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AVON DESCENT
2013
DAY TWO..
Alaine my support crew, picked me up about 5.25am for the
drive back to the start of Day 2. I allowed her to drive so
I could rest but it was stressful being in the passenger's
seat when you are used to driving yourself, but we did arrive
safely. Unfortunately this morning Alaine had forgotten to
put in my rice pudding. At every Avon for 23 times I have
eaten rice pudding just before the start of the race and this
morning for the first time I didn't have any. I could feel
things weren't going to go well today. It was too early to
sack Alaine so I said little and ate a less digestible energy
bar instead.
With the race starting at 7.00am we
didn't have too much time before I was on the water. There
was fog but at least this morning we won't get delayed like
yesterday as paddlers don't need to see too far ahead. I dressed,
taped my hands, put gloves on and walked to my kayak taking
with me an extra airbag to fill a little more space in my
kayak. I already had 3 airbags in the kayak as it was better
to be safe than sorry. Having not paddled rapids in my DR
kayak since doing the descent in 2009 I was unsure what the
day was going to bring. Had I lost any of my skill level ???
Simon, Josh and Hank McGregor were
the first grid away and just leaving as we walked down to
my boat. It was cool but not too cool, the day's temperature
was going to be around 22 degrees which is pretty warm for
this time of year. Most paddlers were only wearing thermals
or sharkskins but like always, I opted to wear a thermal and
my kayaking cag as I don't really like getting cold. I have
worn Australian Wilderness thermals on just about every big
trip I have done and most Avon Descents and I have never experienced
any chaffing so I go with what works for me.
Several volunteers counted us down
to the river making sure paddlers didn't go before their time
and block up the river. It was very orderly and for once I
found a spot where I could place my kayak in shallow water
and be able to put my spray deck on without feeling unstable.
Ski paddlers can leap onto their craft with ease, where as
kayak paddlers when entering their kayaks usually have to
shoe-horn themselves inside them and then wrestle with their
spraydeck. Once inside though it is much warmer and cosier.
With kayaks that you shoe- horn yourself into like mine, you
use your knees for stability and boat control which can't
be achieved paddling skis.
Grids of four paddlers were being sent
off. I was on a grid going off at 7.24am. The paddlers on
my grid floated to the line and it appeared that the other
three paddlers were't going to fight to get to the first gap
in the trees as they wanted me to lead them through. That
was fine with me.
Knowing the route had its advantages.
I did a tight turn only moments into the trees and the next
thing I heard was a ski behind crashing into a tree. I continued
my merry way passing someone on the previous grid and paddled
off to do the second and final section of T trees. With no
one in front, my run went well, but it was so much easier
to do this section of trees than it used to be as now the
route was more defined.
Posselts Ford was my first rapid and
although it is straight forward it can be a boat breaker in
low water as there are a couple of nasty rocks hidden at the
bottom. Luckily I missed them. Guy Knowland was on the side
of the river at the time with Alaine helping him screw and
tape his rudder back on.
I quickly sped towards Super Chute
praying that no-one was going to be in front as I paddled
down. Super Chute is a really tricky rapid with a narrow T-tree
entry channel and a difficult S-turn with an eddy that often
spun paddlers and a rapid at the bottom.Unfortunately there
was someone swimming but he was out of my way by the time
I did the final turn. Shouts from the bank spurred me on.
I was wearing gloves and like yesterday
they slipped on my paddle more than I wanted, but I didn't
want to take them off as I knew I would get blisters. It was
off putting at times though when I lost my grip.
I was soon through the Goolies Rapid on my way to Narrow Neck
with a few paddlers following. Narrow Neck is always a good
little drop and many paddlers who make this one get hooked
on the small rapid just after it. I slipped down Narrow Neck
and the rapid at Quarry Bend and through two smaller rapids
before being halted by a tiny rocky rapid before the Razorback
Rapid.
There were two paddlers in front and a few behind as I approached
Razorback. The two paddlers in front took the right route.
