The following has been brought to my attention. It is part of a CV of a bloke called Earle de Blonville. Parts of it are laughable.

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TASMANIA MEDIA REPORT

First Tasmania Circumnavigation 1978-79

 

Australia’s first modern sea kayak expedition: “The journey they said couldn’t be done”

 Members: Earle de Blonville & John Brewster

First kayak expedition to circumnavigate Tasmania’s 1,600 km coastline

Route: The 1798-99 route of Bass and Flinders in the ‘Norfolk’

Start and finish Georgetown: anticlockwise via the west coast and Hobart.

 Media covers the Tasmania expedition itself, plus the pre-Tasmania training voyages in

Scotland and the Hebrides, plus resulting articles.

 MEDIA SUMMARY

 Articles published: 3

Newspaper stories: 50 (all states) Radio interviews: 22 (all states) Television interviews: 7 (4 states)

Publication: Expedition report (1,000 sales internationally)

 
Other
outcomes:

Founded:
Victorian Sea Kayak Club (VSKC)
VOYAGE
sea kayaking magazine

 

Development:  Sea Kayak proficiency programs for Victorian Board of Canoe Education (VBCE)

 CONTROVERSY
 Tasmanian police search & rescue claimed ‘local experts’ had advised that the voyage was ‘suicidal’ and that they (Police) asked for us to cancel our plans.

The ‘local experts’ was in fact only one sea kayaker, Laurie Ford, who when called by Search & Rescue Police Sergeant Maurice Massey for advice branded our trip as suicidal, without revealing he was a rival planning to attempt the first rounding of South West Cape. He feared we’d beat him to it. The Police issued no warnings to us and when we met them in Hobart, were most helpful and apologetic. Laurie Ford abandoned his team halfway through. One of his team’s boats was wrecked at South West Cape. Laurie Ford’s own boat was wrecked near South East Cape. In contrast, we suffered no damage or mishaps at all.

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In 1978 I had only just got into sea kayaking and was certainly not an expert that the police would have talked to - and certainly Inspector Massey never did about this matter.
I was not planning to be the first to round SW Cape (although it turned out I was - in gale conditions). Our trip was planned by Dick Holmes and Bruce Davies (both much more experienced than I was) and I was invited to take part in it. At this stage in my career there is no way I would have planned this trip myself.
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Part of the plan was that I would leave the others at some stage as I did not have the time off work that they did. I did not abandon anyone.

My boat wasn't wrecked, it suffered some fractures - and as the weather was too bad to continue I walked out before anyone started a search for me. I walked back in a week later and paddled it out.

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A condensed version of our trip report is here: 

http://www.laurie-ford-kayak.net/westcoas.htm

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As for any circumnavigation of Tasmania back in those days it was done by Earle Bloomfield and John Brewster. (de Blonville never gets a mention)

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And it would appear that the police didn't say it was suicidal - the SES did (if the newspaper article is correct)

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Unfortunately Earle Bloomfirld seems to be the subject of inaccurate newpaper articles.

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Of course everybody knew that was bullshit and I received notes like this.

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It's hard to imagine why anyone would try to belittle me in their CV - very hard to imagine. But I just thought I ought to set the record straight.

I have never had to embellish any of my trips - they stand on their own two feet, including 5 unsupported trips across Bass Strait in a kayak.

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Laurie Ford.

ACF Senior Sea Intructor.

Incidentally when I see this next clipping I do wonder how much training and preparation they did.

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