Enjoy The CDU Newsletter

Published: Fri, 05/04/18

4th May 2018 CDU Newsletter 575

Terry 0417 977 330

terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au

https://canoeingdownunder.wordpress.com/ website

https://www.facebook.com/canoeingdownunder/ facebook

In May 2014 young Luke Dooley was giving the Buoys Race a go. He has come a long way since then.

Next Saturday the first DR race is on.

Race 1 : 12th May, AKC Buoys Race (Saturday)

In two weeks time 30 plus WA paddlers will be in Adelaide competing in the Australian Marathon Championships.

A few of our sprint juniors are also competing at the Asia – Pacific Sprint Cup in Adelaide.

With the Marathon and Sprint Championships being held in WA next year it's time to drag out that K1 and give both championships a go.

Charmaine and Wendy are off to the Australian Championships so today they tried my double kayak. The test paddle was a success so they will now be paddling singles and doubles.

Australian Marathon 2012

Back in 2012 WA held the Australian Marathon Championships at Ascot Kayak Club and what a success it was. With perfect river conditions and a venue that was snug and welcoming with a kiosk and other conveniences right there, it was the ideal place to hold the event. Not only did it feel friendly and cosy it was ideal for interstate visitors as there were heaps of motels, hotels and camping places close by.

Next year the championships come back to WA. At this stage the venue hasn't been finalised.

Josh Kippin running the portage 5 years ago. His dad watches on.

Josh at the put-in pontoon

T2 and Josh relaxing before Josh's doubles race

The spectators relax between races.

Canoeing Down Under supplied several racks so competitors could park their boats.

The crowd watching the doubles event

The doubles race.

The racing was very exciting especially the portaging.

There were thrills and spills at the put-in pontoon

Okay John I think we better get going and try to catch the others!

Vaikobi PFD

$150.00

The K4 Junior and Ladies Championship

There are off. Photo Carol Griffiths

The young guns. Photo Carol Griffiths

Plenty of water flying. Photo Carol Griffiths

Double Barkers Bridge & Return

23kms

Double Barkers is one of those races that you know it’s going to hurt. Being 23kms twice around the same course can be a little boring and soul destroying if you are hurting. Last year I did it in a Wild Water (DR) kayak in 2:13:31.7 so surely Simon and I should crack the 2 hour mark in an Epic double ski. Simon was the captain and steering so it was going to be hard for me to sit there and not have control of the ski.

The scene was set. Mark & Hugh were on the line to our left. They were the only ones we wanted to beat, we knew the other two doubles Dave and Paul and Sam and Baillie were too good. In the back of my mind I knew Mark and Hugh were too good as well as they have been training hard together but I didn’t want to admit it to them and I do believe in miracles.

The doubles are off. Photo Carol Griffiths

When Peter Ashby shouted go we appeared to have forged forward in the lead for a few seconds then Dave and Paul and Sam and Baillie soon hit the high road. The K3 mob from Mandurah, Mark Hardie, Matt & Dan Smith and Hugh & Mark in the Epic double ski had a good start also which made us chase their tails.

The wind was pretty ferocious heading upstream of Sandy Beach but we kept intact with the two other boats for a good length of time but then we lost their wash and ended up paddling the next few kilometres about 4 – 5 boat lengths behind. The squeaking K3 of Martin, Vince and Steve came up beside us after Guildford Bridge and their added enthusiasm helped us to catch the others up so it was a bit hectic having 4 big boats going around Fishmarket Reserve, all vying for positions.

The K1s are off. Photo Carol Griffiths

The skis are off. Photo Carol Griffiths

By the time we reached Barkers Bridge the pecking order was Hugh & Mark, the Mandurah K3, Simon and I and the AKC K3 boys, but our turn was pretty scrappy and I ended up having to push off the timber structure. However I don’t think we lost too much in time, only our pride. The others had now increased the lead by a couple of boat lengths but when the AKC K3 started catching up, that not only got us into another gear but we were then able to use their extra speed and wash to catch up with M & H and Mandurah mob around the Fishmarket Reserve corner.

It was good to be back in the race. For the next 2 kilometres we were 4 abreast side by side occasionally getting too close to each other and clashing paddles. At times we were so close to each other that it made it hard and uncomfortable to paddle in a nice rhythm. As we turned the corner near the overhead wires and the long straight to Sandy Beach the AKC K3 splintered off to the right side of the river whilst Simon and the two other boats steered straight down the river.

Josh Kippin and Brendan Rice completing the first lap. Photo Carol Griffiths

Luke Dooley leads Dave Worthy & Paul Genovesi and Sam Pilton & Baillie Liddle.
Photo Carol Griffiths

Because the AKC K3 now seemed to be a little stronger it was a gamble to let them go. A kilometre later when the river narrowed a little they were ahead so not wanting to lose them we put on a sprint to get back on their wash. We caught them but unfortunately the other two boats came with us. So it was back to four a breast but as we turned the Sandy Beach corner Hugh & Mark made a break. A flurry of paddles and a little chaos reigned as we and the other 2 boats tried to keep up. The AKC K3 managed to tag onto Hugh & Mark, making us do a fast sprint to get back on the K3 leaving the Mandurah lads on our tails. We were in this formation up and passed the club and around the Ron Courtney Island.

