Enjoy the CDU Newsletter
Published: Fri, 09/04/15
Issue
476
4th September 2015
Message Bank
Well I have had a pretty slack month. I have only been paddling
about four times, although now we have Nicky our greyhound
I have been walking/trotting more than usual. Walking Nicky
at night, looking up to see the stars and the moon has reminded
me of my expeditions and the many, many times I have laid
there at the end of the day looking up at the night sky just
thinking how beautiful the world is and how lucky I have been
to experience so many wilderness trips. I'm not into philosophising
but it's one hell of an experience being out in the wilderness,
seeing, feeling, encountering and coping with anything that
is thrown at me and to be able to lay there and reflect on
those experiences, be it with myself or with others is just
magical. I think it must be time for another trip!
To get back to the real world it's also time for me to start
paddling again. The mornings are getting lighter, although
still chilly but it is a beautiful time of year when the river
is calm and skies are clear. Also we start our Saturday morning
fitness training this week and I have a feeling that everyone
will be beating me!
***************************************
As we know times are tough so if you know
someone who is about to get into the sport of paddling, just
send them our way.
***************************************
After reading about an 80 year old man who
has just paddled the entire Mississippi and claimed a record
for being the oldest person to do so. I can't wait to get
to 81 so I can break the record.
***************************************
Sandy Robson, who is paddling Indonesia at
the moment on her way to Australia, has now reached Bali.
***************************************
Due to popular demand from
my staff we are closing earlier on Saturdays
New Saturday Closing Time 2.00pm
****************************************
Whilst we have been enjoying our mild winter
many of our top athletes in all disciplines have been paddling
in the summer sun in Europe, the USA and Canada
WA's junior Genie Collins
at the Under 23 World Wildwater Championships on the Nantahala
River USA
*************************************************
WA's Robin Jeffery in Europe
To mark one year to go WA's Robin Jeffery
was asked, how does it make you feel knowing there is only
a year till Rio?
“In one word, excited! Rio has been my
dream since the closing ceremony of London and now it is only
a year away. London was an eye opening experience. I had always
dreamed of competing at the Olympics but I never knew what
it meant until I was there. Being surrounded by the best athletes
in the world in the most inspiring environment served to heighten
my desire and motivation to compete in Rio. It showed me that
for the best athletes, the Olympics isn’t just two weeks
of competition every four years, it is a combination of four
or more years of focussed, methodical training that teaches
you how to be the best on the biggest stage. I feel that I
have committed to this process and am loving every minute.”
(Robin Jeffery – London Olympian)
*************************************************
WA's John Dinucci playing on the wave at Bells
Drop, West Australia
*************************************************
WA junior Demi O’Brien
fresh from the junior World Wild Water Championships
in the US competes at the WA Wild Water Championships in Bridgetown.
Photo Jane Hilton
Paul Livanos, John Dinucci and Adam Roujae
tackle the rapids at Bridgetown. Photo John O'Sullivan.
A month or two before the Avon Descent Paul
found this kayak in his relative's shed and decided to do
the Avon Descent and finished with a lot less training than
most. While most paddlers chose fast skis to paddle the Avon
Paul was happy to paddle the 415 kayak which is much slower
but much more stable. He has been able to learn a lot of skills
in that short time and four weeks after the Avon he took part
in the WA Wild Water Championships.
*******************************************
The Australian Freestyle Team
The Australian Freestyle Team. WA's Josh Singleton
is about to compete in the World Freestyle Championships in
Canada. Photo Roy Farrance
Training & Courses
We Are Back with Saturday
Morning Training
This
Saturday 5th September
7.30am start on the dot
Sandy Beach Reserve,
West Road, Bassendean
PFD must be worn
$5.00 for paddlers who have bought a boat from CDU
$10.00 for other paddlers
Don't forget your PFD
Fun, fitness and a great
group of people
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********************
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Stories
Wild Water State
Championships
Geegelup Cup Bridgetown
Wildwater racing in Bridgetown all wrapped
up for another year. We had an awesome time socializing and
paddling. The winners of the teams race on Saturday was team
2 (Mat Dean, Baillie Liddle, Tex Craig-Metzke in a time of
41:26.
Todays individual Wildwater race was won by Josh Kippin in
a time of 32:29 beating Dave Worthy by 20 seconds. Dave Worthy
was the Wildwater Series Champion for 2015. Sue Quick took
out the Ladies champion.
WA State Wild Water Championships,
Bridgetown
John O'Sulivan who is
usually taking the photos is in the photo
Results here: http://www.webscorer.com/racedetails?raceid=50202
*************************************************
Junior Avon
Descent
Whilst many adults were
paddling down the Avon Valley on Avon Descent day lots of
juniors, dragon boats and outriggers were contesting the flat
water Avon Descent from Middle Swan Bridge to Bayswater.
The juniors taking part
will hopefully one day contest the Avon Descent
Zac Ashby warming up.
Photo Peter Ashby
Dragon boats, outriggers
and kayaks were all part of the junior Avon. Photo Peter Ashby
****************************
Sad News
Bill Reynolds Dies
Hi Terry,
I'm saddened to tell you that Bill Reynolds,
who was a well known sea kayaker and former Perth Daily News
journalist, died on Monday night. Bill was diagnosed with
cancer about a year ago and his good health kept him around
for a lot longer than his doctors predicted. However, in the
last few weeks his health had deteriorated badly and on Monday
evening he had a bad fall down the stairs at his home and
died soon after.
