Enjoy your CDU Newsletter
Published: Fri, 02/10/17
532
10th February 2017
Message Bank
Well what a summer we are having. After the coldest February
day, record rain overnight, I was up at 5.00am setting out
the buoys for our Friday morning training. Last Saturday I
was in the whitewater overheating because it was so warm,
this morning I was wearing 2 thermals, a long sleeve cag and
if I stood still I got cold.
With all the rain yesterday and overnight paddlers are predicting
a level at Walyunga being 3 metres high which is pretty high
and although much of the river is washed out, a few of the
rapids are going to be huge, unforgiving and unmanageable.
If you capsize at Syds Rapid and survive you will probably
get washed downstream a kilometre before you can rescue yourself.
Being wrapped around a rock or tree in the middle of the river
in this water level can be suicidal. The power in the water
will be difficult to fight and rescuers might find it impossible
to help you.
So although it can be a great experience to paddle a high
river, for some it can be disastrous. So think before you
go and commit to the river this weekend.
************************************
WARNING FOR WALYUNGA
Due to the predicted height of the river all the slalom gates
will be taken down at Walyunga. The wires however are permanent
and WILL STILL BE IN PLACE. Every attempt will be made to
lift them as much as possible but some may be in or around
water level.
IF you are doing a river trip during the high
water a portage is highly recommended.
************************************
With all the silt and mud coming down with
the high water levels the beautiful sandy beaches along the
river are being coated with a layer of mud.
************************************
Cameron Vogel and Mitchell Vogel in Walyunga
National Park last week.
Luke Dooley at Walyunga Chute wave
The summer Avon River flow was enjoyed by many
in the last few days. For me it was a good opportunity to
take young Luke Dooley up to the Walyunga National Park to
teach him some more whitewater skills. Last year I managed
to get him into the whitewater only once in a play kayak,
which was his first time. (A bit hard to get in the whitewater
when he lives in Kalbarri.) Since then he has paddled the
Wavehopper a couple of times in T Trees and completed the
Avon Descent on a PRS ski.
So we returned to the park on Saturday to see if he had remembered
some of the skills I taught him. The river height 0.8m was
perfect to surf the waves. I could instantly see a change
in his skills from the last session. He was much more confident
and when I got him to do some surfing in the wave at the chute,
I thought oh-no he will be teaching me how to do it soon.
Luckily it wasn’t this week, but I will have to watch
out because it won’t be long.
Time to enjoy the wave at Walyunga Chute
******************************************
Back in November it was a shock to hear that
Pat Tullock was in hospital after suffering a torn aorta.
Apparently, he is very lucky to be alive!
Patrick Tulluck on Tuesday in his Alchemist
kayak.
Some very good news
Patrick is slowing getting back into kayaking.
As you can imagine he is taking it easy. I paddled next to
him for a few minutes on Tuesday morning and although he said
he was taking it easy for a minute there I didn't think I
would keep up.
Before his torn aorta Pat was one of the fittest
62 year olds and an Australian Marathon Champion.
The end of Tuesday morning training. Martin
Watson and Robby Roll are two of the fastest old (60+) guys
in WA. I wish I could get within 2 minutes of them in a 10km
race.
Kathy Mallory/Ronald
Lachenicht about to cross the line in the Canning River Race
*************************************
Sandy Beach
DR Race (Tuesday evening)
It was close racing at
Sandy Beach Tuesday night although the young gun Luke spoiled
our fun. Peter Liddle, Michael Liddle and myself were all
on 6min.12secs after winding ourselves around the twisty,
very windy course. However Luke beat us by 13 seconds on his
first run and 21 seconds on his second run. On our second
run Peter and I were level again with a time of 6.14 with
Michael being a couple of seconds behind but Luke was even
faster. We need someone next week to give him a run for his
money.
Baillee was best of the
DR ladies with a time of 6.22, with Jane Wavehopper second
7.22 and Ann third.
John B was best in the
wavehopper with a time of 6.36 followed by Jason G 6,57, followed
by Chris H 7.02.
