Margie Jeffery, mum of Olympian Robin Jeffery practices her draw stroke.
 

Our Tuesday and Thursday evenings the 'Progressive Racing Group' sessions are still going very well. Although the main aim of the sessions is for paddlers to get fitter and achieve a personal best over 3-4 kms we also practise different skills, technique and tactics. Remember it's not too late to join the group.

Tuesday, Wednesday evenings and Saturday morning are the busiest times at Ascot but there is something going on every night as well as training in the mornings.  

The running of junior programs has seen a rise in junior participation.

One of the Over 45 Kayak Clubs heading upriver for coffee at the Riverside Cafe. 

There were over 30 paddlers in the group.

I have always wanted to paddle from Skagway in Alaska following the coast down to Vancouver, a 2000km journey but other trips have always got in my way. It was near Skagway on the other side of a mountain range that Ed and I started our full descent of the Yukon River in 2004.

Unfortunately this year I don’t have the time to spare to do such a long trip and my partner John Breed is climbing Mt Kilimanjaro in July so instead John and I are going to paddle over half that distance from Vancouver up the coast to Prince Rupert partly paddling on the Inside Passage. With detours we could be paddling 1,200 kms.

Prince Rupert is still in Canada so it means we won’t have to cross the border into the USA, which sometimes has its complications as we found out on our last trip.

We will be buying new or used kayaks either before or when we get to Vancouver. The biggest problem will be getting them back to Vancouver after finishing our trip at Prince Rupert. If it's too hard or too expensive we will give them away to some town folk which I have done before.

So far on my North American trips I have given away 2 x Old Town Discovery Canoes, and a $4000.00 Epic 18x kayak. I have managed to sell a $4000.00 QCC 700 kayak and a $3000.00 New Zealand multisport kayak for a few hundred dollars.

If you know of any reasonably cheap places to stay in Vancouver near the ocean or the rivers that might be able to house kayaks for a couple of days whilst we get ready to leave, that would be appreciated.

If you have any good information of Vancouver or places along the way or any one that could help in some way that would be an extra bonus. 

One of our detours will be to visit the Skookumchuck Narrows.

Skookumchuck Narrows is a tidal rapid.

Volunteers Wanted

Sprint Championships

 

The Nationals start next Wed to Sunday, first race starting at 8am.

A regatta this size requires a few officials and volunteers, ideally broken into morning and afternoon shifts to minimise the load.

I have attached a list of positions - several each day are already filled by volunteers/officials with previous experience. We may not require all positions
We have some volunteers already and filled some slots- thank you , however, if you are able to slot in a session it would help.

If you have raced and finished, or are racing later in the week and have spare time - tower line judges and boat holders are always needed. These are easy roles and you get a unique view of racing.
 

Please consider!

The positions are being coordinated by Paddle Australia  - not WA Sprint, and not me - although thanks lots to all who have contacted me directly.

The signup website is https://sprint.paddle.org.au/volunteers/
It is important to use this link as Paddle Australia need to know and this is what they are working from - ASAP or sooner!

 

The last Sprint Regatta before the Australian Sprint Championships were held last Sunday.

The conditions were amazingly calm so several paddlers did a personal best.

 

I had taken part in the last three sprint regattas using a different kayak every time. When I used my fastest K1, the Epic Legacy there was a head wind. When I used my next fastest kayak, the Grafton Paddle Sports Spectrum, that had done 3 Avon Descents and was quite heavy, there was a side wind. This last week when I used my more stable Grafton Paddle Sports Alchemist it was calm and my times were the fastest - I imagine more to do with the weather than the kayak.

The young ladies.

The young guns

The top paddlers

Lightweight

The small, lightweight Guardian ™ is a fully waterproof, impact resistant and omnidirectional signal light. It is reliable in almost any situation.

It can easily attach to caps, PFds, belts, backpack straps, canoes or boats and virtually anything else that you need it to. There are additional accessories available to further increase the Guardian™'s modular adaptability.

Thanks to patented Reverse Polarity Program Switching™ technology, the function of the light can be changed between flashing and steady on modes by simply flipping the battery over.

BATTERY SOURCE:
6V Lithium Coin Cell Battery Pack (included)
 

New

Last weekend. Busselton area

On one of the different trips. Photo Sandy Robson

Close up to nature. Photo Sandy Robson

Testing Old expired flares at Sea Kayak Fest WA. Photo Sandy Robson

Also includes a Novice Race