Ocean Paddler’s Lifestyle E-Zine
March 2007
This Issue SUB-ZERO KAYAKING IN ANTARTICA C4-WATERMAN VISIT AUSTRALIA HAWAII FIVE-0 QUEENSLAND SURFSKI SERIES AUSSIE MENS HEALTH EVENT MOUNTAIN SURFING IN HAWAII OC6 GOLD COAST CUP REPORT HAURAKI HOE SEA KAYAKER JUSTINE CURVENGEN BANANAS YAK FISHING PEEL ISLAND QLD
3/Contents 4
Administration
5
What’s New?
9
Sub-Zero Kayaking In Antartica with Craig Sampson
16
Judging Stand Up Paddle Surfing
17
C4-Waterman come to Noosa Festival of Surfing
20
OC6 Gold Coast Cup Race
23
No Bananas in da Boat
27
Mountain Surfing in Hawaii
29
Justine Curvengen Profile - World’s Best Known Female Kayaker by Paul Caffyn
34
Hawaii Five-O
37
Yak Fishing in Moreton Bay Qld with Wayne Dunkley
42
Hauraki Hoe
44
Mens Health Manly Surfski event by Dean Gardiner
46
Queensland Surfski scene with Paul Mauger
48
Events
Next Issue Due April 20th Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival Yak Fishing for Snapper Kanu Kapers Adventure and Team Building on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast An interview with Al Rasmussen - Developing Junior Outrigger Canoeing in Australia. News from New Zealand’s King of the Harbour event. Hamilton Island Cup Update and Plenty More!
From the Editor It’s that time of year when the world’s top solo and duo outrigger canoe paddlers along with surfski paddlers turn their attention first to California with the Catalina Classic then to Hawaii for a month long feast of events - see our ‘Events’ section. Following this South Africa plays host to the World Surfski Championships at the end of June. Meanwhile New Zealand’s King of the Harbour is upon us, where the countries best OC1 and surfski paddlers gather. There’s no doubt that ocean paddle sport of all types are on the increase as manufacturers, paddlers, race organisers and sponsors feed from one another in the evolutionary process. The future looks bright and with so many paddlesports to choose from. there’s something for everyone. Enjoy this issue and please remember to share your stories with us. Steve West
4/Administration
Australia’s Ocean Paddler’s Lifestyle E-Zine KANUculture Ezine KANUculture E-zine is an electronically published and distributed publication covering Ocean Paddlesports. We offer the first 3 isues free of charge upon registration at www.kanuculture.com subscription rates thereafter for a 1 year period [12 issues] is AUD$65/ year no matter where you live.
Contributions We welcome contributions from readers please keep stories to no more than 1000 words and supply images as 150 dpi jpegs. Email material to maria@kanuculture.com
Administration Editor
Steve West steve@kanuculture.com Maria Miller maria@kanuculture.com Maria Miller subscriptions@kanuculture.com 02 4570 0052 www.kanuculture.com
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5/What’s New Force 5 Expedition - Expedition boat with a raised foredeck for larger paddlers, or for those who prefer a racing posture. Quick & hard-tracking. Force 4 Expedition - Identical to the Force 5 but with a tighter, more responsive cockpit fit. A fast touring boat with excellent secondary stability & a tight turning circle. Force 3 Expedition - A scaled down version of the larger Force boats for lighter, smaller paddlers who need good boat speed & hard tracking.
Now in Australia Renowned throughout Canada and North America for their performance, design features and peerless quality, Impex kayaks can now be test paddled and purchased in Australia. Impex Australia currently has stock of 8 different boat designs from the Impex fleet. These include the Greenland-style Outer Island, the fast, hard tracking ‘Force Expedition Series’ and the sporty all rounders from the ‘Performance Touring’ range. An important feature that makes the Impex boats stand out in Australia is the number of boat sizes in each range. The ‘Force’ is available in 3 sizes and the ‘Performance Touring’ in four. At last Australian paddlers from XXS through to XXL will all find a boat that is designed for optimal comfort and handling at their size and weight. No more having to put up with one size fits all, it doesn’t! Across the Impex range skegs are fitted as standard. They are an integral part of the design of each boat, a simple elegant way of improving tracking in challenging conditions, not an afterthought or gadget. Standard features on the Impex Australia range include Immersion Research back bands and seat covers, padded thigh bracing, large diameter reflective deck lines, day hatches, double taped seams and VCP hatches on all three compartments. To promote safe and skilful sea kayaking and ensure new owners get the most out of their boat, Impex Australia offer two complimentary kayaking lessons with Sydney based Sea Instructors Rob Mercer and / or Mark Sundin to all new purchasers.
www.impexkayaks.com.au
The Outer Island by Jay Babina - Until now this true Greenlandstyle design was only available in custom wood-strip. It’s now made under licence by Impex in composite. If you want to experience something completely different in a kayak, give the OI a whirl.....
The Montauk - Terrific boat for lighter paddlers, with a nimble design for easy turning, & exceptional speed for a small boat.
The Assateague - A robust, larger volume boat for bigger paddlers. Sporty, manoeuvrable & reasonably quick for long trips, with plenty of gear storage volume.
The Currituck - A performance boat from heaven, as joyful a boat to paddle as you could imagine. Surprisingly fast for its waterline, with an innovative, responsive design & clean lines. Phone Rob Mercer Mark Sundin Email:
02 9559 8688 0417227627 0417924478 rob@impexkayaks.com.au
6/What’s New
The Neutron is a Blast! Jonny Bingham World Surf Kayak Champion 2006
I don't always gel instantly with a new kayak and I have to confess the same was true with the Neutron. In the first half hour, I was finding it a little bit frustrating. “New boat, looks like an awesome design, why am I not tearing it up?” After reminding myself that I had been surfing a Prowler for almost 4 years and that it might not quite respond in the same way that the Prowler does I started to relax and let myself follow the natural flow of the boat. Speed. It likes to go fast. Made a couple of sections on a heavy Portballintrae left hander that I've never made in the Prowler and only seen a few very good boardies make and hold. Its flat hull design reduces the friction allowing that extra bit of zip which just might pull you out of a sticky situation! That in turn allows for a slicker top turn with the short tail flashing around above the top of the wave. I have been particularly enjoying turning back of the pile in smaller waves as the whole boat flicks around and drives out of the pocket in an instant. I would describe my off the whitewater turns as very good but have always felt a little staggered. I love the feeling of power of the pocket turning and driving you away in what seems like an effortless movement.
Bottom turns have become quite dependant on the fins in the Neutron due to the slicker hull. Why not? If you've got them then use them. Positioned slightly further back than in previous surf kayaks, this allows the nose to swing around more and be more vertical on exit from the bottom turn. My goal in surf kayaking is to be able to snap turn the way a good surf boarder can and I believe that this kayak is the one that will start to do that. I did manage to go aerial in my first session but only after a bit of practice. Part of the skill needed to pull of an aerial manoeuvre is your timing out of your bottom turn before heading up to the lip and hopefully skyward. I struggled initially due to the fact that I was coming out of the bottom turn too late, not realising the speed I had and shooting up into the pile and missing the pitching lip I was after. Do I like it? After riding a wave where I pulled clear out of a big barrel before nailing a big air that had the one person who was watching seeing only my hull above the wave, I would have to say I liked it! It's going to be fun! Enjoy.
7/What’s New
Submerse Yourself In Sound Get wet, get funky, get H2O Audio waterproof housing for you Apple iPod and submerse yourself in sound. Waterproof to three meters you can now take your iPod swimming, surfing, skiing, paddling or wherever you are going to get wet. And being tough and bump proof, H2O Audio can handle flips, turns wipeouts, or just being dumped, without damaging your iPod. Not just for the sun and surf, you can take your H2O Audio iPod housing out in the rain, snow or anywhere else you want some tunes. Easily use the click wheel while in the housing and add H2O Audio’s waterproof headphones for a completely submersible solution.
Never miss a beat with H2O Audio!
Now distributed by Next Destination you can check out the case designed for your iPod at www.nextdestination.com.au, or call 1800 644 033 for more information.
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9/Kayak
Photo – Jamie Scarrow: Kayaks dwarfed by large iceberg.
Sub-Zero Kayaking By Craig Sampson
The ships horn blew 3 times as our ship the Akademik Shokalskiy slowly reversed out from the Wharf in Ushuaia Argentina. We all stood on the roof of the ships bridge in nervous excitement; we were finally heading for Antarctica. For me, it had been well over a year since I had started to plan the trip of a lifetime, spending a week exploring the Antarctic Peninsula by ship, kayak, cross country ski and zodiac (inflatableboat). Ocean surf ski paddling is one of the joys of life for me, which is one of the reasons why I live next to the beach on the Gold Coast in Australia. Weekend activities and socialising for me are usually planned around surf ski paddling, thus if the ocean looks nice, I will be out of contact from modern society for a few hours. Sunday mornings are usually reserved for surf ski races starting at Currumbin Creek.
