Enjoy the CDU Newsletter
Published: Fri, 09/02/16
516
2nd September 2016
Message Bank
Although it's been a quiet paddling week for me other paddlers
have been having a ball.
Josh Kippin not only won the Avon Descent, The WA and Australian
Marathons but last weekend he won the WA Wild Water Championships.
Josh Kippin winner of the Wild Water Championships.
Photo John Hilton
Demi O’Brien at the Wild Water Championships.
Photo John Hilton
Brett Young at the Wild Water Championships.
Photo John Hilton
John Dinucci at the Wild Water Championships.
Photo John Hilton
Doug Hodson on holiday in New Zealand
***********************************
MARATHON MEETING
Saturday 3 September 10am at AKC.
Invitation to all Canoe WA members and Marathon paddlers:
Agenda:
– Volunteers to join the committee for next season.
– Volunteers for the Chairperson role
– Initial Planning for the 2016/17 season
– Preparation of a regular meeting schedule
– Volunteers who may be available to help throughout
the season
Please RSVP to hodsond@me.com so we can provide morning tea.
This meeting requires a few attendees from every club if at
all possible.
Any questions in the meantime to Trevor Longwood,
0431 678 500, trevorl@rfre.com.au
***********************************
CWA AGM Thursday
22nd of September 2016
Training & Courses
Monday Night
Training
is back on this week.
Hinds Reserve
Garrett Road Bridge
5.45pm
*******************
Saturday Morning Fitness Training
starts back on the 3rd September
7.15am for a 7.30am start
Sandy Beach Reserve, West Road,
Bassendean
*******************
Matthew
Greed
Matthew Greed has been chosen to represent
Australia at the Olympic Hopes regatta in Hungury this September.
The cost of this privalage is $6000.
Matthew has been working every hour he can get at KMart to
fund as much of this cost as possible, along with keeping
up with school work, but is still falling short of what he
hoped to be able to contribute to his parents. If anyone would
like to help Matthew out with his dream of representing Australia
and in some way, no matter how small, make a donation to his
fund and help his dream of one day becoming an Olympion.
https://www.gofundme.com/228h9h9w
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********************************
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********************************
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*********************************
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*********************************
My contact number is 0417 977 330
The shop number and work mobile number are no longer operating
Check to see if you have the right mobile number
If you forget it, go to my website to find the above number
*********************************
Stories
2016 Bridgetown
Wildwater Racing Geegelup Cup
The venue of the final race of the ‘Wildwater’
racing season is the historical town of Bridgetown where paddlers
from around Western Australia travel to compete for the ‘Geegelup
cup’. The winner of the race claims the WA state Wildwater
Champion and also the series champions.
The name ‘Geegelup’ comes
from the original name of the area, a tribal name of the local
indigenous people before the settlement of white people. If
you want to know more about the history, visit www.bridgetownwahistory.com
Our 7km course is set on the Blackwood
River, amongst the majestic rolling valleys and farm lands
where the river twists and winds it’s way through the
valley and including 8 rapids. In many cases, the water current
leads under trees where the paddlers must stay alert at all
times to avoid trouble. The river level on Friday was at 11.7
and the rain started to fall. In fact, it fell all weekend.
By Saturday, the river started to climb again and by Sunday
we had a river level of 12.0. Many paddlers practice the course
on Friday and Saturday morning, to familiarize themselves
with the obstacles on the river. It was a great social paddle
and confidence building experience.
Competitors. Photo John
Hilton
Teams Race
On Saturday, before the race, we held
our race briefing to inform paddlers about safety requirements
on the river and discuss the race format. We also held a minute
silence for our good friend Sue Quick who was tragically taken
from us, earlier in the year on the same stretch of river.
Many of the paddlers who attended the weekend were actually
paddling on the same weekend when Sue was taken. Sue would
regularly attend our Bridgetown weekends and last year took
out the women’s Wildwater Champion award. RIP.
It was then time to get on with the
business of our teams race. The idea is to create evenly matched
teams consisting of 3 paddlers. 8 teams were created from
the 25 paddlers (1 team of 4) with a mixture of experience
and boat speed. Although this is a race, the objective is
for a bit of fun and for experienced paddlers to assist new
paddlers in finding the perfect race lines around obstacles.
