating gun platform that was HMVS Cerberus, with her 10-inch guns.  Later innovations at the Heads included Fort Queenscliff's Disappearing Gun, removed from the South Channel Fort, the mechanism of which brought the gun down behind solid walls where it could be reloaded with complete safety.

The trip back to Sorrento provided some more space for a bit of journaling and thinking about the busy week ahead leading up to the 50th Anniversary celebrations this coming Sunday for EDBC...

A leisurely 100kms later and home before the first of the rainshowers blew across from the west. More rain predicted tomorrow - might not be a Vespa day!

Preparation for Easter...

I made a Cross today as part of the preparations for Easter Week and the services to come on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

I've made a number of Crosses over the years - some 'larger-the-life' and some small enough to hold in your hand.  Several have eventually adorned the walls of Churches I have had the privilege of serving.  The Cross at Mt Roskill was made out of some of the beams from the old building which was demolished to make way for the new.  Likewise at Mitcham the large, heavy, Australian hardwood Cross was constructed from beams salvaged from the old site before the move to the factory in Simla Street.

This new Cross was made from some old Oregon rafters given to me by a good friend whose wife is recovering from cancer...

Each Cross has had special meaning and significance above and beyond its inherent symbolism.  Making these Crosses has often been a reflective exercise as I try and keep the craftsmanship simple.  The very making helps remind me of the carpenter turned Saviour who also worked with his hands crafting timber in his younger years.

I left the Cross on the front lawn after taking this picture... One of our neighbours stopped and asked what it was for - she attends a Greek Orthodox Church who have services every day this coming week (Hard work for the priests, I reckon!)  After talking for a while I decided to leave the Cross where it stood -  seemed to be an appropriate reminder as we prepare to begin the Passion Week with Palm Sunday services tomorrow!

Special Olympic Heroes...

Spent last Saturday watching some very motivated and motivating young people compete in the Victorian Special Olympics State Games... inspirational efforts and especially refreshing to see how much enjoyment was had by all those competing.  Lots of support by spectators and fellow competitors ensured that every person's achievement was celebrated with joy - with particular encouragement given to those who finished even a distant last!!

Proud of our young fella who competed at the highest level in the men's division and gained some significant rewards (I think 2 Golds, a silver and a bronze medal)for his efforts.

Anthony and Jonathan - good mates for over 15 years

Anthony in hot pursuit!

Spot the happy long-jump winner!

Great competitors!

Good sports sharing the mens 100m glory!

Trying our best and having fun...

In synch - Jonno and Rory heading for the finish of the 50m sprint

Nice photobombing, Tony!