10/Kayak I guess it was on one of the many long paddles that I started to think that it would be nice to paddle somewhere different for a change, and the location of Antarctica came up. At about the same time as this “silly idea” came up, I started to see travel shows on the television about going to Antarctica and how beautiful it looked. While everyone else was thinking, “gee that looks cold”, I was thinking how good it would be to kayak around all those icebergs. Many months later after hours of internet searching, I found the perfect adventure travel company to take me to Antarctica. Through the Sydney based booking agent ‘Adventure Associates’ I booked with the tour company ‘Quark Expeditions’ who offered 11day trips to Antarctica on ice strengthened Russian expedition ships. The decision to go with Quark was clear as they were the only company to offer kayaking, cross country skiing, and camping in Antarctica. Quark also uses small expedition ships that only take 48 passengers thus allowing greater access to landing points and less people to slow things down. I highly recommend you check out their web site www.quarkexpeditions.com and check out the ‘Antarctic Adventure’ trips if you wish to go to Antarctica. As the ship left the port of Ushuaia at the tip of South America, which is the southern most city in the world, we introduced ourselves to the other 42 passengers and Quark Expedition guides. Out of the 43 passengers on board there were 16 Australians, thus we had the overall majority, with the next best being the United Kingdom, New Zealand and then the USA. Everyone, except the ships crew (who were all Russian), spoke English which was good as I had been struggling with Spanish for the last few days travelling through South America. There was a mix of passengers on board with the youngest being 17 and the oldest an 80 year old lady from South Africa who turned out to be one of the most knowledgeable and switched on people I have ever met. She was the life of the boat. As the more serious adventure activities were limited to only 10 people, there was a small group of fit adventure seekers scattered amongst the normal tourists that just wanted to step foot on Antarctica or take a photo of a Wandering Albatross (A very large see bird common to Antarctic waters). The first impression though of my fellow passengers was that everyone had the adventure spirit and was jumping for joy now that the boat was heading south to Antarctica. The trip down to Antarctica from the tip of South America takes 2 full days and crosses one of the roughest stretches of
Photo – Craig Sampson: A typical Zodiac cruise around icebergs.
11/Kayak oceans in the world, Drake’s Passage. Our ship was only 65m long and designed more for travelling though ice laden water rather than open seas. The rear deck of the ship contained several containers of food and equipment, 6 zodiacs, 6 kayaks and a large crane, with everything very securely strapped down. There were no fancy stabilizers that you see on the much larger ships to reduce rocking, thus we were a little concerned about how rough the next 48 hours were going to be. We had reports that on previous trips the waves had reached 15m in height. As it turned out, Drake’s Passage was so flat that we reached the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica towards the end of the second day which was one of the quickest trips ever taken down by this ship. We even had fog for the last day or so. We were all very lucky. On the 2 day trip down our guides undertook numerous presentations explaining everything that you could possibly want to know about Antarctica and the wildlife that lives there. We are all now marine biologists ….not really, but I learned a lot. One of our guides was the historian Jonathan Shackleton who is a direct descendent of the famous Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton. Jonathan’s talks shed a whole new light on the famous Shackleton stories that you see in the movies. Out of the fog, late on the second day, the South Shetland Islands slowly appeared. The islands were very dramatic with vast cliffs and spires sticking up out of the water. There was no wind and around the ship were hundreds of penguins jumping out of the water. We made our first shore landing at a Gentoo Penguin colony which Photo – Jamie Scarrow
contained hundreds of fluffy penguin chicks. As is was near the end of summer the chicks were quite large (30 to 40cm tall) and full of confidence. We had strict rules about how close we could go to the penguins, but if they chose to come to us, then that was okay. The trick was to sit down and be still, and the chicks would come to you and jump up on your legs and start pecking at your yellow jackets. People ended up with half a dozen penguin chicks all around them pecking at their clothing, quite an amazing experience. We spent several hours at the penguin colony and also saw several elephant seals and fur seals at a more secluded bay further around the island. After getting back on the ship, very few words were spoken initially, as we were all speechless and still trying to believe what had just happened and what we had seen. The ship proceeded further south and anchored for the night in a bay surrounded by high peaks and glaciers that stretched as far as the eye could see. It was very hard to go to bed that first night as we did not want to leave the view behind. Early next morning we awoke to a humpback whale mother and calf playing in the water in front of the ship between us and the glacier, which was only several hundred meters away. We could not get into those kayaks quick enough and wanted to go straight away, but had to wait for the zodiacs to be launched. After a shore briefing about all the safety aspects of kayaking in Antarctica, we more or less ran to the kayaks and paddled out to where the whales were playing. The water was glassy smooth, a rainbow was overhead and the glacier face was reflected in the water, only to be broken by the whales surfacing up through the reflection. Another amazing experience and it was only the first morning. The water temperature in the Antarctic Peninsula in summer is approximately 0 degrees Celsius. As sea water does not freeze until about minus 2 degrees Celsius, there is no sea ice during the summer months. Plenty of icebergs though as these are made up of fresh water that has come from glaciers all around the Antarctic Continent. Due to the cold water temperatures we
12/Kayak had to take special precautions with what we wore in case of capsize with the kayaks. We were told that without the correct clothing we would die in a matter of minutes (about 2 minutes I think was mentioned). Our clothing layers consisted of thermal underwear, 2 pairs of thermal socks, fleecy long pants and jacket, thermal gloves, dry suit pulled over the top, gum boots, and a beanie. To keep the hands dry we used simple kitchen washing up gloves pulled over the thermal under gloves. The exact procedure of keeping water out of my gloves took several days to get right, which meant that I had very cold fingers after several 2 hour kayak paddles on the first few days. The secret was to pull the dry suit over the top of the kitchen gloves, and not the other way around. During the 6 days spent in the Antarctic Peninsula we made 18 shore landings. On some days the activities started at 6am and did not finish until midnight. Since the sun did not set until around 11pm and it did not really get fully dark, daylight was fully utilised where possible. We managed to get in 6 separate kayaking trips with an average paddling time of around 1.5 to 2 hrs. The routine for us kayakers was to go ashore with everyone else in the zodiacs, have a look around at the penguins and seals for a while and then head off in the kayaks while the remaining passengers added to their giga bytes of penguin photos. Only 10 of us got to go kayaking and this had to be booked at the time the trip was paid for. There was a hefty additional cost for the privilege but I have no regrets as the kayaking was a huge highlight of the trip. Kayaking allowed our small group to get away from all the other passengers and the ship, and explore at our leisure around all the icebergs and brash ice. One evening we went kayaking at Neko Bay which is a horse shoe shaped bay that has 1000m plus high near vertical mountains Photo – Jamie Scarrow
around the edges with an almost continuous glacier flowing down over the top into the bay. There was no wind, the water was like a mirror and the clouds were low thus the mountain tops could not be seen. All around us were chunks of ice from the glaciers and several massive icebergs that had drifted into the bay from areas thousands of kilometres away. The only sound that could be heard was the thunder of glacier ice crashing in the distance and the spouts of several minke whales that were swimming around our kayaks and the icebergs. Every now and then we would paddle past a leopard seal that was resting on a piece of ice after having just had a penguin for a snack. Apart from the kayaking, a few of us also paid to go cross country skiing. Our 2 guides were both Australian and had received special permits from the relevant authorities to take tourists cross country skiing in Antarctica. Apparently this had taken some 3 years and a lot of pain and effort to get, so I was not going to pass this opportunity up. Our guides mentioned that they had been looking at exploring and mapping a possible skiing route on an unnamed glacier that fronts the Neumayer Channel. The glacier had never before been skied and the trip was about 10km return. Four of us, all Australians, jumped at the chance. We were dropped off at a good landing spot near the base of the glacier. We had 2 zodiac support boats with us, long range radio communication, and emergency supplies as the ship was to continue on to another landing point for the other passengers. As the glacier was unmapped and always changing, we were roped together in case a crevice was missed by our expert guide. Not far from the top of the glacier we spotted a large cruise ship (400 or 500 passenger type) behind us cruising along the Neumayer Channel. Our guide, being
13/Kayak the cocky one, contacted the ship’s captain on radio and told them to look up to the right as there were 6 mad Australians going for a casual stroll up a glacier in the middle of nowhere in Antarctica. The ship’s captain advised that he would notify the passengers. I can only imagine what they were all thinking when looking up at the 6 little black dots in the distance that could just be seen through the snow that had started to fall. The ski trip was a huge adrenalin rush especially when skiing over the top of crevice’s that had no bottom. The 45min zodiac trip along the Neumayer channel back to the ship was also a truly an amazing experience, although somewhat cold as we had been out in the elements for over 7 hours. Zodiac tours around bays full of huge icebergs were a popular activity that we did most days. Every iceberg had a different shape and a new and improved shade of blue that had not been seen before. We visited several Antarctic research bases at Port Lockroy (British) and Vernadsky Station (Ukrainian) where tours were provided. In true Russian spirit, Vernadsky Station had a great bar that served ‘Vodka’ (jet fuel). On the last night in Antarctica we had the opportunity to camp over on the ice in supposedly warm sleeping bags as opposed to our nice warm bunks on the ship. Why not, don’t get to do that everyday. A few of us figured that we would probably not sleep very well anyway so we decided to cross country ski up a hill (about 350m high) near the camp to enjoy the view. As we were skiing up the hill the sun
Photo by Jamie Scarrow – Quark Expedition Guide – Our final day of kayaking in Antarctica watched by a leopard seal.
momentarily appeared and then gave us one of the most picturesque sunsets in memory, and this was at 11pm at night. The sky went yellow in front of us and the mountains and icebergs behind us all turned pink. A great finale for the trip. The ship journey back to South America took two and a half days and was relatively calm with waves of only about 3m for 48 hours. Even the best of us were starting to feel a little bit sick after 2 days of continuous rocking. All in all, I survived and have enough memories and photos to last several lifetimes. Having said this, I will be going back, as once infected with Antarctic fever, you cannot escape.
