G'Day, I've just come off the water after completing the Hawkesbury Classic in a Kahuna. This is a 111km overnight paddle to raise money for kids with cancer. The organisers are a truly magnificent bunch. This year we had two tides against us and one with us. There was a ten knot NE head wind for the early part of the night - not much but in a race like this it makes a difference. The night was balmy - not a thundercloud in sight. There were 400 competitors and its probably the first time a Kahuna has entered. For this sort of event the Kahuna is quite a slow boat, but it does allow you to paddle forever. Its average speed through the night was 4mph or 7km/hr. It took 17hours 45 minutes to finish which included two rest stops each of about 45minutes. It would probably have been faster if I had used a skeg. and if we hadn't been paddling into the wind for the early part of the night. The Kahuna was classed as a short recreational boat, which gets a handicap. If fitted with a rudder it would have been classed as a medium recreational boat. My land crew were two young fitness instructors, Sarah and Natasha. When they heard I was having difficulty getting a land crew they just volunteered out of the blue. I explained the task was arduous and suggested a cooling off period, but two days later they were keener than ever. Natasha is an experienced kayaker and so not only did I get a land crew but some excellent advice in the three month training period leading up to the race. The result was that I finished without any mishap and in much better condition than last year and was able to control a shoulder problem that had thrown me out of the race at 77km two years earlier. These were two wonderful women and they will be competing in the Hawkesbury next year. About 1/4 of the way into the race I hear a raucous "Who's that Silly Old (the rest is truly unrepeatable) It was my mate Johno who has the remarkable ability learnt in the Navy to completely ignore pain and never makes any rest stops no matter how bad he feels. He was paddling a new version of the Greenlander made under license in NZ and completed the race in 12 hours. We're both using this race as training for a trip to Deal Island in Bass strait next December, in case we have to paddle home! During the race I met Joan, a contemporary of Oskar Speck. She confirmed my theory on why he had allowed himself to be so easily captured and interned. Joan is still paddling 111km races in what looks like a custom designed home built kayak/canoe paddled with a single blade. She was a grand conversationalist telling me about the old days of kayaking in NSW Australia. At about 4am I started to have an irresistable urge to fall asleep with mild hallucination/dreaming - the water started to slide up and down and sideways at strange angles. So did my course. Foliage strewn rocks started to remind me of good friends in years past. A dignified old man appeared out of the morning mist in a huge kayak towed by two orcas:~) . After I had zig zagged like a drunk for about 2km the check point asked me if I was OK and I said yes but desperately needed a coffee. Checkpoint L, just short of the mudflats near Spencer, makes the very best coffee in the world. Happily my course straightened. Sadly the venerable gentleman and his entourage disappeared as caffeine seeped into my cells. Lots of lessons learn't on this trip, the ones that really stand out were: - 1. The benefits of pre training 2. My rest stops could probably be shorter 3. A sheepkin fleece between the Kahuna seat and the sea sock makes a considerable difference to comfort in such a long race. 4. I don't normally drink caffeinated coffee, but will now make an exception for long distance paddling to stay awake and get rid of dream/hallucinations and as a digestive for the food eaten while paddling. 5. Oranges!!! Great!!! 6. Drinking plenty of water and balance electrolyte drinks is well known. This year I also learn't that eating and stretching every hour in the boat greatly reduces the need to stop and get out of the boat and hugely improves ones stamina. Its hard to do because its not enough to wait until you are hungry, by then its too late. The right mix of food for an individual seems to be crucial as indigestion can completely wreck this strategy. It needs practice. Likewise stretches that are relevant to ones particular physique and deficiencies (if any:~). 7. I should have checked sponsons at the first break after sundown as they reduce tremendously in volume at night and may have slowed the boat down Likewise release gas the following day to avoid excessive distension of the fabric. 8. Incoming tides don't need to slow you down much - mangroves are great to paddle next to with an incoming tide - they slow down the current but not the boat. Food eaten during the night: - Two very strong black coffees Two and a half bottles of Gatorade (a sports drink) About 1.5 litres of water Three protein/carbohydrate bars) Two breakfast cereal bars Roughly 6 bananas (lost count) Two very large and exquisite oranges Two home made rice puddings with sultanas ( I have the greatest mother in law) All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). 