Terry 0417 977 330

terry@canoeingdownunder.com.au (email)

https://canoeingdownunder.wordpress.com/  (website)

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

https://terrybolland.wordpress.com/ (trips & achievements)

It’s marathon racing season and we have several flatwater races coming up. To help promote marathon kayaking why not encourage ski paddlers to paddle kayaks in these flatwater events. The marathon sport needs more kayak paddlers to make it stronger. Canoe/kayak marathons are world wide and it doesn't matter what age you are, you can become a Australian or World Champion in a kayak.

 I know that all paddlers can’t afford two boats and skis are very useful for choppy water races and the ocean but there are lots of cheap used kayaks on the market for paddlers to give kayak racing a try.

Paddling a race kayak will also bolster your skill level. 

If you are like me who love true kayak marathon events and tradition, why not encourage current ski paddlers paddling on flat water or newcomers to the sport to give a kayak a crack

Brodie Crawford

Australian Slalom Team Member 

Brodie has been named as the Olympic C1 reserve.
 

National Teams: U23/Senior
DOB: 19/06/1996
Hometown: Perth
Club: Ascot Kayak Club
Institute/Academy: WAIS
Coaches: Zlatan Ibrahimbegovic, Mike Druce, Robin Jeffery
Nickname: Bcrawf

Team event in Tasmania.
Steve Lowther, Brodie Crawford, and junior team paddler Jack Choate
International Results

2020
9th MC1 Oceania Canoe Slalom Championships, Auckland, NZL
2019
23^rd MC1 ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 4, Markklenberg, GER
2018
46th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships (Rio de Janiero, BRA)
13th C1 Teams – ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships (Rio de Janiero, BRA)
9th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom U23 World Championships (Ivrea, ITA)
9th C1 Teams – ICF Canoe Slalom U23 World Championships (Ivrea, ITA)
20th K1 Teams – ICF Canoe Slalom U23 World Championships (Ivrea, ITA)
34th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 5 (La Seu d’Urgell, ESP)
37th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 3 (Augsburg, GER)
38th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 2 (Krakow, POL)
35th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 1 (Liptovsky Mikulas, SVK)
2017
17th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom U23 World Championships (Bratislava, SVK)
14th C1 Teams – ICF Canoe Slalom U23 World Championships (Bratislava, SVK)
38th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 1 (Prague, CZE)
43rd C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 2 (Augsburg, GER)
2016
42nd C1 – U23 World Championships (Krakow, POL)
10th C1 Teams – U23 World Championships (Krakow, POL)
39th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 4 (Prague, CZE)
32nd C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup 5 (Tacen, SLO)
34th C1 – Oceania Championships (Penrith, NSW)
2014
10th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships (Penrith, NSW)
8th C2 – ICF Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships (Penrith, NSW)
18th C1 – Oceania Championships (Penrith, NSW)
8th C2 – Oceania Championships (Penrith, NSW)
25th K1 – Oceania Championships (Penrith, NSW)
2nd C2 – Australian Open (Penrith, NSW)
2013
37th C1 – ICF Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships (Liptovsky Mikulas, SVK)
54th K1 – ICF Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships (Liptovsky Mikulas, SVK)

Ivrea, Italy

Racing at the 2018 ICF U23 and Junior Canoe Slalom World Championships will kick-off in Ivrea, Italy tonight (17 July 2018) with a team of seven U23 and five Junior athletes representing Paddle Australia.

Australian U23 representatives are regular strong performers in senior World Cup competitions and Daniel Watkins (TAS), Brodie Crawford (WA), Kate Eckhardt (TAS) and Noemie Fox (NSW) just wrapped up the first three ICF Canoe Slalom World Cups of the 2018 season and are looking forward to build on their performances at the U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships.

