Enjoy the CDU Newsletter
Published: Fri, 02/06/15
Issue
453
6th February 2015
Message Bank
The Tuesday night Down river race around the buoys had no
winner this week. I went down the river at Bassendean to put
out the buoys but a thunderstorm and lightning strikes started
heading my way. So now what do I do? After having a lightning
strike crack so loudly near our house the night before and
then watch lightning strikes all around the suburbs I just
knew it was too dangerous to be on the river in such a storm.
I waited and Rob turned up first, then several other paddlers
arrived. We had a talk and lightning was cracking all around
us and although we wanted to be out there racing we all knew
in our hearts that it was too dangerous. I was trying to remember
the last time we cancelled a paddling event on the river and
I could only remember one, a down river race around the buoys
being cancelled because of lightning about 10 years ago.
We are so lucky in Perth that events rarely get cancelled
because of the weather. In other countries I imagine many
events get cancelled.
When we left, the skies were dark with flashes still criss
crossing the sky. The next day we heard that a man walking
his dog on the footpath 4kms away in Bayswater had been struck
by lightning and was killed.
Maya, Ann & Jane at 6am Friday morning
training
Bruce trying to keep in front of Bonnie and
Ballie.
This mornings race Bruce was equal 1st with
Bonnie and Ray Smith was equal 2nd with Ballie
The girls are on a roll. Results below
**************************************
Canning River
Race
22-Feb-15 Sunday Marathon # 4
....registration for
the Marathon 04 Canning River Race on 22.2.15
Long Course- Appox 14 km starting at Deep Water
Point,
Long Course requires a Car Shuffle, Parking can be an issue
at Riverton so please consider car-pooling.
Permission is being sought for Trailer loads of boats to
be allowed to park on the lawn.
Please note: The race will finish at Riverton Drive between
Shelly Bridge and Fern St. Bridge, NOT at Hester Park.
Further information email marathonwa@canoe.org.au or contact
Peter on 042 700 4035. For more information on Marathon racing
in West Australia please see the Marathon Book, which including
race records, future races and yearly prizes.
Enter here: https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=36339
***********************************
City Lights
Kayak Race
You can't miss the City Lights Race. It is
a beauty
1st March, Sunday of Long Weekend
Runs from Canning River to Ascot [30km] going past the city
just after dark. Food and entertainment at Ascot at end of
event, seriously good fun!
Requirement is at least two competitors
per team: Double kayaks, Two kayaks at a time or Any paddle-powered
multi-person craft welcome.
Line up a team-mate, make a plan to
stay in Perth for the weekend and look out for registration
details in mid Feb.
Any queries, call Race Director, Doug Hodson 0417 938 596
Training & Courses
Saturday
Morning Fitness Training
Race Start 7.30am on the dot!
PFD MUST be worn
*********************************
Flat Water Down
River Training 'Around the Buoys'
Are you wanting to increase your paddling skills. These sessions
will help enormously. Improvement is guaranteed
Friday mornings 6.00am at Claughton Reserve, Bayswater
Only 3 more DR morning
sessions left this season
then we go to advanced flat water skills paddling play/slalom
type kayaks
Next Tuesdays
evening race is at Point Reserve, Bassendean 5.45pm
Brett might not have
a Down River kayak or wavehopper but he can still get good
practise in his Multisport
Jason Gardiner putting his skills to practise
Featured Products
Ultra Gorge
Camo
Want a lightweight PFD
and want to stand out from the rest
Our most popular paddling
jacket now in Camo colour. Gorge is exceptional value with
Ripstop fabric, adjustable shoulders and sides, heavy duty
zip and 2 secure pockets.
Now with a hydration pack pouch added
for the 2013/14 season.
The contoured slab design provides good
stability in a compact model. Soft foam for better comfort
Australian standards. AS4758
Price: $125.00 Special
price $100.00
**********************************
Ultra Trek in
Camo
Great Avon Descent PFD
or fishing
The Trek is the most advanced paddling
vest on the market today. Whether you're into long distance
paddling or a leisurely cruise, the expanding cargo pocket
system with an EPIRB/GPS pocket will keep everything handy.