Bill worked for the Daily News for ten
years from 1973 until 1983, during which time he developed
his love of sea kayaking and for much of that time was a member
of the Sea Kayak Club. He paddled regularly with Helen Cooksey
(who died of cancer last year), Robyn Khorshid, John Dinucci
and others. After leaving Perth to live in London, Bill made
annual pilgrimages to Perth to cycle and paddle and to catch
up with friends. Upon returning to the UK after his Perth
pilgrimage last year he was diagnosed with oesophagal cancer
which had by then spread to his lungs.
Bill often asked after you and I think
he called in to see you on one of his last trips to Perth.
Mike Edmondson
Race of the Week
With
it being ten years since Katrina devastated New Orleans
I thought I would share
My Last Days
on the Mississippi
I paddled the
entire 4000km Mississippi River in 35 days
The Mississippi River
is fed from a small lake. It starts very narrow but grows
extremely big on it's way down to New Orleans and the Gulf
of Mexico
The Final Fling - the
last four days
The days were long, the heat continued
to increase, I was told later up to 48 degrees and every afternoon
on those last few days thunderstorms rolled in. Towns had
often been 160 kms apart and between them I saw virtually
no life apart from the barges and fishermen. But things further
south were about to change!
About 10 kilometres from Baton Rouge,
the capital of Louisiana, I watched several deer drink at
the water's edge. I stopped and camped for the night a little
further, just before a long line of barges tied up along the
river bank. Old ropes and plastic containers left behind by
the barge traffic littered the shore. That was another downside
of getting close to the city. There was more rubbish, and
foxes and rats scurried around in the scrub behind my camp.
The towboats pushing barges worked throughout the night continually
going backwards and forwards across the river, but luckily
the ongoing activity didn't stop me from sleeping.
Saturday 25th July
To my delight I was away in one and half hours instead of
the usual two. For the next 10 kilometres barges lined each
side of the river bank and at the final corner before Baton
Rouge, a long pod of barges being pushed by a towboat was
motoring sideways across the river. I watched on as the towboat
reversed up and tried to straighten the long pod. At first
I wasn't quite sure what it was doing. Then I realised that
there was a bridge spanning the river just after the bend.
This posed a problem for the long barges as they had to make
sure it was in a straight line before they could go between
the bridge pylons. I had paddled a further 800 metres before
the barge had straightened up enough to go under the bridge,
although it was still slightly sideways as it attempted it.
The city seemed full of industry as a large industrial chemical
plant was over to my right with smaller plants scattered all
around. It was an incredible scene with industry and skyscrapers
blending into one. It was an eye opener and such an awful
sight, but great to witness, though the pollution must have
been a nightmare for people who lived there. It looked like
one of the unhealthiest places in the world, and yet the locals
had to live with the pollution, the smoke and the chemicals
seeping into the river. Most of the river so far had been
lined with trees, farmland and open space and visually clean,
but now it was turning it into a mass of steel, forests of
chimneys and fields of industrial plants.
Baton Rouge is a major manufacturing, petroleum and refinery
centre and a busy port. At an old wharf on the west side of
the river, police were looking in the water for a body. I
had a quick search, but I couldn't see anything so I moved
on with the slight current helping me. A few fishing and casino
boats were close by and barges took up every bit of space
along the shores. I was surprised to see huge ships anchored
as well and others motoring along the river. I was still some
320 kilometres from the ocean and it was hard to think the
river could be deep enough to support such big ships.
Sugar and cotton plantations once claimed
most of the land along the 240km corridor between Baton Rouge
and New Orleans. Now that corridor is lined by petrochemical
plants, factories and industrial waste sites. Refineries,
manufacturers of synthetic materials and fertiliser plants
all discharged toxic chemicals in the water. The river was
said to be very polluted but a lot had changed for the better
in the past 15 years as several regulations have been put
into place to clean up the river. But just as a precaution
I stopped soaking in the water to cool off.
The river started to twist and curve like a snake. I paddled
to the outside of the first tight right-hand bend after leaving
the city. To my surprise a large ship came around the bend
from the other way motoring at a very fast pace. After being
with the much slower barges for so long, the speed of the
ship stunned me. With the ship came a huge bow wave so I braced
myself as I paddled through it. I survived that first wave
giving me confidence as the others followed. Now with the
increased river traffic and large ships travelling at high
speed it made it more difficult for me to cut the corners
and the boats were certainly too big for me to argue with.
I had to follow the river bank around each bend, keeping to
one side only, which easily added 500 metres on every corner.
Further along I saw two people waving from the muddy bank.
I went across to the couple and their four dogs. They were
excited to see me and invited me to their home, some 250 metres
away to have a shower and a bite to eat. We walked up the
levy bank, across a grass verge, over a fence and to their
home that they were renting a little down the road. The dogs
were excited and took some controlling. Scott Franzblau was
from New York State and had a sea kayak which is why he was
so interested in my journey. His girlfriend was a local of
the area but she was desperately trying to get rid of her
southern accent as she didn't like it. Even some of the locals,
especially the younger ones didn't like the sound of their
own accent and I have to admit, I could understand why.
