Crossfire (Adventure Kayaks)

Special Price: $650.00
List Price: $1 100.00
You Save: $450.00

A fairly fast training and exercise craft or long distance recreational sit on. Great as a weekender or day tripper – stable, fast with dynamic leaning turns. Moulded seat, carry handles, splash proof storage port, large storage area, adjustable foot pedal controlled rudder system, UV stabilised polyethylene construction for long life.

ONE ONLY NEW: Orange/Yellow Special $650.00
We also have a green demo going for $450.00

Length: 4.35 m
Beam: 0.60 m
Weight: 22 kg
Capacity: 110 kg
Australian Made

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Breaksea (Paddling Perfection)

Special Price: $3 500.00
List Price: $3 900.00
You Save: $400.00

The BreakSea kayak is a New Zealand-designed, European-styled kayak that's fast and lively.

The BreakSea is round-hulled with soft edges - this means lower primary stability, but great secondary stability - and it tracks nicely. It can be paddled with the rudder, and if you're keen, you can test your skills by leaving the rudder stuck onto the deck.

Construction: Kelar
Load capacity: 100 kg
Total storage: 195 litre

SPECIAL: Red/Orange Deck - White Hull $3500.00

Length: 5.2 m
Beam: 0.54 m
Weight: Kevlar: 21 kg
New Zealand Made

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Three Rivers to Tuktoyaktuk (Terry Bolland)

Three River to Tuktoyaktuk is an almost 4000km journey along the Athabasca, Slave and Mackenzie Rivers in Canada starting from the Rocky Mountains and finishing at the Arctic Ocean. The first part of the journey Tony Chounding and Terry Bolland paddled the Athabasca and Slave Rivers experiencing high mountains, swamps and flat-land, huge rapids, total wilderness, insects, local First Nation people, big lakes and a multitude of wildlife.

At Hay River on the Great Slave Lake they met up with Alaine Davin and Leonie Cockman who paddlded the second part of the journey across part of the Great Slave Lake and down the longest river in Canada, the Mackenzie.

There were now 2 canoes and 4 different personalities.

254 colour photographs, 260 pages and 4 maps. Printed in WA.

It's just not a great story but also a Canadian wilderness colour picture-book.

Price: $35.00

Retracing Bertram and Klausmann Epic Survival Story

On the 29th February 1932 Bertram and his mechanic Klausmann left Germany in a Junkers D 2151 seaplane heading for China. But on the leg to Australia things went very wrong!!!!

Picture taken before leaving Kupang

At midnight on 14th May 1932 Bertram and Klausmann took off across the Timor Sea from Kupang, lured by the romance of night flying in the tropics. Their intentions were to arrive with the dawn in Port Darwin. Instead, after a storm-tossed night, Bertram and Klausmann were forced to land their small seaplane in the first sheltered bay that they came across. Unbeknown to them, they had come down on the Kimberley coast. To the south of them lay nothing but harsh bush, and beyond that empty desert. The two men were at the beginning of what was to become a remarkable fifty-three-day struggle to survive in a hostile environment.

The men force landed in a small bay south of Cape Whisky. That first night stranded in a hostile environment they hung their hammocks to sleep and the following day they were visited by an Aboriginal. Unable to communicate and the fact the Aborigine brought with him swarms of flies, the two aviators with only 15 litres of fuel left in their tank decided to get away from there and head west towards, what they thought was the direction of Darwin. With little fuel left in their tank they were forced to land again in another bay. Their engines suddenly cut as the plane ran out of fuel and rolled up a small beach.

Being unable to find water at the place they landed they could only think that the Aboriginal they saw in the other bay must have water so they secured the plane and set out to walk back to the other bay where the Aboriginal was. Plagued by the heat, thirst, hunger their walk was a nightmare. To make things worst, after attempting to swim across an inlet they were chased by a crocodile and lost their clothes. Barefoot and naked they lay beneath a burning sun. They decided to give up their search to find the Aborigine and returned to the plane with no clothes and footwear. After 7 days of walking without water, ravished by mosquitoes and completely exhausted they arrive back at the seaplane.