W I N a MEGA “Maverick” Surf Kayak, Plus An Instruction Course Worth Over $1600
It’s Really Simple! Just email us at competition@kanuculture.com a picture of your most memorable paddling moment with around 50 words telling us where the photo is, when it was taken and why it was memorable.
The Kanu Culture Team will pick the best entries for publication in future issues of Kanu Culture E-Zine. The winner will be announced in the April issue. Conditions: The entry must be emailed to competition@kanuculture.com no later than 9th April 2007. Promotion is only available to residents of Australia. Images over 5mb will not be accepted. Images must be hi res jpegs. By submitting the entry you are giving KANU Culture publishing rights to both the story and photograph. Prize does not include: Delivery of kayak outside of capital cities 2. Travel or accommodation expenses, to take undertake the instruction course at Jervis Bay Kayak. Paddle is not included in the prize The winner will be advised by email. The Judges decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into.
For more information
16/SUP Surfing
Judging
Photo www.geckosurf.com
The 2007 March Noosa Festival of Surfing, held what has to be Australia’s first ever stand-alone ‘Stand Up Paddling’ event. Significantly, Judging Criteria had be established for the event. Given that this is a ‘surfing’ event, the emphasis here was on ‘surfing and transition’ skills combined with sound ‘paddling technique’. For the criteria, read on. Judging Criteria A surfer must demonstrate board handling skills in the transition phase and the surfing phase of their performance, for it to be considered complete.
d. surfing - average scores will be allocated unless the paddle is used as a pivot in maneuvers, then power, radical moves, critical sections and degree of difficulty are the deciding factors.
Surfers performing the most committed radical manoeuvres in the most critical sections of the wave with speed, power and flow will maximize their scoring potential.
e. Competitors will start from the beach.
Innovative and progressive surfing and wave negotiation as well as variety of repertoire will be taken into account when awarding points for wave transition and surfing. The surfer who executes these criteria with the maximum degree of difficulty and commitment on and through the waves will be rewarded with the higher scores. Scoring a. The “surfing” and “transition” [end of wave ridden to takeoff for next wave] phases of the performance are of equal value. The scale will be 10 points plus 10 points = 20 per circuit [averaged to bring back to a score out of 10 for computer input]. b. The aggregate of the best 2 circuits will decide the final score for each surfer and interferences adjudicated according to the Surfing Australia Rulebook. c. Transition - standing and paddling with good technique, stability, wave negotiation and entry [kneeling and lying will cause low score in this area - unless necessary for safety].
Judging Sheet The judging sheet will have two sections for each ride [transition and wave riding]. Basically an "out" and an "in" makes one wave circuit score and elapsed time between is of no consequence. Judging Stand Up Paddle-Surfing faces some interesting anomalies; the surfers ability to manage the long and cumbersome paddle, and the judges interpretation of good paddling technique and the interesting addition of points lost for kneeling or lying, except where in the interests of safety. Given the paddles added potential to cause injury, the inclusion seems a wise one on the part of the judges. While distance Stand Up Paddling can be judged purely on who crosses the line first, the art of Stand Up Paddle-Surfing, demands the inclusion of aesthetics which raises the bar considerably. As the sport evolves, no doubt the criteria for judging may also need to change, but for the moment we have a solid blue-print in place.
17/SUP Surfing
C4-Waterman Down-Under In the February issue, we brought you news about C4-Waterman, a co-op of three Hawaiians devoted to promoting Stand Up Paddle Surfing while creating some great product along the way. After a successful trip to San Diego to the ‘ASR Trade Show’ they made their way to the Noosa Festival of Surfing on Australia’s Sunshine Coast. The event was honoured with the arrival of C4-Waterman, Brian Kealana and Todd Bradley, bringing with them their enthusiasm for this rapidly growing sport. In addition, some of the cream of Hawaiian watermen; Dave Parmenter, Dave Kalama, Keone Downing and Bonga Perkins were also in attendance, adding serious kudos to this ever evolving event. Prior to the event, New Zealand Moari and outrigger canoe paddler turned Stand Up Paddle Surfer, Woogie Marsh declared, ‘I’m sure they will be surprised just how far along the sport is here in Australia.’ said Marsh, who now lives in nearby Peregian Beach and currently involved in the development of SUP Surfing here in Australia. On day four of the event - Thursday 8th March -Hawaiians Brian Keaulana, Todd Bradley, Dave Parmenter, Dave Kalama, Keone Downing and Bonga Perkins provided a free SUP clinic, while encouraging those who attended to make a donation to the family of Noosa Malibu Club member, Janet White, severely injured in vehicle accident prior to Christmas. ‘We are just happy to come and share our knowledge and love for the sea with others, it’s really what we are about and we get a lot of enjoyment out of introducing others to the sport and seeing the
The Noosa Festival of Surfing, became the first venue in Australia to stage a Stand Up Paddle Surfing contest and included a number of clinics run by some of the finest exponents of the art.
Todd Bradley, one of the founders of C4 Waterman, is nothing short of a humandynamo. In all that he does, it’s 100mph and with the sort of passion needed to get things done.
18/SUP Surfing
Brian Keaulana alongside his equally famed father ‘Buffalo’ Keaulana. Photo Brett Uprichard. For more information http://www.spiritofaloha.com/features/0705/brian_k.html
smiles on their faces when they give it a go’, said Keaulana. The clinic was conducted in the tranquil waters of Noosa Sound, just a few hundred metres back from the Noosa Main Beach. The event drew a healthy crowd to take part and enjoy the beautiful surrounds. Supplying the equipment, the Hawaiians talked, demonstrated and had others partcipate, who quickly discovered it’s not so easy, but the rewards can be enormous. ‘We love getting out there and charging into some of these ocean swells on these, it’s a real thrill and so much fun, sometimes you laugh out loud at each other, it’s a very different picture to the one here at Noosa”, said Todd Bradley. Brian Keaulana was eager to reinforce the benefits of taking on the ‘C-4 Waterman.com Lifestyle’. ‘We really would like people to become involved in the C4 Waterman.com approach to living life in general too, it can really be beneficial all round’, said Brian. A large percentage of women attended the clinic, which reinforces the inclusiveness and appeal of the sport for all. ‘One half-hour messing about on a Stand Up Board delivers the equivalent exercise of a whole day riding a shortboard’, maintains Keaulana, who rates the sport as ‘. . . the single most complete form of exercise’.
Along with this belief, Keaulana also lives by the belief, ‘It really isn’t about who is taking the biggest wave or where and on what. It’s all about the feeling every person gets when they catch a wave they didn’t think they could, whether it be one foot or sixty and doing so on whatever craft; SUP, Tandem, Tow-In, Longboard, Canoe or Surfboard.’ In the finals of the Stand Up Paddleboard event staged during the course of the Noosa Festival of Surfing, Hawaiian shaper, writer and waterman, Dave Parmenter won out, followed by Noosa’s own World Longboard Champion, Josh Constable, Hawaiian, Bonga Perkins, Brian Keaulana, Gold Coast Paddleboarder, Mick Di Betta and Dave Kalama. Josh Constable, who only took up a paddle six months ago has had little trouble adapting to the new discipline as shown in the results.
http://www.c4waterman.com http://www.noosafestivalofsurfing.com
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20/Va`a Event Gold Coast Cup 2007 One week out leading up to this years event, an ominous low pressure system developed and hung around all week long; loitering out from Mackay. By weeks, end the Easterly swells it had generated diminished and the race organisers breathed a sigh of relief as it moved east and failed to develop into a cyclone. The threat of large hollow plunging waves at Greenmount beach, have on occasion forced the organisers to move the venue to the flat of the Broad Water at Southport, something which no outrigger canoe paddler wants to have happen. This years event attracted a mens and womens crew from Singapore and the Taniwha Grizzlies from New Zealand, which reinforced the kudos of the event, bringing the total number of crews entered to 46, 443 individual paddlers. In the open mens division, Mooloolaba OCC had dominated the previous change over event hosted by Panamuna OCC held in Mooloolaba, defeating a hastily put together Outrigger Australia crew. For this event, they had strengthened their line up and were Surfers Paradise, looking south to Greenmount Beach.
