WA State Slalom Course Opening

ASCOT KAYAK CLUB
SEASON OPENING
SATURDAY 2ND OCTOBER 

The 2021 Paddle WA AGM & Annual Awards Day

is coming up and will be held on Sunday 3rd October, at Gilbert Fraser Reserve in North Fremantle.

(After the Classic Paddle Race)

Please find the notice of AGM attached, as well as an invite to the AGM & Annual Awards Day below. The venue will be open from 12.00pm with light catering provided, and the bar will be open for beer, wine and soft drinks.

We would love to see you there, if you could please RSVP your attendance it would be very much appreciated.

for Paddle WA members.

develop@paddlewa.asn.au

I thought I would get into the spirit of the Grand Final by paddling to the stadium this morning to see if there was much activity.

It is a 11 km paddle from my place and although the howling wind helped me on the way there, the 11 km paddle back was pretty hard reducing my speed at times to 6-7 kms an hour.

The wind chop made taking photos a little tricky.
 

Walkers crossing the bridge are greeted by this big footy sign.
 

I think I will have to have my training run in the direction of the stadium on Saturday evening.

Canning Canoe Club Nomination Race last Sunday.

Peter & Judy Martin Visits Esperance
 

Judy paddling in the lakes.

Peter paddling the lakes.
 

Woody Lake launching area.
 

Sunset at the lakes.

Slalom Camp Weekend
 

Clare Pankhurst focused on negotiating a gate.
 Photo Beck Florisson.
 

George Pankhurst seeing how vertical he can go.
Photo Beck Florisson.
 

Photo Beck Florisson.
 

New to slalom are given some tips.
Photo Beck Florisson.
 

Juniors being coached.
Photo Beck Florisson.
 

This white water stuff is so easy!
Photo Beck Florisson.

Kimberley Kayak Expedition # 5

Thursday 9^th June 1988

After the crocodile attacked Ewen’s kayak the day before he seemed to be in a bit of a dream-world when he woke. Somehow I don’t think he slept so well and no matter if we retreated back to One Arm Point or went ahead to Mitchell Plateau as scheduled, crocs would still be a concern.

There was no going back, but today we were having a break from paddling and doing a walk on land checking around this area of Walcott Inlet. It had been 15 months since I was last at this camp but when I went to the toilet I found a toilet roll that I had accidently left behind. It was in quite good shape considering how long it had been there.

We climbed the ridge and cliffs behind us and followed a ridge around getting panoramic views of the coastline and later the inlet and interior. This was the third time I had walked around the area and it was still as exciting and beautiful.

At the mouth of the Inlet the tide was ripping out creating good sized boils and whirlpools and to think the tides were on neap and not as strong as they on spring tides. Across the channel were a mass of mangroves, not a safe place to be, but we were okay here on the cliff top. It was hot so we rested for a while watching all the tidal effects develop.

Although it was midday the birds were singing as we moved along. With a huge thirst we descended into a valley where previously I had obtained water from a small stream but when we found it, it was as dry as a bone. We moved on to a cliff top where we could see whirlpools developing as the tide now started coming in. At once we lit a fire and had a cup of coffee. You can’t believe how tasty a cup of coffee and a biscuit is out here. It’s a highlight of our day.

Many birds shared our hillside. Swifts soared, honey eaters just hopped and flew around us and squawking ravens were being hassled by other birds. We could see a bunch of dolphins hundreds of metres below mingling with the currents.

We watched the tides and the whirlpools form until 3.45pm. The sun was dropping and its rays were lighting up the cliff faces across the other side of the channel giving us a stunning view. It was time to head back to camp which had us stumbling over boulders hidden by spinifex. We finished the day with dinner and just laid on the rock looking up into the amazing sky full of stars thinking of what had gone by and what was ahead.

The current moving into Walcott Inlet.
 

Eventually whirlpools are formed near here.
 

Friday 10^th June.

The water lapping up into a hollow rock crevice and a tree stump bumping against the cliff hadn’t helped ease us to sleep. The tide was up when we woke and the bay was full of driftwood. It was hard to distinguish some of the driftwood from crocodiles! It’s funny how our imagination see things that are not there.

The mangroves in front of our camp were silent and only quivered when a larger wave rolled in. When we were loaded and ready we crept silently out through the mangroves, our eyes scanning anything that moved especially the twigs and branches floating on the water.

Further out dolphins leisurely swam in the calm sea. We were now in a dilemma to where we should paddle. Should it be well away from the shore to get away from the crocs or closer to land to get away from the sharks!

We paddled in silence first passing High Bluff then moving along a section of mangroves. Bleary eyed from the glare, trickling sweat and stinging salt, we paddled hour after hour trying to overcome our trance like state.

Suddenly in a flurry of confusion Ewen yelled out and took off like a man possessed, as a shark hit his rudder. Minutes later and still shaken from the shark hit, he shouted out, “I can’t take much more of this”, as he saw another shark rapidly approach, veering off only a metre from his hands. After the croc attack, now sharks, you could imagine why he was feeling a little anxious!