CRAWFORD READY TO MAKE THIS A WEEK TO REMEMBER

The 2018 ICF Slalom World Cup season will kick-off in Liptovski, Slovakia this weekend (22-24 June 2018) with the week shaping as a big one for Perth paddler, Brodie Crawford (WA).
Crawford is part of a 9-strong Australian team, including Olympic medallist Jessica Fox (NSW), that will compete on this year’s Slalom World Cup circuit and the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in Rio in September.
On Tuesday Crawford celebrated his 22^nd birthday, and this weekend he will make his international debut in a senior Australian canoe slalom team.
Standing on the banks of the Liptovsky Mikulas course this week seems a million miles from the dark days of the summer of 2014-15.
Those dark days were really dark. Laid low with glandular fever, Crawford spent weeks unable to even climb out of bed.
He thought at the time that what had been a promising start to his canoeing career was over, even though he was still only a teenager.
“I really had retired from the sport,” Crawford reflected this week.
“But luckily the spark returned.”
Crawford is part of the 2018 Australian Slalom World Cup and World Championships team and he couldn’t be happier.

“I’m going to be nervous, but I’m definitely going to be a lot better than I have been in previous years,” Crawford said.

“It’s something I’ve been working on, and just backing myself in and enjoying it as much as I can. I’ve come a really long way, if I look back.

“I had the time off when I got sick, and then I came back to the sport and looked back at videos of my results and they were shocking.”

Crawford, a Western Australian through-and-through, recently made a big life-changing decision. He packed his suitcases, said goodbye to family and friends, and headed east to Penrith. The changes have been dramatic.
“I’ve been there for about six months, and working with people like Ian Borrows, it’s really helped me make some big steps,” he said.
“It was really tough, because I’ve got a massive family, a huge extended family, and a really good base of support, so coming to Penrith was really hard.
“But kayaking is my passion, and it was tough at home because you are pretty much by yourself and you have to drive everything.
“The difference has been 100 per cent. I had an underlying back issue for 12 months, and within a week of working with a physio day-in-day-out it was gone
“And everything is much more professional. You feel better on the inside, with people who are there to support you. You’ve got a whole team built around you.”

Alaine came up to Perth to celebrate her dads birthday so she decided it was a good time to have her 4^th paddle of the year. As she wasn’t at all fit she was a bit concerned that I would have to work harder than usual with her in the back. It didn’t matter to me, I love a good workout and there was a possibility that we might beat some other K2s.

The doubles were off first which were a mixture of kayaks and skis. We took off and instantly we were being left behind but when the water settled Cynthia and Stephen Coward came along side to our left and Rod and Mitchell Hale who were paddling a double kayak for the first time came along side to our right.

With Alaine liking a good chat she now had the opportunity. We settled in for a cruisey paddle and in no rush to up the pace. Paddling past my house Jenny was on the balcony looking on. We shouted across to her and headed for the Tonkin Highway Bridge. Soon after the fast K1s, the young guns started passing us.

Other fast K1 paddlers past. One young guy moved across to get on the wash of a pack and collided with two other paddlers which resulted with them being knocked off the wash and were left struggling to get away from each other. The young guy then dropped back and I heard Stephen say he has rudder problems.

About 500 metres from Garratt Road Bridge Mike Lalloli cruised by. I decided to up the pace and managed to get on Mike’s wash. For some reason we managed to keep on his wash until we hit the shallow area after the bridge. Mike's wash had helped us get away from the other K2s.

Up ahead were Ray and Anne Smith. They did say before the race that we would paddle at a similar pace and the girls could talk. That didn’t happen but now we had a good chance to catch up. It wasn’t fun paddling through the shallows but we were gaining and by the time we got to the spit post at halfway mark we were directly behind them and then beside them. I had worked Alaine hard to get there so I didn't know how she was faring. I didn't hear her complaining.

Mark Sedgwick, Stuart Hide and Carlo Cottino flew by but Carlo somehow capsized as they moved out of Ascot Cove. He started searching for something in the water which we thought would be his Garmin watch but it was his car keys. He said later his wife would be asking why he didn’t have them tied in. I asked the same question.