A flat ocean and little breeze greeted the paddlers.
looking to even things out. Southern [Sydney] crew, Cronulla and Northern Beaches made the journey north to test their crews out. Mooloolaba OCCs domination of this event in the master mens division is for all to see in the record books, however, they fielded no crew in this division, but fielded a reasonably strong Senior Masters crew in which the Taniwah Grizzlies were keen to have a crack at. In the open womens division, even in the absence of Lisa CurryKenny and indeed, Kirsty Holmes and Cheryl Skribe, the Mooloolaba crew were still up to the task of fielding a very competitive crew. Jasmin Cowan, now residing on the Gold Coast and a past member of the Mooloolaba womens crew, led the charge with here newly formed open womens crew from SouthPort Yacht Club, formerly Surfers Paradise OCC. A note must be made also of Outrigger Whitsundays master womens crew, who had made the long journey from up north, which begs the question, why don’t more northern clubs make the effort, being as each year, so many clubs from the SE Qld and the NSW make the long trek to Hamilton Island? Race day brought flat ocean conditions, with only a hint of a breeze out of the South East, but on the up side it was sunny and warm and water temp around 22o C. The first leg of the race, required paddling eastward for around 10 minutes,
21/Va`a Event returning to the start after rounding a marker - merely to add some distance to the 42km event. Given the flat conditions, this was a ‘paddling’ race only which created a very level playing field for those crews which don’t excel in chasing ‘runners’. The womens crews departed 30 mins prior to the men in order to better stagger finishing. Both Mooloolaba and Southport YC were soon opening up a lead and in the mens division, Mooloolaba and Outrigger Australia were neck and neck at the first change. Mooloolaba open women pulled away from Southport YC to finish near 5 minutes ahead in 3:05:51 from 3:09:03. Both crews paddled very well, neither yet up to full strength or fitness. In the open mens division, Outrigger Australia open mens crew showed greater depth in their change crew and over challengers, Mooloolaba, to take line honours in 2:36:52 over Mooloolaba’s 2:40:19, followed by a spirited performance in the flat by Sydney’s Northern Beaches 2:43:36 for 3rd. In the master mens division, Sydney OCC emerged as winners over Noosa OCC; 2:49:46 against 2:55:49. Mooloolaba’s senior master men, did it tough without an ocean to chase, but managed to fend off New Zealand’s Taniwah Grizzlies, to win 5th overall, in 2:48:41 against 2:58:08. In the mixed division, Mike Mills-Tom and his Coffs crew dominated in typical fashion crossing in 2:50:42, 7th overall ahead of a solid challenge from the Northcliffe [Natalie Anderson] crew in 2nd position 2:55:58, 9th overall. In the mixed masters division [40+], Coffs fielded another crew to win in 3:03:42 ahead of another Northcliffe crew, making it a mirror image result from the mixed open division. A third Northcliffe mixed crew finished 3rd in 3:19:57. With 3 mixed crews in the Northcliffe line up across the 2 age divisions and with rumours of top paddlers, Peter Dorries and possibly Rob Pomie moving from Outrigger Australia to Northcliffe, speculation as to how they will approach the Hamilton Cup will be interesting to see; either a top notch mixed crew or will they stack up for the open mens or even master mens division. Only 3 master womens crews entered, with Outrigger Whitsunday winning in a very quick 3:08:43, ahead of 2nd placed open womens crew Southport YC, followed by Noosa OCC, 3:35:22 then Brisbane based River City, 3:35:22. Race director Brian Gapes is working towards reintroducing the initial paddle south to Cook Island for 2008, subject to discussions with the NSW authorities. Congratulations to the race organisers and to Northcliffe OCC for a well run, professional event from one of Australia’s premier venues.
OC6 Steering Workshops The South East Queensland AOCRA zone, in an initiative aimed at passing on skills to new and intermediate level paddlers, hosted 2 separate Steering Workshop on the weekend of Feb 17th; one staged on the Gold Coast facilitated by Chris Maynard and Travis Grant, the other held on the Sunshine Coast, facilitated by Steve West and Woogie Marsh. Run over a half-day, the workshops attracted a total of over 60 participants, reinforcing the obvious demand for the dissemination of such knowledge. Paddlers ranged from the complete novice through to the more experienced. The feedback from the weekends event was extremely positive, which has ensured the continuation of such workshops. Though AOCRA Level 1 Coaching Clinics are staged during the year, the fact remains, many paddlers are failing to relieve appropriate skills-based sessions and input at their respective clubs, hence the need for independent workshops, facilitated by some of the countries more experienced and respected long term paddlers. Placing emphasis predominantly upon fitness and strength sessions within a club environment, fails to nurture the importance of sound techniques and if the sport is to continue to attract new paddlers, there must be increased emphasis upon skills acquisition; from rigging to paddling, steering through to ocean skills, as this is what will ensure continued and renewed interest in the sport for its ultimate betterment.
The Paddler’s Guide to Outrigger Canoeing By Steve West 490 pages 29 Chapters 800 images Over 1 Kg The Paddler’s Guide to Outrigger Canoeing demystifies many technical and cultural anomalies which pervade this wonderful sport. Enlightening Controversial Topical Profound
Writer, photographer and researcher, Steve West, author of 10 previous books on the subject, provokes the reader to embrace the sport on all of its levels, via every beautifully designed page of this extraordinary book. Not an optional extra, but a must have source of reference. To View or Purchase www.kanuculture.com Telephone Enquiries 02 4579 0052
23/Talkin’ Story
No Bananas in Da Boat! The banana is a remarkable fruit; beautifully packaged, easy to digest, convenient and jammed full of energy and Potassium. Many a paddler puts them on their list of essential foods. Short of time and at the end of a busy day heading off for training or up early in the morning for an early float, stuffing a banana down, can do wonders for a little energy surge, but alas in Hawaii, in the context of outrigger canoeing and for the Hawaiian people, there are superstitions at play which keep our yellow buddies safe in the fruitbowl and not in our grab bag of food in either the canoe or support boat. ‘I heard that the rule started with Hawaiian fishermen. The smell of bananas scared the fish away and made it impossible to catch more fish. My source is the step daughter of a man who ran a fishing boat out of Kailua Kona and her family was descended, on both sides, from the early American missionaries in Hawaii. Many fish have excellent sense of smell, which is why sharks respond to chumming the water and salmon use smell to return to the river of their birth. The smell of bananas is the chemical butyl mercaptan. Ironically, the human nose is more sensitive to mercaptans than, until recently, any machine built, and more sensitive than any animal that we know of.
There was a full range of responses, from people who had never heard of it (mostly people who didn't seem to live in Hawaii) to people who took it very seriously and would never think of taking bananas in the canoe or escort boat, but many of the respondents definitely indicated that they don't take it seriously. Keep in mind that the results from our informal survey may be somewhat skewed.
Other mercaptans are the smell of rotten eggs, rotten garbage, skunks, and coffee. We can initially smell these in concentrations of one to five parts per million. At a few parts per thousand, all five of these chemicals can kill you.
It seems that it could be that people who follow old Hawaiian customs may not use the internet or be on the Outrigger List, and therefore, not able to weigh in on this topic, which they may take very seriously. Most of us are so entrenched in our modern technology, that we assume almost everyone else is as well. Something to keep in mind, eh?
The rule is unfortunate because bananas are a good source of potassium, which one needs when exercising, especially in distance races.’ ‘Having lived in Hawaii and paddled with a fairly traditional club that was very much against bringing bananas into a canoe or escort boat, I just wondered how other people felt. Here is a brief summary of what we found.
A lot of people felt that it was superstitious, like not walking under ladders, etc., yet many also said that even if it was superstitious, that there was something to it and that they have had bad experiences with bananas in the boat which then improved when there were no bananas in the boat!
24/Talkin’ Story Health Benefits of Bananas Bananas which contain three natural sugars (sucrose, fructose and glucose) and fiber give an instant, sustained, and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous, 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet. Reducing Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier. Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia. Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Several people mentioned the gas that ripening bananas give off. This gas can be detected by fish, thus if you're fishing you wouldn't take bananas with you. Therefore, this custom only applied to fishing boats. People also mentioned that in long ocean voyages, this gas would cause other fruit to spoil quickly, thus depleting the food supply. There was one mention of bananas being associated with fertility, but it was unclear how that related to the canoes.Several people also suggested asking the skipper of any boat before boarding if it was OK to bring bananas with them, which seemed like good advice, since some skippers do in fact take this all veeeery seriously. There is a great website that was suggested by Linda with some good stories on this subject’. www.azinet.com/captjim/bananas.htm Erica Schafer Santa Cruz Outrigger Canoe Club
Brain Power: Two-hundred students at a Twickenham (Middlesex, UK) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert. Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives. Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief. Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood-sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness. Mosquito Bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicle cases. It also
25/Talkin’ Story neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach. Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking.The B6 and B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal. Stress Relief: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. They can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack. Stroke Risk: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%
When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best valued foods around.