The tide that was helping us along had now turned making our paddle a lot harder. I could see it was going to be one of those days! So to restore our energy and enthusiasm we rafted up and ate some dried fruits and then headed for Raft Point which has some breathtaking scenery.

Our camp at Raft Point was just as stunning as the other 3 times I had camped there. A walk along the cliffs with the ocean on one side and the bay with mangroves and vertical cliffy islands on the other was a sight to die for. A sea eagle was being a harassed by a tern nearby. As the tern dived the eagle would turn on its side to try to hook it with its claws. Out in the entrance they call Foam Passage mackerel or tuna were leaping out of the water. It was easy to forget about the crocs and the sharks.

Looking over to Steep Island
 

Mangroves are thick below Steep Point on the inland side.
 

We pose for a photo with Steep Island in the background.
 

An eagle's nest on top of a rock column.

Saturday 11^th June

As we left Raft Point and crossed Doubtful Bay the tidal stream eventually slipped in our favour for once, so we cruised at 10 kph at times. The fish were busy putting on a show by leaping out of the water again with birds diving and trying to get their own little feed. Turtles were also our companions.

After failing to find freshwater in the coastal creeks our luck changed at Freshwater Cove. Here, we jogged about 500 metres to a freshwater stream that cascaded from a clustered tentacle root system of mangroves into a 20 metre pool. The tide was going out so we couldn’t take too long or our kayaks would be stranded on the beach. To be safe, we skirted the pool and climbed through the sprawling roots to the trickling stream and filled up our containers with the help of our cups. For minutes, unbeknown to us a saltwater crocodile, lay camouflaged and perfectly still in the pool below us. What a surprise. You can imagine how pleased we were that we hadn’t waded into the pool. The water was sweet so we were happy to be able to guzzle a few litres on the spot.

We left the croc and crustaceans to their natural habitat and made our way quickly back to our kayaks finding them 25 metres from the water and a task of dragging and lifting them arounds rocks barnacles. By the time we reached a heavenly beach at Hall Point in a tired state we had paddled for 7 ½ hours, doing 45 kms.

Thousands of hermit crabs were rustling in the dry grass making one hell of a racket especially at night. We erected a crocodile fence with our paddles for a bit of fun. It wouldn’t keep out a fly but it was worth a photo.

Fresh water was collected from this small stream.

A crocodile was hidden in the pool below it.
 

We build a fence to keep predators away from our tent.

I make sure that Ewen sleeps closer to the water!!!

Sunday 12^th June.

We had gone to bed early and by the time we got up we had slept for 11 hours. We were tired. Ewen got the water boiling for a cup of tea as he is pretty out of it first thing in the morning so he needs a good hot drink to bring him around. It turned out being almost cold and one we had the previous night tasted of salt so we weren’t able to appreciate our hot drinks as we had.

It was a 40 km paddle to Kuri Bay and a very choppy one with waves jumping on our decks. We crossed Deception Bay where I had previously seen whales but none was seen today. As we passed Needle Rock in the channel 4 kms before Kuri Bay the ocean calmed.

The pearling settlement of Kuri Bay was nestled at the bottom of a cove surrounded by spectacular cliffs. Boats and pearling pontoons were scattered around the cove and the sleepy settlement, fronted by a thin line of mangroves, looked abandoned as we paddled across the now glassy turquoise water towards it. Eagles soared on silent wings and it was only the crows raiding the rubbish tip that disturbed the tranquil setting.

It was 4.30pm when we landed on the muddy shores, threw our gear onto the jetty and walked to see Hauchi the Japanese boss who allowed us to stay. Bob Haddock greeted us soon after. He was the only European person there, all the rest of the people were either Japanese or Thursday Islanders. He showed us to our rooms and we were treated with a steak meal that evening. We were in heaven. Ewen later went to lie on the jetty and a dingo walked by. It was the first time he had seen one.

Kuri Bay gave us the opportunity to wash our clothes, repair our gear and collect rations for the final stage of our sea journey. The hospitality and co-operation of Hauchi, Bob Haddock and the Kuri Bay people was over-whelming, as always.

Kuri Bay pearling settlement.

Jenny and I went to Augusta to visit Alaine and Tom for 4 days.

I took my kayak.

The Blackwood River is quite wide for about 8 kms from its mouth and over the weekend it was very windy. I was pleased I took my sea kayak.
 

I found a calm section along the river.
 

Pelicans fly over.
 

Dozens of black swans feed in the shallow waters.
 

Two eagles perch on a dead tree.
 

Gulls use a sandbar exposed by the low tide. Augusta in the background.
 

The ferry at Molloy Island 9 kms upstream of the river mouth.
 

Birds in Bassendean
 

Two young Herons on Ron Courtney Island.

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