This month so far I have paddled 950 kms so by the end of the month, in two days time I will have paddled over 1000 kms. 

I only have one month left of my SUP year-long challenge and then in January it’s back to paddling my K1, my canoe, my wildwater kayak, my skis and all the other boats I have.

So in the last 13 months I have paddled 9054.00 kms. However the SUP MY RACE Challenge is from January to the end of December (12 months) which means in the last 11 months I will have paddled 7609 kms, but I have one month left to increase those kms.

Paddling great distances on a SUP hasn't been easy, it's the wind that gives me the hardest time. The wind might be good for Downwind Ocean paddlers but take it from me - it has been a real pain paddling a SUP into strong winds and every day half of my distance is against the wind. As Jenny keeps reminding me - nobody is making me paddle - I don't have to do it.

One month to go and my SUP Challenge will end and it's back to paddling all my other boats (but it will still include my SUP with lesser kilometres).

Christmas Is Coming

Think About My Bird Book

What a great present

$35.00 for Paddle WA Members

0417977330

or see me at Ascot Kayak Club

or a race.

Progressive Racing Group

Tuesday evening 5.00pm

All welcome

Tony, Chris, Steve and Jeannette.

Sharon & Anne last week were fighting to win as individuals. 

This week they paired up and paddled together.

Shaw and Partners WA Race Week

Tom Norton paddles into shore for a win.

Photo Gordon Inns

I love this photo. 
Tom looking back to see who is in second place. And it was World Champ Cory Hill, followed by Nichoals Notten.

Photo Gordon Inns

After winning the Female Open ski in the Fenn West Coast Downwinder on Saturday, Kira Bester backed it up to win the Shaw & Partners Downwind International Ladies Doubles event on Sunday with team mate Melanie van Niekerk.

Kira Bester comes in first.

Saturday the big race from Rottnest.
 

More details and results of Race Week here.

 https://oceanpaddler.com/ocean-events/wa-race-week/

Celebrating 50 Years of Paddling

The Year 1985

Drysdale River Expedition 1985 cont

The Drysdale River is as remote as you can get.

Full kevlar Olymp 5 kayak with bulkheads and hatches.

Saturday 18^th

We left an excellent campsite at 8.30am and managed to paddle 5 ½kms our longest paddle so far before having to portage over 500 metres of large boulders and trees. As we picked our way through the vegetation we were halted by the sight of a green tree snake slithering along the branches. Supported by its powerful tail it moved from bush to bush, weaving its way higher into the leaves.

As John and I took interest in the snake, Tarquin took to the water and paddled off in the distance. When we caught up with him he too had been fraternising with nature! A croc had just attacked the bow of his kayak as he sat waiting for us under a tree. He said he couldn’t believe the size of it and how the croc closed its jaws around the bow of his kayak.

At first we didn’t believe Tarquin as we didn’t think a fresh water croc would attack a kayak, but after he showed us its teeth marks, which had penetrated the plastic it was a reminder to us that large fresh water crocs do become aggressive. Tarquin seemed quite shaken when we joined forces.

Within minutes we came up against another long set of dry rapids choked with big boulders that made us have to portage, paddle and then portage again. The little water that was in the river just fed between and underneath the boulders. On short portages we just dragged the kayaks, but when they were long we had no choice but to carry them on our shoulders over the uneven piles of boulders which wasn’t easy. Good team work was essential as a fall could mean dire consequences and because we carried them fully laden our shoulders were soon sore from the continual weight.  

A dead end channel. The water just sieved through the pandanus palms.

Another portage around the foliage. 

Yet another walk. And there were many.

Sometimes it was easier to drag our kayaks.

Other problems started to escalate. John’s plastic kayak had developed a small hole under the seat which was the result of hours of continual dragging over the boulders, so at our evening camp site we tried our hand at plastic welding, which didn’t really work!

The morning brought more portages over dry waterfalls and dry rapids, some up to 600 metres long. The river then narrowed to nothing through pandanas palm alleys and widened again. Paperbark trees and palms leaned precariously towards the north and lilies grew in clusters among the shallow water. Crocodiles and birds vacated small islands as we passed.  

The river didn't get any better. Imagine what it would have been like if there was a lot of water coming down.

We weaved in and around islands taking in the majestic views until finally the wide shallow river came to an end. Boulders over a metre high stood across our path. A scouting trip downstream brought disastrous news, the river ahead became one long section of boulders with intermittent small pools of water.

Our situation was grim. We had time constraints as Tarquin and John had to get back to university so we had now no chance of reaching the end in the time we had left. How do you paddle a river without water! We couldn’t strap our kayaks on our backs like rucksacks and walk out or could we?

With only five days and over 100 kilometres to paddle to our rendezvous point with our support team at Midnight Yard near Carson Station, we had an impossible task before us. We had only averaged 12 kilometres a day and now our maps indicated worse terrain ahead. With time against us and not wanting to concern our support team with being days late, we decided that the best thing to do was to admit defeat and walk out to Carson River Station which would roughly take us four days.