This format is also a very safe way for paddlers to race the
course with the security of having team mates to look after
each other. All teams must stay with each other and cross
the finish line together.
Teams event. Photo John
Hilton
There were a few swimmers amongst the
teams and the obstacle which claimed most of the paddlers
was a section of river where once you exit the rapid, you
need to make a sharp right turn between ti trees. (known as
‘The Big V’ or Championships). If you miss calculate
the turn, you will find yourself tangled in the trees. Fortunately,
we had a safety paddler on location and paddlers/ swimmers
made it through safely. We later awarded the swimmers with
swimming caps and floaties at the Saturday night teams awards.
Unfortunately for one paddler who took a swim at Photographers
Rapid. He swam beside the ski that he was paddling until it
hooked onto a tree and folded around the branch protruding
through the water. Our two safety boats ensured the paddler
was safe but it was too dangerous to rescue the ski. It remained
around the tree for the weekend and will be removed when the
water level drops. Our paddler was then taken back to the
finish line by one of the spectators. (I will point out that
boats wrapping around trees can happen in low water as well,
due to the force of flowing water.)
The winner of the teams race was team
#7 _ Peter G/ Neil L/ Bonnie M in a convincing time of 36m
23s, second place was team #6 Kieran S/ Lawrence G/ Ballie
L in 39m 18s and third place to team #3 Warren S/ Demi O/
Christopher G in 39m 38s
Winners were awarded bottles of wine
and chocolates while the last placed team enjoyed a bag of
peanuts. We all enjoyed a night at the Bridgetown Hotel for
dinner, where approx. 60 people joined in a night of fun and
great food. Some even made it over to the Freemason’s
Hotel across the road and rocked on into the late hours in
front of the live band….and behaved them selves of course.
Geegelup Cup
Paddlers arrived on Sunday morning,
rugged up and ready for another big day of racing. The river
level had risen again over night and the conversation turned
to what lines are people taking. Chicken chutes (short cuts
around the main line) were now considered racing lines. This
race is an individual pursuit race where paddlers set off
in 1 minute intervals and try to beat the times, and possibly
catch the paddler that sets of in front of them. Slower paddlers
set off first with the faster paddlers starting further back.
The first paddler (double plastic) set off with a cheer from
the crowd and passed under the main bridge. Unfortunately,
they were in for a swim at the first bend and as the next
few paddlers came through, there was a few more swimmers.
They all looked after each other and were soon back on course.
At Haystacks Rapid, most of the paddlers took the new race
line on the right hand side, avoiding the spectacular rapid
altogether. The racing was fierce and there were a few paddlers
that caught the rest of the field. Josh Kippin was in fine
form after his recent win in the Avon Descent. He soon caught
Wayne Martin and as they battled it out, they passed other
paddlers like they were on a social paddle.
Lawrence Greed. Photo
John Hilton
Eventually Josh was too good for Wayne
and he extended his lead by another minute to finish in first
place (26m 57s). Wayne finished 2nd (28m 57s) and young Kieran
Simpson finishing 3rd (31m 54s)
Sam Pilton finished first place in the
Women’s (32m 21s) with Bonnie Metzke in second place
in a time (35m 10s) Sam definitely showed great composure
through the course and her skill through the rapids would
put most to shame.
Sam Pilton 1st Women.
Photo John O'Sullivan
Jane Liddle. Photo John
Hilton
Peter Gigengack was the fastest of the
‘Wave Hopper’ class (33m 15s) with Brett Young finishing
second (34m 56s) followed by Kris Smith (35m 45s)
Peter Gigengack 1st Plastic.
Photo John Hilton
Kris Smith. Photo John
Hilton
In the sundries class (boats not fitting
the wildwater boat classification) we had a double plastic
kayak, two plastic skis and two K1 composite kayaks. Matt
Dean (k1) set off first with his mate Simon Roll (k1) behind.
In a strong paddling display, Matt smashed through the course
and Simon who also smashed through, was unable to catch him.