I had a shower, made some phone calls and they prepared me
a bite to eat. They had more in common with me than any of
the other people that I'd met on the river as most were fisherman.
They wanted me to stop the night but with the slower water
current I was falling behind schedule. I wanted to stay and
I was disappointed to leave, but I still had a long way to
go.
Back on the river I felt a lot fresher and livelier, but a
thunderstorm was looming and the river soon turned rough.
I now cut corners whenever I felt it safe to save time and
energy. At 7.00pm I turned a bend and headed straight into
a heavy thunderstorm and although it had been hot all day,
I was now wet and cold. Pods of barges, industrial plants,
lights and smoke came into view. The weather looked wild,
and I contemplated stopping at Donaldsonville for food as
it looked to be a nice place, but I didn't. Once I turned
the next bend the water calmed and the storm passed over.
A ship was being loaded on the left side of the river and
a beautiful sand spit lay across on the other side. As it
was 8.10pm, about 20 minutes before darkness I decided to
camp on the spit. It was one of the best camping spots I'd
seen in the past few hours. I knew it wasn't going to be fun
paddling in the dark with the ships and the increased river
traffic so I was happy to be camped. The beach was just perfect.
I could see all the barges go by, a ship being loaded across
the river and the towboats working continuously. In the distance,
smoke from the industrial plants created clouds and drifted
across the sky. When darkness arrived, the loading dock and
ships opposite lit up like a miniature city like a thousand
Christmas trees lights and it was a fantastic feeling sitting
there on the beach, eating dinner and watching the busy life
on the river go by. Although I can't stop everywhere on the
river, it's times like this that give me a great feel of the
place. People told me that paddling the Mississippi wouldn't
be very interesting but they were wrong, it has been an interesting
trip. Because of the breeze, there were no mosquitoes, so
it was a perfect night. At about 11.00pm, just as a ship was
heading south, rain started falling, so it was a good time
for bed.
The perfect camp on the
banks of the Mississippi River
Sunday 26th
I soon moved under a bridge of Highway 70 and the industry
and barges increased dramatically. I dodged the barges all
morning but I needed to find a town to get food. Although
I couldn't see the small towns, because of the levy bank and
lines of barges, I decided to find the town of Vacherie. I
pulled up behind a line of barges to where I thought the town
was situated, paddled into the shallow water and into the
mud. Several barges nearby were well past their use by date.
Their rusty hulls and loose iron meant that most would never
move from where they were ever again. I dragged my kayak ashore
in mud up to my shins and left it in the trees and bushes
that surrounded the muddy shallows. I made several attempts
to push through the thick bushes and eventually I managed
to make headway and find a track that led to a levy bank.
Once over the levy bank I walked for about 100 metres or so
on Highway 18 to a service station. Nearly every passing car
was driven by an African-American. At the service station
the petrol pumps could only be operated if the customer paid
first. Inside the service station behind a screen of steel,
a Chinese man operated it, which seemed really strange in
a neighbourhood of African-Americans. Cars drew up with shifty
looking characters inside. Many of the guys wore their baseball
caps backwards, just like you see in the movies, but I suppose
it was normal and it was me that was behind the times. On
my way out, an African-American woman approached the man and
wanted to fill up her big car with two dollars of fuel. The
owner didn't quite know if he should turn the pump on or not.
There were many hotted up cars around and cars that were not
really fit to be on the road. The store had little fresh or
healthy food, so I grabbed anything that I could eat and I
really didn't care if it was nutritious or not
.
I moved back onto the busy river where towboats continued
to ferry barges from one side of the river to the other, or
from one pod of barges to another. I dodged them but it wasn't
easy at times as they were like ants coming from all directions.
Barges were tied together in pods several thick and now pods
were anchored in the middle of the river as well as the edges.
The current moved through them as though they were a giant
strainer, and I often felt a little concerned as I neared
them. The chance of the current dragging me under the barges
was always in the back of my mind. To make things more exciting
there were some big, turbulent, spinning eddies on the bends
that made paddling just that little bit more interesting.
Kilometres of the river
was taken up with industry
The river banks became
one mass of pipes, buildings, steel structures, cranes and
loading wharfs. Industrial smoke lingered in the air. It was
very interesting though to see the different types of barge
and ship loading facilities. As I ventured close to one chemical
plant water flowed from a discharge pipe and as I moved over
the flow my kayak's hull suddenly turned hot. The water being
discharged was near boiling and my backside and feet became
hot and my whole body felt the heat radiating through the
hull. Then my thoughts went to the quality of the water. Was
it radioactive or did it contain chemicals harmful to my skin.
I moved away from it as quickly as possible.
The river continued being a hive of activity. Ships constantly
surprised me with the routes they took along the river, often
a route that I was taking myself. It was always a mystery
to know where the working towboats were headed as they criss-crossed
the river like bees around a honey pot. The honking of horns
sounded loudly as towboats pushed pods of barges sideways
across the river. With so much towboat and barge activity
I found this was one of the most dangerous places to paddle
since I paddled the rapids at the beginning of the river.
