Simply go to: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/australia-keep-your-word-stop-japanese-whaling-in-the-southern-ocean-whale-sanctuary#at
And add your details, let a couple of your mates know and keep spreading the word!
See ya in Bondi soon ….
Dolphins frolicking off Anna Bay, near Nelson Bay, NSW.
Joined today by Sydney-based photographer extraordinaire Kane Skennar. As we type, they’re being pushed past Stockton (one of the east coast’s most notorious, sharky locations) and towards an armada of ocean freighters dotting the seascape off Newcastle Harbour.
Today’s aim? Get as far south as bloody possible!
A 100km day today would leave us one day’s sail to Sydney’s Northern Beaches – conditions permitting.
Thanks again for everyone’s support – so much love pouring in.
Another update soon. Some pics below, for your viewing pleasure…
NBN reporter, Lauren, and cameraman Dion hitched a ride on Bruce Hodgkinson’s “N’Joy” to catch the Transparentsea team before passing Newcastle.
JJ, man for hire, slotted.
The kilometres and leg burn and uncertainties melt away thanks to stunning perspectives of Australia’s East Coast, like this one.
Del Moro, shirt off and in floppy hat, inspects Nelson Bay’s northern flank.
Hmm, weather forecasts cannot be trusted … Three hours at sea yesterday and we ended up at Anna Bay.
Boys are surfing five foot waves now, a great way to pass the time …
Thanks to Bruce, skipper of “N’Joy” who runs whale watching charters in the region. He motored out to meet the crew. Epic!.. We’ll post a pic shortly.
This board has been donated by Formula Energy. Howie Cooke and Chris Del Moro are adding their enviro-art touch to the bottom – it’s only 1/3 of the way there, it’ll be awesome when its finished! It goes to the highest bidder, with proceeds going to Surfers For Cetaceans and future campaigns! And if you’re wondering, it’s a quad fin: 5′10 x 19′3/4 x 2′ 1/2, but it’s probably better suited to a wall somewhere …
Will Conner and dolphins yesterday.
An awesome days sailing yesterday, decent winds and plenty of scenery including a stopover at Broughton Island, off Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest, a 100 strong pod of dolphins riding the bow wake of some of the little red crafts and an escort into Shoal Bay by Frank Future and his crew aboard “Imagine”.
Former Pro Surfer Simon Law and his groms popped in to our campsite to say g’day, as did Skye Bortoli and family. Skye has been nominated and made the final of the Young Australian of the Year awards for her outstanding campaigning for preservation and environmental issues … Best of luck Skye!
Gotta be quick, cause we’re heading out and meeting NBN and the Newcastle Herald off Stockton Beach (about two hours south) and then making for Swansea or further south! If you’re on front of the tele tonight, tune in to NBN
Here some pics from last 48 hours…
Surfing is high on the agenda too, don’t forget! Dave, finally getting a decent barrel!
A couple of Dingo’s playing on the beach near Seal Rocks.
Chris Del Moro and a flying Aussie native.
Still at Seal rocks, but the wind has turned! Anything blowing from the East is good enough to push us down the coast towards Nelson Bay, which is where we hope to be before nightfall.
The forecast is pretty good and if it hangs in there, we estimate we’re just three long days from Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
A few guys are surfing right now, the rest of us are packing up and getting ready to move.
Thanks to all the support and encouragement from the people emailing in and to those we’ve met along the way.
A week into the trip, it seemed like it would be forever to be where we are now. Now, with a week to go, it seems like it was forever ago that we started. Which make sense, really.
Here’s a couple snaps from the past few days …
Thanks to Shane Chalker and the gang at “Amaroo” who met us at sea off Forster on their Dolphin Watching boat.
Keep an eye out for Shane’s awesome pics …
caption: The Hoy house at Blueys received a bit of a paint job from Howie and Chris. Matt Hoy’s family were reportedly stoked with the new wall … Yeah, brah!