Matt 27m 17s, Simon 28m 7s. Roland Bolt in 3rd place, made
a good time of 33m 41s on his plastic ski and shows no fear
in the white water. But the bad luck story of the day would
go to Anne who unfortunately broke a rudder cable on her plastic
ski and had to withdraw from the race, half way through the
course. Fortunately, the boys in the double plastic kayak
were on the scene to assist with taking the boat over the
hill and directed Anne to the nearest road. Unfortunately,
the paddock they had walked into was surrounded by electrified
fencing and poor Anne was left walking the fields looking
for an exit. The word had been passed on to race officials
that Anne was off the river, but we still had no sign of her.
It was a nervous time as people searched the roads. Eventually,
it was the guys in the double kayak that were driving back,
found her and gave her a lift back to her car.
Chris Watson. Photo John Hilton
We all made it through safely and enjoyed
a lunch at ‘The Cidery’ who put on a wonderful lunch.
We awarded trophies to the series winners and also awarded
our state champions Josh Kippin and Sam Pilton.
The hospitality of Bridgetown was amazing,
and there were a lot of happy/ exhausted faces at the end
of the weekend. I would like to thank all the competitors
who looked after each other so well. Thank you to the families
and supporters who joined us and offered help. Thank you to
the WWR committee who all helped with the organising. Safety
boat paddlers Steve Pilton, Andrew Pope, Alan & Derek
and to our helpers along the river standing with throw bags.
Peter and Jane Liddle for race start and Greg Kippin for doing
the timing.
Everyone was on alert with the high
water level and at the end of the day, it was a very enjoyable
water level to play on and a very sociable weekend with a
bit of good competition added.
Looking forward to doing it again next
season.
Wildwater Chairperson/ Race Director
John O’Sullivan
****************************************************
With Sharks
being the flavour of the month
I thought I would share a couple of days of paddling in the
Kimberley
It was the middle of
October in the Kimberley, very hot 35-40 degrees, and impossible
to find fresh water but worst of all I was being chased and
hit by sharks and chased by crocodiles.
With no communication
and with no-one knowing where I was, if anything happened
I was all alone to deal with it.
On one trip a shark would
bump the kayak every 3rd or 4th day.
I still regard this expedition
the best I have ever done.
I was awoke to find a calm
sea and today I expected to reach Cape Voltaire about 7 hours
paddling away. It was Wednesday 13th October rather the Friday
the 13th so things should go well but I spoke too soon. Within
ten minutes of leaving the beach, gurgling sounds and splashes
from two 3 - 4 metre sharks started to tail me. They continually
criss-crossed my stern like it was some sort of new game,
but I couldn't share their enthusiasm. I was feeling uneasy
and waiting for the kill, and although I was now becoming
more used to them and less afraid who's to say they wouldn't
strike. I just needed eyes in the back of my head so I could
watch what they were doing. I was truly in suspense and waiting
for the guillotine to fall, well maybe a bump that may capsize
me. My hands skimmed the water with each paddle stroke, my
body sat only inches above the water, so the only real place
to be safe was to be on land.
I took a 16mm camera
to take some footage but after 34 years I still haven't seen
the footage I took
The Kimberley is full
of beautiful beaches but you can't swim because of the crocodiles.
The following day I was hit by a shark near the Prince Regent
River
Passing Wollaston Island with its high
range and steep cliffs I lost sight of them. My relief didn't
last long once I hit deeper water again, another smaller 2
- 3 metre shark started following but I was much less concerned.
Then a little later another big splash from a larger shark
had me wanting for a pee. I pulled onto a beach on an island
just off Katers Island with a small shark following. I had
a quick leak, a jump around to wake me up and I was off again
wasting little time.
When you paddle around
the Kimberley Coast you are usually hundreds of kilometres
from anywhere
It was the middle of
October, very hot 35-40 degrees, and impossible to find fresh
water but worst of all I was being chased and hit by sharks.
The sea became sloppy with waves hitting
me broadside. My mind was focused on Cape Voltaire and the
need to get around it that afternoon. Waves started hitting
my rear deck which startled me, as each crash I imagined them
being sharks. But a bigger splash turned out being a 3 metre
shark which was tailing me. I turned my head repeatedly checking
for the shape shimmering just under the ruffled blue sea.
The sun was in the perfect position to see it. Then I thought
my mind was playing tricks when I saw another 3 metre shark
had joined its friend and now they were both tailing me and
crisscrossing behind my rudder like it was some sort of new
game. Again I couldn't share their enthusiasm.
