I only realised about 4 days ago that it was Christmas next week so just in case I don’t see you before the day – Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I have had another pretty good year. I have been to an Australian Championship, A World Championship, a sea kayak paddle around some Croatian Islands, a visit to England to see relatives and friends and a bit of SUP paddling whilst I was there. Last month I paddled a SUP more than any other paddler recorded in the world and I’ve had Jenny and Leena to keep me grounded so things have been good.

Not everything has been perfect though. Losing Nikki was our biggest distress. Then my prostate cancer came back so I had hormone treatment and 33 sessions of radiation. Saying that though I haven’t really noticed any deterioration in my fitness, my mood or anything else that I was supposed to have been going through, so I have been very lucky. Oh yes there was one thing – The hot flushes and I’m still getting them.

Living near the river has kept my energies and my mind in very good shape. I can just walk out of the door and be on the river within minutes to enjoy the exercise, to enjoy the company of other paddlers, to enjoy the wildlife, to enjoy the freedom and the life on the river.

Saturday night before the Matagarup Classic Race I could have stayed at home, but instead I picked up my SUP and went for 10 km SUP paddle. I had already done a 8 km kayak paddle and a 6 km SUP paddle in the morning, but there is nothing like being on the river when the sun is getting low in the sky and the trees are glowing with the setting sun.

Most paddlers rest up before races, I do if it is a Championship, but otherwise I don’t bother, the river always beckons. I also need my body to get used to working every day as when I’m on a big expedition and I have to paddle every day for weeks I don’t get the chance to rest. Just take last month when I paddled 818kms on a SUP - I had limited rest.

I have been lucky as I had achieved my goals over the years without getting any injuries and I hope I will stay lucky for the next few years, so you younger paddlers don't get too complacent I'm still around.

Merry Christmas  

Santa arrives at Ascot Kayak Club.

My mum has just had her 98th birthday on the 16th December in England.

Adventurous Women

On a walk on Sunday I met up with this group of ladies, some who have bought boats from me or done some CDU training.

I noticed the bubbly was flowing.

They are a friendship group, having originally met via Adventurous Women over 15 years ago.  They head to the water for celebrations, catch ups, fitness and all manner of camping, hiking and paddling adventures. 

From left to right:  
Janette Philp, Leonie Milentis, Lyn Mawby, Gemma O'Farrell, Diana Nottle, Lesley Walker, Anna Crampton.

Junior Paddle (Guppy) Camp 9th-11th January

Paddle WA sprint committee is super excited to share the details for our Junior Paddle (Guppy) Camp. Ages ideally 9-12 all equipment provided. Please share widely with younger siblings, cousins, children and friends. We have some wonderful coaches lined up and we are initially capped at 16 only so register below. https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=372692

Matagarup Classic Race

Excellent conditions greeted us for the first Matagarup Classic Race. Although we used to race in the same area for many years from Claisebrook Cove it was eventually abandoned because of the difficult in parking, local council regulations and the closing of one side of Heirisson Island. Now the new start is at Banks Reserve which is a better location, although parking is scattered around the area.

Banks Reserve is the location of Perth Paddlers Kayak Club so Perth Paddlers were helping to organise the event. A trophy and prize money was donated by Dr Ben Hewitt who is a downwind paddler and a regular marathon paddler.

We were lucky that there were light winds because the water can get choppy. However some kayakers had changed over to skis just in case the conditions changed. 

Photo time.

It was a Le mans start. 
Div 1 paddlers getting ready to start.

They are off.

Off they go.

Young guns out first.

It was a Lemans start, which meant you had to stand behind your boat, pick it up and lift it to the water and then get in and go. On my grid I was one of the first to get away but my sprint to the turn buoy was half hearted and a few paddlers caught me up and passed. Ray Smith was not letting the grass grow under his feet, he was off like a rocket. Robin Jacob also cheekily sneaked passed me before the buoy. Just after the buoy turn there was a bit of clinking and clanking between paddlers. At one point I was being diverted by someone behind who had the nose of their boat on my tail. Luckily I wasn’t being forced in the wrong direction for long.

