Terry 0417 977 330

terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au

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Avon Descent Power Boat Time Trial

Junior World Championships

It was a tough opening day for the Paddle Australia team at the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom U23 and Junior World Championships in Ivrea, Italy (17 – 22 July 2018), but there were plenty of encouraging signs for the young team.

Many of the athletes paddled in team events for the first time, and several also raced in unfamiliar disciplines to ensure Australia had a presence in as many events as possible.

Australia’s best performance came in the women’s U23 K1 team event, where Noemie Fox (NSW), Kate Eckhardt (TAS) and Alexandria Choate (WA) finished a close fifth.

Robert Janiszewski (VIC) and Alexandria Choate (WA) are both through to junior semi-finals at the ICF Canoe Slalom U23 and Junior World Championships in Ivrea, Italy.

Janiszewski was rewarded for his solid opening run in the C1 qualifiers with a time of 96.61, qualifying in 20^th place.

Like Janiszewski, Choate made it into this weekend’s semi-finals by finishing 20^th on her first run in the C1.

Choate posted a time of 120.49, but with two gate touches can expect to go faster in the semi-finals.

Choate’s brother, Jack, was Australia’s unluckiest, and busiest, paddler on Thursday. He finished the day with four runs, and missed qualifying for the K1 semi-finals by just one position.

He picked up a 50 on his first and second run in the C1, just missed qualifying on the first run in the K1, before his agonising result on the second run.

“I was pretty disappointed with my C1 runs this morning,” he said. “But I’m pretty happy with my K1. I felt alright this morning, I was more nervous going into the C1 because I hadn’t paddled the course. I’ve got so much to learn, so much to improve on, but it’s a good week.”

Kayak Clubs can win this Double Guppy at the

Avon Junior Challenge 

 Canoeing Down Under is donating this Double Guppy worth $1550.00 to the junior Avon as a club prize.

The Northam to Toodyay Race

the 515 challenge

You know when this race comes around it’s getting close to the Avon Descent and most paddlers are hyped up to paddle this section of river. I was paddling with Rob Jarrett in a plastic double 515 so it was going to be a tough paddle as the 515 is heavy, rather slow and doesn’t slip through the water very well. They are great fun though and perfect for those paddlers who like to stay upright. If we had been the only paddlers in a 515 we could have taken it easy but there were 4 others and of course Rob and I don’t like being beaten so it was going to be a tough race.

Mike Holder and his mate Dave were our support team so it meant that we didn’t have to do a car shuffle which is the worst thing about racing from a to b.

So in the others 515s were Chris and Tam Watson who are paddling very well and with Tam being a youngster they are going to be hard to beat. Then there was Jason Gardner and Fifi, who are also paddling extremely well and having the lightweight Fifi in the back they are going to skim across the shallows. We had to watch out for Steve  Coffey and Alan Moreby who are back for a fight. These guys have improved a lot in the last few years so they were contenders although their combined weight might be a disadvantage in the shallows and then if Steve doesn’t take it serious and smiles all the way and be happy, it won’t help them to finish first. We better not forget Allan Ribbons and Daniel Smee who are good strong paddlers who we haven’t paddled against before so they are the dark horses. Although Marissa Pizzuto and Derek Klompmaker are in a much longer faster double Finn Multisport we will include them in our 515 race (as long as we beat them).

All the doubles were put in the last grid about 25 minutes after the first grid so all the 515s were up against the much faster composite doubles which didn’t seem too fair but at least we would have the river to ourselves. Hopefully the crowd would still be at the end when we got there.

There were about 20 double kayak/skis on the line so it was destined to be a good fight to reach the Northam weir first. Lucky for me and Rob and a bit of out of control paddling from Maya and Nigel, who slowed one of the other 515s, we were the first 515 to reach the weir. Our passage down the weir was quite smooth but 3 of the other 515s not too far behind were having much more fun crashing into each other. I was a bit envious of not being part of the fun because having fun is a key to paddling longer.

Our lead increased after the weir but it was still a long way to go so we couldn’t slow our pace. Rob and I had our race-face on so we were waiting for no-one, best leave the fun behind until the end at least. The faster composite doubles soon eased away from us which was a pity as when they were in front we could see what lines they were taking and change ours if needed.