It’s day 20-something and we’ve had quite the ride. By no means has the journey been easy, but that’s exactly why it has been the adventure of a lifetime for me and the entire Transparentsea team. The Pacific has taught us all lessons, such as how important reading the quickly changing wind patterns are or learning to be patient and to finding comfort in extreme situations. Through thick and thin, throughout all the adverse weather patterns we’ve experienced, our team has taken our routine to the next level.
Life at the moment is a fuzzy blur of experiences, pruned feet and observations but I’ll do my best to channel a few high points.
Lucky Day
Our faithful S4C co-founder Howie Cooke joined our group after his six-month gypsy journey around the world (see Howie’s entry below). He has an astounding history of environmental activism and he brings an awesome lightheartedness to the group. Needless to say we are all excited to have him with us on our journey and I think the cetaceans were too … within an hour of Howie joining us at sea, dolphins and humpbacks greeted us.
I enjoy watching the moment each guest experiences the wind catching their sails for the first time, being thrust along the coast and the excitement they receive from close encounters with various sea life. The power of experience one receives from direct contact from whales and dolphins tends to change one’s life instantly.
After some mindless wanderings south, Dave snapped from one his meditative trances and began yelling: “Dolphins! Dolphins! Dolphins!” Within moments we were both surrounded by a 30-strong pod of striped dolphins, playing and riding the wakes created by our crafts. The spirited, euphoric energy dolphins bring had both Dave and I screaming. We peddled like madmen to try and match their speed, as they frolicked in the water on every side, crisscrossing in front of one another just inches beneath the surface.
After ten minutes of stimulus they suddenly stopped and our heartbeats returned to a normal rhythmic pattern.
At 3:33pm (a time of significance among our crew) I spotted a bottle floating off the portside of my vessel and I tacked to grab it. As I pulled what I thought to be trash onboard, I realized I had just found my first ‘message in a bottle’. In disbelief I opened it and read the letter inside, a group of children sending some good vibes. They had also included a five-cent piece that apparently was to bring me (the finder of the bottle) good luck in my future.
After a 20-minute bliss-fest, the rest of the day was quite full on; the wind died well short of our targeted goal, forcing us to peddle many kilometres as the sky faded black. We stepped on land, as the night settled in. I called the number on the note and was told by the kids’ dad they had only placed the bottle in that morning, after being inspired by a bottle they found in 1987. To keep the spirit alive I’m planning to add another note from the Transparentsea crew, replace the plastic for glass and set it off to sea when we are deep at sea.
We slept soundly under the stars at our camp that night …
Rock Stack Jungle
We trekked into an amazing cove and found a fun wave to hide away from a nasty southerly wind. After an all-day affair, we worked on sweeping the beach of trash and fueling up on some nuts, oranges and H20. As we were about to leave, the Yeti (Dave) started working on a rock stack, next thing you know the whole crew went nuts on rock stacking, wood hangings and sand diagrams. In its essence it was pure creative expression, a close link to age-old structures made by hands and one hell of a good way to create something that will dissolve with high tide.
Morning of The Earth
The headlands around Point Plomer are pure magic. The cliff faces are teaming with strong ancestral spirits of the land. As we passed a large profile of a man facing a nearby beach break, we spotted a couple waving a board in the air. After a sketchy beach landing, we were frothing on the fun offshore peaks scattered down the coast.
Turns out the few people on the headland were Alby Falzon and his partner Robin. Their entrance across the sand was greeted with a golden glow, smiles and some damn fine driven board art.
Alby Falzon
The rest of the day was spent sharing waves, stories and keeping a close eye on building north wind to set in. Spending time with Alby and crew in such a casual setting was surreal; his mellow, humble and passionate approach for his work gave us all inspiration for living a meaningful life. I learnt amazing info regarding his passion for Kangaroo rescue as well as knowledge regarding the local fauna of the area. The small gathering of positive forces gave us all the energy to push through a massive afternoon of 25 plus north winds and deep-water wave riding.
All the best, Chris 11
The view from the balcony at Bluey’s, just after dark.
credit: www.nzgreen.tv
Blueys Beach is a well-known hotspot among most East Coast Aussie surfers, and few surfers can claim the heritage of Matt Hoy. The former world number five and Bells Beach pro champion welcomed the Transparentsea team ashore in front of the beach shack that his family have used as a coastal getaway for generations.
