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10th July 2020
CDU Newsletter 659
Avon Descent 2003
In the 2003 Avon Descent there were 48 Single Kayaks, 40 Single Skis, 98 Long Plastics, 107 short Plastics, 19 Double Kayaks, 31 Double ski, 14 Double Plastics kayaks, 14 Paddle Teams which resulted in 371 paddle craft and 464 paddlers.
Back then the short plastics were the biggest class and did the hardest work to get to the finish yet they got little recognition. This was the class that brought in the most beginners to take part in the event but this class has not been encouraged.
This shot taken by John O'Sullivan at the Shredder, Emu Falls is typical of the chaos that happens in the Avon Descent.
This year, because it is cancelled, we will miss all the fun.
The water level at the moment though, is very low with no great rainfalls immediately coming up.
Northam Weir on Thursday. Photo Jane Liddle.
Will the Doctor downwind race start to overshadow the Avon Descent?
This year though we might not see any international paddlers competing because of Corona Virus hanging around.
Downwind paddling is increasing in numbers.
Perth is a great place to develop the sport further.
If you want to get into the sport.
Cory Hill finishing the Doctor in 1st place.
Jasper Mocke and Dawid Mocke finishing the Doctor. Will overseas paddlers be allowed into Australia this year.
Last weekend was a busy time in the Upper Swan T trees.
Saturday practice. Sunday was race day.
A School Holiday try kayaking program at Ascot Kayak Club.
Another School Holiday try kayaking program at Ascot Kayak Club.
Slalom Paddling
With the Avon Descent cancelled and no long distance training sessions needed for a few months I thought it time to give slalom paddling a go again, so this morning I slipped to Walyunga Park to have a paddle. The water was low 0.3 on the gauge so the whitewater wasn't great however it was still a challenge to paddle through the gates without hitting them. In fact I was a little rusty, hitting several poles. I was so rusty that if I had been a car I would
probably have been sent to the wreckers.
It was a beautiful morning in the park though.
I haven't paddled slalom since the Harvey white water course was closed. I used to spend a lot of time down there organising and paddling on what was probably the best white water course in Australia.
It was a shame to lose such of an amazing asset and that no one has investigated the chance of getting it back even if it means being a much smaller course.
Paddling the Harvey White Water Course.
It's a shame that today's slalom paddlers don't have the opportunity to paddle such beautiful challenging water in WA.
Slalom paddling is one of the best ways to develop skills that will be with you all your life. The better your skills the better you will perform in any paddling discipline.
Josh Kippin started his paddling as a Slalom Paddler and he took it to a high level, he then became a Wild Water Paddler at a high level, he also became a Marathon Paddler at a high level and now he is one of Australia's best Sprint Paddlers.
Whatever discipline that Josh takes part in he does well.
Speed is one thing, but great skills and speed helps you achieve much more.
Bec Florisson, at Walyunga Thursday morning, testing the timing gear for Saturday's Slalom Race.
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Coach Zlatan Ibrahimbegovic puts George Pankhurst and Hunter Florisson through their paces on the slalom course.
George Pankhurst undercutting the stern of the canoe to achieve a quicker turn.
A future champion.
Juniors paddlers will have a chance to paddle easy white water this weekend.
2020 Slalom WA - Winter Series 2
Saturday, July 11
Registrations are open for Slalom's Winter Series Race #2
at Walyunga Park
Racing is commencing at 11am at Walyunga (please arrive at 10:30am for race registration and course setup)
This race will also include a special shortened course for new juniors/novice paddlers.
Look forward to seeing you all there and bring your loud cheering voices for our new juniors/novices.
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Old Friends
On Sunday afternoon as I was putting my kayak away and two people who I hadn't seen for years cycled by and stopped to have a chat.
One of those paddlers was Trevor Thompson and although he still paddles a sea kayak he hasn't paddled competition or white water for many, many years.
Trevor was once a member of Ascot Kayak Club and back in the 70s and 1980s his favourite discipline was white water paddling. He and another AKC member Glen Smith tried to find the biggest white water in WA. The Lower Murray River was their favourite river but whenever the Murchinson River was flooding they used to head for the big white water.
Back in the 70 and 80s there were no plastic kayaks, they were all fibreglass kayaks, mainly the ones we used in slalom events. Anyone who has paddled the Lower Murray will tell you how difficult and technical it can be with grade 3 and 4 rapids. It is also difficult to walk out if paddlers lose or break a paddle or damage a kayak and it happened a lot.
I was lucky enough to paddle with Trevor and Glen down the Lower Murray several times and to have them there when I got pinned on one of the big drops was very fortunate. With the help of Glen jumping in the water and floating down the big rapid my kayak was freed but not before losing the front end of the kayak, leaving a gaping hole over 30cm long. Gaffa tape and flashtack fixed the large hole saving me a long walk out.
