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The Australian Sprint Champs and the WA Marathon Champs are behind us but the Australian Marathon Championships will be soon taking place in Perth so there is no let up for those paddlers taking part. Not only are the more experienced paddlers getting excited but paddlers from the Progressive Racing Group are getting ready to
enter the novice section of the championships. As they have found out racing other novices is fun.
Novice paddlers in the Progressive Racing Group who meet on a Tuesday evening.
If you would like to get into racing in a social way - why not join us.
We race 3km to 5kms.
The Thursday night group.
Was it a Plane or was it Superman
As we were having a free chilli con-carne meal on Wednesday evening at Ascot Kayak Club we watched an aircraft coming from the north-west leave a contrail that went straight over head. We see a lot of aircraft taking off and landing at Ascot but it's rare we see one so high in the air leaving contrails, however that was the
second one we had seen that day.
Contrails (short for "condensation trails") are line-shaped clouds produced by aircraft engine exhaust or changes in air pressure, typically at aircraft cruise altitudes several miles above the Earth's surface. Contrails are composed primarily of water, in the form of ice crystals. The combination of water vapor in aircraft engine exhaust and the low ambient temperatures that exist at high altitudes allows the formation of the trails.
Impurities in the engine exhaust from the fuel, including sulfur compounds provide some of the particles that can serve as sites for water droplet growth in the exhaust and, if water droplets form, they might freeze to form ice particles that compose a contrail. Their formation can also be triggered by changes in air pressure in wingtip vortices or in the air over the entire wing surface.
Depending on a plane's altitude, and the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere, contrails may vary in their thickness, extent and duration. The nature and persistence of jet contrails can be used to predict the weather. A thin, short-lived contrail indicates low-humidity air at high altitude, a sign of fair weather, whereas a thick, long-lasting contrail reflects humid air at high altitudes and can be an early indicator of a storm.
So jets leave white trails, or contrails, in their wakes for the same reason you can sometimes see your breath. The hot, humid exhaust from jet engines mixes with the atmosphere, which at high altitude is of much lower vapor pressure and temperature than the exhaust gas. The water vapor contained in the jet exhaust condenses and may freeze, and this mixing process forms a cloud very similar to the one your hot breath makes on a cold day.
wikipedia
As I was paddling through a remote swampy area of the Missouri River in the US the sky was littered with contrails. As you can imagine with so many big cities dotted around north America hundreds of aircraft at high altitudes crisscross the sky leaving a trail.
Although I was in a wilderness it felt strange that there were thousands of people passing overhead.
Around the Flinders Island Area
Robyn Khorshid
Robyn Khorshid second from the right on a group trip around Flinders Island.
View south towards the granite Strzelecki Peaks, the highest on the island, 756m. This was the only day the peaks were so cloud free.
The west coast of Flinders Island has a rugged but accessible coastline with these huge boulders often the backdrop to the beaches.
Typical picnic lunch scene. Here we are on one of the myriad small islands which surround the main island. Low tide and getting lower!
The sun came out in the afternoon for the end of this 22km paddle from Lady Barron settlement (also the port for the ferry, etc., from the mainland) to Trousers Point. We paddled past the Strzelecki massif, most of which was in the clouds, but even the lower slopes which you can see here are impressive.
There were seven participants and two guides in the large volume. very stable, plastic sea kayaks. We’ve just arrived at Trousers Point (so named, it is said, as a shipwreck survivor swam ashore here but without his
trousers, some time ago).
I dragged the boat above the high water mark. It was a huge effort with the tide being so far out. I hit the beautiful white sand and landed in paradise. I felt so happy finding this beautiful cove and amazed at the rock slabs, many next to trees. Near my camp a vertical rock stood 15 metres high.
I made camp, had a scout around taking several photos of the area and started cooking dinner. Finishing my main course I lay on the top of a large rock looking up in the sky and thinking of all those people who hadn't slept in the wilderness under the stars. The stars were magnificent. What a place to be! At 9.45pm I dished out my rice pudding desert and relaxed again. In the distance, a light house near Chilli Beach was flashing and the lights of two ships slowly faded in
the distance. I kept scanning the sky, building my own impressions and pictures of the stars.
At midnight I awoke, hot and sticky, having fallen asleep on top of the big rock. The clouds had moved in. It was time to retire so I put up the tent without the fly. I fell asleep, but it started raining, so I got up again and put the fly sheet on. I dozed again.
Check out the Cooktown to Cape York Expedition:
https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/cooktown-to-cape-york/
It's getting dark
Guardian Lights
Powerful and Waterproof Guardian Lights
Light is visible up to 2km in darkness. Will operate for over 250 hours on strobe mode per single set of Lithium batteries. The lights are even waterproof to 100m.
Guardian Strobe or Steady Stream Light
The light is capable of operating in strobe mode, or steady-on mode which is a full stream of light. To change between the modes you simply unscrew the cap, flip the battery and screw the cap back on. The lights are omni-directional light, so you’ll be visible to other traffic from all sides. To turn the lights on or off you simply twist the lens.
Batteries Included
Price $27.00
The Folding S512 J Style Kayak Carrier is designed to transport your kayak or canoe on the side to save space allowing for a second watercraft to be mounted on the other side of your
roof racks dependant on the length of your crossbars. Attached to a S512X extension piece, it is possible to carry up to 4 kayaks or canoes on your roof racks depending on the length of your crossbars.
Usually $264.00 Special $170.00
More Specials here: https://canoeingdownunder.wordpress.com/specials/
WA Marathon Champs
Doubles
The faster paddlers take off. Photo Anne Harris
Josh & Jesse and Simon & Matthew down the portage ramp. Photo Anne Harris
The old guys take off. Photo Anne Harris
Ron and I. Photo Anne Harris
Our doubles race was a bit of disaster after the bolt holding the front seat in place came adrift causing the seat to slide back on our second lap. Ron was then unable to reach the foot pedals so paddling was a nightmare for him. We had to stop several times to put the seat back in place but within minutes it slid back again causing Ron to lean against the cockpit rim and bruise his back. Our opposition were soon passing us but with no steering we limped on
determine to finish. However it was a costly few laps as Ron was bruised and battered afterwards. Rob Roll and Paul who would have won had a good race but paddled half a lap too far and ended up in 3rd place. John Breed and John Dinucci were first with Vince Lanadi and Patrick Tullock second.
The ramp being dismantled.
The last piece is placed on the trailer.
Special $60.00 each Only 3 in XL/XXL
Special $50.00 each Only 3 left in XXL
Special $80.00 usually $160.00 Only 1 XL/XXL
More Specials here: https://canoeingdownunder.wordpress.com/specials/
Canning Classic - Sunday 31st
$20 adults $10 juniors extra $10 for non CWA members.
Registration on day commencing at 8.15 race start 9.30
Kayak Stand for 9-10 kayaks
For Sale $190.00
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