Red Snapper With Pecan-Banana Butter 1/2 cup flour 2 tsp. hot paprika 1/4 tsp. dried thyme 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup milk 3 Tbs. peanut or canola oil Four 6-oz. red snapper fillets (you can also use catfish or haddock) 4 Tbs. butter 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans 1/4 tsp. nutmeg Pinch salt 1 large firm-ripe banana, diced 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice 2 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro or parsley Stir together the flour, paprika, thyme and salt on a large plate. Pour milk into a shallow bowl. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot, not smoking. Dip fish in milk, then flour mixture. Cook in hot oil, in batches if necessary, until browned on the bottom. Turn fillets and brown other side, about 4 minutes per side for 1-inch fillets. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Drain cooking oil and wipe skillet with paper towels. Heat butter over medium heat and add pecans, nutmeg and salt. Cook, stirring, until pecans are lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add bananas and cook, stirring, about 1 minute or just until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Place fillets on warm plates, spoon some sauce over each and serve immediately. Preparation time: 45 minutes / Serves 4
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The Art andSkillof Steering By Steve West 180 pages. 18 Chapters. 300 images A valuable resource for all outrigger canoe steerers.
Includes strokes and pokes used by seats 1,2 and 5 during regatta/sprint racing, rigging, race tactics and much more.
Writer, photographer and researcher, Steve West, author of 10 previous books on the subject, has gathered together a veritable harvest of photos, quotes and input from some of the world’s best steerers, to produce a truly valuable resource, ideal for paddler and coach alike. To View or Purchase www.kanuculture.com Telephone Enquiries 02 4579 0052
27/Tradition
Mountain Surfing - He'ehölua Granted this has nothing to do with paddling, but it’s about as extreme as sport gets before it borders on the ridiculous; and given that this is an ancient Hawaiian pastime, we thought you might get a kick out of it. So the basic idea goes like this. Get some timber bits and lash them up into a sled like projectile, then find an appropriate mountain slope to hurtle down, wearing little for protection other than a smile and a loin cloth. This is warrior proving ground if ever their was one, where cast iron gonads and little regard for ones own self seem pre-requisites. He'ehölua (mountain surfing) together with the better known art of He'enalu (surfing) are traditional forms of athleticism that are important ritual expressions of the Hawaiian people. He'ehölua (over 2,000 years old) is similar to surfing a wave except it is done on a rock foundation on a sled that is usually 12 feet long, 6 inches wide, 4 inches in depth, and weighing approximately 30 60 pounds; capable of reach speeds of 50 mph+. For these ancient mountain surfers, the weight of the sled was important so as to function properly - a light weight sled meant slow speeds and a lack of control.
28/Tradition
Today, the traditional means and time of constructing a hรถlua sled, that once took years, can now be done in approximately 48 hours. Tom "Pohaku" Stone, a legendary native Hawaiian surfer and waterman, has been on a life long journey in search of his cultural heritage. Starting in the ocean surfing as a young boy, Pohaku grew up in a world of contradiction. Part of his life was surrounded by beauty and pride, surfing in the paradise where he was born, while another part was surrounded by a world of frustration, where his native culture was cast aside as backwards and ignorant. Through his career as a pro surfer Pohaku often battled this contradiction, always searching for clarity and unity between his pride as a waterman and what he deeply felt should be his pride as a Hawaiian. It has been through education that Pohaku has been able to find clarity. Using his love of he'e nalu (surfing) and his culture as a focal point Pohaku has
spent the last ten years at the University of Hawaii, gaining his masters degree in Pacific Island Studies, specialising in ancient Hawaiian sports. He is credited with single handedly revitalizing the sport of he'e holua (Hawaiian sledding), a centuries old extreme sport, and for the past several years he has been sharing his knowledge and his aloha as a teacher and craftsman, instructing students in the arts of sled building and ancient surfboard carving. Through this balance of riding, teaching, and craftsmanship, Pohaku has found peace within himself and a sense of pride in his culture that can never be broken. It is this peace and pride that is put into every papa holua and papa he'e nalu he crafts, making these works of art truly "He mea Kanaka Maoli - Native Made." www.hawaiibc.com/home.htm
29/Profile
Justine Curgenven by Paul Caffyn
As a result of sales of her two ‘This is the Sea’ DVDs world wide, and a host of speaking engagements at sea kayak gatherings in the USA and the UK, Justine must be the best known female sea kayaker in the world today. In exchange for filming the reclusive West Coast paddler kayak dundee, I subjected Justine to interrogation under powerful spotlights to shed some light on her background and how she first got started with both sea kayaking and filming. The name Curgenven sounds Scandanavian, however one of Justine’s early descendants changed his surname from Lane to Curgenven, which was a small hamlet in Cornwall. Justine grew up on Jersey, one of the Channel Islands south of the UK. Living in the country, she thrived on exploring local paths and coves on the beaches, gaining an appreciation of the outdoors. At the age of 12, she was sent to a boarding school in Dorset where she remained until she was 18. Justine thrived at school and was a rather good athlete, playing in all the sports teams, such as hockey but she recalls that the most important thing she learned from the schooling was the ability to think independently. After trying unsuccessfully to enter both Oxford and Cambridge universities, Justine headed out to the Antipodes where she taught at an Anglican girl’s school at Tamworth in NSW. She enjoyed travelling in Australia but apart from a desire to play hockey for the English team, she was not sure of where life would take her. Accepted by St John’s College, Cambridge, Justine studied science, including geology and philosophy, and played hockey for the English University team. Life at university was full with studying and sport. She learned that no-one else was going to help her and that she had to really set her own goals and strive towards them without prodding from someone else. Her only outdoor’s experience during the varsity years was through geology field trips which she thoroughly enjoyed. Emerging with a degree and a total of nine Cambridge blues, she again headed downunder, this time with a boyfriend and spent eight months tikitouring in New Zealand. It was through tramping trips that the seeds were sown for enjoying the great outdoors.
Back in the UK, Justine’s best friend Cheryl invited her to a Jersey Canoe Club meeting. Cheryl had just returned buzzing from an Operation Raleigh expedition, and her enthusiasm rubbed off on Justine. To join the Jersey Canoe Club’s outings, Justine bought her first kayak, a 3m plastic Dagger Response for £100. During a sea kayak symposium held on Jersey, she quickly found the plastic boat was not a patch on real sea kayaks and borrowed a proper boat for the rest of the week, attending paddling skills and navigation workshops. Her first serious trip was a 12 mile crossing to the island of Sark, which she survived and found great pleasure in beach camping and chatting with other paddlers. For the next two years, Justine worked for a television company and gradually paddling began to take over from her love of hockey. Attending a Scottish sea kayak symposium, she first came to grips with paddling in strong tidal streams. Moving to work at Southampton, Justine met Fiona Whitehead, a paddler with expedition paddling under her sprayskirt, and she took Justine under her wing for the next 12 months. At an Anglesey symposium, Justine paddled the great tide races off North and South stacks, and was inspired by speakers such as Peter Bray who was planning a paddle across the Atlantic Ocean, Nigel Dennis who paddled around the UK in 1980 with Paul Caffyn, and Trys Morris a Welsh kayaking coach. These people were doers and not just talkers. Fiona and Justine decided to attempt a trip around Wales, via the coastline, canal and river systems, and Justine’s first serious
30/Profile expedition. Averaging 40 miles a day, apart from the canals where portaging around locks slowed them down, Justine’s experience was steadily growing, and although Fiona was the leader for the trip, Justine was beginning to form her own opinions with respect to decision making on the water. A highlight was a day paddling topless. Fiona , who Justine noted was rather generously endowed bustwise, was experiencing serious chafe from her lifejacket and stripped off to the waist. Justine thought if it was good enough for Fiona, it was appropriate for herself to also to paddle topless. Lifejackets were donned only when people were sighted. Not long after the Wales trip, Justine moved to Nigel Dennis’s Anglesey sea and surf training centre. She was working as an independent film producer, but still felt she was more of an explorer than a sea kayaker. Viewing a glossy brochure on Iceland, Justine pondered on the best way to see that island. Planning a horse trek through the country side with her mother was the plan, but then synchronicity stepped in. A sea kayaking company in Reykjavik had emailed Nigel Dennis with a request for paddlers who could do some coaching. And Justine decided she would undertake a solo paddle to the western fjords of Iceland. The June 2003 ‘Sea Kayaker’ magazine featured a wonderful 14 page story and photographs of this trip, when she paddled a three piece Nigel Dennis Explorer kayak. Though only a nine day trip, weather and sea conditions were torrid at times, and as the days slipped by, Justine was starting to take fewer risks and turning back before things got too critical. Back in the UK, Justine sought the help of Tony Smith to be able to film surfing in the big tide races off Anglesey. He came up with a suction pad mounted monopod that could be moved to shoot from various angles. Combined with a waterproof microphone and small camera, Justine was able to set the camera recording, and surf the tide races to her heart’s content. It was certainly a new slant to filming paddling with a handheld camera.
