• How do you think kayak racing is going in WA?
   
• Do you think it is going just fine or do we have areas or kayak disciplines we need to focus on?
• I have concerns that some of the kayaking disciplines are not growing and may fade out in the future. (I believe similar things are happening to many sports though.)
   
• I may be worrying too much about the decline of the kayak disciplines that have a history, but I think that if WA wants to compete with the world in ten years time we must be careful and not let the art of kayaking die out.
• If our paddling clubs that are situated on flat water can keep promoting kayaks we might have a chance of reversing the trend.
•  
• However ski paddling is growing in numbers.
• We still seem to have some good numbers in marathon and sprint, and are being boosted by skis and the invitation of outriggers and SUPs that now take part?
   
• It’s easier for a new paddler to buy a skis, as most people just want to get on the water and paddle and don’t feel the need to develop skills and balance that some of our competitive kayaks require. 
• Many of our races are on choppy water so in these races a ski can be a better, safer option.
• Many of our paddlers do live near the ocean or choppy waters so a ski can be the most useful. 
• In a real world it would be great for paddlers to have a kayak and a ski but many paddlers can't afford both. Although saying that there are many used kayaks out there at a reasonable price.
   
• Do you think I am overreacting and there is nothing to worry about?
• I’m keen to know your thoughts on kayak racing or even paddling in general. 
   
• Send me an email @ terry@canoeingdownundercom.au 

After reading my articles below it does seem that paddling in WA is going great guns. 

• The snippet on Canning River Canoe Club does appear to indicate that their club is going quite well.
• Ascot Kayak Club has over 600 members and is the biggest club in Australia, although many of those members are social members or members that train but have given up racing. 
• Champion Lakes Boating Club I was told isn't going so well. They don't have the coaches or members to help create a vibrant training group.
• I'm not sure how the other clubs are going as far as the competition goes.
• It does appear however that paddling is short of coaches.
   
• There are a several social paddling clubs around that are mostly made up of mature paddlers and many of these groups have high membership.

• Canning Canoe Club
• Ascot Kayak Club Open Day
• AKC Progressive Racing Group
• Paddle WA AGM
• The Canoe/Kayak World Marathon Championships
• Asian Pacific Sprint Cup
• My Diary - 5th October 1972
• Kingfishers are Back
• Coming Events

Have you registered for this Sundays 

LiveLighter Classic Paddle
9th October | Deep Water Point to Gilbert Fraser
Go here 

https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=287508

Canning Canoe Club

Ascot Kayak Club Open Day

Getting ready for the 4.5km race.

62 paddlers took part in 55 boats.

Time for a bit of fun.

Relay race with a difference.

AKC Progressive Racing Group
 We had 25 paddlers at the Tuesday night handicapped fun race.

The warmer weather is bringing paddlers back.

Ray Smith senior.

Kim & Steve.

Nigel, Alan and Ray.

Nikki doesn't mind sharing the river with a group of seniors being taught how to paddle at the Ascot Kayak Club.

Paddle WA AGM & Annual Awards

We are pleased to announce 2022 Paddle WA AGM will be held from 12 noon on Saturday 15th October at Ascot Kayak Club.

Paddle WA is excited to announce the finalists for the Paddle WA Annual Awards, taking place right after the AGM!

All members of the paddling community are invited to the AGM, please complete the RSVP form below so that we can cater for the right numbers.
 

WA at ICF Marathon World Championships
29th Sept - 2nd Oct | Ponte de Lima, POR

Jane Pankhurst looks happy to be at the World Championships.

The Australian Marathon Team
Clare Pankhurst team manager

Congratulations to our 10 WA paddlers who competed at the 2022 ICF Canoe Marathon World Championships last week in Portugal!

9th - Jaime Roberts - K1 Short
10th - Sue McDougall - K1 55+
13th - Josh Kippin - K1 Open
13th - Jaime Roberts/Jane Pankhurst - K2 Open
18th - Josh Kippin/Brendan Rice - K2 Open
18th - Noah Boldy/Morgan Boldy - K2 Junior
19th - Genevieve Stanley - K1 Junior
20th - Josh Kippin - K1 Short
24th - Luke Dooley - K1 U23
25th - Noah Boldy - K1 Junior

Re-watch all the action in the live streams

WAs Josh Kippin 13th place in the mens K1.

Photo Carolyn Cooper

WAs Luke Dooley 24th U23.

 It wasn’t my best race, especially with the remnants of a cold from a few days before but I certainly paddled my hardest. It is always such a fast race and it was amazing and at times scary to be a part of it.

