Enjoy the CDU Newsletter
Published: Fri, 12/02/16
525
2nd December 2016
Message Bank
Well it's been a busy week for Downwind Paddlers with the
West Coast Downwinder, the Doctor and the Summer evening races.
It was such a pity that the weather pattern wasn't favourable
for the Doctor Race. Unlike last years excellent conditions
there was no wind and 38 degree heat. Many paddlers suffered
and were pretty sick or exhausted at the end. Lets hope it
doesn't turn paddlers off from competing next year.
**********************************
Last week things seemed grim when I got word from Epic that
my services were no longer required. Since having some communication
with head office this week and the fact that they now realise
the situation wasn't handled very well, we are now trying
to work towards a better outcome.
So for the moment at least it is business as usual.
Terry 0417 977 330 or email terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au
Hank McGregor first to stand on solid ground
after a gruelling hot 38 degree, 27km race from Rottnest to
Sorrento .
Young Noah Havard from Sydney tries to beat
Peter Hinds to the beach. A swarm of paddlers are not that
far behind. The calm conditions and less swell to ride paddlers
were closer together than usual.
After racing from Rottnest to Sorrento on
Saturday Luke still takes to the water Sunday morning before
driving back to Kalbarri. Luke's full Doctor Race report next
week.
Monday morning Alaine turns up for training
so we paddle upstream to meet Joe, Steve and Thomas on thier
way back from Barkers Bridge. We then race them back. Joe
was happy as he broke his record, recording 57 minutes.
**************************
Pallinup River
Descent
Read lower down - about how four old guys
paddled a river with little water and lots of portages
Alan Moreby, Richard Molek and Richard
Swindale checking out one of many portages. The forth
paddler on this extreme expedition and taking the photo was
no other than the great paddler and amazing story teller and
always full of laughter and fun, Steve Coffee
**************************************
Marathon # 3 Claisebrook Race
December 4 @ 8:30 am - 10:30 pm
Claisebrook Cove
**************************************
Sprint Canoeing Regatta # 3
December 3 @ 7:00 am - 11:00 pm
Training & Courses
PLEASE NOTE:
Monday Night Training
is now at
Ascot Kayak Club
5.45pm
*******************
Saturday Morning Fitness Training
7.15am for a 7.30am start
Sandy Beach Reserve, West Road,
Bassendean
*******************
Featured Products
Epic Sale (New
Epic Skis)
Canoeing Down Under is discounting $600.00 off the new Epic
V10 Performance lay-up models which are approx 15.5kgs to
$3290.00.
The Epic V10 Club 17.5kgs
is discounted $600.00 to $2590.00.
******************
Epic V14
The V14 and V10L in Performance models (15kgs) discounted
$700.00 to $3190.00.
Sale ends 19th December or while stocks last.
Call Terry on 0417 977 330 or email terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au
****************************
The Alchemist
to the rescue
I was sankadoodalling along yesterday
morning heading upstream towards Guildford Bridge when I noticed
a dog halfway across the river heading towards a group of
ducks. I was paddling my Alchemist instead of my Epic K1 as
it was a little more stable to take photographs from and I
thought this morning was going to be a good morning for a
brilliant bird photo.
As I approached the Pickering Park
boat ramp I heard shouts 'Holly come here'. Not only did I
recognise the voice I then saw the figure of Alaine moving
out from the shadow of a tree.It was the second time in two
weeks that I have had to shepherd dogs away from ducks. At
least Holly wasn't after ducklings like the last one was.
These could fly away.
I could see that Alaine had perfect
control of her new dog as it swam in the opposite direction
and across the river. I soon put my kayak between Holly and
the ducks to try to get her to turn back and head her back
towards the bank where Alaine was eagerley waiting, but she
was determined to move around me. Eventually after a near
ten minutes and like a sheep dog I managed to shepherd her
within metres of the boatramp where Alaine's other dog Duke
was swimming. And even with Duke being there Holly just wanted
to go back out again and didn't seem a bit tired or interested
in going back to Alaine. Eventually Alaine was able to walk
in the water and put her lead on. Holly was that strong I
thought Alaine was going to be pulled into the water and have
a swim herself.
Alaine with her two rescued
dogs Holly & Duke
*************
Talk about dogs. There
is one dog owner who puts his dog in the river near Garvey
Park and it swims in the middle of the river to Tonkin Highway
Bridge which is just over a kilometre. Alaine and I went to
rescue it one time when we were competing in the Marathon
Championships but the owner just shouted at us to say it was
alright.
I watch it swim by quite a lot.
Stories
The Doctor Race
Rottnest to
Fremantle
Hank McGregor first place
Cory Hill second place.
First women Hayley Nixon
2.09.22, just ahead of Teneale Hatton. What a close race only
6 seconds seperate the pair.
