G'Day, The Hawkesbury Classic is coming up next month. Its a flatwater, down river, overnight, 110km, kayak race that I used to eneter every year and I'm about to start again. As the river has significant tidal currents many of us make use of eddy currents near the shore when the tide is running against us. But its all guess work. The river is very wide so paddling from one side to the other to work out if theres an eddy would waste valuable time. Question is are there some rules of thumb that can be used to predeict which side of the river an eddy is likely to be running counter to the tide? Would it always be the shallow side, or up stream or down stream of the concave or convex side of a bend ? Are their other parameters to consider? I'd be keen to hear if anyone has develioped any rules of thumb or at least has a theory that could be tested. 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 Sat, Aug 8, 2009 at 12:34 AM, rebyl_kayak < rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com> wrote: > Question is are there some > rules of thumb that can be used to predeict which side of the river an eddy > is > likely to be running counter to the tide? Would it always be the shallow > side, > or up stream or down stream of the concave or convex side of a bend ? Are > their other parameters to consider? A great question and a complicated one for an estuarial river where the current can flow each way. Dave Kruger and others who paddle the big tidal rivers on a regular basis probably will have more valuable input than I have but I'm willing to get the ball rolling. First of all, I think I'd try a "pre-race" run in conditions that duplicate the tidal range as much as possible. Scope out the places where you discover the major eddies and figure out how you want to deal with them beforehand. In general I would hug the bank on the flood and seek the mid-channel on the ebb. And when I say "hug the bank" I mean so close that you have to worry about your paddle hitting the bank. The greater the current against you the closer you want to be. On the ebb I think I would gravitate to the outside of bends. On the flood I would work the inside of the bends but always aware that greater current is found at the cusp of a sharp bend. You might find it faster to move out early and cross the river to avoid a very sharp bend. Avoid shallow areas on the ebb and seek them out on the flood. Avoid obstructions on the ebb and seek them out on the flood. Large eddies can form behind the root balls of fallen trees, rocks, sand bars, etc. so on the flood you can paddle up "behind" them and get some relief from the current. Paddle faster in adverse currents and husband your energy in advantageous currents. The theory behind this is that when the current is against you then you want move to get out of it as quickly as possible and back into a favorable current stream. I think I would take a GPS with me and keep it set to show speed in small increments (something digitally rather than a "speedometer") and watch it like a hawk. The nice thing about GPS is that it shows speed over the ground so any variations in current will show up as long as you have a consistent paddling style. One of the reasons racing coaches prefer paddlewheel speed sensors over a GPS is that the GPS doesn't show how well an oarsman is pulling because there is some lag. The GPS has to integrate forward movement over time to come up with a speed... a paddlewheel simply counts revolutions. The GPS offers an advantage for downstream racing since you really don't want to see a lot of variation in speed caused by paddling but, rather, by currents. Glider pilots are always aware of which wing is rising when seeking out thermals. The theory behind this is that a thermal to one's right will cause the starboard wing to rise (and vice-versa) so you would always turn into the rising wing to find the center of a thermal. You might find it appropriate to adopt much the same tactic in current and watch how your bow swings along with GPS speed. So if your bow suddenly swings watch the GPS to determine if you're moving into a favorable current or an adverse current and take appropriate action. So there are my thoughts on this. I expect this thread to be an interesting one. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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 keep getting the following message below every time I've tried to spell check this message before sending it. This is the same message that has twice before destroyed long e-mails I've written when I tried to save them as drafts. Does anyone have any idea how I can make this quit happening. "We've updated Windows Live Hotmail from Qwest, so please refresh your browser or close it and sign in again. If you are composing a message, make sure you save it as a draft." PeterO wrote: >>>As the river has significant tidal currents many of us make use of eddy currents near the shore when the tide is running against us. But its all guess work. The river is very wide so paddling from one side to the other to work out if theres an eddy would waste valuable time. Question is are there some rules of thumb that can be used to predeict which side of the river an eddy is likely to be running counter to the tide? Would it always be the shallow side, or up stream or down stream of the concave or convex side of a bend ? Are their other parameters to consider? I'd be keen to hear if anyone has develioped any rules of thumb or at least has a theory that could be tested.