I was happy as it gave me the chance to take the left route
which I usually take. Razorback is usually a rocky rapid at
the best of times and with the water low I expected it to
be more technical today. I knew the rapid so I took it easy
as I threaded my way down. I was going great guns, but then
the water accelerated and I spotted a rooster tail (water
curling over a big rock).
I tried to bring my bow around but
it was too late as a rush of water accelerated me and I hit
the rock head on. Oh shit, the bow speared to the right of
the rock twisted the kayak and for a moment it was jammed
against the rock. In a split second the water built up on
the side of the kayak and although I tried my best to lean
downstream the strong current forced me upstream and I was
over. Instantly I was upside down with the kayak jammed against
the rocks and sitting stationary in the rapid.
I had hold of my paddle but it was
partially stuck under a ledge. As I looked up I could see
bubbles circulating near the surface and I was surprised to
see how clear the water was. It had been a long time since
I have capsized and here I was, under water looking from a
different point of view . Although I was hanging upside down
in my kayak which was wedged on a rock and had water bubbling
around me I quickly evaluated my situation. Several paddlers
were following and there was no doubt I was in their direct
path.
I have only capsized in the Avon Descent once before back
in 1979 or was it 1980 so although I knew it would happen
one day I didn't want it to happen today. With the paddle
jammed I knew I couldn't use it to roll but I didn't really
want to bail and lose my pride. Being suspended upside down
though, I suddenly didn't think my pride really mattered.
With my free hand I reached out and pulled the spraydeck release
tab, released my knees from under the cockpit coaming, rolled
out of cockpit and surfaced. I surfaced within a metre of
the shore and it was shallow enough to stand up and retrieve
the kayak and paddle.
I was surprised how refreshing the swim was, I should do this
more often I thought but then on second thoughts, maybe not.
I pushed the kayak between some big rocks and emptied it out.
There wasn't that much water in the kayak because it was full
of airbags and as the kayak was upside down, air had trapped
inside. Moments later 3 paddlers came down the rapid. One
was Chris Watson, one of our Saturday morning paddlers. It
was impossible to hide so I nodded as he paddled by. I thought
I could see a smirk on his face and imagined the thought going
through his mind, 'Fancy seeing Terry Bolland emptying his
kayak on the side of the river'.
Moments later I was back in my kayak heading downstream and
trying to avoid all the rocks which was near impossible. I
soon reached Scorpion's Tail the first drop of Emu Falls rapid
and although I did it messier than I would have liked, I got
down. Because of the low water I decided to portage the Shredder
and the Washing Machine rapids as I expected that many of
the paddlers would be stuck and creating a long queue, so
having a 12kg kayak it was easy to jog around.
Coran Longwood in a
bit of a pickle. Photo by John
Chris Clarke and Scott
Lacklinson in a tangle at Emus. Photo by John
As I ran through the bush I could hear
whistle signals, shouting and bumps and bangs. I knew then
that the Shredder and Washing Machine were making things hard
for paddlers and when I saw photos later there were lots of
capsizes and some big names on the list.
Peter Liddle and Josh
Bowman at the Shredder. Photo by John
Nick Turley.
Photo by John
It was easy to portage
but it was more difficult to get back into the kayak. I found
a spot between two big rocks but it was a little unstable.
As I was desperately putting my spraydeck on, a paddler who
was in front of me before I portaged, went by. I had lost
a little time but at least my kayak was intact.
John Fisher & son
tackling Emus. They came third in their class. Photo by John
Ooops..Amy and Chris. Photo by John
The team of Clancy-Lowe
were carefully lining up to descend the Ford Cruncher when
I arrived. It was rocky but so were most of the other rapids.
There were only small rapids on the way to Bonebreaker and
Raging Thunder rapids which were easy to tackle.