Convinced they were on Melville Island they decided to take one of the seaplanes floats off and use it as a kayak. Now thirteen days into their ordeal they drain the radiator of water, climb into the float and start paddling. The ship Koolinda pass them by only 500 metres away but don't see them. Their morale dives. For four days and four nights they paddle but eventually they paddle ashore north of Cape Bernier.

The float was removed off the seaplane to use as a canoe

Making a sail to fix onto the float

Still thinking that they were on Melville Island they decided to walk overland to find civilisation, but they soon found out that they weren't on an island so they returned back to the float. After arriving back, the float had been damaged so to be able to paddle it again they had to cut a section off.

With the float being shorter it wasn't as seaworthy as before so they only got a few kilometres before they decided it was too dangerous to try paddling back to the seaplane, so they found shelter under an overhang at Cape Bernier and just stayed there until they were finally rescued.

The float after some of the section was cut off

By the time the men were rescued they had been lost for 40 days.

OUR JOURNEY RETRACING BERTRAM & KLAUSMANN

We had come to the Kimberley to retrace Bertrand and Klausmann epic journey but before getting to this point we had ran 220kms, paddled along the coast for 700kms, backpacked 240kms, mountain biked 450kms and now we were heading for King George Falls, an isolated spot in the north of the rugged Kimberley.

With our arduous run and paddle and a strenuous thirteen day walk we continued biking 450 kilometres over deteriorated tracks towards King George Falls with a detour of 50 kms to Kalumburu Mission to buy an ice cream.

The track leading into King George Falls was rarely used so for 200kms we bounced over boulders, dodged rocks and sank pedal deep in soft sand. Small trees that were growing in the middle of the track were fortresses for green ants. To disturb them was fatal, their nippers sank deep into our flesh. Sweet revenge was to brush them off further along the track - and give them a long walk home.

With Ewen nursing a buckled wheel we eventually arrived at King George Falls where we would start our overland walk retracing Bertram and Klausmann. At the falls the dry season denied us the beauty of the water tumbling majestically into the glistening saltwater estuary below but it was still such a spectacle. The massive 80 metre vertical sandstone cliffs extended 12 kilometres to the Timor Sea. In the distance there were a few wisps of smoke from a recent bushfire that hovered in the cloudless sky. To be high on the lip of the falls looking out was a stunning scene.

King George Falls

Our objective from the falls was to retrace the steps of one of the great survival epics of Australian history. Armed with a copy of Bertrams book, Flight Into Hell, we walked overland from King George Falls and found the cave at Cape Bernier where the aviators spent their final days before being rescued by an Aboriginal search party.

Duncan, me, Dennis, and Ewen at the overhang cave where Bertram and Klausmann were found dying. Duncan and Dennis were our support team although Dennis did join Ewen and I on the walks.

It was July 19th, 1988 and only a handful of people had been there before us. We continued our exploration along the coast trying to find their first float landing by reading the extracts from the book. About 2 ½ kilometres west of the cave our perseverance paid off when Ewen noticed a tint of aluminium smothered by sand under a bush. Incredibly it turned out to be part of the bulkhead from the damaged float, that Bertram and Klausmann used as a canoe in one of their attempts to paddle to civilization. We were ecstatic. The chances of finding something after 56 years seemed impossible. We found it in a place that matched the description in Bertram's book. We also found a waterhole over the adjacent ridge that saved them from dying of thirst.

We found a bulkhead from the sea plane's float after 56 years being covered by sand. Later, we took the bulkhead to the WA museum.

After retracing our footsteps back to King George Falls carrying the bulkhead to leave at the support vehicle, Ewen, Dennis and I took off heading 240kms across the vast Kimberley wilderness towards Forest River. But on the way we were going to retrace Bertram and Klausmann's walk along the coast to Emergency Bay.