The rear hydration pocket is also an expanding zipperless
design and is insulated to help keep your refreshment cool.
The neoprene shoulder design is adjustable allowing the whole
unit to flex and move with you.
The Trek has a stable buoyancy design with over 6kg of upward
thrust
Heavy duty 38mm belts
•Reinforced & bartacked stress points
•Insulated Hydration pocket
•EPIRB/GPS pocket
•Expanding cargo pockets
•Mesh Drainage
•Side entry
•Lanyard attachment point
•Neoprene comfort zones
Australian Standards: AS4758
Price: $150.00 Special
price $125.00
**************************
Epic GPX
A superb 4 metre Lightweight
Kayak
The Epic GPX appeals to a broad range
of kayakers with its prefect blend of stability, light weight,
and optimal tracking. Available in three construction types
weighing in at 12, 15 and 17.5 kg, carrying a GPX to and from
the water is a joy.
The GPX is outfitted with two bulkheads,
front deck cutaways, a large rear storage hatch, heavy-duty
full deck lines and outfitting, and an adjustable backrest
designed to fit any paddler.
The GPX is the ideal choice for anyone
looking for a comfortable, responsive day-touring kayak that
is as easy to manage on land as it is in water.
With or without a rudder
Length: 3.94 m
Width: 63.5 cm
Depth: 28 cm
Capacity: 125 kg
Storage Capacity: 4.6 kg
Weights: 17.5kg, 14.5kg, 12.0kg
Stories
Sandy in Myanmar
(Burma)
Hi Terry
I got some good news on Friday as my Myanmar permit finally
came.
I am not able to get a permission for the whole Myanmar coast,
but I am paddling the best part, from Myeik down to the Thai
border through the Myeik Archipelago.
It is a chain of amazing islands inhabited only by a sea gypsy
community - the Moken people.
There is no phone signal
there so i will have to wait until arriving in Thailand before
making a report of the experience.
In order to satisfy the Myanmar Govt I have a boat escorting
this section of the expedition and a licenced guide on board.I
will pull up to the boat each evening and sleep onboard.
I look forward to reporting
into CDU news readers after Feb 19th with some interesting
Burmese tales.
:) happy paddling Sandy Robson
*******************************
What Another
Paddler Paddling Around Australia
Twenty years ago, Peter Thomson, of
Avoca Beach, thought he would some day like to kayak his way
around the Australian coast and this weekend he sets off to
make his dream come true.
The freelance photographer will undertake
a solo kayak adventure circumnavigating Australia (including
Tasmania) which he expects to take him 20-22 months.
“I have been kayaking now for around
14 years, after starting off with canoes first,” Mr Thomson
said.
“I will start off from Lavender
Bay in Sydney on Sunday, participating in the Bridge to Bridge
paddle at Mosman and if all goes to plan I’ll arrive
in Brisbane in time to take part in the final event of the
National Paddle Series, The Great Moreton Bay Paddle, before
continuing my journey around the country.
Peter in his Mirage 582
“It’s quite a huge undertaking
but I have a purpose-built kayak with plenty of storage areas
and am well prepared.”
Mr Thomson said he would be guided by
commonsense during his journey.
“A lot of it will be weather- related,”
he said.
“I don’t intend to take silly
risks. I intend to follow the coastline and I have a GPS and
full camping gear to stop off along the way for as long as
I need to.”
One of the biggest challenges will be
the 200km Bass Strait crossing, which Mr Thomson will undertake
at night.
“That will be around 35 hours of
straight paddling with nowhere to go but onwards,” he
said.
Mindful of dangers which could be posed
by crocodiles and sharks, Mr Thomson said his biggest concern
was the box jellyfish and stingers which populate the top
end.
While he will not be the first to circumnavigate
by kayak, Mr Thomson is hoping to discover some never- explored
areas and will catalogue his entire trip with a series of photographs
with the aim of publishing a pictorial account of his voyage.