James Coad caught me up, I told him I was going to go left
of the big rock at Bonebreaker but be careful if you follow
me as it's tricky. I didn't know if he heard what I said but
he followed. I headed down the left side being careful not
to make a mistake. On higher water I would go to the right
of the big rock but on low water the left was my best route,
no rocks in my way. I paddled it beautifully but when I looked
back Jame's ski was wedged across the big rock and the shore.
He had mentioned earlier that he wasn't very good in the rapids.
I was beginning to realise he was right because he would catch
up on the flats and I would pass on the rapids.
I slid down Raging Thunder and made my way towards Moondyne
Rapid knowing that only the Accelerator Rapid was big enough
to cause me trouble. Before Accelerator, there was Crocodile
Carcass although only a small rapid it turned out being troublesome
to all the paddlers in front of me.
Just before Accelerator, Chris Clarke passed me. He and 2
other paddlers went down the rapid before me. Chris capsized
and his ski went floating downstream with him swimming after
it. The other paddler took a rocky left route that I had never
seen anyone use before but he soon capsized. I cleared the
middle part of the rapid and accelerated and passed the third
paddler and soon cleared the rapid leaving them all behind.
The tricky Moondyne rapid came quickly. Two paddlers were
ahead of me and apart from one of them capsizing it went better
than I had expected. Further downstream Easy Street was also
clear. So were Side Winder and The Wall rapids, (it was around
these rapids that Josh Kippin's paddle broke and he had to
paddle 2 kms paddling with one end until he reached the teams
changeover where a paddler had a paddle waiting for him).
He hadn't carried a split paddle to save weight but it just
proves that paddlers should carry one if they want to finish.
Josh was lucky because he was close to the teams changeover
and not in the middle of nowhere.
I passed the team changeover boats in the long pool before
Stronghills Farm. Just downstream at the Stronghills Farm
Thicket (Harts Farm) I took the right route through the trees
to avoid the rocks of the main rapid and it went well. I spotted
the Clancy-Lowe duo going round the right side of the island
at Spaghetti Junction. This was another set of trees that
once were difficult to negotiate but now are quite easy as
most of the trees have disappeared. It is just amazing the
changes in the river since I drew the maps back in 1991.
I had Hypothermia Turn, Crocodile Carcass
and Feral Cat Corner to paddle before reaching Deadly Mistake
a rapid more difficult to get right than Bells or Syds. If
I was going to get wrapped around a rock this was the placeit
would happen. This rapid creates many capsizes and when I
approached it there were two skis near the bottom capsized
and hooked up in the trees. The rapid has a line of big boulders
across it about two thirds of the way down and in this lower
water level I had to use boat control rather than speed. I
decided to take a left round-a-bout route instead of going
straight through the rocks, which I usually took in higher
water levels and although it was quite technical I managed
to steer around all the rocks leaving the two skis to have
a good chin-wag on the side of the river.
There was now a long pool where I always
have a bite to eat. I used to eat my rice pudding here which
I put in small sealed bags. I would eat a bit, drop it on
my spraydeck and eat a bit more a little further downstream
until it was all gone by the time I reached Tea Strainer.
This year I didn't have rice so I ate 32Gi chews and an energy
bar here instead.
The Tea Strainer Rapid is another small
rapid that used to be full of T-trees but nowadays it is quite
clear. I think our droughts or it could be the polluted water
that have killed a lot of the T-trees over the years.
At the Black Hole I skimmed down the
left side to avoid the hole. In bigger water it's a hole best
avoided because some paddlers who get in it don't come out
and are never to be seen again (ok, I'm only kidding). Usually
the paddlers who capsize at the Black Hole get swept down
the next rapid, Spinning Moon, but there was no-one doing
that today as there were few paddlers around and the current
wasn't strong enough.
Raging Thunder did a lot of damage
to people and boats last year so I was hoping as I approached
it that I was going to get it right. In this low water height
there are lots of big rocks that are not lined up for a nice
clear run. Two young lads were standing at the top directing
paddlers but I didn't take notice and went my own way. After
a few bumps I was down and quite relieved. It was a nasty
one. I heard later other paddlers did have trouble here.