As I approached Hahnville, a thunderstorm erupted, and sheet
lightning was creating a fantastic sky show behind and above
the bridge of Highway 310. The day literally turned into night
as the clouds blackened the sky. The wind increased and the
rain teemed down, again falling in buckets full. There was
less activity on the river at this point and I felt alone
as the storm whipped down it. I struggled against the force
of the storm, wondering if I should stop before I got blown
away or struck by lightning.
At Kenner, where planes were taking off at the international
airport, the storm eased. Five huge ships were anchored, another
was ferry gliding across the river and I felt totally insignificant
and dwarfed by them. With the dying light also came a sense
of anxiety. Ahead of me was the city of New Orleans and where
there are cities, there are people. I was often warned about
camping in a city, you will get robbed or your throat will
be slit, they said. What will the river traffic be like as
well? In that last mile there was little industry or barges
cluttering the shores, though ahead on the right hand side
of the last left hand corner before entering the city, the
Avondale shipyard looked busy and threatening. Although I
had an hour of daylight left, I didn't know what lay ahead
so I felt it safer to to find a suitable campsite before dark.
Just before Avondale, near Kennedy Heights at the 109 mile
mark, I decided to stop on the right-hand side of the river.
The levy bank sheltered me from the prying eyes of people,
but the swampy campsite was far from ideal. I found a small
area of shells that produced a slightly drier area to place
my tent. I was a little concerned that people would see me
there, and I became more concerned when I saw three youths
on cycles riding along the levy bank. They saw me and they
immediately cycled down the concrete levy bank to see what
I was up to. I told them. They seemed to be okay kids, but
I was concerned that they would tell their mates and I didn't
want anyone creeping around my camp in the night.
Camped near Avondale
shipyard
Monday 27th July
It was 5.45am and it pleased me to have survived the night
without incident. The Avondale Shipyard ahead looked intimidating
with big ships and boats already milling around. I paddled
past it just as the sun was coming up and my concerns turned
out to be unfounded as I had no trouble with the boats at
all. Beyond it the Huey P Long Bridge spanned the river. It
was one of the strangest bridges that I had seen as the first
part of the bridge on the right hand side came around in a
big arc. As I paddled towards it there was a train moving
over it extremely slowly and snaking around. With the engine
and a few of the forward carriages being half way across the
river bridge, most of the carriages were rattling around the
sweeping bend and the part of the bridge just before the river.
It was certainly an interesting sight seeing it snake along.
Leaving my camp at sunrise heading towards Avondale shipyard
and the Huey P. Long Bridge
Industry had lessened around
the bend, although the remnants of factories were evident
with derelict buildings and steel structures now abandoned
along the river. Passing a wheat terminal a towboat let me
know by blowing it's horn that it wanted me out of its way,
which I was. A big ship followed the barge at a very fast
pace. On the left side of the river wharfs and cargo sheds
stretched as far as I could see. Although there were several
barges working around, there weren't as many as I had imagined
as I had thought it was going to be one of the busiest ports
in the world. It wasn't.
I spoke briefly to two workers on a stationary barge and as
I moved away, they wished me luck. I passed under the main
bridge nearest to the city centre and across to my left, over
a levy bank, I could see an old part of the city they called
the French Quarter. From the river, the city of New Orleans
looked interesting, but I would have to wait until I finished
paddling the river before I could visit it. Much of the city
lies 12 feet below the sea level and it was only the thick
levy banks that prevented flooding. There is no natural drainage
in New Orleans due to it being lower than sea level so every
drop of rain that falls has to be pumped back over the levee
banks. (Read the article below about the floods).
Just after the next bend, a man on the bank shouted to me
to say that a tow boat captain had complained to the coastguard
because I was paddling through the city in a kayak. I wondered
whether it was the same towboat captain that had blown it's
horn at me earlier. The man went on to say that he had been
monitoring the barges on his marine radio, but it appeared
the coastguard wasn't interested in stopping me. He wished
me luck and told me to keep going, "No one will bother
you once you're out of New Orleans," he said.
View looking towards
the city as I paddle under the Crescent City Connection Bridge
Many abandoned wharfs were
on the left side just before I approached the navy docks.
Several navy ships were anchored along the wharfs nearby and
other navy ships were anchored out on the other side of the
river. Beyond the navy section, several huge ships lay at
anchor, others motored by, they all towered above me and I
was dwarfed as I paddled only metres away from them. Some
were high out of the water and had obviously been unloaded,
whilst others sat low in the water. Both industry and activity
eased soon after. Across the levy bank on the south side there
were many beautiful houses and on the north side there was
another chemical plant.
Some of the big ships
were a little intimidating
Near the locality of Chalmette, a ferry
crossed. I stopped at the ferry platform and the guys working
on it filled my water containers. I needed no more food or
water before reaching the end so this was my final lunge to
the finish. Around the next corner I sat in my boat and ate
lunch and once on the move again, I saw more ships that were
anchored in a long line and what a spectacular sight! As the
river widened another ferry crossed between Belle Chasse and
Scarsdale. I had thought that all the industrial sites were
behind me, but no, it was starting to build up once again.
Not far away though, behind the river's shores there was the
23,000 acre Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge, which
shelters tens of thousands of migratory water fowl.