Terry Collins
Central Coast Gosford Express Advocate
Race of the Week
Have You Thought
of a Rapid Sea Kayak Trip
Well Lets Go
to the Kimberley
Read the trip report
and more pictures: https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=404&action=edit
Pam, John, Don, Tel &
Gary
Tel & Gary heading
for Cascade Bay
The tidal rapids near
East Roe Island
The tidal rapids between
Margaret and Wall Island
The tidal Rapids at Tree Island looking
across the King Sound
Wednesday
It was another early 4.00am start. The
team was ready early as we were keen to get going. We paddled
from our beach at 5.20am and waited beyond the shallows watching
the water rip through the islands and across the King Sound
with enormous power and speed. It was like watching a grade
4 rapid.
Tidal rapids at Tree
Island looking across the King Sound
We had banked on leaving by 6.30am,
but the current was so fast and the water so turbulent that
it was impossible to leave our island making us prisoners
for a while. We sat in an eddy and as we were eager to leave
I paddled into the fast current to see if we could make headway.
It was too wild so I ferried back into the eddy and sat with
the others. I waited for a few more minutes and paddled back
into the current again but it was still too powerful. If we
tried to escape the island at this time we would probably
be washed into the islands and rocky reefs, so we waited longer.
On the third time out the current had eased enough and I was
happy that it was safe enough to leave. I had to be sure though,
because ahead we had 13 kilometres of swift currents, waves,
standing waves and overfalls to endure before we reached the
safety of East Roe Island.
Waiting for the tidal
current to slow a little
Going by our tide chart it was only
30 minutes from the change in tide, however the outward current
was still travelling at 10 – 15kms an hour, but we needed
to go or we wouldn’t make it to the other side of the
Sunday Straits before the inward tide turned and got too powerful.
Pam had been concerned about the crossing all night. Understandably
really as it was the day of the highest spring tides in the
year and the tides in the Kimberley are the second highest
in the world attaining more than ten metres in height and
current speeds not seen anywhere else in Australia. Crossing
the King Sound would be like ferry gliding across a swift
river, 13kms wide.
I led the team away from the island
ferry gliding against the current as not to lose any ground
as we had several small islands and reefs to avoid. A mistake
in those first few minutes by any of us could mean being pushed
into the rocks and suffer severe physical injury or even death.
We made little headway as our boats jumped about like corks
being tossed in a tumble dryer.
Gary, Tel, Don and myself took off one
after the other but Pam and John were delayed for some reason,
so we drifted apart. Being an experienced paddler John’s
job was to bring up the rear so he never took off before every
paddler was mobile. Downstream of us the water was pouring
over the rocky reefs. It was such a mess and although we were
well away from the reefs we were drifting towards them very
quickly. Gary, Tel, Don and myself cleared them, but Pam was
getting a lot closer than we would have liked. John was even
closer, but he was positioning himself in a place to help
Pam in case she got into trouble. We urged them on.
It was difficult to wait in such a swift
current, but after slowing down our ferry glide we eventually
managed to group together. When we all cleared the ‘Tree
Island’ reef area the water calmed, but it was still
swift with overfalls waiting. The calm didn’t last long
as we came to another disturbed area. Our boats were again
thrown around and our target was slipping away from us as
we were being swept out to sea. There were lines of overfalls
to our west which looked very threatening, but the current
was pushing us north of them.
The wind was getting stronger which
didn’t help us any. Pam was lagging a little and we seemed
to be getting closer to Gregory Island to our north rather
than to East Roe Island to our west. That meant that we were
really being pushed in the wrong direction. But if the tide
goes out it’s got to come back in, so we had nothing
to fear! I have crossed the King Sound five times before and
it always put up a great fight. It hadn’t disappointed
me today.
We were now about 4.5kms from East Roe
Island and sliding further away despite us paddling hard to
reach the island. Pam wasn’t quite as fit as the rest
of the group, so every time we slowed to wait we slid away
a little further. We struggled on getting nowhere and hoping
the current would ease. Then at last we started to make progress,
although it was at a snail’s pace, but when it seemed
that we were going to miss East Roe Island we changed our
target and headed towards West Roe Island.
We managed to claw our way back to within
a kilometre of the West Roe Island but then the swift incoming
tide started pushing us away from the West Roe Island and
back towards East Roe Island. In one way this was good, but
we had to be careful not to get pushed passed East Roe Island
and back into the King Sound, so we put on the pace and managed
to get close to shore and into an eddy at the north end of
East Roe. Pam had been the most challenged throughout the
last half of the paddle, so she was most relieved to be in
an eddy.