At last I reached the Lookout Rapid
which gave little resistance as I slipped down between all
the boulders. At the 'Passage' I noticed the Clancy- Lowe
pair trying to get through a tight passage on the right. I
carried on following the usual route and slid through the
narrow gap of a long row of T-trees. Another ski or two were
behind me somewhere so I took off hoping to reach Championships
Rapid before anyone else as I just didn't want anyone blocking
my way! Again it was clear and it proved to be quite easy.
There seemed to be less spectators there than usual.
After paddling through the two drops on Redback Run I only
had three dreaded rapids to go. I was becoming more confident
the closer I got to the flat water. I didn't want to get too
cocky though as I hadn't passed through Syds Rapid and there
were talk of 2 or 3 trees being down. The first tree was situated
across the first drop of Double Scoop. The branches across
the drop luckily had no effect on my passage and the other
2 trees further along closer to the main drop could also be
avoided. I still had to be careful though as there were lots
of spectactor watching the drop.
Syds Drop was rocky but if you kept to the usual low water-route
it was fine. I cleared the drop even happier than I was before
it and as I took off the paddler behind me got loud applause
for tipping over at the bottom.
After passing through Walyunga National Park, I really only
had one rapid to worry about and that was Terminator as it
can be a very tricky rapid in the low water. I had a few smaller
rapids before it and when I arrived there was a paddler in
front of me taking the normal right route. He suddenly capsized
and got hooked up in the trees so I decided to take the left
route. It was a gamble as it too can be quite technical but
I got through with just a bit of scraping over a few ledges.
With only Bells Rapid left to go I was getting excited for
the flat water below Bells. Once I got to the flat water I
knew nothing could stop me from finishing.
As I approached Bells Drop I could see a paddler in front
take a narrow route to the right. It was a route you would
not take at this low level but he was trying it. I approached
the centre gap in a ledge before the drop and I heard a voice
on the microphone calling out my name and saying some pretty
good things about me. After being called a professional I
didn't want to stuff up the drop. I took care and it went
very well and I was happy but I still had Devils Slide to
negotiate and it can be tricky.
I paddled on to the shouts of on-lookers and approached Devil's
Slide. An eddy before it can easily spin your boat if you
didn't know it was there but I did and I slid down the drop
very professionally. I was actually quite proud of my two
descents but maybe it was just the lower water making it easy.
I left the crowd for a few minutes until I reached. Dogs Breakfast
where a few people were sat on rocks below it. I felt like
Jesus as surprisingly the many rocks in this rocky rapid seemingly
parted and allowed me safe passage. I could still hear Ewen
talking on the microphone saying good things about me as his
voice echoed through valley on the loud speakers.
With one more rapid to go at Bolland's Bend I just knew nothing
could stop me from getting home. A crowd of people at the
team's change-over cheered me on towards the rapid. In a flash
I was down, rounded the bend with more cheers from spectators
standing on the rocks and I was soon headed towards Upper
Swan Bridge.
It was only a few kilometres but it felt much longer than
it was. A tree down just before the Upper Swan Railway Bridge
slowed me down as I had to duck and weave to get underneath
it. A crowd was gathered a little further on the left bank
all cheering.
Although I was feeling quite good I had a hole in my stomach
where I needed to put some food to fill it. I didn't fancy
any more bars or chews so when I saw Alaine at the bridge
I asked for a banana to fill the gap. She didn't have a banana
in her pack, they were back in the car so I just whipped my
Epic paddle from the bank and sped off losing no time.
Not having a banana in her pack surely was a sacking offence.
Before then I was thinking about sending Alaine on a holiday
but now she has no chance. So let's see, she didn't have rice
for me this morning, she lost my camera somewhere in one of
the cars so she didn't take pictures and now she has no banana
ready for me. What is the world coming to. And to make matters
worse Alaine has been to about 15 of my support crew meetings
explaining the importance of having things ready.