Coal was being unloaded at one of the industrial sites. Metal
structures were on both sides of the river as two ships and
three towboats motored by. One man in a towboat was shouting
angrily through his glass window at me. Just before sunset
I left all the activity behind, found a concrete slab on the
left bank and stopped to turn my lights on. Back on the water
the sun was setting behind me and what a spectacular sight
for my last night on the river.
It was an amazing sunset
for my last night on the river
As darkness fell, I paddled close to
the left shore, and as barges approached, I took to the trees
to hide from their lights. It nearly proved to be a disaster
as a low branch I hadn't noticed swiped across my face and
I nearly capsized. The moon soon started to shed some light
to help me see. A ship and barge cruised by so I paddled closer
to the trees again. By 11.00pm lights from an industrial complex
came into view and barges on my side of the river started
to approach using their powerful spotlights to search for
the channel.
I stopped for a few moments close to shore and then I felt
a current pull me back towards the bank and heard a frightening
sound of fast moving water. I quickly paddled on to get away
from the current that I couldn't see. In the light of the
moon I strained to see a wooden structure and a channel of
racing water heading out into the marshes. I pulled away and
sat in an eddy next to some rocks and waited for the barges
to pass. The spotlights from a barge lit up the area nearby
and I noticed a flattish grassy area, perfect to make camp.
I lifted my gear up the slippery rocks trying to avoid steel
cables that were littered amongst them. Four more barges passed,
I watched them before clambering a little further up onto
the tall, damp grass that was covered with cattle dung. When
I had erected the tent millions of mosquitoes drove me inside
where I snacked on a cold meal before hitting the sack at
12.45am.
Tuesday 28th July
I tried getting up super early as this was going to be my
last day on the river, but I still didn't get moving before
7.15am. Because the rocks were so slippery and razor-sharp,
I put some branches down to cushion and protect the kayak
before I precariously launched off them.
Cattle grazed close by. These were the first cattle I had
seen for days and days. The end of the river was near and
in a few miles I would reach Venice, the last town on the
river. A barge came by and a man started shouting and using
abusive language. He was certainly one angry man and I just
couldn't understand why he was going off as I was well out
of his way and the river was extremely wide. Further along
I pulled up to a tied up barge and asked a man on board how
far it was to the main part of Venice, he just pointed and
walked away. The people on the last part of the river hadn't
been too friendly and by this time my confidence was starting
to take a dive. Over the last few days many of the barge workers
had been quite hostile by shouting abuse. A little further
I saw a man welding and I asked him the same question. He
told me where Venice was and then offered me a beer. It was
too hot and too early in the day to drink alcohol, but his
friendly offer boosted my self-esteem and confidence again.
By the time I turned down a channel searching for the Venice
boat ramp I felt unsure about going on and completing the
last 12 miles of the river. The recent abuse given out by
the barge workmen had created uncertainty and some sense of
guilt. Am I really in their way or endangering other people's
lives by paddling on? Is there a law saying I shouldn't be
on this part of the river?
There were lots of boats parked up, but I couldn't see anywhere
to land. I shouted to a man standing on the bank and he directed
me into a channel to a boat ramp on his property. Mike and
Nancy, who were from the wildlife authority, greeted me enthusiastically.
I was now in two minds if to go on because of the abuse and
being a stranger from another country it was hard to know
if I was doing the right thing or not but Mike and Nancy encouraged
me to go on. "The towboat people think they own the river,"
they said, "We often get the same abuse when we are in
our small dingy and we live here". They were in charge
of patrolling the protected islands and waters of the reserve
around the Mississippi delta, checking for alligators and
wildlife.
They asked me to fill out a form with some particulars and
the time I expected to be back. It was 12.15pm when I pushed
off across the swift running channel to get back onto the
main river. When I joined it several boats of all sizes were
motoring down the last few miles of the Mississippi River
and within minutes a boat stopped and the two guys on board
offered me a Coke. I never refuse drinks (except if it's alcoholic
and too early in the day) and with it being decidedly hot,
it was a real blessing. They told me that the Southern States
were in the throes of the hottest heatwave in history with
temperatures ranging from 40 to 48°C. I knew it had been
warm, but I hadn't realised it had been that warm.
Cattle grazed on uninspiring islands which were intersected
by channels. The river was wide but I kept close to the rocky
shore paddling hard and hoping to reach the zero mark by 1.30pm
but the intense heat was sapping my energy. Near the end,
the shoreline continued to curve to the right and it was agonising
waiting to see the zero mark. I came across a cattle-loading
ramp, which I thought was odd out here in the swampy delta,
and as I jumped out next to the ramp a number of crabs scurried
away. It was 2.00pm. I climbed the ramp, trying to avoid all
the large spiders, stood on the top rail and took photos of
the surrounding area. The open water of the Gulf was beyond
the island over to my right. Upstream and way over to my left
was Pilot Town, the last tiny community surrounded by water.
Down the river I could see three different channels leading
out into the Gulf, as well as the zero mark in the middle
of the channel 600 metres away. I had paddled 4000kms to see
this and although I was hot and exhausted I was soon back
in my kayak paddling to the end using the last bit of my remaining
strength.
I had a brief rest at
the cattle ramp very close to my end point
I paddled on and stopped across from
the zero mile mark and took a photo, my journey was now complete.