Fiona Whitehead was keen to paddle across the Bering Strait, between Alaska and Russia, and she and Justine were in touch with paddler and author Jon Turk who had completed a long trip from Hokkaido up the Kamchatka Peninsula to St
31/Profile Lawrence Island in Bering Strait. Jon reckoned paddling the Kamchatka Peninsula would be a great trip, provided you didn’t mind bears and big surf. Justine planned and led a three week expedition to the peninsula which featured in the February 2005 ‘Sea Kayaker’ magazine. Together with Hamas, an Israeli paddler, and Alexsey who was a Russian tourist guide, Justine pulled off a very successful trip, which she filmed. Encounters with both surf and brown bears were highlights, as was in retrospect being carted off by Russian soldiers on a tank - kayaks, paddlers and kit - to the local military base. Phone calls and discussion between Alexsey and the military resolved the problem, and the team was dropped back by tank at the precise spot where they had been picked up. Justine found the Kamchatka area was so special, not only with the beautiful scenery but also the fact it was so seldom visited by people. At a lighthouse, where she was able to drop in the mail, there had been no visitors for the past eight months. The keeper spread his mail out on a table, and took great pleasure in slowly opening each envelope. Justine’s film footage was used by National Geographic for a 50 minute documentary titled ‘One Risk Too Many’, as part of an adventure challenge series. (Her first ‘This is the Sea’ video/DVD also featured a 10 minute segment on the expedition.) Back home again, Justine continued to work as an independent film maker, producing promotional videos for paddle and kayak manufacturers, these videos first showing her footage of tidal race surfing and an interview with a well known sea kayaker. Following glowing feedback on these videos, Justine felt she had the ability to put together what she calls her first inspirational sea kayak video, and made a major step forwards in deciding to produce and market her own videos. Invited to the USA to speak at various symposiums, she filmed some of the high profile paddlers such as Greenland paddling expert Greg Stamer, Nigel Foster and Chris Duff. And despite many folk saying her concept would not work, it has. Justine did not dare to expect the world wide interest in her first video/DVD. Late 2004, Justine set off with Trys Morris and Gemma Rawlings to attempt a first all female circumnavigation of Tasmania. A 30 minute documentary of this trip features on Justine’s second DVD, TITS 2 (This is the Sea Two). Days of headwinds on the north-east coast set the timetable well back as well leaving despondency in the team. A stranding on vast tidal flats on the north-west tip was also a major
32/Profile downer with many miles of towing kayaks to and from the sea. An out of boat experience for Gemma on the west coast and a rescue in big seas was the worst moment. The swell was huge for the rest of the west coast, but they successfully completed a brilliant trip. So in retrospect Justine was not inspired by reading adventure books, but by falling under the wing of paddlers such as Fiona Whitehead and Nigel Dennis. She felt that if they could organise and pull off the big trips, than she could do it as well. When asked about company during trips, Justine noted she preferred to have company, particularly at night.
About the Author Paul Caffyn
The future? No more big trips planned, but Justine has commenced work on TITS 3, which should feature a good part on New Zealand. The day after Coastbusters, Justine flew back to the UK to carry on filming a series on endangered wildlife for Welsh TV. I thoroughly enjoyed two weeks travelling with Justine. On the West Coast, the surf was too big for wave skis, and as she wanted to go caving, we went up Fox River and into the vast chambers of Babylon. During three days of paddling in Tennyson Inlet, although it didn’t rain, strong winds were an incessant paddling companion. Attempting to round one point into a rather fresh south-easterly we were buffeted by 50 knot plus winds; williwaws and spray flying off the chop. There was no chance of paddling during the strong gusts, and at one point while I was desperately trying to stay upright, I caught a glimpse of Justine coolly filming the maelstrom. Filming wekas and seals at close quarters was a bonus for Justine in the inlet. At a lunch stop, she was filming a family of wekas but the camera was downed rather rapidly as a weka stealthily snuck up behind her and grabbed a three day supply of bread rolls. A chase up a steep slope, through tight manuka scrub led to a successful recovery of the rolls. Pity I didn’t have the camera at the time. I had to admire Justine’s dedication to filming. She will go to great lengths to get the shot she wants. At Mt. Maunganui, while I was filming from the security of land, Justine swam out with an underwater housing to film Steve Knowles surfing. A strong rip nearly led to a swift passage out into Shark Alley. For paddlers who have heard Justine chortling, her website, www.cackletv.com is an appropriate name for the sound of her laugh. It certainly could be heard above the crowd noise at Coastbusters.
Paul Caffyn lives on the edge of the Tasman Sea on New Zealand's West Coast. He works as a coal exploration and mining geologist. He began canoeing at the age of 9 on the Brisbane River, he only took up serious sea kayaking in 1977. In the following 15 years he has notched up over 30,000 miles in his single Eskimo style kayaks. He completed the first kayak circumnavigation of the South Island, the subject of Paul's first book Obscured by Waves. In 1979 Paul kayaked 1700 miles around the North Island, the subject of a second book Cresting the Restless Waves. In August 1979, Paul teamed up with Max Reynolds to cross Foveaux Strait and complete a tough kayak circumnavigation of Stewart Island. Dark Side of the Wave completed Paul's New Zealand trilogy of his kayak travels. In 1980 Paul teamed up with an English paddler, Nigel Dennis, to complete the first kayak circumnavigation of Great Britain. This 2,200 mile trip took 85 days. In December 1981, Paul set out from Queenscliff near Melbourne and spent the next 360 days achieving the first kayak circumnavigation of Australia. This 9,420 mile paddle is acknowledged as one of the most remarkable journeys ever undertaken by kayak.In 1985 Paul completed a 4,400 mile 112 day paddle around the four main islands of Japan. In August 1991, Paul paddled into Inuvik, in the North-West Territories of Canada, to complete the first solo kayak trip along the entire coastline of Alaska. Commencing from Prince Rupert in British Columbia, this 4,700 mile trip took three northern summers to complete. In September 1997 Paul, and Wellington paddler Conrad Edwards, completed a 550 mile circumnavigation of New Caledonia. 1998 - 690 mile trip along south-west coast of Greenland, from Kangerslussuaq to Narsarsuaq with Conrad Edwards 1999 - 700 mile paddle along the west coast of Greenland from Kangamiut to Upernarvik, with Conrad Edwards. 2001 -2002: 610 mile trip from Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, to and around the island of Phuket, in Thailand; with Conrad Edwards.
34/Talkin’ Story
Hawaii Five-O Hands up if your first recollection of an outrigger canoe was seeing the closing credits clip from the cult cop-show, Hawaii Five-O? Yep, I thought there may be a few of you and while locals [Hawaiians} may not think much of it, to us off islanders and foreigners, it’s a big deal. I managed to find one version of it at ‘You Tube’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwsd0nGFpW0 - it’s a Malia OC6 and the footage was used during the early 1970s check it out. I remember once paddling on the River Thames, London, England, in a Malia OC6 and as we paddled past an old pub, the lads on the river bank, in unison began whistling the theme tune. Even they had the imager and the theme tune burnt into them, responding like Pavlov’s dog did to the ringing of a bell. The footage remains something of a mystery at this point, but the theme tune I can tell you was written by Morton Stevens (Jan 30, 1929 – Nov 11, 1991) an American film score composer from Newark, New Jersey and ‘Five-O’ was Hawaiian street wise lingo, for ‘The Cops’. But it was ‘The Ventures’ an instrumental rock band formed in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, two Seattle masonry workers, who played the theme tune.