<<<< I'd suggest you read some texts on Downriver racing and then apply what you learned to how the conditions will change when the current reverses. If the current only reverses a small amount of the time the river bottom probably stays much like a river with no reversing currents. With a standard river the deep and fast water is always at the outside of curves and the shallows are shallowest below the inside of the curve points. The temptation is always to take the shortcut rather to stay in fast water but loss of current speed, backeddies and shallow water drag effects from wavemaking (less than 5' of water--increasing the shallower it gets) and turbulence off the kayak dragging on the bottom (under 18" deep water and increasing more as the distance from your hull to the bottom is reduced--with a big jump in drag to a stop if the water is shallower than your draft) usually mean that too much of a shortcut will almost always be a mistake. Tha't the rule but there can be exceptions if it could save you a lot of distance--something like a portage to skip a big meander comes to mind. Coming upstream you would want to stay out of the downstream strong current but be careful to avoid too much shallow water that will cause wave and bottom drag. The really interesting time (and where if you figure it right, you might be able to make up the most time against your competition) would be when the current in the channel reverses but the bottom contours of the river haven't changed. This might make for faster water over some of the shallows and eddies that are deeper and this may make the conditions much more tolerant of taking shortcuts. If possibe try to paddle the course several times (with a racing buddy) ahead of time when the currents will be similar to race day. Take different courses at the turns and see who comes out ahead. Make notes on a map or drawing of the river to use on race day. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
MATT MARINER BROZE said on 10 August 2009 13:16 > I keep getting the following message ... spell check Matt I don't use Windows Hotmail - but (weird as it sounds) this might be worth trying... http://windowslivehelp.com/community/p/41889/361166.aspx Best Regards Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
G'day Craig and Matt, and many thanks for the comprehensive responses. You both mentioned a prerace run. As the start of the Hawkesbury is a fair distance away and the adverse current conditions will occur at the end of the race I'll focus on the lower reaches of the river. Craig those suggestions made a lot of sense. I hadn't thought about paddling faster in adverse currents - it was non-intuitive for me being opposite to my practise in gusts of strong wind, when I just try to hold position. But of course you are right - current is quite different. The GPS will be very valuable and I hadn't thought to check observations while watching the bow, it will certainly make for a more interesting paddle. One side of this particular river can sometimes be shallow and the other side deeper, depending on which way the river bends, while the centre is invariably deep, so I'll stay in the center of the river during ebb. The key question may be whether to cut corners just a little in the flood tide, while staying away from areas that are so shallow they cause drag, or if I have understood Matt correctly to seek a possible counter current on the outer deep side of the river bend. Matt the down river race is invariably run on a night when the currents are favourable at the start of the race, which means that really fast racing classes can stay in sync with the current for long periods. The adverse flood tide tends to be significant for the last few hours of the race, unless one is very slow, so the possibility of counter currents is significant and I have experienced them, more by good luck than judgement, in previous races. BTW thanks for the comment that there were books on downhill river racing - hadn't realised that and will seek them out. 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 Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 5:32 AM, rebyl_kayak < rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com> wrote: > > > Matt the down river race is invariably run on a night when the currents are > favourable at the start of the race, which means that really fast racing > classes can stay in sync with the current for long periods. > Interesting that this is also what they do at the "Deception Pass Dash" held north of Seattle in December (late fall with often winter-like weather). The surf-ski paddlers finish much faster than the rest because they can go fast enough to (barely) stay in sync with the favorable tides. Everyone else has to deal with the adverse currents shortly after the start. Last December this led to some serious nastiness on the return leg with many capsizes caused by the big ebb against a strong wind. The jet ski safety riders were very much in demand and the kayak safety paddlers who were unlucky enough to be stationed in the places with the worst conditions saw a lot of action. Not being much of a racer myself I wonder what it is the race promoters are trying to do arranging things in this way. Maybe Matt Broze or PeterO or some of the other active racers have some insight. