Sorry for the late newsletter, I have just returned from 5 days down in the Denmark area.

Bird Book.

For those people who would like one of my bird books I will be at Ascot Kayak Club tomorrow Saturday 16th and Saturday 23rd from 9.00am to 11.00am and Tuesday from 6.00-7.00pm.

Price $35.00

I no longer have credit a card machine so its Only cash or bank transfer. 
(Having the exact amount of cash would help.)

 Otherwise give me a call or send me a message.

A pelican in Denmark

Paddlers of the Week

Erica McKnight

Erica was the WA 2022-3 Master Paddler of the year.

She is a member of Ascot Kayak Club (and bloody strong).

Alastair Fox

 Alastair beat me in the Canning River Race on Sunday. 

(I could be wrong, but I don't think he has ever beaten me in a race before.) 

Anyway I cried all week!!

Alastair is always at the marathon races and does the Avon Descent most years.

He is a member of Canning River Canoe Club.

Canning River Classic Race

I arrived at the finish line of the race to drop my car off and paddle the 6.2 kms to the start of the race. The river was exceptionally low, lower than I have ever seen it here before, so I could feel the race was going to be a tough one. 

Just to get to the water I had to tread through near knee deep mud for about 5 metres and I could feel shells or barnacles digging into my feet. Once I reached the water the only way to get into my kayak was to straddle it, sit my bum down and drape my legs over the sides and then paddle into deeper water and wash my legs of the mud. The mud was too putrid to take with me.

The shallowest part of the river was just after the pipeline, even following the navigational poles my rudder was still cutting through the mud. Our usual route was just a big mud bank. The river got a little better from there, but it was still shallow. 

The tide is the lowest I have seen it at Riverton Bridge & beyond.

The mud was nearly knee deep. And it didn't smell nice.

The convicts fence was well out of the water.

The convict fence timber posts were well out of the water, many of them you wouldn’t see at all on a normal tide but today was different. A mud bar after the Canning Sailing Club was a perfect resting spot for pelicans.

Even after Mount Henry Bridge and halfway across the river I hit a shallow area and found myself walking.

Mud islands were exposed just upstream of the Canning Sailing Club.

Garth Civil.

The winner.

Photo Rob Lindgren

At Deep Water Point, the race start, paddlers were gathering, although not as many as usual, maybe Race Week, the downwind events took its toll on people, I know the World Ocean Champs left me with a little stiffness. Because of the very low water the race was changed. Instead of going up to Kent Street Weir the race was now to do a circuit of the Convict Fence-line before the Canning Sailing Club.

The choppiest part of this race is the first kilometre or so heading towards Mt Henry Bridge so many paddlers will decide to paddle skis instead of kayaks because of this choppier section. Although it wasn’t super rough it was a bit undulating and slightest lack of concentration could have paddlers swimming. 

On my grid Warren Southwell took off like a madman with Chris Hollier on his wash and young Orlando not that far behind. I didn’t have the speed or the stability to keep up. Halfway to the bridge a crowd of paddlers drew ahead of me from the right with paddlers like Paul Waters, Erica McKnight and Alastair Fox. 

Once we got out of the bouncy water I started catching up a little. I past Alastair and Chris and I thought I might catch Erica as I was gaining, but it didn’t happen. As we rounded the boat and buoy at the bottom of the cove I felt a tap or two on the back of my kayak, so I knew someone was close. I wasn’t sure who it was, but I guessed it was either Chris or Alastair.

Ray Smith.
It was very low in places.

Photo Rob Lindgren

As we paddled out of the cove we passed a few div 4 paddlers. A group of paddlers ahead cut the corner through the shallows, I hit the mid road and Alastair went further out, most likely in deeper water and gained on me. When we came together he was in front. That wasn’t encouraging. 

Several of the div one and two paddlers started passing, but it was too hard and too washy to get a lift off them. Once we hit the Convict Fence line we followed the navigational posts, well most people did. Peter Pawlow slipped by, he is 70 but paddles like a 40 year old. By the time I did a circuit of the Convict Fence John Hilton who was in div 2 caught up. With a little effort I managed to get onto his rear wash and ride him for a while until reaching the point of the Canning Sailing Club. By now Alastair wasn’t far in front, so I had a bit of joy in my heart, but I lost John and then Alastair jumped on his wash and got away from me again. My heart sank again.

It was here that I had to come to the realisation that Alastair will going to beat me and the fact that Erica was a long way ahead, it was time for a bit of sulking. Several other faster paddlers passed me on the shallow section before the pipeline, some seemed to be skimming across the water like hovercrafts and made me feel a little inadequate.

To make matters worse I heard female voices just before the pipeline, but I couldn’t think who they could be. Whoever they were, they were catching me and that wasn’t good. I was thinking, what can I do to keep them at bay, probably paddle harder which I did! 

It was only a few hundred metres to the finish line and suddenly the nose of a blue and white kayak came up beside me. I still didn’t know who it was, but I was determined to show some grit and not let then pass. I put the power on and I managed to cross the line before Lily Farrel. I had a bit of a win, but she and Bronwyn who was just behind her started two minutes behind me. Not a win at all. Oh dear more training for me.

Erica McKnight

Photo Rob Lindgren

Alistair Fox

Photo Rob Lindgren

John Hilton

Photo Rob Lindgren

Please wait for me!!
Photo Rob Lindgren

Results Here:

2023 Cannning River Race | Race results | Webscorer

Birds Along The Way

Brown Goshawk or is it a Collared Sparrowhawk?

Dusky Moorhen & Grey Teal Duck

Australasian Grebe

White Ibis

*****

Little Black Cormorant

Fishmarket Reserve Erosion Survey

Guildford

Fishmarket Reserve Erosion Survey

 There is a push to get the City of Swan to do something about the bank erosion and tree loss at Fishmarket Reserve. 

Now they have put out a survey, it's obviously very rushed and over simplified. Nevertheless, it's a start, they are planning some revegetation works. 

Please have a look at the survey, stressing that we need erosion control as well as revegetation?

https://swanengage.swan.wa.gov.au/fishmarket-reserve/userinfo/publiccomment

Eroded banks at Fishmarket Reserve Guildford.