David Mocke and Jasper Mocke in the background
Dawid Mocke beats his
brother Jasper by 32 seconds
Jasper Mocke 5th pips
Mackenzie Hynard to the beach
Clint Robinson and paddle
boarder Rhys Burrows paddling my double team up after Rhys
won the back seat to paddle with Clint in a competition..
Young Zach Havard with
a time of 2.7.59 is 50 seconds behind his brother Noah
16 year old Luke Dooley
on my V14, in his first big Downwind Race 2.19.23
The ship was early and
got in the way of some paddlers. Photo Jane Dooley
Luke Dooley and I at
the finish
Paddle
of the Week
Pallinup River
Descent
July / September 2016
(Richard Swindale)
This is a true account
of the first recorded kayak descent of the Pallinup River…by
four aged paddlers with failing memories who should have known
better – having clearly forgotten the trials and tribulations
of their last expedition down the Hotham River in 2013. However
team leader Richard Molek schemed, coaxed and cajoled paddlers
Alan Morbey, Steve Coffee, Richard Swindale and support ‘volunteer’
Jason ‘JJ’ Molek to once again abandon their normal
routines and launch four kayaks into the unknown…
Perhaps not entirely unknown.
The Pallinup is celebrated locally, especially the lower reaches
where it flows into the Beaufort Inlet, a majestic estuary
carved into the coastline approximately half-way between Albany
and Bremer Bay. However the upper reaches are rarely disturbed
by eccentric paddlers, and who could know what hazards existed
towards the river’s source 180 kms upstream near Gnowangerup
– deep gorges, thundering rapids, whirlpools, crocodiles?
No such perils were evident on earlier reconnaissance trips,
yet neither could they be ruled out…In reality our true
hazard was lack of flowing water, and with a single gauge
located well downstream, information on river levels was in
short supply. Preparation advice included paddling up and
down a pool filled with treacle, and dragging lead-filled
boats through sandpits.
The Pallinup skirts around the picturesque
Stirling Ranges National Park
Our plan was simple. Set
up base camp in the shadow of the Stirling Ranges, locate
ourselves at a pre-determined put-in spot each day, paddle
to a planned finish spot, return to base camp each night,
enjoy a hot shower at the Stirling Range Retreat and congratulate
ourselves on a successful day’s paddle. That was the
plan… What really happened? It turns out you actually
do need more than a few centimetres of flowing water to float
a plastic boat containing one normally sedentary paddler,
water bottle, thermos, can of tuna and the odd piece of fruit.
So selecting a put-in spot was slightly tricky. More professional,
well-resourced expeditions might have sent up a drone and
streamed back high-definition video from various normally
inaccessible locations. However we needed to decide based
on a brief visual inspection of 100m of river up and downstream
from the few odd road crossings. The best spot to begin appeared
to be where the Pallinup trickled under the Gnowangerup Tambellup
Road, approximately 10km south-west of Gnowangerup.
In the shining clear crystal
vision which only appears in hindsight, this might not have
been a great decision.
Despite an uncomfortably early pre-dawn drive from Perth,
the first day was only ever planned to be a half-day paddle.
However it was more portage than paddle. This was single-file
paddling down a narrow channel filled with silt and fallen
trees. Support team ‘JJ’ met us at Camballup Road
nearly four hours and only 8kms later. At barely 2km per hour,
a Pallinup descent appeared beyond our endurance and leave
passes. There was more of the same on day 2. Perhaps the pools
were longer, but the portages just as relentless. Not to mention
clouds of mosquito swarms which descended onto every exposed
piece of skin every time we slowed down – which was pretty
often due to the numerous portages and sandbars. After seven
hours paddling we were still struggling to keep our average
above 2km per hour. We were too tired for the precise mental
arithmetic as we left the river at Formby Rd South, however
the problem was clear. Ten hours of daylight, 2km/hr, maximum
daily distance 20km, but all of the subsequent legs were longer
than 20km…
Fairly early start….
On a previous reconnaissance trip, Richard M and JJ had documented
every public access point on the river between Broomehill
and the Beaufort Inlet. Our daily put-in and put-out points
were carefully planned based on the distance between access
points. Without picking up the pace, there would not be enough
daylight to paddle each leg. The various options were canvassed
back at the camp. Paddle at night? Silly idea. Push hard on
the water and then walk the final few kms at night? Too risky.
Load up the boats and camp on the bank overnight? The extra
weight would leave the kayaks sitting on the riverbed.
Richard Swindale has
little room to manoeuvre…
What this is a river
Yet another portage
Day 3 was therefore
going to be interesting – 21.5kms between Formby Road
South and Majitup Road. There was plenty of time to think
it through whilst trying to get to sleep in our modest campsite
of hiking tents and foam mattresses – except Steve who
had previously spent 2 hours constructing a canvas Taj Mahal,
and whose immediate snoring was a reliable indicator of the
luxurious conditions inside his tent palace.