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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 like the kayak non-races, sometimes called tours. In slowness there is tranquility, beauty, and inner peace. Let us go slower, not faster, and have a good paddle. Brad Snailman Crain Quoting Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>: > On Mon, Aug 10, 2009 at 5:32 AM, rebyl_kayak < > rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com> wrote: >> >> >> Matt the down river race is invariably run on a night when the currents are >> favourable at the start of the race, which means that really fast racing >> classes can stay in sync with the current for long periods. >> > > Interesting that this is also what they do at the "Deception Pass Dash" held > north of Seattle in December (late fall with often winter-like weather). The > surf-ski paddlers finish much faster than the rest because they can go fast > enough to (barely) stay in sync with the favorable tides. Everyone else has > to deal with the adverse currents shortly after the start. Last December > this led to some serious nastiness on the return leg with many capsizes > caused by the big ebb against a strong wind. The jet ski safety riders were > very much in demand and the kayak safety paddlers who were unlucky enough to > be stationed in the places with the worst conditions saw a lot of action. > > Not being much of a racer myself I wonder what it is the race promoters are > trying to do arranging things in this way. Maybe Matt Broze or PeterO or > some of the other active racers have some insight. > > > Craig Jungers > Moses Lake, WA > www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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 agree! I missed the boat on the surf ski crowd. They look like they might as well be on a treadmill! Still, I'm sure they're enjoying themselves. I'd rather take it easy and enjoy the scenery! Mark Sanders www.sandmarks.net -----Original Message----- I like the kayak non-races, sometimes called tours. In slowness there is tranquility, beauty, and inner peace. Let us go slower, not faster, and have a good paddle. Brad Snailman Crain *************************************************************************** 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 Sun, Aug 23, 2009 at 4:37 PM, Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>wrote: > I agree! I missed the boat on the surf ski crowd. They look like they might > as well be on a treadmill! Still, I'm sure they're enjoying themselves. I'd > rather take it easy and enjoy the scenery! > Well ya... but going 14 kts and passing up a powerboat running on a plane has to be the sort of thrill you could get used to. Wish I were younger (not for the first time, either). Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
X BTW thanks for the comment that there were books on downhill river racing - hadn't realised that and will seek them out. Peter, One good text is Canoe Racing the competitors guide to marathon and downriver canoe racing, by Peter Heed and Dick Mansfield (ISBN 0-941950-37-9). Although the focus of this book is canoeing, the sections on training, reading a river (following the best line), wake riding, shallow water techniques and race tactics are very informative and applicable for kayakers too. I have been racing/race training frequently this year and found the information very helpful. Unfortunately nothing is written about tidal waters but much of the river reading information applies. Best Regards, Greg Stamer http://www.gregstamer.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/ ***************************************************************************
Thanks Greg, Good to have a specific reference as books on downriver racing aren't available at the shops I frequent and I like to skim the book if possible before buying. A recommendation from someone who knows what I'm after should be just as good. Appreciated, All the best, PeterO ________________________________ From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net on behalf of Greg Stamer Sent: Tue 11/08/2009 1:59 PM To: PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Eddy currents and down river racing X BTW thanks for the comment that there were books on downhill river racing - hadn't realised that and will seek them out. Peter, One good text is Canoe Racing the competitors guide to marathon and downriver canoe racing, by Peter Heed and Dick Mansfield (ISBN 0-941950-37-9). Although the focus of this book is canoeing, the sections on training, reading a river (following the best line), wake riding, shallow water techniques and race tactics are very informative and applicable for kayakers too. I have been racing/race training frequently this year and found the information very helpful. Unfortunately nothing is written about tidal waters but much of the river reading information applies. Best Regards, Greg Stamer http://www.gregstamer.com <http://www.gregstamer.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/ ***************************************************************************