Photo Carolyn Cooper

Australia's Hannah Scott and Rebecca Mann up with the leading pack.
Photo Carolyn Cooper

WAs Jaime Roberts and Jane Pankhurst giving it their all.

Photo Carolyn Cooper

Richard Greenwood & Daniela Torre

1st Masters Mix K2 50+

Photo Carolyn Cooper

Results Here

Canoe Marathon Porugal | (canoemarathonportugal.com)

2022 ICF CANOE MARATHON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS | ICF - Planet Canoe (canoeicf.com)

Paddle WA Canoe Sprint Series

Regatta #2

15th October 2022

Bayswater

RACE FORMAT
K1 LDR Bridge to Bridge (3.5km)
Sprint K4 550m
Sprint K2 (Mixed) 550m
LDR K4 6km 

Last years massed K4/3/2 long distance start. 

If you want to be a part of this . 
This regatta is all about participation. If you don’t have a crew please sign up and just list names under event in the google sheet - “crew required”. We will sort it.

Registrations are open for the Team boat Regatta 2 for Saturday 15th October with a 7:30am start at Bayswater Paddlesports Club. Early start to ensure we avoid some of the river traffic and can also attend the Paddle WA AGM - 12 noon at Ascot Kayak Club.

Draft schedule is listed in the Google sheet - please sign up for each event with your team boat crew and an indication of the K1 LDR (7:30am start) Team boat racing starting at 8:00am.

BBQ Sausage Sizzle and drink included in your entry fee!

K1 3.5km, K4 550m, K2 Mixed 550m + fast 5 finals, K4 LDR (6km massed start)

https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=292947&fbclid=IwAR05-8YjxBlPHrBTu-_EVkF1dIASM7dQtQ3StviwKx5Aqk_1kfOTgu4swqM

Asia Pacific Sprint Cup 2022 

Asia Pacific Sprint Cup. 
After 2 years of covid hiatus, our junior Aussie team were back along with NZ, Japan and other Asia countries, Thailand, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Phillipines. Very well hosted by the Japan Canoe Federation with the opening ceremony attended by the 15th Japan Prime Minister. Australian team victorious in the team competition for the third time, with strong contributions from 3 of our WA athletes, Olivia Berson, U18) Belle McBennett and Sarah Major (u16) The girls did us proud with contributing 5 gold, 5 silver, 1 bronze and a lot of smiles to the Aussie contingent.

Michelle Major

What a great opportunity for our young athletes to not only race in another country, race against the young paddlers of several countries but to enjoy the differences and customs of that country.

U16 k2. Gold (Belle and Sarah) and Silver (Zoe and Tarren)

Photo Christine Duff

U18 Gold (Kate and Alyssa) and Silver (Liv and Demi )

Photo Christine Duff

Back row. Ziah Peisker, Kynan Burke, Aidan Carberry, Keiran Smith 
Front row. Sarah Major, Tarren Elliott, Zoe Shirdon, Zalika Cederblad. 
U16 k4 mixed. silver and bronze

Featured in a paper.

Enjoying the different customs.

My Diary 5th October 1972
Hitch Hiking to Australia

In Yugoslavia

The traffic was noisy camped next to a highway, it was cold and at 3.30am thirst drove me to find my water bottle. The weather was terrible when we started hitching, cold, wet and windy and although the traffic was consistent no one wanted to stop until we had been waiting nearly 3 hours. Then a French truck stopped which was lucky because we were frozen. There was only one passenger seat so I sat on the engine bonnet and our bags were put on his bed at the back of us. I was getting lovely and warm whilst the weather outside was getting worse. Despite the heavy rain the driver was whipping passed other trucks.

On the other side of the road 3 trucks had collided, then a little later another crash. The weather was atrocious, the roads were dreadful and many of the drivers were pretty bad. When he changed gear the trucks gearbox grated, it was knackered, and the window wipers were going that fast it was like they were on some sort of race. Our driver passes another truck, then he meets one coming from the other direction and cuts it off. We just missed it. That was lucky.

He throws another cigarette out of the window and lights up another. The rain pours, the traffic slows as we pass a car in a ditch and a truck that had had an accident on the verge. 

The scenery starts to impress, but at times it was hard to look at the view due to the dangers on the road. We watch on as a truck coming from the other way started to pass another truck and headed straight for us. For a moment we held tight, thinking that we were going to collide, but it just missed us. Again and again trucks were in the dykes or sprawled across the road that resembled a battlefield.  
By midday our driver decided to stop and have a meal at a hotel which we were happy with and very relieved. We managed to buy some bread and milk at the hotel for lunch.