I was one of the first paddlers off the beach.

Photo Selena Lloyd. 

My grid give chase.

Photo Selena Lloyd. 

As we headed for the cove Steve Bolger, Simon O’Sullivan and Alastair Fox went by. I hung on to Alastair and once in the cove, as all the other paddlers who left before us were coming out, the water was churned up making it just that more exciting. Just before the cove turn buoy Peter Pawlow, who is usually well ahead of me came flying by, then just after the turn Warren Southwell pulled up beside me. Never mind I thought I was ahead of them all at one point.

I chased them out of the cove and every paddler went across the shallows close to the bank heading for the causeway bridge. Halfway along Daniel Van Der Nest confidently slid passed me.  At the bridge a bit of boat wash made for an interesting turn but I was able to gain a few metres, leave Alastair behind (who said later he was getting his heart rate down) and keep behind Daniel and Warren. For the next kilometre or two Warren caught Daniel and then caught Steve and Simon as we paddled around the shallow corner next to the race course. 

Paddlers heading under Matagarup Bridge.

Photo Selena Lloyd. 

Winner Joss Kippin.

Photo Selena Lloyd. 

Warren Southwell and Steve Bolger.

Photo Selena Lloyd. 

Once we could see the turn buoys ahead I decided to get on to Warren’s side wash, who was now beside Steve and Simon with Daniel on their tail. I don’t know where I got my strength from but I pushed ahead and to my surprise the others didn’t seem to come with me. (I suppose I will find out why later). Somehow I managed to get to the two turn buoys first and when I looked back after the second turn buoy I saw that I was well ahead. (I later learnt that there was a bit of a clash at the turn which slowed them down.) I just thought if I could keep my speed up I would beat them, but there was still a few kilometres to go and soon after Simon O’Sullivan cruised up beside me. Oh bugger I’m caught. But it wasn’t all bad, as it meant I could wash ride him, which I did and as long as he kept his speed up it would mean the others behind us would have more difficulty in catching us.

It was back into the cove which was a bit calmer than the first time. Simon had the inside line at the turn buoy but I managed to keep with him. We have raced each other many, many times before and when he’s not playing too much cricket, not paddling a kayak or not injured, he usually beats me which he was destined to do today.

With about 1.5 kms to go Simon caught up with Daisy Hewitt who started a minute ahead of us. I then pulled to the left side of him and when we were 300 metres from the last turn post I increased my pace to get there first. Daisy also increased her pace so it was a fight for the turn. We both turned at the same time and took off scraping slightly ahead of Simon. Daisy had a strong sprint so I kept on her wash and used her speed to get me to the line before Simon.

I’m not quite sure what happened but I somehow beat 4 paddlers that I wouldn’t usually beat. The stars must have been aligned. It was a great race.

Yukon River Descent 

We soon ferried our gear across the mud and sand in bare feet to establish a camp. About 10.00pm just as Ed bedded down, the noise of a boat’s engine echoed across the water. It was Trevor and Cherri. As I walked towards them they pulled up to our sand bar, taking care not to get stranded in the shallows.  “We saw your tents from across the river when we were injecting dogs over there” Trevor said. “It’s great to see you again”.

A chap called Kyle had joined Trevor and Cherri in Tanana. He was from the Public Health Service and was joining them on their trip down stream. All three jumped out onto the muddy sand flat with a few beers in their hands. Trevor tossed me a bottle, I caught it and incredibly, it was icy cold! It was just what I needed to finish off the day. I sipped at my first Alaskan beer as I led them across to our camp dodging pools of water that had gathered in the depressions in the sand.

Ed was in his tent and after they called him he was soon out to join us. We all sat and talked. I was thrilled that they had made the effort to call on us after their own long, tiring day. They were the only friends that we had on the river and the only people that we had seen more than once. It was fascinating to share their experiences. We sipped on our beers and by the time Ed had finished his, he was quite tipsy.