We moved to a beach in a small bay around
the corner. It had no shade from the burning sun, but it was
a great beach and we were able to cool off in shallow water.
I walked to the north point of the island, passing two eagle
nests, to look out across the Sunday Straits and King Sound
from where we had come. It was still full of overfalls and
waves.
The tidal current flows
back into King Sound near East Roe Island
Read the trip report: https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=404&action=edit
********************************
RIVER GUARDIANS
Hi Terry,
Below is a bit of information about the river guardians program.
I thought some of your clients and paddling crew might be
interested in becoming members. Keeps you up to date with
what is happening on the river.
River Guardians is a free membership program managed by the
Swan River Trust which connects people with the Swan Canning
Riverpark.
Membership gives you access to free events and the opportunity
to become involved in citizen science projects like Dolphin
Watch and Prawn Watch. You can be as involved as you like,
or just receive regular Riverpark updates and a free subscription
to the Trust's RiverView magazine. Members also benefit from
the 'Friends of River Guardians' partnership, local businesses
giving discounts to members - from meals at riverfront restaurants
to bike hire and river cruises.
You can visit the website www.riverguardians.com.
There are lots of ways to sign up, including filling out the
application form on the brochure, emailing guardians@swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au,
calling the Trust on 9278 0900 or applying online at http://www.riverguardians.com/get-active/become-a-member/online-membership-application.
RIVER GUARDIAN FREE EDUCATION
EVENT - 17 February 2015
The River Guardians Team is conducting
a free education training session on the Western School Prawn
restocking project that is being carried out in the Swan and
Canning Rivers. The project to date has been successful and
we are hoping to educate and encourage our River users to
fish for the future and join us as Citizen Scientists.
We would very much appreciate you promoting
our event to your members wherever you feel appropriate. Please
see attached event flyer.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Warm regards
The River Guardian Team
Swan River Trust
17 Dick Perry Avenue, Technology Park, Western Precinct, Kensington
WA 6151
92780900 | mailto:guardians@swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au
www.swanrivertrust.wa.gov.au | www.riverguardians.com
BECOME A RIVER GUARDIANS MEMBER TODAY
*************************
Race of the Week
Start Training
For This One
City Lights
Kayak Race
1st March, Sunday of Long Weekend
Runs from Canning River to Ascot [30km] going past the city
just after dark. Food and entertainment at Ascot at end of
event, seriously good fun!
Requirement is at least two competitors
per team: Double kayaks, Two kayaks at a time or Any paddle-powered
multi-person craft welcome.
Line up a team-mate, make a plan to
stay in Perth for the weekend and look out for registration
details in mid Feb.
Any queries, call Race Director, Doug Hodson 0417 938 596
Sponsored by Canoeing
Down Under, Ascot River Kiosk, Alarms System WA, Joondalup
Sport Massage, Water Wanderers, and Alex Graham Personal Training.
******************
Canning River
Race
22-Feb-15 Sunday Marathon # 4
....registration for
the Marathon 04 Canning River Race on 22.2.15
Enter here: https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=36339
******************
01-Mar-15 Sunday City
Lights Long Distance Event
******************
07-Mar-15 Saturday State
Championships
******************
08-Mar-15 Sunday State
Championships
******************
15-Mar-15 Sunday Rod
Fry Memorial Race, Swan
******************
22-Mar-15 Sunday Bevan
Dashwood Dash, Canning
******************
03-Apr-15 Friday Marathon
Champs Canberra, Easter Weekend
******************
12-Apr-15 Sunday Canning
Classic
******************
FRIDAY MORNING RACE
RESULTS
NAME
TIME
PLACING
BONNIE
2.57
= 1ST
BRUCE
2.57
= 1ST
BAILEY
3.03
= 2ND
RAY
3.03
= 2ND
CHRIS H
3.10
3RD
BRETT
3.13
4TH
JASON
3.16
5TH
KRIS
3.17
6TH
PATRICK
3.23
7TH
MAYA
3.26
8TH