As soon as I slowed down to a near stop
they disappeared, but they appeared again when I paddled at
full speed. I was bursting for a pee, but I think it was the
frustration, the hard yakka and the psychological effect of
the sharks and ocean conditions that were making me want to
go so badly.
I had no alternative to stop and have
a leak. I couldn't do it inside the kayak and let it trickle
down my leg so I had to use my cup. With the sloppy seas however
that was going to be a test of my co-ordination, my balance
and a slice of good luck. I first had to take off my spray
deck, untie the cup, take out my penis and hope the cup is
squarely placed and then try to pee. It was often not easy
to pee sitting in a seat with pressure on your bladder. You
must try it one day. It made it worse in these rough conditions
as I had to hope that water didn't get into the cockpit or
the waves didn't capsize me before I was able to put the spray
deck back on, which was quite a tricky procedure. I managed
it okay.
The sharks didn't give up their game,
they continued to chase me and test my patience. For 6½
hours the sharks followed as I fought the rough seas. My concentration
started to fade as the hard yakka took its toll. Nothing was
easy in the Kimberley's hostile environment and this was just
one more of those days. To lift my enthusiasm I ate some dried
fruits which performed a mini miracle. I became energized
again.
In the far distance I could see a beach
which looked very inviting and with my hopes now dashed of
paddling around the cape, because of the rough conditions
the beach became my focus. I finally reached the safety of
the blistering hot beach which was probably the most important
beach I have ever landed on. I wrote in my diary that night
- 'I live another day'.
You can't believe how nice it was to
be roasting in the heat on firm ground after such testing
day. I thought to myself, today was like Russian Roulette,
but at least I was now safe. My life saving beach didn't have
the appearance of a paradise beach, as it had been contaminated
by a film of oil, but I didn't care, I was alive. A small
oil slick had formed close to the shore and moving along the
beach with the tide.
For an hour after erecting a shade I
laid down and relaxed. I can't remember too many days that
I've actually sat down and relaxed, usually I'm off walking.
I must have been tire but I needed to distil some water so
I had to collect plenty of wood. The beach sand scorched my
feet as I paced up and down collecting as much wood as possible
to keep the still going. It's hard to imagine how beautiful
a cup of coffee tastes after a draining day.
As my stills were in full operation
I started sewing some tape to make two water bottle holders
that would attach my water bottles to my belt. I will need
them when I walk 40kms from my landing spot at Mitchell Plateau
to the mining camp. It took time but when my stills produced
two cups of water I used them to cook my evening meal. I was
having macaroni, peas, chick peas, and soup mix. Believe it
or not it tasted delicious.
I had to still my own
fresh water from salt water to survive. The water tasted a
little like aluminium because the bottles and pipes were made
of aluminium
As I awoke there was a howling wind
that had been blowing all night. It was quite a surprise as
usually its calm at night giving me a few hours of flat seas
in the morning. I was hoping for a calm passage around the
cape but it looked as if I didn't get my wish. Surely though
nothing could be as mentally exhausting as yesterday.
Climbing the high rocky mound the wind
gusted from the west creating one hell of a messy sea. I was
hoping to check the sea conditions north of the point but
it was impossible to see the other side. Instead I found an
eagle's nest with one solitary egg sitting in a jumbled heap
of branches on a high rock.
With the conditions far from favourable
the choice to leave my camp with a thousand ants wasn't eagerly
decided. Fresh from a good nights' sleep my chances of safely
paddling around the wind tossed cape was much higher than
yesterday.
The surf dumped every few seconds leaving
me with the impossible task of entering the cockpit. My only
hope was to walk further out from the breaking surf and try
there, but my first attempt failed as a large wave dumped
filling the cockpit. What fun I'm having I thought, as I painstakingly
bailed out the kayak. The cockpit of a Nordkapp is very small
so it is impossible to get into the kayak in deep water without
using the paddle for support. That makes entering a lot more
difficult than if the cockpit was larger like kayaks are nowadays.
