• Who's Out There
• NSWs White Water Paddling
• Moore River Race
• Green River Gorge Race - USA
• A Pelican's Beak
• Coming Events

The weather was perfect when I got up last Sunday morning. There was no wind and it was cloudy, so I imagined it was going to be great weather conditions for my first SUP race. Yes today I was going over to the dark side. I was paddling a SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) in the Moore River Race. 
I bought a used SUP for $200.00 a few months ago with the idea of a new challenge and to warn off the chances of being put in an old people’s home and having to play non-physical activities like cards, dominoes and the alike. My vision for my future years is to keep challenging myself with the hope that when I really get old I will still have good balance, good skills, good fitness and an unwavering desire to be on the water.

So what’s the difference between paddling a kayak and a SUP? Most racing SUPs are 14 feet (4.2 metres) long and around 20 to 23 inches wide. A SUP is harder to push through the water than a race kayak (it doesn’t glide well,) it’s more like paddling a 4 metre wide kayak, which when paddling feels sluggish. 

Because I have always paddled canoes I didn’t find paddling with a single blade very different and I instantly got used to it. What I did find different was the strain on my back, from the different stance and paddling action, although my body is now getting used to my different muscle groups that are working. 

My balance on flat water is pretty good considering my age, so I’m comfortable on my 23 inch wide, by 14 feet long board. The narrower the race board the more difficult they are to balance, but they are generally faster. I don't like going slow so I’m now after a faster board. 

It's quite easy to paddle forward, but turning a SUP quickly and sharply needs much more skill. It can either be done with a cross bow draw (which is easier to keep balance,) but not as effective as walking back onto the rear end of the board. Walking back lifts the nose up and with a good sweep stroke or two it will turn very quickly as most of the board is out of the water. This manoeuvre however has its risks as it becomes much more unstable. It’s not easy to walk back on a board, keep balance and make the turn at the same time.

There are different boards for different conditions, like in kayaking, so you have to choose a board that is going to be suited for your skill level and the conditions. For now flat water is for me although when the power boats are around it can get a bit choppy.

I will never stop paddling a kayak, but it is uplifting and confidence building to try new things that challenge me. 

Who's Out There

The Ascot young folk having a great time on the slalom course. 
The course certainly gets some use.

Bonnie Barlow doing a bit of bird spotting.

Jessica Fox has her ticket to the Olympics.

The Dream Team. 

Jessica Fox with her mum and dad and Hall of Fame recipients, Myriam & Richard!

It Might Be Dry In WA 

but there is water in NSWs

Abagail Watson and friends on the Jacobs River, NSW.

Abagail Watson river tripping on a relaxing paddle down the Snowy River.

Moore River Race

& Mixed Doubles State Championships

The doubles take off.

Photo Rob Riggir.

Div 2 & 3 take off.

Photo Rob Riggir.

Division 4 take off.

Photo Rob Riggir.

It was still calm at Moore River when I arrived, but as the morning sped on, the windier it became. By the time the race started it was very windy. I only had two SUP competitors, Tashka and Derek but they were professionals, so I was in no delusion to where I would come.

We took off and surprisingly I kept up with Tashka, and Derek didn’t get away as fast as I thought, so things were going well. A kilometre later Derek was forging ahead and there was no way I was going to get close to him now unless something drastic happened. Amazingly though, I kept slightly ahead of Tashka for 3 kilometres, but was she playing with me and making me feel good. Then she finally passed me and I could feel my dream of beating someone on a SUP was over. It was also here that the first and faster paddlers started passing and within another kilometre the shallows were getting shallower and my skeg started cutting into the sand. I could see Tashka was having similar problems as well. 

 As I approached the turn buoy I felt two boats bearing down on me which made me fret a little as I didn’t want to get in their way, but I needed to turn the best I could so not to lose time. A paddler slipped by just before my turn and I could hear Ramon shout out, good cross bow draw, as I turned. I knew it wasn’t the best turn really, but I would take the compliment. 

Jordy, Chris, Tashka and Robin. Robin caught Jordy and Chris by the end.

Photo Rob Riggir.

Adam was happy to pass me.

Photo Rob Riggir.