So with that decision made we camped beside the Drysdale River for our last time. I fished to have something tasty for dinner and within minutes I had hooked something really big and as I pulled it in I was surprised with my catch. A three foot crocodile had tangled itself in my line. John grabbed the croc at the back of the neck and tail, while I untangled the mess of line. It started to whine and bark like a dog so John started tickling it on its soft leathery body and it seemed to settle down. That evening we counted 13 pairs of red eyes surrounding our campsite.

A small fresh water crocodile.

We awoke to see an invasion of fresh crocodile tracks on our beach. Luckily we camped a little away from it so at least we didn’t get crocodiles in our beds. After a large breakfast of muesli we paddled down to the large, long section of dry rocky rapids to have one last check of the river ahead, to convince ourselves we were doing the right thing and take some film. It was a sad sight, I walked down the centre of the river not getting a drop of water on my feet. The large black rocks leaned downstream for hundreds of metres and it was these stone barriers that had encouraged us to cancel the first known kayak trip down the length of the Drysdale River.

With so much walking we were getting behind schedule.

We climbed a ridge to check the river ahead. It was nothing but rock.

To get a better view we climbed a ridge that overlooked the river rounding the next bend. From here we could see nothing but rock in the river and the scrub country that we would be dragging our boats across if we decided to walk out. The river or the walk route didn’t look too inviting. Further northwards the hills were a lot higher and the ground looked even rockier so walking across country to the escarpment from this point was going to be easier than going any further.

As I descended the ridge with sweat running down my face I reflected of the days gone by. It had been an incredible journey of nothing but hard work, more carrying than paddling and the taste of pleasure and of pain, but we take away the comradery, the wildlife and the experiences, so although we didn’t achieve our goal we had learnt a lot about ourselves. (That which does not kill us makes us stronger.) I returned to my kayak sipping water knowing this was goodbye to the river.

Birds Along The Way

Young Darters

A Darter with a good sized fish.

A Great Egret is known for its distinctive white plumage and yellow bill but during breeding season its bill turns mostly black and the facial skin becomes green. This change in colouration is a sign of the breeding season.

Around 30 pelicans are gathering and feeding around the west end of Kuljak Island.

AKC Pairs Enduro

Sunday, December 7th, 2025

Teams of Two

Find partner with similar speed & endurance, test your wash-riding skills.

A Pair: Two singles or two double craft.

Main race starts at Middle Swan Bridge and finishes at Ascot Kayak Club.

Check-in Middle Swan Bridge: (Car Shuffle Needed).

Opens:     07:00

Briefing:    08.00

Start: First paddlers away 08.30 [or sooner if ready]

Start Intervals: 1 minute.

Main Course:

 Distance 13km. Start Middle Swan Bridge, downstream right of Ron Courtney Island, left turn round spit post near boat ramp before Tonkin bridge, back up stream, Island on left, finish at Ascot jetty. Pairs go off together at 1 min intervals, from slowest to fastest. Work as teams, take turns to wash ride each other for best time.

SUPS Course: Distance 12 kms. From Start to Ascot Kayak Club only.

Guppy, Novice & Short Course:

Start at Ascot jetty, downstream right of Island, left turn round spit post off boat ramp before Tonkin bridge. Back up to right of Island. U10 finish at Ascot jetty. U12 & Novice/Short go round island down to boat ramp spit post again, back [right of island], finish at Ascot jetty.

Rules: All pairs remain within 20m of each other at all times. Race time is when second paddler crosses finish. No pair may wash ride another pair or any power craft.

Volunteers welcomed.

Registration closes: Friday 5 Dec 12:45pm
No regos on the day
Non-PA members welcome (small extra fee applies).
Find your partner, match your pace, and bring your best teamwork energy 

Register now

https://www.webscorer.com/register?pid=1&raceid=413162 

Matagarup Classic!

14th December 2025

Courses [See Map]:

Main Race [12Km]:

Le Mans start at Banks Reserve, up, in and out of Claisebrook Inlet [round Red buoy], up to Heirisson Bridge, back under Matagarup and Graham Farmer Freeway, round Belmont Race Course, turn at Green spit at end of water-ski area, come to right of all Red spits on way back to Banks Reserve, DO NOT GO THROUGH FINISH LINE, carry on to in and out of Claisebrook Inlet again, back under Graham Farmer, turn at Red spit just beyond finish line, finish between Red buoy and beach at Banks Reserve.

Short Course [6.7km]:

Le Mans start at Banks Reserve, up, in and out of Claisebrook Inlet [round Red buoy], up to Heirisson Bridge, back under Matagarup and Graham Farmer Freeway, turn at Red spit just beyond finish line, finish between Red buoy and beach at Banks Reserve.

Novice & Guppy Course [3.7km]:

Start at Banks Reserve, up, in and out of Claisebrook Inlet [round Red buoy], back under Graham Farmer, turn at Red spit just beyond finish line, finish between Red buoy and beach at Banks Reserve.

Register Matagrup Classic 14th Dec

https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=412455