Day 3 plan required a pre-dawn
start to maximise the amount of daylight available on the
water. JJ’s windscreen ice-scraping in the morning confirmed
indications that it might have been cold overnight. Further
confirmation arrived when donning wet paddling attire, and
carefully placing frozen foot into ice cold water. So the
rain and icy winds were not exactly welcomed for the first
few kms; however at least it meant water was falling into
the river, and the levels seemed to be improving as we moved
downstream. With a few small rocky drops, we also started
to get a sense of moving downhill, although the channels were
still hard to find, and invisible algae-covered rocks seemed
to appear out of nowhere every few minutes.
Good going for a few hundred metres at least
At the end of the day we
had paddled for nearly 8 ½ hours, and thankfully improved
the average speed to 2.5 kms/hour. The next leg looked possible!
The Day 4 leg was 23.3 kms from
Majitup Road through to Omeehans Road, where the river turns
south and heads directly toward Bluff Knoll. This paddle trip
was starting to become enjoyable. More water, more flow, less
mosquitoes, sunshine! By now the expedition had become a well-oiled
machine: woken up by the human alarm clock – Alan –
pre-dawn; quick breakfast in the camp kitchen; load the wet
paddling gear into the trailer (following usually futile attempts
to dry everything overnight); pile into the car while JJ sets
the GPS to our putin location; drive to river and locate boats
which have been carefully hidden near the riverbank overnight;
review inventory of missing and forgotten equipment left back
at the camp (yes Steve, it probably would be safer with a
PFD but we don’t expect many rapids and we don’t
have time to drive back to the campsite…).
Long, shallow pools…
Now what was Steve (red kayak) thinking as he walked the shallows.
Was it - Terry Bolland I'm going to beat you one day!! Or
was it - Terry eat your heart out I'd bet you would have loved
to be on this expedition!! Or - I wish I was as good looking
as Terry!
Or was it - can't wait to get to the end!
We will never know.
…followed by another portage
However things started
to get a bit trickier on Day 5. The next leg was 12.9
kms to Sandalwood Road, which seemed a straightforward half-day
paddle. But the following leg from Sandalwood to Chillinup
Road was the longest at 33.1 kms. After much soul-searching
we decided it would not be possible to make the Sandalwood
leg on this trip. Even our best case scenario would mean either
paddling at night or camping overnight on the bank –
and we were equipped for neither. Sandalwood would need to
be saved for later.
So a short, easy paddle
was the plan, but who was paying attention to the weather
forecast? Mobile communications were a little patchy at the
Stirling Range Retreat, and we assumed it might be a little
cold and rainy at times, but didn’t anticipate one of
the biggest fronts of the year moving through the South West…The
river had developed into a rock garden with an increasing
number of grade 1 and 2 rapids, and we luckily missed the
worst of the front while on the water. But it was mayhem back
at the camp. All but the sturdiest tents had been blown over,
and the Taj Mahal was in urgent need of renovation –
resulting in Steve spending the night in his swag on the concrete
floor of the camp kitchen.
Nice drop - tough portage
Alan - just need more
rain and it could be fun
Walking the small rapids
Steve happy to see the
end of THAT rock garden
Having skipped the Sandalwood leg, Day
6 was a 23 km paddle from Chillinup Road to the South Coast
Highway bridge. This was a 7 hour paddle at approx. 3.5 kms/hour,
indicating a vast improvement in water flow since we started.
Given the number of drops, rapids, rock gardens etc, we must
also have lost a significant amount of elevation – which
took a toll on equipment and people. Two rudders destroyed
(Alan’s indispensable cable ties coming to good use);
one back out of whack, one shoulder damaged, most paddles
cracked and chipped. However it was fantastic to reach the
bridge and get off the water knowing that tomorrow’s
leg would take us to the lower reaches which eventually open
out into the Beaufort inlet and the coast.
The final day’s paddle
was a real highlight of the trip. The 25.4 km leg to the coast
initially included numerous drops and rapids, and then swept
past magnificent cliffs and rock faces before
opening into the inlet. This time we were able to enjoy lunch
on a cliff-face overlooking the inlet, and then paddle the
few kms across the inlet to the beach. It was an amazing feeling
to see the huge waves crash over the beach into the river-mouth
after spending so long battling through narrow channels, shallow
pools, rock gardens and rocky rapids.
Cliff-face downstream
from the South Coast highway
River lunch break in the sun – this is what it’s
all about
Celebrating at the inlet
- What a team - the Amazon River here we come
Heading across the Beaufort Inlet toward the surf
However despite the celebrations, there was a nagging sense
of unfinished business – the missing leg from Sandalwood
to Chillinup Road.