Da da da da DAH da Da da da da da Da da da da da DAAAAAAH Da da da da daaaaaaaaaa Deet! De dedlelee deet dee deeee Deet! De dedlelee deet dee deeee Da dah Da da da da daaaaaaaaaa Ba ba bummmm.... Da da da da DAH da Da da da da da Da da da da da DAAAAAAH Da da da da daaaaaaaaaa Deet! De dedlelee deet dee deeee Deet! De dedlelee deet dee deeee Da dah Ba ba bummmm.... Da da da da daaaaaaaaaa Da da da da DAH da Da da da da da Da da da da da DAAAAAAH Da da da da daaaaaaaaaa Deet! De dedlelee deet dee deeee Deet! De dedlelee deet dee deeee Da dah Da da da da daaaaaaaaaa
35/Talkin’ Story For the record, Hawaiian croner and Mr Entertainment, Don Ho, put his own slant on the theme tune many years later. The song starts out with the usual pounding theme, then slows down to a slow ballad tempo and the lyrics go thus;
The Ventures The Best Selling Instrumental Band of all Time The Ventures enjoyed their greatest popularity and success in the U.S. in the 1960s, but they have continued to perform and record up to the present (2006). With over 110 million albums sold worldwide, the group remains the best selling instrumental rock group of all time. 37 Ventures albums charted in the U.S., and six of fourteen chart singles made it into the Top 40. The band was among the first rock acts able to sell albums based on a style and sound without needing hit singles on the albums. By the mid-1970s the group had nearly no audience in America, but they continued to have an enormous influence on pop culture globally. Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ventures
If you're feelin' lonely You can come with me Feel my arms around you Lay beside the seaaaaaa We will think of somethin' to do Do it til it's perfect for you And for me too You can come with meeeee. So leave your world behind you You can come with me Sing a song I'll teach you Live your fantasyyyyyyy Love ya in a natural way Doesn't matter what time of day You and I play You can come with meeeee Won'tcha come with meeee You can come with meeee.
Fishyak 20 Baretta Road Wangara 6065 W. A. Tel(+61) 08 93096477 Fax (+61) 08 9309 6511
Sole Australian & New Zealand Distributor of Malibu Kayaks & Crack Of Dawn Kayak Accessories
37/Yak Fishing
Peel Island Adventure Moreton Bay - Qld Australia.
So the weekend was picked and the planning started. I had about two months to get ready, which was good because I didn’t even have a kayak yet! After many posts on various websites asking for advice on what would suit my needs, and numerous visits to kayak stores all around Brisbane, I settled on a Viking Espri. By this time I only had four weekends to get in some practise before the big trip. After a few successful outings in the local creek, the time to head out on to the big blue had arrived. We had an early morning start, leaving home at 5am, to get to Cleveland Point by 6am. It was a great day to be getting out on the water and all the boys were keen to go. In the last two months our group had doubled in size and now the six of us were rearing to go. In the group were myself, Kristian, Mark, Brad, Glenn and Gavin. Gavin had only picked up his Espri the day before and had never even paddled it! In the group we had three Wavedance Calypso's, two Viking Espri's and a Viking Nemo. Packing the kayaks took a while. The Calypso’s are great for this type of trip as they have a large access hatch in the back, which easily fits larger bulky items. By the time we packed the kayaks and
By Wayne Dunkley
carried them down to the ramp it was 7:50am before we started on our trip. We paddled around the point and headed for Peel. The sea was very calm and there was not a cloud in the sky, we could not have picked a better weekend. Being the keen fisherman, I decided to troll a lure out the back of my kayak. Within five minutes I was on. A nice sized tailor came aboard. By the time I released him though the group had paddled off ahead of me. So I decided to ditch the fishing and catch up with them. When we were within distance of the island I said to Mark, “So where do we camp?” I was devastated with his response - “Around the other side, about half way up the island. Horseshoe Bay it is called.” We had already been paddling for over an hour and this was only my third or fourth trip out in the yak, my arms were starting to hurt. When we finally reached our camping spot it was 9:40am. Not too bad for an 8km paddle with a couple of novices slowing everyone down. Not to mention fully loaded kayaks close to their weight limits. This is the first time I have ever been to Peel and I must say Horseshoe Bay is very picturesque. Coming in over the flats I could see fish darting off everywhere scurrying for cover in the clear water. I was keen to set up camp and then head out for a fish. Unpacking the kayaks and laying all the items on the ground, it was amazing to see how much we fitted into them. Once camp was set up and the legs stretched we headed out for a spot of fishing. Mark and Kristian informed me that night fishing on the high tide is the best time for this spot as the fish come up and cruise the flats under cover of
38/Yak Fishing darkness. So the daytime session was spent catching pike for bait in readiness for the long night of fishing ahead of us. As the sun set it was amazing to see how many boats were in the bay. There would have been around 100 on the water, ranging from small half cabs to large Riviera’s. Many people took their tenders to the beach and long walks were taken on the beach under the moonlight. Many people stopped to admire the kayaks and called us crazy for paddling out here in them. High tide was around 10pm, so we had an early dinner washed down by a few beers and then we prepared for our night of fishing. It didn’t take long until I had a hit on some of my freshly caught pike and a nice size tailor was landed. A procession of tailor followed with some nurse sharks thrown in for good measure. All fish were released as we had already eaten. Our first night also provided the funniest moment of the trip as Kristian managed to get bitten by a tailor whilst unhooking him. His scream of pain could be heard for miles in the dead of night and a few lights went on in the boats in front of us. The next morning we were up at first light and I was keen to explore the waters around the island. From our campsite we headed left towards the eastern tip of Peel to check out the wrecks that are there. We snaked our way through the flotilla of boats. I had to stop every third or fourth boat for a chat as people wanted to check out the set up on my yak. Not too many people had seen a kayak set up for fishing, most were intrigued by the fact that I had a sounder on it. Some people even took photos! The water around the wrecks was
Me with the best Tailor of the trip and Kristian with Nurse Shark
so clear and pristine you could easily see all types of marine life underneath the yak. I wish I had of brought some snorkelling gear as visibility would have been about 25metres. With my limited experience, I felt the current was too strong to go around the point of the island so decided to troll a lure along a drop off in between the moored boats. I managed to find a school of yakkas that took my little SX-40 on every cast, which provided great entertainment for me for the next hour. My little lure took a beating so I changed over to a soft plastic and they took that with gusto also. These would have been great live bait but I had no way of keeping them alive so they all went back. I decided to head in for morning tea and trolling on the way back, managed to pick up a nice 38cm pike, more bait for tonight. The rest of the day was filled with walking the flats that are uncovered at low tide pumping yabbies for the nights fishing ahead, catching some more pike for bait, kicking the footy around and consuming a few beers. That night we waited for the sun to go down and the tide to rise in the hope of catching fresh fish for dinner. Once again we didn’t have to wait long before the tailor were roaming the flats looking for a feed. A couple of pan sized tailor later and Gavin was given the orders to cook up a feast. Gavin is a chef by trade but not even his magnificent cooking could get me to eat the fish – yes, believe it or not, a fisherman who does not eat fish! I was destined to eat tinned food tonight. The fishing on the second night was better than the first. Along with the tailor and nurse sharks we
39/Yak Fishing also caught flathead and stingrays. About two hours after the tide turned the bite slowed so we called it a night and headed for our tents. I was first up the next morning and headed out for some more fishing. The water was like a millpond. There was not a single wave or breath of wind to be seen or felt. This time I ventured to the western tip of the island. I paddled out to the shipping channel to a drop off that showed on the sounder. I watched one of the barges go past and wondered how big the waves were going to be. Mark, Kristian and Brad turning up distracted me and when I turned back around to check out the wake it was a lot larger than I thought it would be, around about 3 foot, which to a kayaking novice like myself was bloody huge! I managed to come out the other side unscathed and had learnt that these little kayaks can handle some decent waves. This proved to be a confidence booster for later in the day. Out at the markers we were hoping for a few squire but only managed a few happy moments. Why are they called happy moments you ask? Ask Mark as I dropped one on his foot and its spikes embedded themselves into his skin. These spikes cause excruciating pain for about an hour and your foot swells up a bit also. With no fish being caught and low tide approaching, we decided to head back in to camp for some breakfast. The rest of the morning was spent at the campsite enjoying the view and we started to pack everything up for the trip home. Just after lunch the call was made to load the kayaks and head for home. Loading once again took some time. We even had a pelican come
40/Yak Fishing over and check out our kayaks. He seemed very friendly indeed, so friendly that I tried to hand feed him a left over pike, but chickened out. That beak would have a serious bite to it. Unfortunately by the time we loaded the yaks it was low tide so we had to drag them over about 100 metres of sand before we could launch. I was buggered by the time I got to the waters edge. We launched and headed around the point. As we turned the corner I was not feeling confident about making it home. The wind on this side of the island was blowing quite strong and the tide must have been going the opposite way because I was faced with waves about a metre high, some breaking at the top of them. The experience with the wake of the barge was comforting but that was only about eight waves I had to go through. What confronted me was over an hour of paddling in metre high waves and strong winds. One stroke at a time Wayne, one stroke at a time. The return trip went without incident and we managed to make it back in about the same time as the start trip took. When the yaks touched ground at the ramp I was so glad to get out but also disappointed that the trip had come to an end. The trip back spelled the end to one mobile phone as a waterproof pouch was not so waterproof. All yaks took on a bit of water on the return journey due to the swell. So our rides were called to come and collect us and the yaks were unpacked for the trip home. The weekend was the perfect introduction to kayaking for a couple of us and made us all keen to get out there again‌as soon as my arms stop hurting.