And after a long day that saw a large shark trail JJ in the guest kayak, dozens of whale encounters, fluctuating winds and an intense electrical storm – it was a great feeling to hit the sand less than an hour before dark.
It is a surf trip too, which Rasta was all too keen to remind us. And there was no way he was going to stop shot of Bluey’s when the weather was forecast to hit hard again from the south.
So looks like we could be here for a couple of days, hopefully getting barrelled before moving on.
To date, we estimate we’ve travelled 535km by sea.
Matt Hoy (left) and his cousin Joe, both proud Novacastrians, help Hilton (rear) get his craft up the sand after 7 & 1/2 hours at sea.
credit: www.nzgreen.tv
Ocean Activists Get Close To Nature
A return to Old Bar sparks some memories for S4C’s artist/activist, Howie Cooke, who occupied the guest kayak on Day 22 …
The guest boat is now adorned with howie’s humpback art …
“As the wind dropped off and we peddled our way into Old Bar and a glowing-orange sunset I recalled my last stopover in this area in 1995. A Brydes (pron. ‘brooders’) whale had slipped in over the bar and become trapped in the Manning River. Intrigued, I drove my van from Bondi and met some locals at Croki who gave me a punt with a small outboard. I spent about 10 days on the river, on most occasions meeting ‘Willy’ (as he or she had been christened).
It was extraordinary to see a large oceanic rorqual swimming slowly upstream past mangroves, bush and herons. To hear a big whale breathing under a canopy of trees was quite a wondrous thing. It was frustrating that the resident bottlenose dolphins didn’t seem to be offering to guide the whale back out to sea on the king tide.
National Parks & Wildlife Services (NPWS) took up vigil on a Sea World boat that they had moored in the river. The whale gained folklore status in the area, and merchandise and memorabilia flourished in celebration of his presence.
According to some old timers, some other Brydes whales had entered the river some decades before and like Willy had made it all the way up to the Taree Bridge. They also claimed that some other local people shot one or two of these whales and their skeletons are still embedded somewhere in the riverbank today.
Some of the tactics initiated by the NPWS, including banging metal pipes in the water to drive the whale down the river, and an attempt to net him, were disastrous and did little more than terrify and wound it. Ultimately, however, on the whale’s 100th day captive of the river, Willy, now getting skinny and weaker, surrendered to human help and was successfully loaded onto an inflatable pontoon and towed out over the bar to the sea.
Almost immediately, another whale that had probably been waiting offshore the entire time, joined Willy and they were photographed from a helicopter swimming together as they moved off to deep-water freedom.
So here we are, back again in the company of a great whale migration maintaining our call for total whale freedom …”
HC
Howie Cook – passionate activist and artist, always with an eye on the sea and the creatures that live within.
“It has been such a buzz getting out of SE Asia, back to the S4C crew and the Transparentsea mission,” says Howie.
“Arriving at a campsite tucked away behind the dunes I was immediately struck by Australia’s raw connection with nature and wildlife, something that is fast dwindling in other parts of the world. It’s really too hard to put into words the stoke of being back amongst Dave and his happy gang of surfing sailors, playing music and laughing around a campfire, who have gathered for a common cause of cleaner coasts, oceans full of life and its cetaceans swimming free.”
Baby Whale …
A playful calf, the size of a small bus, moves away from its behemoth mother and surfaced for a look ten meters from the bow of my boat. I was standing up at the time, hoping for a better view, and my heart began to beat loud and fast as I realized it was heading straight for me. I watched as the baby whale stretched out and glided silently and smoothly one meter below my boat, its form perfectly symmetrical, turning the water dark as it passed. It’s hard to find the words to describe how I felt at that moment …
And while the encounter was brief, I will never forget the connection and what seemed to me like a smile from this wonderful creature. It was an intentional and peaceful act and it makes me wonder how anyone could consider harming our beautiful and intelligent friends. To some people “Save the Whales” sounds like an outdated corny bumper sticker and little more. To them I say, “Get your self and meet our friends, it will change your life.