The weather although
hot can change in an instant
My second attempt was more successful,
only a couple of litres of water entered, which I pumped out
at sea and continued my adventure. Leaving Montague Sound
and the sight of the 152m Sharp Peak, I rounded the tricky
and unwieldy Cape Voltaire, my last troublesome point before
Mitchell Plateau. As I passed Krait Bay and entered Voltaire
Passage I was stunned to see the frightening sight of the
sea crashing violently onto an extended reef. My passage looked
completely blocked. I paddled on finding a passage between
the reefs and as I did the water calmed and became magical
as I could see the reefs, coral, sand and weed below through
the crystal clear water. Colourful fish accepted me as no
threat and fed on the coral and weed below, but a 2 ½
metre shark had to destroy my tranquil moment with the sensitive
environment. It started ramming my rudder. It wasn't very
big, but it was having fun, the cheeky brat nudged it time
after time however it was too small to worry about.
Heading south-east I passed Lavoisier
Island without the shark. Bigge Point, in the distance looked
very uninteresting and flat. I paddled on and then it struck
me, with the power of a bull. My kayak was lifted and I was
thrown off balance. I quickly regained my composure and turned
to see the large shark that had just rammed my rear left side.
I was horrified, the shark was at least
1-2 metres across, but I couldn't determine its great length
as it faded under the ocean. Oh no, there were two! A 2 -
3 metre shark , looking like a midget compared with the other
one was directly behind my rudder. I stopped. The closest
land was about 3 kms away. I needed to get there, but dashing
off could make my position worse. As I powered forward again
a large shape suddenly came into view. The big beast was leading
the field so I braced myself for the worst, maybe another
hit, but nothing happened.
The waiting game was nerve wracking.
I knew the shark could overturn me like a matchstick and my
chances of doing the Eskimo roll before it started chewing
at me were pretty slim. I imagined them going into a complete
frenzy and tearing my head off as I capsized.
I couldn't bear it, the thought made
me shudder and I immediately stopped to put my helmet on!
I attempted fastening the buckle with one shaking hand, my
other was firmly grasping on the paddle keeping my kayak stable
and ready for any action that might evolve.
My trembling hands failed to do the
strap up, so risking a capsize I let go of my paddle and used
two hands. I didn't know what good the helmet was going to
do, but somehow it felt safer!
Extending the paddle I slowly pulled
it through the water trying to avoid any big splashes. With
hands clearing the water the kayak was on the move. I paddled
slowly and it seemed to have worked, the sharks were not in
sight. I increased my speed, but hell the 2 - 3 metre shark
had returned. I stopped again. There were beaches fronted
by reefs, but I found a beach a little further at Bigge Point.
My shark situation seemed to be getting worse, was it my rudder
or the white hull that was attracting them? Repeatedly I stopped,
but the shark always returned when I speeded up. Was it because
the rudder was bouncing up and down like a lure? Tomorrow
I would try without it.
To erect a shade and distill more water
was top priority. From my first boil of the two stills produced
a litre of water. Before retiring I had collected 2 ½
litres, but it had taken a lot of sweat.
Camped on beaches, distilling
my own water with my primitive stills in the extreme heat
not knowing if a crocodile will walk into my camp when sleeping
was a real adventure.
It was getting to the stage that at
the end of each day I would be thankful that I lived another
day and again today was no exception.
It had been a disastrous night, the heat made my thirst chronic,
but I had to ration what I had. The mosquitoes attacked me
like it was their last summer and no tomorrow. I was restless,
hot and tired and my mind was full of thoughts. As I laid
in my hammock surrounded by mangroves, mosquitoes and night
noises I sneaked a sip of water before trying to sleep, but
the water from my still tasted like aluminum.
At the start of the new day I was wondering
what things were in store for me today. I had been bothered
by mosquitoes all night and now I was being attacked by sandflies
as I walked my kayak and gear down to the beach in the hazy
morning light. To see if it was the rudder that was attracting
the sharks I took it off.
I paddled around Bigge Point wondering,
watching and hoping that my passage across Walmesly Bay was
going to be a safe one. I had been away ninety three days.
Only but a handful of those days have I been with people.