Luke at training on a very wet, dark, cool
Friday morning
*************************************
Next DR Around
The Buoys Race
Point Reserve, Bassendean
5.30pm . Tuesday 14th
The race is on
Can
you beat Luke Dooley
*************************************
Is Your Helmet Up To Standard
Last year there was some discussion about getting paddlers
to wear a certified helmet in the Avon Descent. This not only
helps to protect the paddler from a serious injury but it
also sets a safety standard for the organisers.
More information will be out soon.
*************************************
Training & Courses
Monday Night
Training
Ascot Kayak Club
5.45pm
*******************
Saturday Morning Training
7.15am for a 7.30am start
Sandy Beach Reserve, West Road,
Bassendean
*******************
Ascot KC Come & Try Slalom
11th & 12th February
*******************
Summer Down
River Training
Friday Mornings
1 more session to go
Claughton Reserve, Bayswater
6.00am
Summer Down River Training Around Buoys
Open to all paddlers
0417 977 330 or terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au
Practise on flat water
will benefit all paddlers paddling on whitewater
Being fast is one thing but being able to control and position
your kayak around turns using boat leans and paddle strokes
is another.
organised for the WA
Wild Water Committee
Sam Pilton braved the
wet, chilly Friday morning training.
Spencer King also braved
the wet, chilly morning. Whilst we haven't seen Spencer in
a DR kayak for some time, many of the Friday morning regulars
didn't turn up. With Spencer being more of a Downwind paddler
nowadays and having two young children he is not seen as much
on the flatwater as he used to be.
*****************
Next DR Around
The Buoys Race
Point Reserve, Bassendean
5.30pm . Tuesday 14th
The race is on
Can
you beat Luke Dooley
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***************************
Lets Get A Bit
More Serious
but still have stabilty
and good speed
GT Aero (Grafton
Paddle Sports)
The GT is relatively
stable, comfortable and easy to handle as a racing or touring
kayak. A perfect boat for new paddlers who want to paddle
for fitness or those who want to paddle in TK1 races.
It's exceptional handling capabilities and higher deck makes
it ideal for rough conditions.
It is light weight kayak making it easy to manage on and off
the car.
Price: Depends on construction.
Length: 4.58 m
Width: 58.5 cm
Weight: 10 - 13kg. Depending on construction
Australian Made
***************************
OK I'm Now Serious
but still have stability
Alchemist (Grafton
Paddle Sports)
The Alchemist K1. This is a no compromise
kayak that has almost the speed of a top K1 but with better
stability and superior handling.
With the Alchemist being
more stable than an Olympic K1, paddlers with less experienced
or paddlers getting older in the tooth like me can paddle
this K1 more comfortably. I will be paddling this kayak in
the Australian Marathon Championships.
The Alchemist is good for paddlers above 80 kg, but there
is also a mid sized model, (pictured) the Alchemist MV, for
55 to 85 kg, and there is also a small version called the
Alchemist SV for paddlers under 60 kg.
Length: 5.2m
Beam: 0.40m
Weight: 10 - 12kg
Cockpit : K1
Options;
Underslung or trailing rudder.
Tiller bar or pedal steering.
Price varies dependong
on construction
Stories
Canning Ascent
Race
The wind was blowing across
the river when I got up so it didn't look the best conditions
for the race. The Canning Ascent is one of those races that
you have to pick your boat taking into account the first kilometre
as it can get seriously rough. I did give a little thought
to paddling a ski or my multisport kayak which are more stable
but as I am going to the Australian Marathon Champs I thought
I better paddle my Alchemist K1.
When you think of the modern Olympic K1s, which are the tippiest
kayak to paddle, well the Alchemist is 1 or 2 notches more
stable so old guys like me or paddlers with less experienced
can paddle a K1 more comfortably.
In this race there is a car shuffle but because I never like
asking others to do a shuffle with me I dropped Luke off at
the start, drove to the finish to leave my car and then paddled
to the start which was just over 6kms and a nice warm up.
The wind was blowing in my direction which was a help and
by the time I reached my destination the briefing was about
to start. This year because of algae upstream of Riverton
Bridge the course was changed which meant we would be paddling
against more wind and over more shallows, just to make it
a little tougher.