The Cast and Crew …
I would like to share some observations about the other personalities moving across the water with me. While were definitely are not the only sentient beings on this particular path, the other humans perched on these little red sailing craft are who I now rely on for safety and sanity and can count on as friends and for hilarious entertainment.
Hilton Dawe:
An amazing photographer, this guy is like the Energiser Bunny 24/7. Always exuding positive energy, he is a great guy to have on a trip like this especially one that requires constant moving and spontaneity.
After a few mishaps he is now an accomplished sailor. A few days ago I glanced over and he was doing about 15 knots in choppy water, eating an apple and photographing whales off in the distance like it was just another day at the office.
Ask Hilton what time it is, and he will reply, “ It’s All Time!”
Chris Del Moro:
Fourteen days in and we have all had a few close calls and shared the elation of arriving safely each time to shore. I have only met Chris once previously so sharing these kinds of intense experiences, you get to know people very quickly. Chris is the level head of this crazy bunch and good to have his voice of reason when we’re all throwing in our ideas about when and where to head next. On a good day we can travel over 100 kilometres, so this is when we get a chance to sail close and talk about life and whatever. Chris and I have now covered everything from Japanese culture, cooking, women, couture clothing, logo design, women, Italian culture, how to speak Australian, hair metal bands, song writing and women. I’m looking forward to more of this on the next 350 kms.
Gary McNeill:
While Gazza isn’t with us on the boats, he is an integral part of our adventure. It seems ground crew tasks can be very stressful, especially if we don’t have contact when the wind suddenly picks up to 30 knots and they cant find a safe place for us to get in. I just want to thank Gary for saving our arses more than once. Also shaping amazing boards (Formula Energy). It’s been great to try these awesome boards in uncrowded waves all along this beautiful coastline.
Dave Rastovich
I suppose people meet for a reason. So far, my reason for meeting Dave has been to share more than one once-in-a-lifetime experience. All of this has been mostly through music, some surfing and now sailing. When I think back, these are all such crazy uncommon happenings. Playing music gigs to 20,000 people, surfing remote islands off Southern Japan, and now a sailing adventure, which is unveiling so much magic with every new day. In what most people would consider an extreme ocean situation, Dave considers no big deal. This makes everyone in our sailing team calmer and in turn it’s a safer journey. Admiral Rastovich is doing what he does best and we’re all happy to share the ride.
Also I want to mention everyone who is directly helping us survive out there. The following people are total legends and were all stoked to get to shore each day and re energise and talk story …
JJ keeps us looking good (and despite ending up in the trees after a severe sand boarding miscalculation, ain’t looking too bad himself) on the net and all other media also shared our biggest day of 110 kms and sailed like a champ, surfing northerly moving waves with us all day.
Justin Krumb is S4C executive director and rad film maker, also did a big day with us on the water covering 80km’s and almost flipped the boat once in a 25knot southerly that hit us hard. I can see him now, lunging for the outrigger, trying to save a bad fall, close to a rocky headland.
Eden Scanlan also came out with us on a good day and passed with flying colours. He makes sure we are well informed when out to sea and is super dedicated to keeping us safe and an all around great guy.
Chris “Kiwi” Kirkham is the RV legend and finder of all lost things. Hard working guy who falls asleep at his computer while late night editing our video blogs. He also films EVERYTHING. He was out on a headland filming us when a lady in a car came by and asked what the trip was all about etc. After his explanation her reply was “That’s a shaggable cause”. He obviously has a way with words.
“Dwayngelo”
Dwayne and Angelo have been pointing their cameras at everything, even us when we’re sleeping. They’re always together, working their butts off. So now we just call them “Dwayngelo”. Marvel at the chopper footage over Cape Byron in the launch video? That’s Dwayne’s fine work. Dig the boat angle pics shot from George Greenough’s private vessel two k’s out to sea? Angelo’s your man there. More gold to come from both, we’re certain.