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> There were 400 competitors and its probably the first time a Kahuna has > entered. For this sort of event the Kahuna is quite a slow boat, but it does > allow you to paddle forever. Same impression. Easy to paddle, and probably it is the fastest folder of this size, but you'd better not compare it with 16-17 ft hardshells. And one more thing - it is very stabile - more than it may seem looking at this small craft. It feels more stabile than hardshells of the same width. As to the seat - I'm sitting on my sleeping pad with some things to fill space between the tubes (without seasock or fabric seat); deeper dimple, less slippery and warmer than just fabric seat. I thought to make a foam seat like those that guys use in hardshells. Alex. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Alex wrote: - >Same impression. Easy to paddle, and probably it >is the fastest folder of this size, but you'd better >not compare it with 16-17 ft hardshells. G'day Alex. I'm used to paddling heavy boats with a slow cadence. It needs a faster cadence to keep up with the 16 foot hard shells and I don't know how long anyone could sustain this. Also found that after 40 or 50km I got tired of using body lean to steer the boat and started compromising the racing stroke with small paddle sweep corrections. In other words the high angle entry started to become shallower. Natasha spotted this as I finished and I'll have to learn better stroke technique with the Kahuna or use a skeg. At the end of the race I was overtaking people in much longer boats including doubles because I was far less tired and some of the reason for that was the light build of the Kahuna. Of course I was one of the slower paddlers in this race - I was conserving energy and finished with plenty to spare. Next year will work harder and try to make a seriously good time. As far as length of boat and speed is concerned some of the fastest boats in the race were in the short rec class. These boats were built for speed and paddled by very expert 50+ year olds:~). One of the boats in this class finished in 10 hours. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> I explained the task was arduous and suggested a cooling > off period, but two days later they were keener than ever. Peter, having never participated in an event like that, I'm a bit ignorant. Can you say a few more words about what the land crew does, and why it's arduous? Thanks, and congratulations! Rick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Rick wrote: - >Can you say a few more words about what the land crew does, and why it's arduous? G'Day Rick, Thats a really good question. The land crew is a mandatory requirement of the race for safety reasons. They look after the paddler at rest stops by providing food and warm changes of clothing if required. They drive along the paddling route and find parking spots, so they are available at the checkpoints and the end of the race. This is relatively hard night driving along a country road. The driving route is much, much longer than the paddling route. They check the paddlers progress on the relevant notice boards and are available to pick up the paddler if the paddler can't continue. They help land the boat at rest stops. And they make sure one of them gets enough sleep to be able to drive everyone safely home. Its against the law in NSW to drive while tired - considered at least as dangerous as driving while drunk. They encourage the paddler. They pack the boat away at the finish. They help others if others have problems. Its an unglamorous job and a lot of work and every year theres a competition after the event in which paddlers may choose to write up the good work done by their crew and put the write up in for a best landcrew prize. Thanks for asking and cheers to land crews everywhere. All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 06:05:02 +1100, "PeterO" <rebyl_kayak_at_iprimus.com.au> said: > Rick wrote: - > >Can you say a few more words about what the land crew does, and > >why it's > arduous? > > The land crew is a mandatory requirement of the race for safety > reasons. They look after the paddler at rest stops by providing food > and warm changes of clothing if required. A few years ago I did support for my brother for the sea to summit triathlon (atlantic ocean to the summit of mount washington). One of the racers had a land crew who were poster children for who to NOT have as your land crew. The racer crashed 80 miles into the bike ride and bent his front wheel. His support crew had gone shopping, in the nearby outlet malls. He ended up borrowing a junker bike from the back of a passer by's pickup truck to finish the bike leg. He won the following year with a different support crew. Watching the hardcore racers, like Peter O. ;-), is interesting. There are definitely tricks to keeping your body going for a long time. Kirk -- Kirk Olsen kork4_at_cluemail.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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