K1 winner Dave Worthy
adjusting his paddle before the race
By the time the first grid
the K2s went off there was a brisk wind blowing which ruffled
the water. It wasn't the worst I had seen, but that first
1.3km section into Bull Creek was going to test some of the
K1 paddlers including myself. And it's a long way to swim.
When the hooter sounded for grid 3 I was off. I was next to
Kris Smith who was also in an Alchemist and he flew off keeping
slightly ahead of me for a while which is not unusual as he
always has a quicker start. I would have to wear him down,
which I eventually did. A big bunch of paddlers over to my
left, who were mainly on skis led the way. Having the stability
on this section was an advantage. My main aim was to try and
not let get them get too far ahead but at the same time avoid
a capsize in these sloppy conditions.
When we reached Mount Henry Bridge most of the fleet went
to the left of the right hand bridge pylon but I went to the
right hoping my straighter course would benefit me. It might
have done if a power boat hadn't come through and created
a wave in an already sloppy river. When the wave hit me I
went for a brace and my left leg for some reason shook with
fear as the kayak wallowed. I soon gained my composure and
with 150 metres of confused water between me and Bull Creek
I was longing for calmer water. As we slipped into Bull creek
there were about 11 paddlers in front of me but to my surprise
they weren't as far ahead as I expected them to be which gave
me some confidence that I would be able to pass some of them
in the calmer waters.
Div 3 paddlers. Photo
John O'Sullivan. I was creeping up the pack.
Conditions improved dramatically
but having to paddle through a line of anchored boats there
wasn't a lot of passing room so I chugged along and decided
to settle in and wait until the turn buoy to make a move.
After the turn there were less boats in our path so I made
my move and started passing the boats in front of me starting
with John VanMannan who was paddling his Time Bandit. Next
was Doug Hodson and a couple of other paddlers. As we left
Bull Creek and entered the wider river it started to shallow.
The lead group was going wider than I wanted to go so I headed
more to the right and my decision paid off as I had passed
3 or 4 paddlers and I ended up joining Mark and Brett with
Shania Smee close behind Brett and Mark. I could sense that
the nose of her kayak was just too close to the others which
might cause a crash if she didn't fall back.
Brett with his nose just
in front, Mark, me, Shania Smee, Simon O'Sullivan, Kathy Mallory/Ronald
Lachenicht (K2) and Matthew Jones in the long plastic. Photo
John O'Sullivan
Brett and Mark were now
the powerhouse duo in div 3 so I was truly grateful that I
was level with them. Whilst we were fighting it out Jerry
Alderson who was paddling closer to shore had crept up and
was making better headway and when we came together at a narrow
part of the river he took the lead. Oh bugger. Jerry has been
a fast paddler for years. He and Rob Roll would go to Marathon
Events in the masters division and always do well and bring
back medals. Jerry is going over to New Zealand for the Masters
World Canoe Marathon very soon. So my hope of getting to the
line first was now all but just a dream.
With Jerry several boat lengths ahead of us Mark and I quickened
the pace to catch him up which we did. Jerry led us through
a gap in the convict posts and soon after we levelled with
him. At the last section before the waterpipe, he asked which
way was I going; across the shallows or following the spit
posts and deeper water. I shouted I'm following you as I knew
he would know better having paddled here a lot.
Jerry Alderson, me, Mark
Sedgwick, Brett Young and Simon O'Sullivan. If
it wasn't for Jerry I would have been ahead of the pack. Photo
John O'Sullivan
As soon as we hit the shallows
I was struggling and I fell back allowing Jerry and Mark to
get ahead. Jerry was skimming across the shallows so easily.
Now I wished I had taken the deeper route. When we finally
came out of the shallows I was much happier but they were
still ahead. Cheers from the bank spurred us on and by the
time we reached Riverton bridge they had caught up with Baillie
Liddle. They didn't do the turn very well which allowed me
to pass them so heading back towards Perth for the shorter
lap I was neck and neck with Jerry.
At the pipeline before
the shallows I decided to take a gamble and I took the longer
deeper route. Mark followed me and Baillie who doesn't weigh
much more than 3 feathers followed Jerry. I looked over to
see how Jerry was going and it didn't look good for me, he
was ahead. But could I make up that time in the deeper water
or was my route just too long! As we came together Jerry was
4 or 5 boat lengths ahead so my devious plan had backfired,
I should have followed Jerry.
