Sea crossing abandoned by canoeists

Press, 28 December 1988, Page 7

Sea crossing abandoned by canoeists

PA Nelson The New Zealand marathon sea canoeist, Paul Caffyn, has abandoned attempts to paddle across the Tasman Sea after a second aborted attempt last week.

He is blaming ‘‘petty bureaucrats with nothing better to do” for forcing him and his companion, Bob McKerrow, of Levin, to sneak out of Tasmania in their 6m kayak with a threat of a two-year prison term and a fine of $2OOO hanging over their heads.

Caffyn and McKerrow, who flew home on Christmas Day, had set out for New Zealand from Fortescue Bay, one of the easternmost points in Tasmania, planning to paddle to Milford Sound in about 12 days. However, McKerrow, who recently had surgery on a broken ankle, suffered severe leg cramps and they returned to shore after paddling for only two hours. Caffyn, speaking from his home just north of Greymouth, said he made a mistake in advising officials in New Zealand

of his attempt. Before leaving, he had told the Customs Department of their attempt so they could get immediate clearance when they arrived in Milford Sound.

The department official passed the information to head office in Wellington, which in turn advised Australian officials who made an attempt to block the trip. Caffyn said he and McKerrow spoke to Australian customs officials on the afternoon before their departure and were given customs clearance to leave. However, within half an hour of arriving back at a remote farmhouse where they were staying, the police arrived to serve them with a detention order.

This warned that if they sought to leave in the boat they would be liable for a two-year jail sentence and a fine of $2OOO. It was

similar to the court order served on Caffyn in February, 1987, when he and his former partner, Ron Allnat, of Gisborne, made a similarly aborted attempt. The incident made front-page headlines then, with the Hobart harbourmaster claiming Caffyn’s canoe was unseaworthy and that if there was to be any rescue attempt it would put other people’s lives at risk.

“With the police coming and with the Marine Board again attempting to stop us, we decided to go in secrecy,” Caffyn said.

“I have now abandoned all my plans to cross the Tasman and I am shipping the kayak back to New Zealand,” Caffyn said.

Instead, he said he would plan a new longdistance journey off Alaska.