There were still no paddlers within my sight so I was free
to do the last set of T-trees without anyone bothering me.
Everything was going well then a freshly fallen tree slowed
my progress. After a bit of scrambling I cut through my last
obstacle and I was on my way to the flat water.
I was still quite alone although I could see a paddler or
two up ahead. After several kilometres a lady paddler in a
PRS started to pass. She wasn't so young but she was going
at a good speed so I jumped on her wash. I felt better when
I knew she was in a team, nevertheless she was honking along.
I was stretched to my limit but I was determined to stay in
touch but then James Coad came up and passed and that was
the end of me as they both took off towards Middle Swan Bridge
without me.
I was back to talking to myself again and although the conversation
was pretty boring I had nothing else to keep me going. The
Middle Swan bridge came into view and I could see one paddler
trying to find his support crew and cursing because they couldn't
be seen. I kept paddling despite Alaine shouting out she had
a 'lovely banana'. There was no stopping for me now as I only
had 15kms to go, I should be able to manage that with my eyes
closed.
A few team paddlers started to pass me but they were too fast
to keep up with. I was now bored with talking to myself so
I took in my surrounds. It was quite pretty along this section,
some of the riverbanks had been planted with reeds and eroded
banks laced with boulders and plants. At Caversham House there
must have been a wedding taking place as the waterfall was
running. At times though paddling was hard depending on the
direction of the river the strong wind slowed my pace somewhat.
The quiet of the river was soon shattered when the first of
the power boats came racing past me leaving me in their wash
to roll up and down for a few moments. Soon after another
one raced by. I felt for all the novices who were still paddling
in the rapids or the lower T-trees. Many of them would be
scared stiff when a power boat came racing from behind in
the narrow channels and you have no way of knowing if they
are going to hit you or not. I'm sure they could have left
a little later to let most paddlers clear the rapids. (I did
hear a few stories later of close calls.)
Back in the 70s and early 80s it was normal for the power
boats to race amongst the paddlers but it was a nightmare.
Great for TV but not so good for paddlers. At least now they
are sent off first on the first day and held back on the second
day. They just need holding back a bit longer as over the
entire course the first power boat only took 2 hours 55mins
and that was over two days.
At Lilac Hill just as Alaine was shouting asking, if I needed
anything, a big power boat came by so did an Avon race boat.
I could hear the slap of the Avon boat as it sped across the
wash of the big river boat. When the wash settled I was by
myself again.
Nearing Fisherman's Bend Steve Cashion started to pass me.
He was a man on a mission and going like hell. I couldn't
believe he could have so much energy left but I realised he
was in a team so that made me feel better. I jumped on Steve's
wash not wanting to lose a good ride and Greg Miller had the
same idea. It was great being towed along but Steve was doing
such a fast pace I was struggling to keep up at times. Greg
tried taking a turn in front but that would only make Steve
paddle faster which became a problem for me.
Steve Cashion, Greg
Miller and poor old me trying to keep up. Photo Greg Miller
collection.
By the Ascot Kayak Club I was still on Steve's wash but soon
after Guy Knowlden came by and he was a little faster than
Steve so suddenly the speed of Steve and Greg increased leaving
me behind. I thought what a shame I now had to paddle alone
to the finish line.
Once I got to the Tonkin Highway bridge I could see the finish
line. I wasn't one of the leaders like I used to be but I
didn't care. I was there to enjoy the experience and still
do the best I could with my fitness level. I think there were
only Chris and Nick Turley who paddled with our training group
on a Saturday morning who beat me so that wasn't so bad. There's
still life in this old dog.
I crossed the finish line with a power
boat, had a short interview with the Neil the MC and enjoyed
a few hours around the finishing line.
Although some of the organisation was
not the best it was still a very good race, and a race that
I will do another year.
Avon Video
By Andrew Crothers
Day 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQXltMyjeJA&feature=youtu.be
Day 2: http://youtu.be/6eV-4hgup8M
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