When we got going, our own walk to find their landing spot in Emergency Bay soon turned into a nightmare. We were tormented by the heat, our heavy packs and the meagre freshwater supply along our route had been fouled by cattle dung and urine. We camped next to a polluted waterhole and filtered the urine tasting water through Dennis's hat and then boiled it. Despite boiling the water it still tasted like urine which Ewen wouldn't drink! We were hoping the water along our route would get better or we would be in real trouble. Our trip through the tick infested scrub and dry creek beds was turning into a hellish trip.

Living on half rations and little water we were getting quite desperate when the semi-arid area suddenly turned into a lush valley with bandannas palms, creepers and tall grasses bordering a sweet running stream. We had entered paradise. Now we could throw out our polluted water. We had entered a paradise where birds probed the flowers of the silky grevilleas, where everything was lush and rugged cliffs grew higher as we approached the coast.

Overlooking Emergency Bay where the aviators came down

In higher spirits we followed the tops of the cliffs to Emergency Bay. We descended the slippery shaley cliff face to thick impenetrable mangroves that barred our access to the salt water stream. As we stalked through the mangroves we were wary of crocodiles. Like suction pads our boots grew heavy crossing the repulsive mud that supported popping crustaceans and fleeing mud skippers. With packs catching branches and feet like lead, our chances of outrunning a croc, if one should come, were slim.

Whilst searching among the mangroves and rocky water course we tried to find the sweet running stream that we had crossed earlier but it had soaked underground and now there was no water to be seen. In the need of water we followed the watercourse upstream and after about 500 metres of dry rock we found a fairly large rock pool of water and rejoiced. If Bertram and Klausmann had followed this same dry stream bed they would have found water. Being from Europe they would have expected the water in the stream to drain into the ocean and never checked upstream.

We backtracked to find the small beach where the seaplane had been anchored. Here we found fragments of decaying metal and a landscape that duplicated the photograph in the book, Flight into Hell. It was just a fantastic feeling being in such a historic place that probably only a handful of people would have ever been.

From Emergency Bay we headed east and retraced the aviators first inland walk along the coast to Crocodile Creek 16 kms away. It was here that Bertram wrote in his book.... Crocodile! Two-three, swimming towards us. For a second I am paralyzed. Then... I shout to Klausmann. Our clothes and shoes sink out of sight. Immortal terror we begin to swim as fast as we can....

It was very interesting trying to piece together Bertram and Klausmanns footsteps. We'd found the cave, the life-saving waterhole and the bulkhead from the damaged float. We'd retraced their inland walk towards King George River, found Emergency Bay, their second landing spot and where they started their first walk and sea going journey in the seaplane's float.

Now we had followed their walk to Crocodile Creek. We ponder, we check the area and try to establish exactly the place where they would have swam the creek. Reading Bertram's book over and over again fascinated me. I could imagine them swimming and then panic as the croc gave chase.

In their book though they didn't mention the fresh water that flowed from the lush creek, one kilometre upstream of the ocean. Their quick and rash decisions had hurried them along and some how they failed to find the four water spots that we had found just in from the coast along their 16 kilometre trek.

Crossing one of the creeks along the coastline

Our last objective was to walk 6 kilometres further south of Cape Whisky and view their original landing spot. Before doing that we got our own surprise as we crossed a small creek and a croc leaped into the water giving us one hell of a fright.

After seeing the area around the original landing site and the beautiful gorge nearby, I could understand why the Aboriginals lived here. Perfect fishing, plenty of freshwater, numerous ledges, overhangs and rock platforms. It was very like paradise.

Taking into account that I had paddled along this coast in 1983, I had come close to having seen every bit of country that they had seen. Having retraced Bertram and Klausmanns entire route it was extremely rewarding but we still had to walk 180kms overland on half rations to Forest River, then cycle 210 kilometres to Wyndam, run 103 kilometres to Kununurra, cycle 1200kms to Derby and then run 222 kilometres to Broome so we were far from finished.

We walked along the Berkley River cliffs after leaving the coast and heading to Forest River

It turned out to be an amazing expedition and when I ran into Broome, after running, kayaking, backpacking and cycling for 3500kms, I decided that the following year I would paddle, cycle, run and walk 24,000kms around Australia and I did.