The coastline was barren
with little shade from trees
Without the rudder to help steer my
long, heavy, slightly unstable kayak it became another challenge
for my body to cope with. Crossing Walmesly Bay was a painfully
frustrating affair. The wind hit broadside making me paddle
more on one side to keep the kayak straight. Many of my muscles
I didn't know I had started crying out for mercy. Heading
south also made it harder for me to see any sharks that were
following as the sun was now in the wrong direction.
After conquering my last exposed crossing
I beached at Pickering Point stretched my legs and had a leak
before starting my next 6km crossing. So far my luck was in,
I saw no sharks only a coastwatch plane over in the distance.
The appearance of three dolphins broke my spell of loneliness.
They gracefully swam parallel to me, their pale grey leader
showing scars of previous fights or attacks from sharks.
With the wind blowing harder, my uncontrollable
kayak was driving me crazy. Without the rudder I had to sweep
and paddle on one side repeatedly to keep the kayak straight.
Even leaning the kayak failed to help it track. The increased
strain on my body soon buggered me and gave me the willies
but when a black tipped shark began to follow I now wished
I hadn't taken the rudder blade off. I had thought it was
the rudder attracting the sharks.
I was so frustrated with kayaking without
the rudder that I decided to beach and put it back on. Now
my steering problems were suddenly over so I could concentrate
on paddling. The difference it made was incredible, I made
a remarkable recovery and felt much better.
Moving into Crystal Creek Bay I discovered
a beach just around the corner in the shelter of the point.
I was hoping to paddle up Crystal Creek to get some fresh
water but the tide was dropping fast and it was surrounded
by some unfriendly mangroves. Instead I decided to walk to
the fresh water creek after I had unloaded and made camp.
At 12.30pm and in the crippling heat I started the 4km walk
over the mud flats. For 45 minutes my feet sank deeply into
the sand and slippery mud. The flats were dotted with oyster
laden rocks, which took some traversing.
The tightly woven mangroves that had
tentacles that grew through the mud like spikes and hard to
walk through, were backed up by sandstone boulders and outcrops
that encouraged thick grass and spinifex to grow. A small
mangrove creek created another problem and walking around
it was just too much to take in the unbearable heat. With
only 3 litres of water left I couldn't afford to waste any
more sweat on what could be a wild goose chase. Should I go
on or not? Energy depleted and light headed, created by the
scorching sun I decided that returning to camp to distil water
and rest was much more sensible. I had been told of a creek
with running water near my landing spot at Walsh Point, a
day away, so I took the gamble and returned to camp. I arrived
back taking only two sips of water, I really needed more,
but I couldn't spare any. My body was in desperate need to
cool off. I'm sure doctors would put my present position and
suffering in the first stages of exhaustion or hyperthermia.
The heat was unbearable
and with less than 3 litres the walk across the mud flats
to find freshwater in the far distance was agonising.
For 10 minutes I dosed myself with salt
water and a slight breeze, combined with the water cascading
down my body cooled me a little. I kept a look out as small
reef sharks patrolled along the shallows, seemingly waiting
for me to go in deeper. The refreshing shower had revived
my ailing body, giving me the energy to erect a shade, do
some sewing and get the stills boiling. After distilling for
several hours my fresh water supplies were increased to 4
litres. Not a good amount of water considering how hot it
was and that I didn't know for definite if the creek at Walsh
Point was still running. Due to my water situation I had to
sacrifice my usual nightcap.
For the full story go here:
https://terrybolland.com/kimberley-kayak-expedition-1/
Race of the Week
Moore River
En route to a trip to the
northern wildflowers last week, we stopped for a morning tea
break at Regan's Ford. I saw that the Moore River was flooding
and wondered if the upper reaches could be paddled.
So last Wednesday, James,
Gisela and I put in at Gingin Brook on the Gingin Brook Road.
A couple of hundred metres downstream from the bridge we met
the Moore River proper and we paddled off downstream. It was
still flowing quite fast and it was a reasonably challenging
paddle, dodging between the trees. Had the flow been any faster
some of our sudden change of routes could have been disastrous!
There were some wider pools with lots of narrow sections in
between. However we only had to get out and drag our boats
once, though James kindly hauled Gisela and myself over a
couple of logs. It took us 2hours to get to the bridge on
Indian Ocean Drive. Our next landmark was to be the weir that
we normally paddle to when we paddle upstream from the mouth.
