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Sea Kayaking in Tasmania
Trip Programs, Safety, Skills Training, Education, Information, Kayak Building

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Sample Trip Program

Trip Grading

All trips are graded into four categories, to be interpreted by the trip coordinator:

Novice: Trips suitable for new members and novice paddlers. Mostly half day and gentle pace, 10- 15 km, sheltered waters.
Basic Skills: Some experience including completion of TSCC Basic Skills Day required, confidence with wet exit and rescues, seaworthy gear. Up to around 25 km per day.
Proficient: Broad experience required, have completed Sea Kayak Skills Award, Proficiency or equivalent, ability to handle most conditions including lumpy water and moderate surf, reasonable confidence with sailing will usually be required. Up to around 40 km per day.
Advanced: Advanced skills required, suitable only for very experienced and fit members, e.g. able to handle long distances and big surf, confident with self-rescues.

Booking

Members must book with the trip coordinator beforehand if planning to take part on any trip. This should be done as early as possible in the week immediately before the trip, generally no later than Thursday. Some trips have number limits and you are less likely to miss out if you book early.

Getting to know you

Trip coordinators may quiz you on your experience, skills and gear before accepting a booking. They may even refuse to accept your booking if they think that the trip is not appropriate for you. We ask that you please accept this procedure as a necessary part of safe trip planning.

Sample Program Only!

Date	Grade	Trip description
Wed. Evenings	Basic Skills	Wednesday evening paddles. Two or three hours paddling from Marieville Esplanade at 6.00pm. Bring decklights or waterproof torch. Group likely to split to cater for slower and faster paddlers
Sat 6 Oct 2002	Basic Skills	Murdunna. Easy trip into Norfolk Bay, destination to depend upon the wind and sea conditions.
Sat 7 Oct 2002	Novice	Basic Skills Training. Training provided in basic paddle strokes, preparing your boat for sea, and emergency procedures. Compulsory training for many club trips.
Sat 13 Oct 2002	Proficient	Devonport. A chance to paddle in the waters of Bass Strait for a change, or for northern and southern paddlers to get together. Destination depends on the weather.
Sun 14 Oct 2002	All welcome	Trip management forum. Open to any member wishing to discuss management of sea kayaking trips, both club and private. Morning chat session, afternoon paddle. See newsletter for more information.
Sat 20 Oct 2002	Proficient	Pirates Bay to Fortescue Bay and return. A chance to visit the spectacular cliffs and sea caves of this coast without a car shuffle.
Sat 20 Oct - Sun 21 Oct 2002	All welcome	Boat building Workshop. Come along and assist in the building of a fibreglass sea kayak. Strongly recommended if you plan to use club moulds this summer. See newsletter for more information.
Sun 21 Oct 2002	Novice	Eaglehawk Neck. Easy trip on the inside in Eaglehawk Bay.
Sun 28 Oct 2002	Proficient	Cape Raoul. Leaving from Safety Cove, visit this spectacular area.
Sat 3 Nov - Sun 4 Nov 2002	Advanced	South Bruny. Likely to leave from Dover, with an overnight at Cloudy Corner, this is an area well worth visiting.
Fri 9 Nov - Sat 10 Nov - Sun 11 Nov 2002	Proficient	Maria Island circuit. Aim to leave on Friday evening for a night crossing of Mercury Passage.
Sun 11 Nov 2002	Novice	Dover history trip. A very leisurely paddle around the Dover area, with many stops to take in the sights.
Sun 18 Nov 2002	Basic Skills	Betsey Island. For those with basic skills wanting to experience some open water, and those who like this paddle to one of our favourite places. Some exposure to swells and limited landing options.
Sat 24 Nov 2002	Basic Skills	Richmond to Pittwater. Pleasant paddle down the Coal River, looking at the birds.
Sun 25 Nov 2002	Basic Skills	Lime Bay. Probably paddle from Dunalley for this pleasant paddle.
Sun 25 Nov 2002	All Welcome	Sea Kayak Skills Introductory Day. An introduction to a training package offering a broad range of sea kayak 'hard' and 'soft' skills. See newsletter for more information.
Fri 30 Nov 2002	All Welcome	TSCC General Meeting. At the Scout Hall in Marieville Esplanade, Sandy Bay, at 8.00pm

Disclaimer

The Tasmanian Sea Canoeing Club is a group of people who enjoy paddling open waters. We organise trips to help members and visitors share this activity, and we are pleased to be able to share our accumulated experience with those who are interested in taking up the sport. However, we do so on a voluntary basis only, and any person taking part in a club trip, or using club equipment, or acting on advice from a particular club member, office bearer or trip coordinator, does so entirely at their own risk.
In particular, trips listed in the Club’s published program will often have some indication of the expected difficulty or exposure that can be expected and/or an indication of the experience required of a participating paddler. This advice is given in good faith, but there is no such thing as a completely safe trip, and even trips aimed at the inexperienced and organised on our most sheltered and protected waters (including lakes and estuaries) can become difficult and dangerous in adverse weather. Such weather is not necessarily predictable, adverse changes can occur suddenly, trip coordinators can misjudge conditions.

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