Craig wrote perceptively: >The surf-ski paddlers finish much faster than the rest because they can go fast enough to (barely) stay in >sync with the favorable tides. Everyone else has to deal with the adverse currents shortly after the start. Brad wrote lyrically: >In slowness there is tranquility, beauty, and inner peace. Mark wrote observantly: >I'm sure they're enjoying themselves. I'd rather take it easy and enjoy the scenery! G'Day Craig, Brad and Mark, Oh well its explanation time and fessing up time. Have to say the Hawkesbury is a very placid river and there's lots of volunteers monitoring along the way and tempting stops every 30km or so. So not much chance of serious harm, apart from ego bruising, arm bruising and a couple of rather awkward ferry cables that have to be crossed carefully. Craig I think the logic goes in this particular case that if you're slow you'll have two tidals flows in your favour sandwiching one thats against you and because its so far up stream the first tidal flow is pretty negligible. And its fun for the speedsters to be able to say they did 110 km in 9 or 10 hours. A fast seakayaker can typically do it in 11 or 12 hours. Now here's where I confess that I'm by no means a competitive type and my motivations for this race are obscure and convoluted. The first time I did the Hawkesbury it was at very short notice (3 days) at the behest of a young and beautiful woman who had no partner for her borrowed double Pittarak and we only got 3/4 of the way, my fault entirely , the boat was so short I couldn't get a decent paddle stroke in and my shoulder packed up. Nevertheless we both enjoyed the event and the young woman subsequently went on to ski across the north pole with the first perhaps only group of women to do so. The second time I was determined to finish and paddled a rudderless single Pittarak, finding allies in two beautiful young women who ran the local gym and who volunteered to be my land crew without any begging on my part! This was the only year I had no trouble finding my boat amongst the 400 hundred others in the race - all I had to do was look for where the most men were congregated. I finished that race in 19 hours due to seriously bad strategic thinking and have to say that my landcrew were suprisingly sympathetic considering the length of time I made them wait. By the way this was the time when I made my greatest contribution to kayaking practise, which is the discovery that a certain toffee will get you across the line when you have hit the wall and all but given up - one fantale per km and you will finish on a sprint. Recently I have reverted to sesame seed with toffee bars as they are easier on the teeth. These bars are now an important part of my emergency survival kit at sea - I kid you not! The third time I paddled in a rudderless Kahuna. The Kahuna is an amazing boat which seems to paddle effortlessly no matter what the distance or the wind. Its also exceedingly slow in my hands, which can be partly explained by my spending the whole night chatting to various other paddlers except for one point where I fell asleep and only just saved myself with a brace. During the race I met a most charming and beautiful older woman who was also paddling that race, she was about 80 or so and a peer of Oscar Speck. She was able to fill a huge gap in my knowledge of the man concerning his eventual arrest in Saibai, an Island just off Papua New Guinea. Any way she does the race every year and we eventually parted as she sped off ahead of me. That race required hardly any effort on my part at all - the epitome of slackness I'm afraid. Nevertheless the one extra point I made by at least finishing after 18 hours (note the improved time!) was sufficient to take my team from fourth place to third place - the only time our team has ever got a placing. The last time I did the race it was with iron resolve and in a Mirage 580, to test my ability to make longish crossings in the Whitsundays. It seemed sensible to try this sort of thing out on something safe like the Hawkesbury first. I don't know what got into me that year, but I trained with Lippy, a good mate who was in the navy and seriously fit. We wanted to test what it would be like to stay in a kayak without getting out for the full 110km. Lippy was practising to cross Bass Strait and the Hawkesbury is a useful but not sufficient test. We practised padding into 20 and 30 knot headwinds. I towed my friend's children in boats up and down rivers. For a while it was hell and then I started enjoying it. My mate Lippy is a large man and astounded me on one practise paddle by going about 70km on the sustenance of one apple. I finished that race in thirteen and a half hours and won acclaim as the most improved paddler. Any way this year I'm motivated to find out how age and decrepitude has affected my endurance for longer crossings and I'm training with Dee who is even tougher than Lippy. Question is has turning 60 slowed me down? I don't think you're allowed much longer than 19 hours to finish the Hawkesbury. BTW my current heroes for this event are my friends Kate and Rae, two women who after just a few weeks of training and in their first year of kayaking broke the record in their class. And you know I'm willing to bet they did enjoy the tranquility, beauty, and inner peace along the way - Its that kind of race! 