It was good to see Trevor Thompson on Sunday.
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Me, Trevor and Ed Bartosiak in 1979 sea kayaking.
It's always good to meet up with friends I haven't seen for years.
Kayaker found dead after becoming separated from friends near Brisbane
The body of a 21-year-old international student who went misssing during a kayaking trip late yesterday has been found in waters off Brisbane.
Queensland police say the Chinese man had paddled from North Stradbroke Island to nearby Peel Island earlier in the day with six friends.
Police said the group encountered trouble in the water on their return just before 5pm.
"Just before five they alerted rescue organisations that they were in distress," Senior Sergeant Gary Worrell said.
"A short time later an emergency services vessel arrived on scene and located four people that were in distress.
"We gained a knowledge there were seven people in trouble. There were four we had already recovered."
Sergeant Worrell said inclement weather hampered the rescue effort.
"We activated more resources, we activated helicopters and we commenced a significant search and rescue for the remaining three people."
The first was located soon thereafter and another person was found about 9pm before a storm cell forced the rescue helicopter to land, police said.
"As a result of that we escalated our assets to increase ... we had 14 service assets throughout the evening," Sergeant Worrell said.
"They worked right throughout the night. It was a sad result but it's good to have closure this morning."
Sergeant Worrell said the student's family and the consulate had been informed and shared his condolences.
Police issued a warning to anyone considering going out on the water to assess the weather and conditions before heading out.
"It was great to see all these people wearing life jackets, they told people where they were going," he said.
"It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances with the weather and we couldn't get to them in relation to the aerial assets any sooner."
Police are continuing to investigate what happened out on the water and if the student's kayak overturned.
"Due to the weather and the tide they (the group of seven) just became I'd suggest fatigued and they were not going to make land so they called for help," he said.
Sea Kayak Club WA rescue session practice with 16 paddlers in action.
Photos Barry Roberts.
If you are thinking about paddling a sea kayak in the ocean, gaining some rescue skills and general knowledge about the ocean environment is hugely important.
Why not join the WA Sea Kayak Club.
Albany Sea Kayak Club of WA at West Cape Howe. Photo Chris Fry.
from the
Wild Water Newsletter Edition 07.
Kris Smith
Conditions were near perfect on Sunday for the third race of our season, with almost unseasonal warm weather and clear skies. And while you could have easily asked for more than the 0.4m on offer in the Avon River, the course still had enough water to produce a zero portage run with some tight & technical sections to both challenge and excite competitors.
As one of the popular training runs for learning to paddle moving water, it really was no surprise to see 48 racers take to the course this year. While some of the previous years regulars have been absent this season, numbers were again bolstered with several new faces racing in the Sundries Series, and a few familiar ones who made their return as well.
And while the Upper Swan Race course distance of 6.65km might have been twice as long as last week's Drain Race, it had little effect on the results with Luke DOOLEY crossing the line with an 11.9sec lead over David WORTHY and a comfortable 86.6sec win over David BURDETT.
The winner: Luke Dooley. Photo Lawrence Greed.
Maya Elston pursued by John Dinucci. Photo Lawrence Greed.
Our leading female paddler this race was again Jane PANKHURST finishing a strong 2 mins clear of Maya ELSTON, who in turn had Wendy BURDETT 16.4 secs behind her. Following on from the Drain Race we again had 11 female competitors, albeit with the return of Alexandra VOGEL and newcomer Marie ANDERSSON.
Another newcomer to WildWater racing was Brett MCDONALD who muscled his first paddle of a Wavehopper through to come away as the fastest Wavehopper.
While Brett has raced the Upper Swan Race before in his K1, the Wavehopper provided a whole new challenge.
The next fastest Wavehopper was John BREED a near 3 mins behind Brett, but only 20.3 secs ahead of Emanuel. The remainder of the Wavehopper field were not far behind either, with some well fought racing happening right until the finish line.
The Upper Swan Race really did provide some close racing despite the 1 min intervals between racers, with many using their experience in moving water to close gaps and overtake those in front.
Emanuel Carabott and Chris Hollier paddling Wavehoppers racing to the finish line.
Photo Jane Liddle.
Clare and George Pankhurst in C2. Photo Lawrence Greed.
The return of Clare & George PANKHURST in the WWC2 (42:56.8) was a sight to see through the technical sections, as was the battle between our fastest paddlers as they powered across the finish.
With our next race in WWR #4 Walyunga Races not until Saturday 8th August, we will have to wait to see if the expected rise in water levels and another month of paddling will bring about different results for our category leaders.
Race results here: https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=216526
Soup and a chat after the race.
Have a look at this Wild Water video and see how it's done.