A little later our driver stops at a layby because he was sleepy, so we all took a 15 minute nap that turned into an hour, but we didn’t mind. The more alert our driver the safer we would be and after dodging death a few times we needed him to be alert.

We pass farmers herding cows and others sheep along the side of the road, then there was another crash, but Belgrade was getting closer. A plane takes off on our right, we see a city sign and all of a sudden we approach a motorway and new buildings and flats appear. The dark narrow old road that we were travelling on just met a wider new road and it was like arriving in a different country. We now travelled under and over roads, in and out of the busy traffic, past modern buildings but it wasn’t long before we approached a hold up where the road narrowed. 

The new road, the new buildings and flats were now behind us and once again we were travelling through the slums. The rain eased, a bus shot towards us from the left, and a hitch hiker which we saw a long way back was again standing in the rain. Then our death defying ride finally came to an end when the truck driver stopped at a truck park. We said our thanks and jumped out pretty relieved that we were still alive. We strolled across the wet stubby grass, and chose a spot close by on a large grassy common to put the tent up not too far away from the Danube River and bedded down.

When we took the tent down it was wet due to it raining all night. Although we didn’t like hitching in the rain we had to if we wanted to make progress. We moved to a layby and within minutes a car stopped to ask us the way to a place we didn’t want to go so sped off again. At 9.00am a car stopped, we threw our gear in the back and it flew off as if there was no tomorrow. Another crazy driver flew past us, as if we were all standing still. We went by more crashes then, oh watch out, a truck slows, the car behind shoots off to the left, the second car shoots to the right and we go on the inside of it and just miss crashing into it. Phew that was close.

A little further we watch cars in front of us that weren’t so lucky. One car hit a bus and the second one hit a car. The people inside got out of their cars with bleeding noses, a broken leg and other less serious injuries. Our driver went to see what was happening and then drove off. About 20kms from Nis he dropped us off at a service station.

We carried on hitch hiking........ and we lived to tell the tale.......

Kingfishers

Are Back

I heard a bird chattering on Monday and I knew I recognised it but I couldn't think what it was. When I turned and paddled closer to the chatter I saw a Kingfisher. Since then I have seen others at different locations so if you are paddling in the upper Swan reaches above Bayswater you are guaranteed to see one.

You have to look though or you just might hear their chatter.

This morning was a good morning for taking photos.

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The young are back.

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Introducing Canadian style Canoeing at
Ascot Kayak Club

Canadian style canoeing is different from kayaking in many aspects, and it is one of the most difficult sports to learn. In terms of competitions, sprint and marathon disciplines are recognized in this sport. The sprint is part of the Olympic Games, while the marathon discipline is represented in the World Games.

Gergely Nagy (Gary), who was a bronze medalist at the World Marathon Championships in 2019, is leading the program at Ascot Kayak Club.

While children have the advantage of picking up the necessary skills faster and easier, this course is open to anyone above the age of 11.
 

Josh Richards giving a C1 a go.

SATURDAY 5TH NOVEMBER 2022

AKC'S 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

More details to follow soon!

Sunday 13th November 2022

Different classes of craft battle it out for line honours in this 12.5km downwinder as they follow the WA coast for 12.5km from the Dawesville Cut to the Mandurah Ocean Club at Halls Head. 

This year, the Duel is part of the 2022 Shaw and Partners Australian Ocean Racing series. As such, the AORS categories and points system applies. 

NOTE: All outrigger registrations will open on the AOCRA platform (Date TBA on The Duel's Facebook page).

FEES
Earlybird (until midnight of Sunday October 16, 2022): $60
Normal: (Monday, October 17 - Friday, November 11, 2022): $75

ENTRY FEES · Early bird (until midnight of Sunday October 16, 2022): $60 · Normal: (Monday, October 17 - Friday, November 11, 2022): $75 Entry includes an icy pole at the finish for each paddler and a 2022 Mandurah Duel Cap.
 

https://www.facebook.com/mandurahduel

https://mandurahoceanclub.com.au/mandurah-duel/
 

Enter Here:

https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=290303&owner=1&fbclid=IwAR09a3DforgBmaqo1nWfDsKQ2BC32KQD_BK700ceGbNocnJ5pt-6_TkopVY

Island to Island

23rd October 2022

Ascot Kayak Club.