In one way it was a dulled sense of joy. I wasn't really that
happy to have finished as the river had become part of my
life, whilst on the other hand I rejoiced as I had completed
another important leg of my 8 month journey. All I had to
do now was to paddle back to Venice, but that was much harder
than it sounded. The simple task of paddling back 20 kilometres
was agony as the current was stronger than I had anticipated.
I focussed on the shoreline wanting to see and feel the boat
surging forward, but my speed was slow. I cursed the 40 odd
degree heat and the current.
It seemed to take me forever to pass
the channel north of Pilot Town as I bounced along taking
the full brunt of the waves created by the passenger boats.
I looked for the 7 mile marker with eagerness. The day had
been virtually breezeless and when the wind returned on those
last few miles it encouraged me to liven up, get into a rhythm,
and keep going. Reaching the 7 mile mark lifted me further
and somehow my energy sources increased and I surged to the
end. Then the magical moment came, I rounded the last bend
and into the channel and when all the boats had gone by I
crossed the channel and headed towards the wildlife headquarters
boat ramp as Nancy was taking a photo. The river was done.
I had been pushing very hard for the last 12 days, spent 35
days on the river and had paddled 4000kms.
I was here, I was home and I even managed to exit my kayak
without falling out. Some men washing down a powerboat congratulated
me. Nancy had a cold Coke waiting in an esky, so I found a
spot in the shade of the shed, sat and rested whilst eating
honey buns, Snickers Bars and drinking the Coke. I had only
eaten a few nuts all day so the lack of food and heat would
have contributed to why I felt so exhausted. Eventually I
picked myself up, had a shower in the shed and bundled my
things together.
I was being picked up later that day by Joey a guy I hadn't
met only talked to on the phone. He worked in a New Orleans
outfitters store and had been storing my bicycle for me. Meanwhile
Mike invited me back to his home to rest, to drink, to eat
and wait for Joey.
At 8.00pm Joey arrived and within minutes we were headed down
the highway to New Orleans, and to Joey's place, stopping
at a pizza place on the way. After two days staying with Joey
and partner in New Orleans and seeing the sights and eating
Cajun food, it was back on road again cycling towards the
Rocky Mountains in temperatures of 45 degrees. My big trip
was only partially done, I still had several thousand kilometres
to cycle, several hundred kilomteres to backpack and many
more fantastic places and experiences to encounter before
leaving the USA.
The days following, riding my bike across
Louisiana was 40 to 48 degrees so the trip got no easier.
I thank Joey and get
set to leave New Orleans and the Mississippi River in very
hot conditions
****************************
To see which
parts of New Orleans flooded go here:
http://www.nola.com/katrina/graphics/flashflood.swf
****************************
Will New Orleans
Flood Again
13 News May 6, 2011
Pictures from New Orleans after Katrina
are burned into our memories. Will the city be dealt another
blow from Mother Nature, this time from a different direction.
Record flooding in parts of Illinois, Kentucky, Arkansas,
and Tennessee is being channeled down the river that gave
birth to this town back in the early 1700s.
On a trip to the city earlier this year
I learned an important fact: The Mississippi River at New
Orleans is about 200 feet deep! A first-time visitor to the
city will notice the humongous bridges that span the river,
mainly because there is no way to put a piling down to those
depths. So to make a long story short, there’s a ton
of water churning past the city every day!
With an onslaught of water coming in
from the north, the pictures from 2005 immediately come back
to mind. Will New Orleans flood again? The answer is no. The
flooding from Katrina came from levees that protected the
city from Lake Ponchartrain, not the Mississippi. The Mississippi
levees remained in-tact after Katrina.
So, will the Mississippi’s levees
be overtopped this go-around? The answer is slim to none.
And that’s good because if a levee would breach it would
be catastrophic. (Imagine how much water would stream in unabated
from a 200 foot deep channel!)
To alleviate any threat, New Orleans
is protected by a secondary river (Atchafalaya) and the Bonnet
Carre Spillway. Each one of these waterways allows the Mississippi
to be diverted away from New Orleans. Most importantly is
the Atchafalaya River. Normally, this is a meandering river
that flows from the Mississippi, north of Baton Rouge into
the Gulf of Mexico near Morgan City. But according to Oliver
A. Houck, professor of law at Tulane University, “the
Atchafalaya can take half the Mississippi’s highest flows
and funnel them safely to the Gulf.” This, not only helps
out the City of New Orleans, it helps the capitol city of
Baton Rouge.
Because the Mississippi will be at near-record
stage will this waterway be enough to alleviate a disaster
to New Orleans (much of which sits below sea-level)? Luckily
there is a little-known waterway called the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
This is located just west of the city and is comprised of
an expansive cypress swamp, much of which lies just inches
above sea level. According to WWL-TV, Governor Bobby Jindal
has ordered all of the spillway gates in the full-open position
beginning Monday morning. This will allow billions of gallons
of water to rush into Lake Ponchartrain…eventually emptying
into the Gulf to the east. (The level of Lake Ponchartrain
will not go up because of it’s size and large opening
to the Gulf.)