I told them we lost the o ring to our stove, Trevor said, “don’t worry, we may have the ‘O’ ring you need”. We walked back to their boat where Trevor searched and to our delight he found the one we needed. We hadn’t been able to use our stove in the last few days because of a 50¢ ‘O’ ring, now it would be back to normal. Brilliant – it now meant less open fires.

By the time they had left it was past 11.00pm and they still had their dinner to cook and find a camp for the night.  It was great to see them again and I felt a little lonely when they motored away. I retreated to my tent to write, trying to block out the howling and barking from the dogs across the river. Once asleep I didn’t hear a thing.

Sunday 11TH July.

By 9.00am we were leaving Mission Island heading off across the still waters to Tanana and eager to have a shower, although we knew the Washeteria didn’t open until 10.00am.  We parked next to Trevor’s powerboat, grabbed our gear and walked 600 metres to the Washeteria hoping that the attendant would have some change so we could wash. We needed 25¢ coins, $3.00 worth to wash our clothes and another $2.00 worth if we wanted to take a shower. Some of the machines that we used in the early stages of our trip took tokens but at this point in our journey most of them only took 25¢ coins. The U.S. is so advanced in some things but so backward in others; it’s a mystery why they haven’t converted machines to dollar coins to make things easier. Even the public phone boxes still take 25¢ coins so when you make a long distance call you need a bucket full of them.

Trevor, Kyle and Cherri were already in the Washeteria when we arrived. The attendant didn’t have any coins and the shop didn’t open until noon, but luckily for us Trevor and Cherri had enough change to share and allow us to freshen up, too.

I talked to Kyle, who worked with the Public Health, about the burning of rubbish.  All types of rubbish, plastic, cans, bottles, paper – you name it – it is put into forty-four gallon drums and when they’re full, they’re set alight. There’s an enormous amount of plastic in the drums and when this is burnt the fumes can be smelt a mile away. He acknowledged that it was a big problem in the Alaskan outback and the villagers needed educating but it wasn’t as easy to tackle as in warmer climates. He went on to explain about the ground being one mass of permafrost which made it impossible to dig big holes and dump the rubbish underground.

When the guys had finished washing they said goodbye again; they had to get on with work, as there were more dogs to vaccinate in town. By 1.00pm, when all our clothes were sparkling clean, we went straight down to the store to do some shopping. They had the biggest selection of food that we had seen in a village since leaving Dawson.

Tanana

We walked along the aisles discussing what foods we needed. There was dust lining many of the packets which seemed to indicate that they had been there for some time. There wasn’t any fresh food at all. It would have been nice to have some fresh carrots or an apple or two but there was nothing. At this time though, toilet rolls were of more importance than vegetables. A wilderness trip without toilet paper can be very uncomfortable, as there are no blades of grass on the sandbars that we camped on! We left with coffee, sugar, drinking chocolate, bread, a tin of spam and cheese for lunch and half a dozen toilet rolls. Interestingly, considering all the days that we had been on the river, I still didn’t have a craving for anything in particular.

Sitting back at the boat we loaded our sandwiches with spam and cheese and washed it down with a coke. I hadn’t eaten spam for years but it was amazing how tasty it was, probably due to having few other delicacies on hand. 

I took the opportunity to give Jenny a quick call on the public phone outside the store; we then bid farewell to the town of Tanana. We paddled away with little wind resistance and a faster current. We were overjoyed; we thought the joining of the Tanana and Yukon Rivers would increase the water volume but we hadn’t expected such an increase in speed. It was great!

There were a few islands a little downstream of the town creating several channels to choose from which reminded us of the Yukon Flats. We chose to take the centre route, which resulted in us having to dodge a number of sandbars. A few kilometres from Tozitna Island, we could see the powerboat of Trevor, Kyle and Cherri on the other side of the river zipping across the water on their way to Ruby. They were too far away and travelling too fast to see us, and I felt a little sad as they soon faded in the distance. I hoped we would see them on their return back up the river.

We pushed on around a long corner and later caught a current that took us by another fish camp where drying fish strips were hanging under the cover of a wooden shade. We soon began noticing that fish camps / cabins were becoming scarcer. Pity really – I was enjoying looking on and trying to learn more about the local way of life.