The way home started okay, but I hit the shallows on the first bend, then I hit the high wind, then the shallows again, then really strong winds. It was becoming really difficult making headway. Paddlers like Jordy, Chris, Robin, Doug, Manny and Adam all passed me on one of the most windier sections of the river. It was seriously hard to paddle forward. If I stopped paddling I would have gone backwards straight away. Even changing sides slowed my progress and I could sense the board was not moving forward. The paddlers who passed though just slipped away from me so easily. I did question my sanity  – why wasn’t I paddling a kayak?

It wasn’t what you call fun, paddling against such a strong wind, but I was so pleased that my back was fine, no aches, so that was a positive. About a kilometre or so from the finish line, Veronica and Anita slipped by with big grins on their faces. They seemed so pleased to be passing me. Then Alan Moreby passed which meant that I was now the last paddler in the race. I have never been the last paddler before, but it didn’t feel too bad. In fact I crossed the line feeling quite fit and satisfied. I wasn’t as tired as I had imagined, so that was a win for me. 
Tashka was on shore taking a few photos. Derek was changed, had a burger, and talking to others like he hadn’t been in a race. So were most other paddlers, especially the double crews.

The wind was amazingly strong.

Photo Rob Riggir.

Me, Derek and Tashka.

Photo Tashka.

The fastest and 19 to 44 winners.

The old paddlers 45+.

28th Annual NRS Green River Race
November 4th, 2023

SALUDA, North Carolina USA

On the first Saturday in November whitewater kayakers from near and far gather in the town of Saluda, N.C. — about 30 miles south of Asheville — for one of the most intense sporting events in the nation, the Green Race. The race takes place in the Green Narrow Gorge in the Green River Game Lands.

The only way to watch the race is to hike down a two-mile steep ravine — a trek so strenuous and technical that it parallels the vertical waterfalls the extreme kayakers are about to embark in. It's an event where it seems you couldn't have one without the other.

Between the 170+ racers battling it out and 2,000 spectators hiking into the gorge-The Green River Narrows Race is the largest extreme kayak race in the world. This iconic kayak race has drawn spectators and racers from around the world, humbled Olympic medalists, and been featured on major networks such as CNN.  From innovating new boat designs to bringing together one of the largest kayaking communities-this is the super bowl of kayaking.

Photos Dave Camara  

We do not recommend participating in this event.  The Green River Narrows is full-on class V savage whitewater.  You’re on your own out there. The rapids get harder the more tired you get.  You must turn 15 in the calendar year you race or be older than 15. We reserve the right to deny race entry to anyone for any reason race organizers see fit. Skip the race and just come hang out.  If you decide you must participate 

A paddler tackles another big drop.

Adriene Levknecht won the women's heat of the Green Race and remembers being energized by the crowd's roar and thunderous applause as she navigated the hardest section of the race and made her final stretch to the finish line.

"It's like kayaking in a stadium. Everybody cheering, yelling. When somebody runs Gorilla, the biggest rapid out there, you can hear the echo from the people all the way down there," Levknecht says.

Levknecht learned to kayak on the Green. She has been coming here with her mom and dad for 17 years.

"When I was 18, I got to be a really good kayaker and this is where it was."

But this is the first time that her 72-year-old dad was not able to hike in to watch her race.

A Pelicans Beak

The beak of a pelican

Turning it inside-out.

Catching a feather or is it a bird?

Calling all other pelicans!! Or just yawning.

For Sale 

GT Aero TK1

Good conditions.

A few minor scratches on the top deck.

Price $2100.00

Paul 0400 744 746

ppjaa@bigpond.net.au.

Sprint Regatta #3 
Sat 18 November 2023
Afternoon race.

Assuming the Fremantle doctor makes its arrival on schedule, could be some quick racing!

https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=333861&fbclid=IwAR05W7o5yUxZAG86itTh_MAYrXHEnOQBzFd9VgVr_dZZRmfOmkT706nHtzE

Pairs Enduro

26th November 2023

Paddle in Pairs

Middle Swan to Ascot

The 2023 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships 
in Perth, WA

Don't miss out on this incredible opportunity. Register for the 2023 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships by visiting the official event website. Regardless of your skill level, this is your chance to be a part of something extraordinary.

From November 30th to December 3rd.