In order to not kill mass quantities
of wildlife in the 1.5 mile wide spillway, water will gradually
be let in. Many environmentalists are very concerned however
that the highly oxygenated floodwater will cause massive algae
blooms in Lake Ponchartrain and tip the area out of ecological
balance for the next few months and years. Unfortunately,
that is just one of the many obstacles the residents all up
and down the Mighty Miss are dealing with this spring.
******************************************
80-Year-Old
Sets Record for Mississippi River Paddle
Completes voyage in 3 months
Dale Sanders, an 80-year-old canoe enthusiast
from Logan County, Kentucky, on Sunday became the oldest person
to paddle the entire length of the Mississippi River, according
to the Adventure Blog. The trip stretched from Lake Itasca
in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico and took three months to
complete.
Sanders, a retiree who worked at the
Department of the Navy for 37 years, travelled in a Wenonah
canoe named Anna, after his grandniece who suffers from type
1 diabetes. Part of the purpose of his trip was to raise awareness
and gather funds for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Sanders said he was also enticed by
the chance to make history as the Mississippi’s oldest
full-length paddler.
“When I found out the oldest person
that’s ever hiked the Appalachian Trail is 82 years old,”
Sanders said in a video posted on his website, “I said,
‘Well, I better wait a couple of years before I do that
one.’”
World
Championship
It's Wallace
& Tame All The Way
Kenny Wallace has won his third K1 5000
gold medal in as many years on the final day of the ICF sprint
World Championships in Milan.
It was his fourth triumph in the past
five years and continued his recent domination of the gruelling
men’s event, now having won 11 straight international
races.
Heading into the final Wallace resumed
his rivalry with German Max Hoff.
The pair led the charge alongside Aleh
Yurenia of Belarus and Danish K1 1000 champion Rene Holten
Poulsen for most of the race.
Wallace attacked in the latter stages
to win in 19:54.46, 3.11 seconds ahead of Hoff with Yurenia
taking the bronze.
“It’s always going to be tough
with Max. He’s an endurance animal that just keeps going
and going,” Wallace said.
***************************
Kenny Wallace and Lachlan Tame have
won Australia’s fourth gold medal of the ICF sprint World
Championships on the final day of racing in Milan.
Yesterday’s K2 1000 silver medalist’s
got off to a strong start in the final. A blanket crossed
the front-end of the field at the half way mark before the
Australian pair increased their stroke rate to power to victory
in 1:29.216.
They finished 0.788 seconds ahead of
Spain in second.
“It is always good to get another
gold medal at a World Championships,” Wallace said.
“To be able to call yourself a
world champion again this year is great, particularly before
an Olympic year.”
Tame was happy with how the race unfolded.
“It went to plan, we hoped to do
well and we executed what we could do to our best, we got
a second yesterday and a first today so we are stoked,”
Tame said.
The men’s K4 1000 A final followed.
The newly formed crew of David Smith,
Riley Fitzsimmons, Jacob Clear and Jordan Wood narrowly missed
out on a medal to the Czech Republic by 0.054 seconds.
It was an encouraging performance by
the Australian quad, improving on tenth place last year, and
with Wood and Fitzsimmons aged just 21 and 19 respectively,
the scope for improvement is great.
***************************
Australia’s Ken Wallace and Lachlan
Tame have defended their World Championship silver medal,
finishing second behind Germany in the K2 1000 on day four
of the ICF sprint World Championships in Milan.
The result gives Australia two more
quotas for the Olympic Games in Rio next year.
Wallace and Tame, who won silver in
Moscow last year after coming together as a pair only months
beforehand, went out hard in the final and were sitting third
at the halfway stage.
They dropped back to fourth with 250
metres to go, but Wallace’s customary powerful finish
pulled the Australians back onto the podium.
Pre-race favourites Germany won in a
time of 3.10.175, with Wallace and Tame 0.957 seconds behind,
and Serbia finishing third.
Wallace believes that he and Tame can
catch the German’s in the year ahead.
***************************
Slalom World
Cup
Fox Double Silver in
K1 & C1 Ladies
Jessica Fox has won silver in the women’s
K1 final at the ICF Slalom World Cup in Pau, France.
With double points on offer at the fifth
and final World Cup, the second place finish elevated Fox
to second on the overall standings behind joint winners Jana
Dukatova of Slovakia and Austrian Corinna Kuhnle.
On a tough course, Fox produced a clean
run in the final but fell agonisingly short of victory. The
21 year old finished 0.37 seconds behind Olympic champion
Emilie Fer of France who won in 103.53.
Kuhnle finished third in 106.48.
“I am really happy with that run
and with the second place,” Fox said.
It was her second silver medal in Pau
after finishing second behind Nuria Vilarrubla of Spain in
the C1 final on Saturday.
“It was a really tight race, a
tough course and a tough weekend with the C1 yesterday but
I am really happy with the way that I paddled and to finish
the World Cup series in second, it motivates me and encourages
me for the Worlds in a month.”
This year’s World Championships
will be held from 16 to 20 September and double as Olympic
qualification.
Coincidentally they will he held in
London, with Fox set to embark on another Olympic campaign
on the same course she won silver on in 2012.
******************************
Men's K1 Slalom
Australia's Lucien Delfour has won bronze
in a thrilling men’s K1 final in France with just 0.02
seconds separating the top three.