Palisades sand cliffs

In Tanana Trevor told us about a set of very important sand cliffs called the Palisades, which were along our route. They contained many fossils of mammoth, bison and horse which had been frozen solid by the permafrost. The cliff was constantly receding and he said that we might see the skull of an important fossil as we passed. It sounded an important place to visit so when I noticed the cliffs marked on our map I knew we had to visit them.

Unfortunately to visit the Palisades, which were on a long sweeping bend, it meant that we had to paddle a little further than was necessary. There was a short cut to the right of Clay Island which Ed preferred to take. I just couldn’t bypass the Palisades, I would never live it down, so I steered us towards them. I accepted that this could cause friction between us but when you get a once in a lifetime chance to see something unique, you just have to take it. We moved over into the longer left channel, glancing ahead at the grey, sandy eroded cliffs. Avalanches of shedding dirt created dust clouds before us. The unstable cliffs were intersected by deep ‘V’ channels, with streams of water cascading down some of them. It seemed strange to see water falling from the top of the cliffs, and I assumed that it was melting permafrost. There was an ooze of steam and a particular odour, the smell you would expect around geysers.

Trees were ready to fall from the top of the eroded banks with some having recently taken a tumble. The cliffs swept around a long turn, and I strained my eyes trying to pinpoint a fossil or two amongst the sand as we followed them. I saw nothing, although I knew my chances of seeing such a specimen were extremely slim. Ed wasn’t showing much interest in the site and I suppose I was searching for something special to validate my decision to take the longer route. Despite seeing no creature’s head or mammoth bones, the cliffs were still a special place.

As we moved further around the long bend, dust storms created by the sand slipping silently from the cliff sides and into the water, continued. Steam, like the breath of a dragon, burst from watery points along the cliff tops. It was quite an eerie scene. At the rate the sand was eroding away, the cliffs would disappear in a few hundred years. Perhaps in a few years time Ed will appreciate the fact that we took time to look at the Palisades. We paddled on leaving them behind and entered a wide straight, trying to bleed a little more speed from the current.

Ed was ready to camp and he had his sights on the south-west end of Weir Island, but I suggested pushing on a little further to Liner Island which was directly in our path of travel. Liner Island was very flat and exposed and thankfully we had enough wind to keep the invading gnats away. We didn’t hit the island until 10.00pm. At midnight the journalist from the Australian Newspaper was due to interview me, but somehow I miscalculated the time difference and when I turned the phone on at midnight there was no response. It turned out that the journalist had tried ringing me at 11.00pm I took the opportunity to write in my diary and finally at 1.00am I went to bed.

To Meet a Tiger Snake

It's not the first Tiger snake that I have come across crossing the river but it's always a thrill. Last time I was in my kayak, this time I was on my SUP. Taking photos is a bit shaky at the best of times standing up on a narrow board. I was hoping I could keep my nerve and not wobble over into the water.

A tiger snake swims from one side of the river to the other.

It was about 500 metres downstream of Barker's Bridge, Guildford.

It's the second one I have seen in the area.

When it reached the steep bank it didn't seem to be able to slither up it.

It then swam along the bank until finding an easier spot to climb.

It first this pelican had its head right under the water and not moving. I thought it might be sick but eventually it rose up showing its very fat bill. A few minutes later it toddled off.

This pelican was just having a yawn.

Epic 16 Kayak

For Sale

$1200.00

Due to having over 50 kayaks I have decided I have to let one or two of them go as I'm getting short of space in my garage.

Epic 16 kayak. 19kgs

$1200.00

This is a demo kayak that I have had tucked away in my garage for a few years. It's been used very little and is in amazing condition.

A great river touring kayak.

Two hatches and large storage areas. Rudder operated by foot pedals on a nice wide foot support. Self adjusting foot pedals.

The Epic 16 offers a unique combination of stability, maneuverability, and speed that touring paddlers of all abilities appreciate.

Excellent condition.

Construction & Material  (Carbon)  (Fiberglass) (Kevlar)

• 19kgs