However it went by completely unnoticed! So I guess we were
following a side channel, as we started to recognise features
downstream from the weir. All up we paddled about 10km further
upstream than we normally can. It was very peaceful with the
lovely paperbarks and it's always exciting to paddle somewhere
when you're not quite sure where you'll end up! It could have
been a tedious walk out!
Pam Riordan
*********************************
Our Canadian
Friends
on one of their Local Lakes
Dan & Cheryl
We have been spending a lot of time
at our lake. We come back home once a week to do laundry,
get groceries, cut the grass and then head back out for another
week. We have had a great season of fishing out there with
a number of day trips with the Kayaks on our lake and on other
lakes in the area. We did some diving and some free diving
here as well. I brought mountain bikes out to scoot around
some of the logging roads but that came to an end after a
Cheryl had a couple falls. The roads are hilly, narrow and
rocky, but a great workout and you can sneak up on wildlife.
After convincing her that I wasn't trying to kill her, I did
realize that she might get seriously hurt. So if I want to
do any more mountain biking out there I'll have to find some
else who is keen to do it with. We try to squeeze as much
outdoor activity as we can in those 4 months of the year.
Pretty tough life isn't it, This retirement gig. I have lived
thru 6 years of retirement now. The thought of going back
to and 8 hour a day job scares the hell out of me.
Dan ready to camp
Cheryl paddling off in
the mist
Bath time in Canada
This November we are planning
a 2 week trip to Cuba. We will be diving shipwrecks from the
Spanish American War. Some of them are very large battleships.
History states that, in an act of revenge for supposedly sinking
the USS Maine in Havana Harbour, the US Navy hunted down the
Spanish fleet in Cuba and sunk, one by one, every Spanish
ship in their fleet. Should be sensational diving.
Cheryl's 60 th birthday is coming up this December 30th. We
plan to be in New Orleans for her birthday as well as New
Years returning home on the 4th of January. The spouse of
Cheryl's niece has a time share right in the French Quarter
with room for 8 of us. Sometime in February we plan to drive
down to see our friends Kath and Ron in Fort Myers Florida
for a couple of weeks. Then possibly some diving in the Keys
and probably spend some time in Nashville.
Race of the Week
Nanga Challenge
17-09-2016
Kayak - Cycle - Run
Location
Murray River, Dwelingup
*********************
MARATHON MEETING
Saturday 3 September 10am at AKC.
Invitation to all Canoe WA members and
Marathon paddlers:
Agenda:
– Volunteers to join the committee
for next season.
– Volunteers for the Chairperson
role
– Initial Planning for the 2016/17
season
– Preparation of a regular meeting
schedule
– Volunteers who may be available
to help throughout the season
Please RSVP to hodsond@me.com so we
can provide morning tea.
This meeting requires a few attendees from every club if at
all possible.
Any questions in the meantime to Trevor
Longwood,
0431 678 500, trevorl@rfre.com.au
*********************
2016 CANNING
NOMINATION RACE
Sunday 11th September 2016
Shelley Sailing Club, Watersby Crescent
Shelley
The Race with a difference Long course
12km (2 hour time limit applies).
Short course approximately 4km
Registration 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 email
Sponsored by Canning River Canoe Club
*********************
CWA AGM Thursday
22nd of September 2016
The Annual General Meeting to be held
on Thursday 22 of September 2016 at the Department of Sport
and Recreation facility, Leederville commencing from 6.00pm.
Notice of AGM
Minutes of Previous AGM 2015
Nomination form for Director of Board
Nomination for election of Office Bearer 2016-2019
The Agenda will be circulated closer
to time.
We look forward to seeing you at the
AGM.
If you can make the 2016 AGM please
RSVP to develop@paddlewa.asn.au for catering purposes.
Yours sincerely
Rosalie Evans
Executive Officer
*********************
Be Active Classic
Paddle
Sunday 9th October
Narrows Bridge to Gilbert Fraser Reserve
Registrations to open soon
CconCONGRATULATIONS
To Ann Smithson and Peter Beyer on the arrival of their baby
boy
who was born last Friday...it's a shame I didn't have a baby
size CDU T-Shirt!!
gCcrCoatulations to Ann Smithson and
Peter on the arrival of their son J