As Jerry took a route to the left of the convict posts Baillie
went right of the posts. I knew if I had any chance of crossing
the line with Jerry I had to catch him up so I put on a spurt,
then another and eventually I caught up. Just as we reached
the biggest gap in the line of posts, where we go from the
left to the right of them Baillie decided to come over and
join us. Unbeknown to her there was a line of posts hidden
just under the water. She hit one and over she went. A quick
'are you okay' from me and then the same from Mark and we
were off after Jerry who had now crossed the post line.
The under 16 year old
pair Luke Egger and Tom Green lead the more mature pair of
Mark Lawson and Brett McDonald. Luke and Tom won by 3 seconds.
Photo John O'Sullivan
We had to turn at a spit post just before the next set of
posts 100 metres or so after the Scout Hall. I wanted to reach
it first so I put on another burst of speed and got alongside
Jerry on the left which was the perfect side to be for the
turn. If I could hold him off I could turn first, which I
did. I glanced back and saw Mark was still a couple of boat
lengths behind so he wasn't done yet and still in a dangerous
position.
Grid 4 paddlers head
for Riverton Bridge turn whilst the first grids head for the
last turn post. Photo John O'Sullivan
It wasn't long before
Jerry was back up with me and when we reached the hole in
the posts again he was in a better spot to take the best line.
I was on his left which meant that I was more likely to hit
a submerged post. I gritted my teeth as I crossed over and
luckily for me I missed some hidden posts that were just inches
away. When we reached the shallow section again I decided
to keep with Jerry rather than take the deeper water. Knowing
how well his kayak went over the shallows last time I knew
it was going to be tough to match him but I had to try. I
could only manage to sit on his wash and that was giving 110%
but I couldn't let him get ahead as the finish was only 300
metres away.
Once under the pipeline all I had to do was to find some deep
water and get beside Jerry which I did. Mark had been beside
me but somewhere he had dropped back. I saw the finish post
ahead so I started sprinting. I had no idea how much Jerry
had left in him. Then I realised I was looking at the wrong
post, the finish post was another 50 metres and although I
wanted to stop sprinting I had to keep going. It was a real
fight to the line with Jerry pipping me by a second but I
was happy.
Brett and Mark cool down
as Jane Liddle is about to finish
The timers sit waiting
for us to finish. We thank them
Results here: https://www.webscorer.com/racedetails?raceid=91700&did=98385
Social
Paddling
Paddling Elizabeth
Quay
Photo and text Geoff
Corlett
Kayakers on the Swan
kayaked to Elizabeth Quay for the Chinese New Year celebrations.....
perfect conditions, great people and awesome location, topped
off with a delicious dinner
Photo Geoff Corlett
****************************
Kimberley
Kayak Expedition 4
Retracing George
Grey’s 1838 Kimberley Inland Expedition
Retracing George Grey’s
1838 Kimberley Inland expedition had kept me in suspense for
several years but it wasn’t until 1987 that I managed
to interest Ken Cornish, another keen paddler and Ascot Kayak
Club member to join me.
After sailing from Europe, Grey started
his overland expedition from Hanover Bay, near the Prince
Regent River and on foot he and his team meandered southwards
towards and across the Glenelg River. His three month ordeal
was plagued with problems from the beginning. He had small
unbroken ponies from Timor that deteriorated because of the
lack of feed, severe weather and the difficult terrain conditions.
Grey also became wounded by an Aboriginal spear and lived
with his wound throughout the expedition. Despite his hardships
he also made some remarkable discoveries, including being
the first white man to see and record spectacular Wandjina
Aboriginal paintings.
To reach the site of Grey’s expedition
Ken Cornish and I had to drive 2300 kilometres north from
Perth to Derby and then paddle for three weeks along the treacherous
Kimberley coast to the Prince Regent River area. Once there
we would start our walk and retrace Grey’s complete route,
find the caves, go to his furthest point and try to finish
the expedition on the same date and place that he did, but
149 years later. Then we would paddle back to Broome. It sounded
simple but to be there at the same time though meant that
we had to tackle the Kimberley and paddle up the coast in
the wet season.