So we came back a few weeks later! JJ handed the support baton
to Steve, and we packed for a two-day trip with an overnight
camp on the river. Packing light would be important, and Richard
M lead the way – with no tarp, no sleeping mattress,
no rain jacket and no shoes. Only Richard M will know if this
was regretted, but it should be noted that we camped on hard
ground and it rained all night. Sometimes it’s a relief
just to get back in the boat…
This section of river covered everything we had experienced
over the first 7 days – narrow channels, portages, rock
gardens, long sweeping pools, and numerous rocky rapids. Towards
the end of the leg we were buzzed by a low-flying light aircraft.
Steve at his overnight support camp had befriended a local
farmer, who subsequently decided to fly up and search for
these foolish paddlers somewhere on the river Also, unbeknown
to us at the time, the farmer’s wife is a keen seasoned
paddler who has lived within the area most of her life. She
was amazed that anybody would attempt to paddle the Pallinup
starting so far upstream.
It was a great feeling
to get out of the water for the last time, change into some
dry clothes, enjoy a cup of soup by the campfire, and contemplate
an amazing nine days on the Pallinup River.
This trip log concludes with a selection of additional photographs,
some distance and timing details for anyone else interested
in a similar trip, and a big thanks to the following: team
leader Richard Molek, who basically organised everything,
ensured we made safe and sensible decisions, and without whom
the trip would have not been possible; JJ Molek, our indispensable
and tireless support crew, who drove us every morning to the
river, waited patiently all day in the hope we would appear
before dark, made all our backup plans, and also without whom
the trip would have been impossible; and finally all of our
respective families, who humoured our hobby and indulged our
absence to pursue a small adventure on the Pallinup.
Richard Swindale
Promoting Paddling
Action Outdoors kayaking
day
Yarrawonga Mulwala Amateur
Canoe Club is pleased to be involved in the official opening
of Bunnings Yarrawonga.
In the 1970s and 80s
I used to take kayaking displays to Shopping Centres in the
hope of enticing new members to the Ascot Kayak Club.
***************************
Free Barbeque
We have two barbeques
and we only need one so this one that Jenny is using as a
plant table has to go.
Works well when connected
to a gas bottle
Call me on 0417 977 330
if you want it before Sunday afternoon as it 'bring out your
dead' this Monday
Races
Marathon # 3 Claisebrook Race
December 4 @ 8:30 am - 10:30 pm
**********************
Sprint Canoeing
Regatta # 3
December 3 @ 7:00 am - 11:00 pm
**********************
Sprint Kayak
Regatta
dates for this season
Regatta 3 - Saturday
3rd December - Champion Lakes
State Champs - 14th - 15th January - Champion Lakes
Regatta 4 - 26th February - Champion Lakes
**********************
National Sprint
Grand Prix # 1
December 9 @ 8:00 am - December 11 @ 5:00 pm
West Lakes
Adelaide, South Australia
**********************
Slalom Collie
Camp #2
December 10 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
**********************
Slalom Summer
Series #2
December 11 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
**********************
Indian Ocean
Paddling Race 4
December 17 @ 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
to be confirmed
Sand Tracks
Christmas Classic
This is an inaugural event that we envisage
becoming an annual fixture on the West Australian sporting
calendar. The Sand Tracks Christmas Classic is a paddle craft
race that, in its first year, is catering for both men and
women in the Specification (SLS) and Molokai Ski categories.
While Double and Plastics Skis are welcome to enter, there
will be no cash prize category for them, they will however,
receive an official time and will be eligible for spot prizes.
The race will cover a distance of 11.75km
and will be from the North Cottesloe SLSC to Sand Tracks Beach
and back. In addition to providing a solid hit out or challenge
for most grade of paddler, there are a number of other incentives
within the race that include a chance to beat the clock for
a spot in our hall of fame (The 59ers).
Prize money for both men and women will
be identical in all 4 of the recognized categories on the
day.
In an effort to create the best possible
event experience, we have structured this race so that it
user friendly and runs to time. By taking note of the following
detail, you can help us realize this goal.
Ingress & Egress – parking
at the North Cottesloe SLSC is fairly limited and as such,
we have created a competitor drop off point for equipment.
On the west side of Marine Parade, we will have blocked up
to 10 car bays so that competitors can drive in and unload
equipment onto the grassed area North of the club.
On hand will be a number of volunteers
to provide assistance, security and up to date information
on everything from registration to race times.Organiser:
North Cottesloe SLSC
151 Marine Parade
Cottesloe WA 6010
PO Box 173
Cottesloe WA 6911Internet:
http://www.ncslsc.com/e-mail:
niallwarren01@gmail.com
Important Information:
ENTRY
Remains open until 8th December 2016 at 9.00pm.
Costs are:
15 years and over $38.50 (inclusive of GST by the Event)
- See more at: http://www.paddlewa.asn.au/2016/11/03/sand-tracks-christmas-classic/#sthash.CbGhuZxk.dpuf