Terry 0417 977 330

terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au

Rod Fry Race

Before I had decided what I was going to paddle in the Rod Fry Race Hugh Trivett asked me to pair up with him on the double Epic ski. His usual partner Mark was off on a cruise somewhere. As we hadn’t paddled together before, a training run at the Saturday morning 4km race proved to work well as we stormed home in first place. Mind you none of the big guns were there or it could have been a different story.

The Rod Fry Race is one of those races that choosing the right boat for the conditions were paramount. Choose the wrong one and it could be hell. If it’s a rough day there would be less power boats but if it’s a nice day there are usually more power boats. Today it was calm and the conditions looked easy. The double Epic ski was our choice and it is usually the perfect craft in most river conditions.

There were a good number of paddlers, 71 racers. We lined up on the start line which to me seems angled and the further you were from the jetty the shorter the distance. Well that’s how it looked.  

We were midway along the line next to Dave Boldy. Dave and I have battled it out in many races a few years ago, now he is back and he has brought reinforcements. He was paddling a triple kayak with his twin sons. I knew his sons had been paddling well in the junior section but I was a little surprised when we took off and they were up with us and later crept in front.  Holly-Molly this could be a hard race. We could be beaten by a young family.

On the other side of us were Trevor Lockwood and Francis in an Epic double kayak. I questioned their choice of craft at the beginning due to the possible unsettled conditions but Trevor indicated no concern and they also managed to creep in front. Also in front were a few fast singles and Luke and Claire in another Epic double kayak. They were powering away probably never to be seen again.

Although the river wasn’t too rough there were a few power boat wakes coming through unsettling a good rhythm. By Chidley Point Dave Boldy + sons  and Trevor/Francis were just ahead but the change in direction slowed Trevor and Francis and we caught up with Boldy boys. They were doing a cracking pace and although we tried doing a better one, we struggled, but it wasn’t yet time to go mad so we sat back, only losing momentum when another boat wake came through. My theory was that the boys would tire from the distance so it would be better to attack on the way back rather than now.

At Point Roe we were still together although Trevor and Francis were now behind but the best thing was no other boat apart from the ones already ahead passed us. After the shallows at Point Roe we managed to cross the channel without too many boat waves troubling us but it was a different story when we turned a left hand corner at the Yacht Club. Here we caught up with young Jeremy Alderson who was in a K1, passed 4 sup boards and started crossing the channel with the Boldy boys close by.  The big rescue boat was taxiing up and down and creating some good waves which mixed with all the other boats made it a big messy. Jeremy soon got left behind and about 500 metres before the bridge turn we managed to get in front of the Bolder Boys which made us happier.

Some of the faster paddlers had turned when we were getting close to the bridge. We turned before the Bolder boys and headed back upstream to see many of our competitors still heading towards the turn. The rough water soon returned as we moved towards the open section of water across to the yacht club. We were neck and neck again and halfway across the wide section the rescue boat came up on our right side and a big power boat came towards us on the left. The Bolder boys were beside us so it was going to be interesting to see who was going survive the big wash waves that were about to collide along our path. The Bolder’s K3 looked pretty stable and they hadn’t at this stage been really affected by the boat wash. We had been a little tippy a couple of times but nothing serious so as the both big waves headed our way we prepared for the worst. Then the two big waves collided close by but we paddled through them and into calmer water. It was a relief as it would have been embarrassing to swim. As both boats came together again we started racing each other and it was here that I felt the worst of the rough stuff was behind us.

We had our eye on Luke and Claire who were not too far ahead of us. They seemed to be having a few problems slicing through the waves in their narrow low-decked kayak. We now started lifting our pace, the Bolder boys did the same so we started taking it in turns to wash ride each other to try to catch Luke. As more waves headed towards Luke and Claire we could see they didn’t want to head straight into them so slowed as they took a more sideways approach. That was good news for us as our boats just lifted over the waves with ease and without much of a splash over our bows.

At Roe Point we were only a few metres away from Luke and Claire and as we crossed over the shallows the Bolder boys who were on our tail, steered wider and as we accelerated to catch Luke and Claire they fell behind. Luke and Claire were leading the doubles so if we were to get ahead of them we could even win. We soon pulled beside them and headed towards Chidley Point and on to the last straight home. After the point Luke steered left of an anchored boat and we went to the right side. We soon came together and although we knew that the young pair could sprint hard at the end we somehow had to wear them out before getting there. To help us out they had water in the kayak so they were slower than usual.

We waited until about 400 metres and we lifted a cog as they did. The finish line was in sight and we were neck and neck. They were giving it their all as were we and then both of us went for it and when we thought we had crossed the line it appeared we were a fraction ahead. When we looked at the timers I then realised that we still hadn’t crossed the line. Luke and Clare were still paddling so they beat us. We were a little miffed that we hadn’t paddled through the line but that was racing. And it was good to give the young guns a scare.

It appears that Trevor and Frances who were in the tippy Epic K2 didn't have such a good time with all the boat wash. In fact I think Frances said it was terrible. It is important to choose the boat to suit the conditions and the Rod Fry Race is always a challenge.

It was another great race, thanks to the organisers, timers and volunteers.

https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=132159