At the top end of the island Mark & Hugh who were on the inside went for it and turned quickly. The AKC K3 accelerated but didn’t have such a clean turn so our turn wasn’t clean either. Steve who was in the rear of the K3 and I were clashing paddles again. We ended up doing a much wider turn than we would have like allowing Mark & Hugh to get a good lead. Our wide turn allowed the Mandurah K3 to do a better turn and catch up. Passing the club the four big boats led by Mark and Hugh created quite a bit of wash.

Mark & Hugh execute a good turn. We are forced wide. Photo Carol Griffiths

The race is on again. Photo Carol Griffiths

Mark & Hugh create a lead. Photo Carol Griffiths

Chris & Rob Jarrod not too far behind. Photo Carol Griffiths

Close racing. Photo Britt-Mari Good-Gerne

Everything was rosy heading up to Sandy Beach, but when a group of K1 paddlers passed us and quickened the pace things started to get sloppy and once around the corner all hell broke loose. The wind was amazingly strong and the AKC K3 decided to head towards the right bank to get out of the wind and because we were on the right side of them we had no alternative to go with them which meant we lost the main pack of boats which kept to the middle of the river. We slowly watched the main group stretch their lead. It was agony seeing them get away, the wind was howling and to make things worse we lost the wash of the AKC K3. Things couldn’t get any worse and the only thing we could do was to try to limit the widening gap but that wasn’t easy as the others were chasing a pack of K1s and going strongly.

A few kilometres later when we met Hugh and Mark on their way back from Barkers Bridge they would have been all smiles having such a lead, but we weren’t smiling though.

Another pack with Mark, Spencer, John, Trevor and Jose & Maya take the corner.
Photo Carol Griffiths

As we turned at the bridge which wasn’t such a sleek turn we could see Chris and Rob not too far behind us so we powered on to make sure that they wouldn’t catch up. At the Bassendean twin jetties at Point Reserve we met Nikki on her way up to Barkers Bridge. Moments later I heard Chris say something to her which meant they were pretty close behind. Losing to Mark and Hugh was one thing but if Chris and Rob passed us now we would never live it down. I can imagine they would have been giving it their all.

Another kilometre I looked behind to see how close they were and ended having to brace to stop us going in. We concentrated for those last two kilometres and made sure we kept ahead, which we did.

Being 3 minutes 21 seconds behind Hugh and Mark was a little disappointing and although we did some good moves we were a bit sloppy at times. Its taken me a week to get over the loss.

Mark & Hugh and the Mandurah boys hit the finish line. Photo Lawrence Greed

Results here:

https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=134462

Red Tailed Black Cockatoos

Having 8 Marri Trees and a river 20 to 35 metres away has it's benefits.
The bird life is just amazing.

A cockatoo heading for lunch

A cockatoo puts the brakes on

How tasty are those honky nuts

Lunch over. Time to clear up.

An endangered black cockatoo has become the 500th rehabilitated cockatoo to be released into the wild as part of a collaborative research project involving Murdoch University.

The forest red-tailed black cockatoo was treated by Perth Zoo vets and recovered at Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre.

It was released at a farm site near Boddington with five other cockatoos fitted with satellite and/or GPS tags.

They flew off to join the large resident flock of black cockatoos at Hotham Farm, a 450ha restoration area around 120 km south east of Perth. Hotham Farm is owned by project co-funder, Newmont Boddington Gold.

Murdoch researchers will be tracking the iconic birds, which are endemic to South-West Australia, to assist with management and recovery plans.

The release of the tagged birds is the second in the Boddington area, and will help the researchers understand more about their habitat use.

In February 2017, 10 rehabilitated forest red-tailed black cockatoos were released in the Boddington area. Four birds carried satellite transmitters, with three carrying an additional GPS package.

The tagging program will help researchers understand the foraging, breeding and roosting patterns of the iconic birds.

Project lead Associate Professor Kris Warren, from the School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, said the information generated by tagged birds was urgently needed.

"Populations of black cockatoos and other fauna are in decline across Western Australia because of the loss of native vegetation to land clearing for agricultural, urban and industrial development reducing the amount of food and shelter available," Professor Warren said.

"Climate change, competition with other species like bees for nesting hollows, and human impacts like vehicle strikes, illegal shooting and poaching, are also driving the declines.

"So we need to understand key aspects of their ecology to inform assessments of proposed land uses and enable proponents to deliver best-practice land use for black cockatoo conservation."

Ph.D. student Karen Riley has spent the last year monitoring and obtaining data for the cockatoos released in 2017, and said the birds had integrated well into the resident flocks.

She was also able to identify new roost sites, a foraging habitat and a suspected breeding site.

Tracking devices have been fitted to wild black cockatoos for the past four years. They were treated for injury at Perth Zoo and rehabilitated for release back into the wild at Kaarakin Black Cockatoo Conservation Centre.

The tail-mounted satellite tags gather data eight times a day, with the back mounted GPS transmitter providing valuable data every 2.5 minutes. This precise tracking allows the research team to follow the birds in great detail during the project.

Two dogs watch a darter that has caught a fish

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