Wild Water.
https://www.facebook.com/nejc.znidarcic/videos/293747878504675/UzpfSTQzNTIxNjcwNjY3MTczMDoxMzQ2MzA1Njc1NTYyODI0/?comment_id=1349819228544802&reply_comment_id=1349820568544668¬if_id=1593844944150236¬if_t=comment_mention
WWR #4 Walyunga Race
and WWR #4 Teams Race.
8th August
Putting in from the top car park, Teams of 3 will race through the slalom section down the Walyunga Chute in a sprint challenge.
Following the Teams Race, the individual Classic race will be held over a section of the popular Walyunga to Bells run. Competitors follow a winding river consisting of exposed rocks and Ti-trees with the added fun of several rapids and a strong current.
Still Paddling the Avon
Hi Terry
Can you send the word out that there is a number of us diehards that are still in the Avon Decent!
I am starting 801am 1 Aug grid 2 as normal.
If I get the numbers I will do the special Avon Decent Covid 19 Medal Oops Covid 20.
I think the same rules but when it comes too day two you have to have a buddy only two bells.
Lets get it going cheers 333
This stretch of river is probably the most paddled section of river in WA.
With 3 Kayak Clubs and roughly 800 members, its a well worn path for paddlers and rowers.
The Mississippi River Expedition continued
Part 17
After five months on the river, road and trail I booked into my first motel at Gonzales
Friday 31st July
I so resented leaving the motel early that morning but I really couldn’t afford to hang around. I do hate when I have to pay for a room and arrive late and leave early and not get the benefit of being there a full day.
The heat increased as I followed the road in a north-westerly direction. I crossed the Mississippi River by ferry and arrived at a small town of New Roads (5,000 people) on the other side of the river and the heat in the late afternoon hadn’t waned at all. The Afro-American couple who owned the local shop talked freely and warmly to me. We talked for some time before I moved outside to relax. Customers came and went. They were all Afro-American and
extremely friendly. I had felt uneasy when passing through Afro-American areas in the cities, but somehow in this small town it seemed different. For the first time on my journey I felt that I was getting to know a little about Afro-Americans. Of course I was probably kidding myself but at least I was getting to know them a little bit. Nearly all of them stopped and talked and asked me what I was doing. This rarely happened in the white areas.
New Roads was established by the French in 1720 and is one of the oldest communities in the Mississippi Valley.
Feeling hot, I moved through the untidy town with two hours to spare before nightfall, hunting for a suitable campsite well away from prying eyes. Finding such a site seemed illusive, but then just as the sun set I found a gravel track that led towards the river. I stopped and waited for all cars to be out of sight before venturing down the track. Then from another track, a soft top 4 x 4 jeep shot towards me and stopped. Two young white males stared my way. In
the back were two compound bows and a rifle. I was instantly on my guard. It had been young white well-to-do males that had been shouting abuse from their cars along my way and who had thrown the coke bottle at me. To get control of the situation I immediately made conversation as I wanted to have the upper hand. We talked and they told me they had just been hunting. I pretended that I was cycling a few miles further as I didn’t want them bothering me at my campsite. They said I sounded like
Paul Hogan and took off with wheels spinning and a roar of laughter. I was pleased to see them leave.
I cycled along the gravel track for about 600 metres and stopped close to a Mississippi River swamp. There was just enough distance from the road for me not to be seen. It had just been another day on the road, another 48 degree heat wave and I was feeling totally shattered. The evening was still scorching at 8.30pm. I mustered enough energy to erect my tent inner and crawled inside. I then collapsed on my bundle of clothes and gear and spread my arms and used my
pannier as a pillow. The air was stifling, but the night was active with sounds of barges, mosquitoes and other creatures outside my tent and around the swamp. The sweat rolled down my naked body and off my brow in streams. I could do nothing to cool down but just let the perspiration trickle and annoy me. I had neither the will nor the energy to eat that night. As I laid down to sleep, I felt as if I couldn’t care less about anything.
My neck itched incessantly, probably due to the tropical heat. I tried desperately not to scratch it, but it was impossible not to. Fidgety feelings and the itching tortured me. My willpower soon gave out and I had to scratch my neck over and over. It was driving me crazy. I just lay there struggling with the absolute discomfort and without realising it I faded into the night allowing my body to rest completely. I woke at midnight feeling hungry, so I ate nuts
and Pop-Tarts before trying to catch some sleep again.
For the rest of this Across the USA journey go here: https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/across-the-usa-stage-6-from-the-southern-swamps-to-the-canyons/ or here: https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/ to find more Chapters of my Kayak, Cycle and Backpack
around the USA.
Bells to Ascot Race
close midnight Today!
Don't miss out on this race as ALL competitors who enter this and the 'LiveLighter The Ramon' will go in the draw to win a brand new Jantex paddle valued at $675! 👌
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