If you want to read Bertram's own story, his book is called, 'Flight into Hell', it's a good read.

G'day Terry,

Thanks for your 'Avon' newsletter - it is always good to hear your positive advice and encouragement for the 'everyday' paddler such as us. I was especially pleased to hear that this year will be one you will remember - which reinforces how bloody tough it was! For my first crack at the Avon I was really proud to have finished. Like many others I'm sure, my mind battled with the thought of secretly hoping to be cut off at some stage on the second day! After such a long day in the shallow water on Saturday, I was struggling pretty early on Sunday. When I stopped for a re-fuel at Walyunga and my wife told me I was going to make it easy, I was in two minds whether it would work out! After making it through Bells unscathed and with 5 mins to spare before cutoff, I was still struggling with the thought of the last 30k's. What made it worse was that I forgot what the cutoff at Middle Swan Bridge was, so I had no idea of what I needed to paddle in order to make it. Once I passed a few people on the banks about half way and they yelled out I still had over an hour, I knew I'd make it and there was no turning back now - I had to finish! After a final pit stop at Middle Swan and my mate Nin telling me 'this last section is the most fun!!' (yeah right!) - I took off for the finish line. To be honest, one of the main things going through my mind those last k's was Alaine and T2 telling me to 'get my arms up' and maintain the correct technique. Above all, this advice got me through and my arms thank you for it! To all the other Multi's out there who finished - I salute you! If I had a dollar for every Spirit ski that flew past me and then slid sideways on the rapid in front of me I would be able to afford a new Epic paddle!!

Whilst I didn't get down to too many training sessions this year, your support, advice and encouragement along the way was a fantastic help - so thanks! If I win the lotto soon I will be into the shop to pick out a V10 boat and paddle to match - just in time for summer!

Cheers

Ben Kelly

'About 6th' in the Heavy Finn Multisport Class - 2012 Avon Descent!! haha

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Hi Terry,

Great story on the race. My experience was similar except I got caught on the boat bending rock at Championships, leaving my kayak with a hole, so most of the remaining race I had to paddle with a good amount of water inside the boat - and taking time to empty it.

Anyway, my goal was always just to finish the race so now I can spend more time concentrating on beating you in flat water races, well short ones anyway!

Thanks to your team for getting me through this challenge - what a great feeling it was to finish.

Best regards, Rob Riggir

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Hi Terry,

I have just returned from Shark Bay having camped in the National Park and paddled in the Epic 18 from Bottle Bay to Monkey Mia yesterday.

Conditions were perfect with a light NE following wind.

Stats: 50 km;
12.7 max speed;
5.75 hours;
8.5 km/hr average moving speed with the kayak loaded.

The photo is a multiple exposure leaving Bottle Bay.

Regards, Antony Mee

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Another Paddler Going To Attempt a Paddle Around Australia

Another paddler Jason Beachcroft from the Blue Mountains plans to launch on a round oz sea kayak trip at the end of Jan 2013. He will begin in Sydney and head nth from there.

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Gold For Australia
Sam Lyons, Friday, 10 August 2012

The Australian men's kayak four end Europe's stranglehold

The crew of Tate and David Smith, Murray Stewart and Jacob Clear fired off the start to beat favourites Hungary and Germany amid a cacophony of noise from the grandstands.

The performance came twenty years after Australia won a the bronze medal at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games, our only previous medal in the Men’s K4 1000m.

“We had our best race, we knew we would be right up there and it was just awesome from the start,” said Tate Smith

“We just dug deep and brought it home. It was just perfect."

The silver medalists from the 2011 World Championships had the perfect race strategy; the crew jumped out in front of the field and continued to capitalize on their gains towards the finish line.

The Hungarian crew, having won gold at Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004, put in a spurt to chase down the Australians. Failing to reach them they settle for the silver medal.

The Slovakians, silver medallists at Beijing 2008, were always in contention for a medal during the entire race but a last effort from the Czech Republic denied them the third place on the podium.