Once we came out of the cove the wind was blowing strongly and the shallows made paddling pretty awful. Soon after Jane Pankhurst came by so we jumped on her wash. Ray and Anne were still beside us. If I remember rightly Alaine and Anne were chatting away whilst me and Ray were breathless because of the effort we were putting in!! About 500 metres upstream of the Garrett Road Bridge Spencer paddled from the right of the river and cut across to the left side of the river to get out of the wind. Unfortunately for us he crossed the path of Jane which caused her to move over to the left and that meant we lost her wash and Ray and Anne to gained it.

The wind was causing havoc and we soon lost the wash of Ray and Anne as Warren Southwell, Matt Jones, and Grant pepper caught up and passed us. On the bright side Alaine was still in the kayak and she hadn’t rebelled.

With a kilometre to go we put the pressure on and crossed the line with our heads held high. Alaine though had to drive home to Augusta later that day.

Kimberley Kayaking 1982

part 14
100 Days Solo

Sleeping high on a ledge in my light canvas swag and thin camping mat gave me a grand view of the area and a safe place from the crocodiles. A beach stone-curlew waddled up and down the beach, agitated and seemingly talking to me or telling me to go. Its long legs made it look bigger than a duck but its body being roughly the same size. On other beaches I have always seen stone-curlews in pairs, so maybe this one had lost its love. Unfortunately I didn’t have the gift to communicate with it, to see what was wrong. In fact I wasn’t able to communicate with anyone at this time as I had no communications. The only way to communicate with others out here was with a flying doctor radio which I didn’t have.

At times I felt it would have been nice to have someone come along to share my ordeals, to have a partner who also appreciated the country, but I wasn’t fussed, I was really enjoying being alone and the longer I was alone the better and the more I wanted to stay alone. I didn’t even have a transistor radio to listen to, but I doubt if it would work way out here anyway, so I had no idea what was happening in the world. But it didn’t really matter I had enough things happening around me to keep me occupied.

Within a few hundred metres of my departure point I became committed to crossing Doubtful Bay on the full force of the tidal flow. I soon had to compensate for the tidal currents as I crossed over a small rapid that was streaming around the point. Ahead several large boils and overfalls started appearing and moving my way. They came from nowhere erupting all around me. The real big ones were to my left in a long line and seemingly going out to sea. I couldn’t understand where they had come from but after looking at the shore I realized I was being swept towards them rather than the overfalls coming towards me. The current became too powerful for me to make headway, so I was losing ground. Now I knew why they called it Foam Passage.

After a kilometre or so the current eased and I was able to move in a more direct line, although by the time I crossed the bay I had done a big S. Luckily there was no breeze but this just increased my perspiration problem. It was so hot and the salty sweat running down my face was blinding and causing me much anguish.

Once across Foam Passage I followed a few islands and tried to settle into a better paddling rhythm but the sun, the repetitive plop of the paddle, a sore bum and a full bladder got me a bit agitated and fidgety. I needed to relieve myself to get rid of the feeling, so instead of peeing in my cup which I usually did, I headed for the nearest beach. To stretch, to pee and wake up was a welcome relief but I still had at least another 20 km to go before I intended to stop for the day.

Nearing Lizard Island I could see the High Cliffy Islands, which were on the edge of the massive Montgomery reef system. I didn’t realise it at first, but I was paddling hard though moving really slowly and fighting an invisible current. The tide must have turned. The hard slog and frustration of getting nowhere had given me the willies again, and I desperately needed to go to the toilet for another pee, my third since leaving Raft Point. Getting the willies was definitely not caused by my liquid intake. It was caused more by the frustration, the tiredness, pressure on my bladder and mental strain of not getting anywhere. It felt that my bladder wanted to burst, but once out of the boat the pressure was eased and only a small portion of urine flowed.