**************
From Grey’s Diary, April 15th
1838.. After completing the walk Grey writes....
…On emerging from the mangroves
upon the beach, we saw painted upon the sandstone cliffs,
in very large letters – “Beagle Observatory, letters
S.E. 52 paces.”
No one who has not been similarly
situated can at all compare the thrill which went through
me when these letters first met when my eye; even had any
thing happened to the schooner, friends were upon the coast,
and I knew that Captain Wickham, who has passed a great portion
of his life in adventures of this kind, would leave nothing
undone which was in his power to ensure our safety.
We now hurried across the beach,
an on gaining the highest part of it, saw the little schooner
riding safely at anchor….
… On reaching the vessel, we
learnt that the mate was gone to the Beagle, now lying in
Port George IV, but expected to sail this very day.
**************
After retracing Grey's walking expedition
we were on the same beach, on the same date (April 15th) but
149 years after Grey had finished his expedition.
It was at 4.00am the following day.
In the early morning darkness,
toilet duties took me along the beach, while Ken busily hauled
his gear off a rock ledge. There was a slight chill in the
air and the dew had dampened the sand and grasses around me.
I dug a hole in the sand and squatted and as I looked out
towards the calm ocean and silhouetted cliffs, I day dreamed.
A tinge of sadness streamed through my veins at the thought
of leaving these unique surroundings. It seemed hard to believe
that we were the first to retrace George Grey’s 1838
inland expedition and we were at the same place as Grey was
exactly 149 years to the day. Now after weeks of exhausting
paddling and backpacking we only had 24 more days of paddling
back to our finish destination, Broome. As I quietly gazed
out over Hanover Bay, studying the stars and the faint shadows
of the cliffs, my tranquillity was suddenly shattered by a
loud cry from Ken.
Terry I think a snake has bitten me,
he yelled.
Expecting the worst, I rushed over to
him immediately. As I went through the snake bite procedure
in my mind, I wondered if Ken had been bitten by a deadly
King Brown snake common to the area. If he had, how long did
he have to live? I was hoping he was just joking but it was
no joke, I could see a huge snake coiled in a cavity below
the rock ledge he was sleeping on.
Ken slept on the rock
ledge on the left not realising a 3 metre snake had it's hom
underneath the ledge
Ken was calm and he felt no pain or
discomfort which was promising but not knowing how long the
venom takes to react did cause for concern. With my torch
beam I scanned his leg. It was riddled with scars from infected
mosquito bites but I couldn’t find any snake puncture
marks hidden among them.
I shone my torchlight into the cavity
to see a giant of a snake that looked like a non-venomous
python. That was good news. Occasionally it would flicker
its tongue, look me straight in my eye and probably wonder
what all the fuss was about. His bulging head gave way to
a slender neck and then its body increased in size and again
started decreasing nearer its tail. Its eyes looked friendly
and its small but dark nostrils a few centimetres from its
mouth were lightly pulsating. It looked light brown in my
torchlight.
As Ken was feeling no ill effects and
we couldn’t find a puncture wound, he sighed with relief.
He must only have brushed against it. How lucky were we. We
were way in the wilderness hundreds of kilometres from the
nearest hospital and if Ken had been bitten by a poisonous
snake his chances of living would have been pretty slim.
As a little light started to bring life
to the morning the snake started to uncoil and uncoil and
then it started to slither from out of the rock cavity. Its
head looked huge but its body started to stretch out and stretch
out and when its whole body left the cavity it was at least
3 metres long.
Time passed by and Ken suffered no ill
health so within the hour we were ready to leave the shores
of this unique and beautiful country and head south with fond
memories of Grey’s and also our own epic overland trekking
expedition in mind.
We were on the same beach,
on the same date (April 15th) but 149 years after Grey had
finished his expedition.
It was a magic moment
to be there, especially knowing we were the first and only
people to have retraced Grey's entire expedition.
You can't beat memories
like these.
Read the expedition report
here: https://terrybolland.com/kimberley-kayak-expedition-4/
Race of the Week