This is the first team boat gold medal won by an Australian crew at an Olympic Games

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Jessica Fox Wins Silver

Women's K1 Slalom Final Lee Valley, London 2012 Olympic Games
Photograph:Sportscene

Tom Collings, Friday, 3 August 2012

18 year old Penrith Valley paddler Jessica Fox has followed on from the famous footsteps of her parents to claim Olympic silver in the women’s K1 final at Lee Valley on Thursday.

Competing at her maiden Olympic Games, the 2010 Youth Olympic champion set the British crowd alight when she produced a scintillating run down the technical 23 gate course, only to be between by a faultless performance by Frenchwomen Emilie Fer who finished 0.61 seconds ahead of the Sydney teenager, with Spanish paddler Maialen Chourraut taking home the bronze.

Fox described her medal as "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"My goal was to make the final so at the start I was like, just give it everything. I put down quite a good run but there were a couple of mistakes, but all in all it was a fast time. Then there was just the wait at the finish, I was so nervous,” said Fox.

"No matter what the result to perform like that at an Olympic final is something I was proud of."

The result saw Fox go one better than her mother Myriam, who won bronze in the same event at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, while father Richard, who competed for Great Britain was a five time World Champion, but narrowly missed out on winning an Olympic medal.

"My mum (Myriam) won bronze in Atlanta and now here I am 20 years later, winning silver, it's an amazing thing to share."

Asked about family tradition Fox cheekily added, "Someone said to my father the other day that at this rate he might be the only person in the family with no Olympic medal. My sister is still to come, so we'll have to see."

The silver medal capped off an outstanding season for the communications student to date who won back to back silver medals in Australia at the start of the year at the Australian Open and Oceania Championships before becoming a dual Junior and U23 World Champion recently in Wausau, USA.

"I'm only 18 and I've had such a great season so far and to cap it off with a silver medal at the Olympics is just a dream come true."

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Earlier in the day Western Australian duo Kynan Maley and Robin Jeffery finished 10th in the men’s C2 semi final, with an unlucky missed gate call going against the Australians.

Kynan Maley and Robin Jeffery. Photo: Sportscene

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Steve Bird & Jessie Phillips 6th

Sam Lyons, Monday, 13 August 2012

After 6 epic days of competition at Eton Dorney the Canoe Sprint came to an end with the first ever 200m medals.

The final day of competition saw Steve Bird and Jesse Phillips lining up in the final of the K2 200m.

West Australian kayak duo finished a creditable sixth in the final in a race dominated by favourites Russia.

The Australians could not add to the nation's return of one medal - to the victorious K4 1000 crew - after six days of canoe sprint competition at Eton Dorney.

Bird and Phillips, 14th at last year's world titles, achieved their primary Olympic goal on Friday by making the eight-boat final and were not expected to feature in the fight for medals.

Paddling in lane eight into a head-wind, the pair were no match for the top crews but did rush home from last with 50m left to beat Canada and Germany across the line.

In the days other races, crowd favourite Ed 'The Cleaver' McKeever won Gold in the Men's K1 200m, Lisa Carrington won Gold for New Zealand in the Women's K1 200m and Yuri Cheban from the Ukraine won the Men's C1 200m.

Steve Bird and Jesse Phillips- Photograph:Sportscene

Australian Olympic Results

Men's K4 1000m
Tate Smith, David Smith, Murray Stewart, Jacob Clear - 1st

Men's K2 1000m
Ken Wallace, David Smith - 4th

Men's K1 1000m
Murray Stewart -16th (8th in B Final)

Men's C1 1000m
Jake Donaghey - 12th (4th in B Final)

Men's C2 1000m
Alex Haas, Jake Donaghey - 11th (3rd in B Final)

Women's K4 500m
Jo Brigden-Jones, Naomi Flood, Rachel Lovell, Lyndsie Fogarty - (6th in Semi Final)

Women's K2 500m
Naomi Flood, Lyndsie Fogarty - 12th (4th in B Final)

Women's K1 500m
Alana Nicholls - 16th (8th in B Final)

Men's K2 200m
Jesse Phillips, Stephen Bird - 6th

Men's K1 200m
Murray Stewart - (6th in Heat)

Men's C1 200m
Sebastian Marczak - (6th in Semi Final)

Women's K1 200m
Alana Nicholls - 16th (8th in B Final)

Bells Rapid Racing

NOTE: IF WATER LEVEL IS BELOW 0.4m AT WALYUNGA THEN AN ALTERNATIVE RACE
WILL RUN. Alternative race will most likely be Great Northern Highway to Amiens 1 or 2
runs.