The bronze medal performance propelled
Delfour into second on the overall ICF World Cup standings
behind Slovenian Peter Kauzer.
The 26 year old was originally adjudged
to have touched gate four, but it was overturned, propelling
the Penrith paddler into third after he recorded a clean run
of 96.22.
It was a special moment for Delfour
to win another medal in Pau.
******************************
Season’s
best for C1 men
Robin Jeffery and Ethan Hodson produced their best results
of the World Cup series so far by finishing 14th and 23rd
respectively in the men’s C1 semifinals.
It was a big improvement on last weekend’s
results in Spain, where each paddler failed to reach the semifinals.
For Jeffery the result placed him as
the eighth nation overall. If he can repeat that performance
at next month’s World Championships in London, he will
secure Australia an Olympic quota.
“It is pretty amazing. Pau is such
a great course, the world cup here is so well organised and
it is such a big event,” Delfour said.
“It is really amazing to be back
in Pau, three years ago it was a great world cup and that
is when I got my first medal, so getting another medal today
is special.”
Delfour has now won back to back World
Cup bronze medals and will head into next month’s World
Championships in London full of confidence as he looks to
secure Australia an Olympic quota for Rio.
******************************
Junior and Under
23 World Wildwater Championships
The Junior and Under 23 World Wildwater
Championships on the Nantahala River USA.
It was a tough day at the office for
our Australian Junior athletes in their first ever international
competition against the might of many of the dominant European
nations. In particular the Czech Republic had an outstanding
morning winning all 5 of the classic discipline races in K1,
C1 and C2.
First up Demi O’Brien and Genie
Collin featured in the women’s K1 which consisted of
a field of 23 athletes. Demi who is only 16 years of age finished
19th in a time of 14:28 and shows a lot of promise for the
future. Genie finished 22nd in a time of 18:55 however unfortunately
had troubles during the Nantahala Falls rapid and had a swim
but showed a lot of spirit to bail the boat as quick as possible,
get back in the kayak and finish the race.
Martina Satkova from the Czech Republic
won the event in a time of 12:34 just holding off Mathilde
Rosa from Italy who finished in a time of 12:38. Barbora Bayerova
from Czech Republic rounded out the medals
in 3rd place in a time of 13:00.
In the men’s K1 there were 31 starters.
Our Luis Wilson finished 27th in a time of 13:16. He unfortunately
had some troubles running through the Nantahala Falls rapid
but managed to quickly recover to complete the course.
Adam Neubert from the Czech Republic
took the title in a fast time of 11:32 beating Sven Paulfler
from Germany who took the silver medal in a time of 11:38.
Tim Novak from Slovenia took the bronze medal in a time of
11:42.
In the last event of the morning our
C2 boys of Lachlan Bassett and Sam Grant who are only 15 years
of age acquitted themselves well in the field of 7 starters
finishing 5th in a time of 15:08. The Czech team of brothers
Zapletal won the event in a time of 13:14 narrowly defeating
their Czech countrymen of Smaldes and Satala who finished
in a time of 13:19. The French pairing of Ydoux and Sautaur
took the bronze in a time of 13:24.
***************************
2015 CANNING
NOMINATION RACE
Sunday 13th September 2014
Shelley Sailing Club, Watersby Crescent Shelley
The Race with a difference!
Nominate your race time with prizes given to the finishers
closest to their nominated time.
No watches or GPS’s allowed.
All paddlecraft welcome.
Parking available Riverton Drive, Shelley.
Long course 12km (2 hour time limit applies). Short course
approximately 4km
Registration on the day 8am—8.45am,
Briefing 9am, Race Start 9-20am
Drinks and hot food for sale after the race.
Entrance fees
Long Course $20 ($30 for non CWA members)
Short course $10 ($20 for non CWA members)
Enquiries: Judith Thompson 9457 4530
or judith.thompson@iinet.net.au
***************************
Nanga Challenge
Nanga Shirts have arrived,
get your entries in !!
http://ascot.canoe.org.au/club-events/#tab-1413609318762-2-2
Exciting news , our shirts have arrived
for this years event and they look fantastic.
They are in Samaritans colours and are a really eye catching
training shirt.
If you've been dragging your feet and
haven't entered yet, get in soon. If you can't find team mates
maybe we can help out and hook you up with interested people.
Contact us at nangachallenge@gmail.com or Jane on 0433411996
The Nanga Challenge is a fun morning with some interesting
hills to get those legs working and not a too difficult paddle.
We have a new transition area in the Baden Powell campsite
so after your paddle there is a short run up the hill into
transition. We would suggest you wear something on your feet
for protection on that short run.
The hill side has been logged so is more exposed than usual
so don't forget to slip slop slap and carry water for extra
Spread the word , sign up soon for a
great morning in the beautiful Dwellinyup region
Enter on Ascot Kayak Club website or go directly to Webscorer
and search Nanga Challenge. Entries close Wednesday 16th September
2nd Hand Boats
Epic Legacy
K1 M
The Epic Legacy K1 M is the perfect
boat for lighter paddlers weighing between 58 and 76 kg .
Available in Performance and Elite versions.
Specifications
Length: 5.2 m
Width: 40.6 cm
Capacity: 58-76 kg
Epic K1 M - New price $3,195
Excellent
condition $1500.00