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 Mon, Aug 24, 2009 at 2:50 AM, rebyl_kayak < rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com> wrote: > > Any way this year I'm motivated to find out how age and decrepitude has > affected my endurance for longer crossings and I'm training with Dee who is > even tougher than Lippy. Question is has turning 60 slowed me down? I don't > think you're allowed much longer than 19 hours to finish the Hawkesbury. > My father had a motto that served him well as he moved into his sixties: "Whenever I feel like running a mile I lay on the sofa until the feeling goes away." As it turned out he would have been better served by staying off the sofa and off the cigarettes but that's another story. I find myself thinking that 10km is a long paddle and that the sofa looks mighty comfy. > BTW my current heroes for this event are my friends Kate and Rae, two women > who after just a few weeks of training and in their first year of kayaking > broke the record in their class. And you know I'm willing to bet they did > enjoy the tranquility, beauty, and inner peace along the way - Its that kind > of race! > A good athlete can seemingly move with no effort from one sport to another. In the days before climbing walls we used to train on real - but not very high - rock piles and I remember watching a mates girlfriend move gracefully up a pitch that I had struggled with only a few minutes before. Some people have the talent. Others have motherships. :D Nice story Peter... I loved the bits where you met a beautiful woman on every race. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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 never really expected to win when I was slalom racing (surprised myself a couple of times), I just did it for the fun of it. Most of the time, I got to spend more time having fun than any of the other racers. Steve -- Steve Cramer Athens, GA http://www.savvypaddler.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/ ***************************************************************************
Craig Jungers wrote: > Nice story Peter... I loved the bits where you met a beautiful woman on > every race. That was just to hold you to the end, Craig. I can not imagine a hard 19 hour paddle at a sustained race pace. I've done 12 hours of sustained hard paddling with an hour of rest in the middle, under "conditions" carrying gear and food for two weeks, and despite only achieving some 27 nautical miles of displacement, found plenty to see and enjoy en route ... but that was in the Queen Charlottes, where almost every stretch was fascinating. A beautiful woman as a partner I did not have; if she could have held up her end, she would have been welcome, though! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
If I could find a beautiful woman partner, I'd be glad to hold up her end! -----Original Message----- A beautiful woman as a partner I did not have; if she could have held up her end, she would have been welcome, though! -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
You should probably start posting under a pseudonym. :P Craig On Sun, Aug 30, 2009 at 1:34 PM, Mark Sanders <marksanders_at_sandmarks.net>wrote: > If I could find a beautiful woman partner, I'd be glad to hold up her end! > > -----Original Message----- > > A beautiful woman as a partner I did not have; if she could have held up > her > end, she would have been welcome, > though! > > -- *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
PeterO, I'm getting the feeling that you are not really racing. You are trolling for tuna. Unfortunately/fortunately for you, you are a babe magnet, and are easily distracted. And you have indeed found beauty in kayak racing. Well done down under. Actually, you may well have invented a new sport. Now we need a catchy name for it. Brad Quoting rebyl_kayak <rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com>: > The first time I did the Hawkesbury it was at very short notice (3 > days) at the behest of a young and beautiful woman who had no > partner for her borrowed double Pittarak and we only got 3/4 of the > way, my fault entirely , the boat was so short I couldn't get a > decent paddle stroke in and my shoulder packed up. Nevertheless we > both enjoyed the event and the young woman subsequently went on to > ski across the north pole with the first perhaps only group of women > to do so. > > The second time I was determined to finish and paddled a rudderless > single Pittarak, finding allies in two beautiful young women who ran > the local gym and who volunteered to be my land crew without any > begging on my part! > The third time I paddled in a rudderless Kahuna. During the race I > met a most charming and beautiful older woman who was also paddling > that race, she was about 80 or so and a peer of Oscar Speck. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
G'Day All, Craig, glad you enjoyed it. BTW this year we're not paddling with a full moon and navigating blind could become important as their are some 10km blind river alleys that have been known to trap the unwary. The other implication is that flooding and ebbing tidal currents will be less strong so we might expect a narrower spread of race results. Steve, you're starting to make me think I might win! On 2nd thoughts the fun is much better.................... Dave, 12 hours of paddling a loaded boat in sea conditions sounds as if you'd finish in a very respectable time.when I finish in 19 hours its not really a sustained race pace. more like 6km/hr or 3 knots, 13.5 hours on the other hand is definitely pushing. The trick for me is not to get out of the boat, make sure the seat is comfortable, with all amenities and eat and drink every hour. Planning the food is very important. Short 5 minute breaks every hour or so are much more effective for me than a long break. Brad, You have analysed the situation perfectly - how about "Lunar Chat Racing"! 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/ ***************************************************************************
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