(Regularly visit www.wildwaterwa.canoe.org.au/ for updates)
The fourth of five (5) races for the 2012 Wild Water season is scheduled to begin on the 19th
August 2012 starting from the top of Bells Rapids and finishing at Bolland’s elbow – two runs
(Fasted run counts to championship points). The race encompasses mostly flowing water.
Due to a range of possible river conditions Helmets and PFD’s are compulsory. A car shuffle will
NOT be required.

The race is now open to all boats (Short and long plastics do not have to tie rudders up).

Race details are:
Date: Sunday 19/08/2012
Venue Start: Meet at Bells via Cathedral Ave, off GT Nth HWY
Venue Finish: Bells

Registration: 8:00am to 8:30am
Briefing: 8:45 am
Start: 9:00 am

Entry Fee: $10 for CWA members and $20 for non members, $5 juniors
Registration: On the day between 08:00hrs and 08:30hrs.

All queries to Spencer on 0407 732 227 or email spencer@minstruct.com.au

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2012 State Wild Water Championships

Blackwood River, Bridgetown

Saturday 25th August - Teams Race at 2.00 pm
Sunday 26th August - Classic Race at 10.00 am

The course includes 10 rapids over 7 km. It starts at the bridge in Bridgetown. There are no long car shuffles. There is
good parking at the get out point which is 600 meters downstream of the finish line - providing an enjoyable warm
down.

The Team Race is a seriously fun event. Three person teams that includes, a male paddler, a plastic craft and a
female paddler race together. Teams can be organised on the day.

The Classic Race on Sunday morning is a solo time trial race.

For those DR paddlers wishing to improve their racing lines or DR skills a few experienced DR paddlers have offered to do some coaching runs on Saturday morning. Meet under the bridge mid morning.

For participants who have not done the course before or have boats with rudders a few other volunteers will escort you down the course on Saturday before the team race. Meet under the bridge mid morning

Adults: $25.00 for both Teams and Classic races
Junior: $15.00 for both Teams and Classic races
Adults: $20.00 for either Teams or Classic race
Juniors: $10.00 for either Teams or Classic race
$10.00 for Trialist Insurance Cover for Non-Canoe WA
members + the fees above.

Registration
Saturday 25th August 12.30 - 1.30 pm for both races
Sunday 26th August 8.30 - 9.30 am

Collie Adventure Race 2012

Saturday 13th October 2012

The Collie Adventure is a multi-discipline event set in the jarrah forest of the Collie River Valley. The event is similar to the Blackwood Marathon Relay, except that all the legs are of an out and back format, based around a picturesque pool on the Collie River. The event includes canoe, mountain bike, swim, road bike and run stages.
The race can be done as a team or by individuals (Ironmen).
Entry cost is $130 for individuals and $150 for teams.

Categories are:
Open Teams
Female Teams
Veteran Teams (Veterans are 35 or over for women, 40 for men)
Female Veteran Teams
Super Veteran Teams (Average age of team must be 50 or over)
Juniors (Under 18)

Ironman
Ironwomen

Plastic Kookaburra 2 person Canoe: $600.00
Finn Kayak with Pod: $750.00
Adventure Kayak Crossfire 4.35 metres. Used 10 times only: $450.00
Dagger Hula sit-on-top 2.5m. $250.00
Mermaide Sea Kayak: Very stable. Kevlar. 5.2m long 62cm beam. $800.00

Double Cuttlefish Sit-on with storage areas and two fishing rod holders: Near new. $750.00 save $500.00. In fluro green/green colour.