I left the islands and Doubtful Bay and paddled around a point of the mainland with some difficulty as the tide was ripping into the bay against me. I had been paddling for six hours, yet I had only achieved 22 kms. In most conditions I could paddle about 5 ½ km an hour, in this current I was only doing 2 km an hour, and I had no idea when the rocky shoreline would give way to a beach so I could make camp. Within the hour the most fantastic sight imaginable was before me, I could see a beach.

My first task, after trying to spear a shark in the shallows was to light a fire and have a hot drink. The sight of doves and other birds gave me an encouraging sign that water could be close. Doves need freshwater, although it still could be kilometres away. My Christmas had arrived again, 200 metres north of my camp a beautiful running stream flowed beneath the valley of green vegetation. I decided to move upstream and follow the source. A large grey kangaroo stood its ground and made a grunting sound. It took off, but stopped again making the same noises, then it eventually disappeared among the undergrowth. It was certainly a lot bigger than all the other kangaroos I had seen.

The sound of water trickling over rocks was fantastic, it was beautiful, soft, pure and clean and then the stream meandered through prickly bushes, dense undergrowth and pandanas palms. Small cliffs started to close in and for the kingfishers, the other birds and myself this was paradise. As I moved amongst a tranquil setting the Coast Watch plane flew overhead turning in a large arch and buzzing my kayak. The Coast Watch is there to find intruders, but this was only the third time since leaving Broome they had spotted me.

When the stream faded away I moved onto the ridge and overlooked the ocean. In the distance I saw something black and large continually rising out of the water. It looked like a large black hand that kept coming up and disappearing just like a giant was drowning. I soon realised that they were not large hands but whales. I watched them for several minutes before returning. I came across an overhang that looked as if it was a favourite place for kangaroos and wallabies to shelter. There was a wallaby skull in the corner of the overhang. I moved on and several wallabies of all sizes and a 2 foot lizard crossed my path, making it one of the most habitable places I’ve visited. It was probably a good place to camp for a few days.

Washing in a fresh water stream amongst the sounds of birds, the croaking of frogs and the creaking of trees was exhilarating and invigorating. To be able to cleanse my body of salt and be able to liven my hair, and have soft clothes was just magical. My morning had started at 5.00am, and by the time I cooked dinner, wrote my diary in the light of the fire, it was midnight before I got into my hammock.

By the time I returned to my kayak the tide had gone out leaving my kayak about 20 metres from the water. Being fully loaded I had to drag it metre by metre to the water which was a struggle, but I wasted no time paddling out of the cove hoping the shallowing water and appearing sandbars wouldn’t trap me in. Once out into deep water I had a feed of rice which restored my energy.

Having the murky waters of Walcott Inlet well behind me the turtles returned in force and several times we were on collision course, but when they saw me they dived straight down. It was fun watching them. The currents and reefs along the coast caused several overfalls, but I cautiously steered around them. I passed the small picturesque inlet of Langley, where I was told freshwater could be found. At Prior Point I crossed over several more disturbed areas as I headed for Hall Point. Nearing the point I could see a white tidal stream extending right out to the sea. The wind was coming from the north-west and so was the current so there was no way I would get any assistance. The waves passing the point looked big, choppy and sloppy, just what I didn’t need at the end of a hard day. Because of the rough conditions, and the waves pounding the rocky shoreline, I put on my crash helmet. With opposing wind waves and current, the conditions played havoc with my balance, as the waves were bouncing from all directions. Many times the whole cockpit disappeared under water and with water resting on my spray deck I could feel it seeping in and dripping on my legs. I pulled out all stops, paddled like the clappers, but I still only gained a few metres.

Indian Ocean Paddlers

Races

Summer Series dates are now locked in. We are also very pleased to announce that Brad and Kate Hardingham Realmark have agreed to stay on board as our seasons sponsor. This support for IOP is massively appreciated.
Race dates:
24th October
7th November
21st November / WCD
28th November / Doctor
12th December Xmas paddle
9th Jan 2021
30th Jan
20th Feb
13th March

Next Race 24th October