So we were soon alone and oblivious to the close race the other 515s were having behind us. That first section to Katrine Bridge is always a tough one and it was no different today as the shallows and the hidden mud banks made us struggle at times. Maya and Nigel in their long kayak had past us along the way but at Katrine Bridge they were on the bank taking in refreshments of something.

It was great to get to deep water but the long pool was still a tough paddle. The 515 just doesn’t glide along and even if you push hard it doesn’t seem to go much faster. Maya and Nigel past us again just before Glen Avon Weir and went to the left, we took a good line down the centre of the top drop and just slid through the rocks with ease beating them to the main drop. The main drop is always a challenge and under rated. When it’s low there are sharp quarry type rock ready to damage any boat that hits it, but with more water the wave and hole at the bottom is pretty big and can be a little intimidating. Today it was intimidating and John Sullivan and Lawrence Greed were at the bottom on opposite banks taking photos that reveal our dreaded facial expressions. I’ve come to the conclusion the paddlers who are smiling are either not giving it their all, or they are just so cool, calm and confident that they have no fear for the rapid. I’ve always got a race-face-on and it’s not a pretty sight but it’s usually a face of concentration and determination, rather than fear. I think Maya and Nigel capsized here. Nigel didn’t have his spraydeck on so they would have filled up with water even if they hadn’t capsized.

After Glen Avon we started catching up with some of the slower long plastic boats. The trouble was we weren’t going much faster and it was sometimes hard to pass them. I took a risk and tried going around one paddler but ended up scraping and then sitting on some coffee rock. It was a bit of a nightmare trying to shuffle off it and then seeing the kayak we were passing getting away from us. Worse of all Marissa Pizzuto and Derek Klompmaker in a double Finn Multisport paddled past us, slid through a rocky bar and left us struggling. We hit the rocky bar at a different spot and again got struck, then spun 90 degrees into a hopeless position but I jumped out quickly, pulled us straight and jumped back in again losing the minimum of time.

Once we got going we had to try to pass the kayak again and this time we did it in deeper water. We even caught up with Graham McMahon in his GT Aero at the start of the long pool before Extracts Weir but it was Marissa and Derek who we were hoping to catch up with and we were gaining. We couldn’t see any 515s behind us so I now knew we would be the first 515 to the finish if we didn’t do something silly. With Extracts Weir coming up we were only 50 metres or so behind Marissa and Derek and it was looking hopeful. Rob and I decided not to do something silly like trying to go down the rocky rapid weir as we had too much to lose if things didn’t go to plan. As we made for the left bank, Marissa and Derek paddled over to the drop. If they were to get down without a problem they would surely beat us to the finish.

We beached on the left side and Rob was having problems getting his spraydeck off as the pull-loop was inside the cockpit rather than outside, so he couldn’t grab it. I clipped a rope to the front hand loop and when Rob was finally out we both grabbed the rope and started jogging with the heavy kayak dragging behind us. We were moving at a really good pace but halfway through the portage I could feel my legs and my lungs burning but I couldn’t give up, there was no way I could show Rob that I was straining. Apparently Rob was feeling exactly the same but we both kept going not wanting to be the weak one, running the portage in a fast time.

Rob had seen Marissa and Derek portaging on the right bank so it meant we were now ahead and we were pumped so there was no way they were, or any other 515 were going to catch up. We past a few more slower single craft, one guy on a PRS was going down a shallow current backwards and he couldn’t turn it. He struggled seemingly forever in the shallow water that was only inches deep and he didn’t have the sense to jump off, turn his ski and then jump back on again. We soon reached the first Toodyay Bridge, the footbridge and powered home in first place. We were extremely happy and now we could have fun watching all the other 515s cross the line.

Marissa and Derek were 2mins and 2 seconds behind us but I was surprised to see Jason and tiny Fifi come across the line second in a 515, only 5 minutes and 9 seconds behind Rob and I, which was an amazing result. What a race they must have had.

Chris and Tamati Watson were next with Daniel Smee and Allan Ribbons not too far behind and Stephen Coffey and Alan Morbey making sure that all the 515s got home safely.

What another great race. Most paddlers had been in a long time and by the time I got changed I missed the presentation but the results are below. A hamburger and later we finished the day with a pint at the pub with the Kiwi mob.
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https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=144169

Terry 0417 977 330

terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au

https://canoeingdownunder.wordpress.com/  website

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