Viking Kayaks
Easy to use by everyone everywhere Viking Kayak For your nearest stockist visit our website www.vikingkayak.com.au or email us vikingkayaks@bigpond.com or free phone 1800 00 42 40
42/Va`a Event
Hauraki Hoe 2007 Team Goodyear take out the Hoe for the 4th year in a row, despite starting last on the line Saturday morning dawned a little grey but there was no wind on the water making a picturesque start to the day and the race. The crews were blessed with an outgoing tide as they made their way up the harbour towards Compass Dolphin. The fastest crew to complete this leg was the ladies - Waitakere ROC in a time of 19 minutes. The crews headed towards Waiheke Island, coming in close to Bean Rock, then out to Browns Island, the Taniwha Grizzlies seem to have this leg in the bag, although Goodyear may have been playing a tactical game by not showing their hand too early, although they had gained the race lead by this time. The next leg took the waka from Browns Island around the back of Motuihe Island, then across the channel to Rakino Island. Goodyear were well and truly in front by this stage with Team Te Awa Haku, from the South Island, in hot pursuit. With all the action in the front of the field, it is easy to forget about the battles happening within the various divisions. Taniwha Grizzlies were taking a strangle hold of the Master Men's division but the Waitakere Gringos were doing their best to keep them honest. In the Open Womens section the Tauranga Moana crew, skippered by Corrina Cage had the jump on Waitakere ROC skippered by Bernie Murch. By Motiuhe Island, the girls from Tauranga had a 2 minute lead on the local girls. The novice marathon crew from Aratika had a strong start, staying with the two women's teams but the conditions in the closing stages of the race took its toll on the crew, although they never gave up. In fact they were racing the ROC right up to the finish line.
One of the tougher sections of the race was the run across from Motuihe Island to Rakino Island. It was interesting to note however, that there was only a 15min gap from 1st to last by the time all crews had rounded the bottom end of Rakino. The wind, which we had hoped would assist the crews on the long leg from Rakino to Rangitoto Lighthouse ended up being a cross wind, but once around the point, it was full on the back of the crews - a little bit of jet propulsion. By this stage the crews were well spread out with a 45min gap from 1st to last, although there were still strong battles going on within the field. The final leg to home ended up being the toughest, as the wind had turned to the South West and was 15knots full on the nose. Team Goodyear did not falter, nor crack under the pressure from Te Awa Haku, even when there was uncertainty as to the turn mark at Narrow Neck. Once clear of North Head, and the final crew change at the Masonic off Devonport, it was heads down and all go to the finish line - 36.5 mins of hard slog for team Goodyear. Team Mako, from Taniwha, did the fastest run from the Masonic to the finish line, in a time of 34.46. Source: http://www.wakaama.co.nz Team Goodyear
1
4.51.25 OM
1
Te Awa Haku
2
4.52.50 OM
2
Team Mako
3
4.55.46 OM
3
Hokianga Natives
4
5.01.00 OM
4
Taniwha Grizzlies
5
5.02.53 MM
1
Waitakere Gringos
6
5.03.51 MM
2
Team A n E
7
5.19.09 MM
3
Fluffy Slippers
9
5.28.37 MM
4
Tauranga Moana
8
5.27.45 OW
1
Waitakere ROC
10
5.40.44 OW
2
Aratika Mixed
11
5.43.02 Mix
1
Available in Australia and New Zealand From www.kanuculture.com
For anyone interested in the blow by blow years of this event, you will be absorbed in the books content and attention to detail. Hardcover and with some 300 pages and 500 photos, this is a great collectable.
44/Surfski
Manly Race Sydney Harbour once again played host to what is now Australia’s biggest ocean paddling event. Four hundred paddlers lined up under the harbour bridge and raced their way to Manly Cove in perfect Sydney autumn conditions. Along with the paddlers, two hundred ocean swimmers took on the gruelling event. Racing as individuals, four and two person relay teams, all swimmers took off ninety minutes before the paddlers. Craft of all shapes and sizes, as well as competitors of all ages and abilities make this event truly unique. World Champions on the fast Fenn ocean racing style boats lined up with first timers on the super stable Bic plastic boats. Obviously, the pace differed between the two but the objective was the same, to get to Manly as quickly as possible. Tim Jacobs ate up the eleven kilometre race in well under an hour and won the event, while some of the less competitive took over two hours. For spectators it was bow to stern surfskis, sea kayaks and sit on tops from Manly, in a continuous line, to the city and they didn’t stop coming for nearly two hours. The battle up front was hectic with Jacobs, Queensland’s Dane Sloss and South African Daryl Bartho trading blows for most of the race. Jacobs pulled away in the final third of the event to take home the winners cheque and the prestige of winning such a race. One person not on the line was last year’s winner Dave Kissane. A niggling should injury has kept Kissane off the water but he is hoping to be back in action for the June surfski world cup in South Africa.
45/Surfski
South African Da ryl Bartho Race w inner Tim
Jacob s.
Yanda Nossiter continued her dominance of surfski racing on the women’s side with an easy win over Trudi Barnes and adventure racing legend Christie Sym.
‘Ocean paddling took a giant step forward after today’s event and has clearly positioned itself as the new growth sport” said Kissane. “Events like this one are what’s keeping guys involved in sport, you know the time the race starts, you have a pretty good idea of what time it will finish, and you finish at a place like Manly Wharf where you can easily enjoy the social activities after the event.’
The ocean racing series is already well into planning for next season and promises some fantastic events around Australia. The Bridge to Beach event will back next year in early March so make sure you put it into your calendars as this event is a truly remarkable race.
46/Surfski
Queensland Surfski
with Paul Mauger
2007 promises to be an important year in the development of Surfski Ocean Racing in Queensland. In what is believed to be an Australian first, participants in the Currumbin Creek Surf Ski series on Queensland’s Gold Coast, are pioneering the establishment of a dedicated surfski paddling club, with the eventual intention of incorporation within Queensland Canoeing. At present there are more than 150 active participating paddlers ready to be signed up. With familiar paddling big names such as Guy Andrews, Jody Zerbst, Peter Dorries, Nathan Meyer, Matt Carter, Leo Young, and celebrities such as Tim Horan, past Wallaby legend and many others, the proposed club is likely to have a major impact on the regional growth of the sport in Queensland. Club races are held on the first and third Sunday of every month. Results and finishing times are recorded and posted to the clubs unofficial website (see below). Races are keenly contested, and numbers and the calibre of entrants is constantly improving.
The current series is sponsored by Forcefield Surf Craft who have proudly supported the series since 2006, and have donated a Forcefield ‘Cruiser’ Surfski which will be won by a lucky entrant in April, by a lucky draw. Other minor sponsors are currently being signed up and will be announced in due course. Planned for later in the year and a step up from the local Currumbin Creek club races, is a Gold Coast Surfski series. This will take in some of the more challenging sea routes from Coolangatta to the Spit, a proposed 31 km downwind race, and Currumbin Creek to Cook Island and back which will be an upwind and downwind return leg. The series will consist of three races, with the possibility of a fourth at the end of the year. Should the series be a hit, then a bigger and better series will be organized in 2008, with the added attraction of international participants. Sponsors for any one or all three races of the Gold Coast series are being sought to add some incentives. It’s understood that interstate paddlers are very keen to participate and are prepared to travel to Queensland. Any interested sponsors are asked to contact the organiser Paul Mauger on 0405 474 778.
47/Surfski Surfski in Australia – Where To From Here? There are some exciting developments regarding surfski ocean racing in the international arena. Currently underway, within the structures of the ICF (International Canoeing Federation) is a drive to formalise and recognise the discipline of ski marathon racing (ocean racing). I was speaking to Tim Cornish recently, who represents South Africa and is a member of the ICF Marathon Committee and the ICF Board. Tim reported to me that he has been tasked with forming the working group mentioned - initially as a sub committee of the ICF Marathon Committee, with the aim of driving the formalisation of ski racing, or ocean racing, as a recognised discipline within the ICF structures. Similar moves are also underway in Australia, and with a vested interest in the outcome, we as surfski ocean paddlers eagerly await positive developments on this front. Interestingly, South Africa have long recognised surfski ocean racing as a discipline of South African Canoeing, with an elected surfski representative sitting on the committee of SA Canoeing for more than 3 years now. Membership and growth in the sport is at unprecedented levels there, and the infrastructure is strong with well-organised races record attendances, and considerable prize monies on offer from some of the many sponsors on board. Many of the races are also televised on national pay channels. Further evidence of their organisational and competitive strength can be seen in the results of the South Africa international team performance at the recent World Cup surfski event, held in Perth in 2006. South Africa’s Oscar Chalupsky took the title from Daryl Bartho also of SA, and 4 of the top 5 finishers were from South Africa. The question that need to be asked, is how much longer will it be before Australia wakes up and recognises the processes that need to
be initiated to enable the sport to grow here, and which will allow development and success for our marathon ski paddlers on the world stage? We, as members of the Currumbin Creek/Gold Coast Chapter of surfski racing will continue to ask the right questions to hopefully drive the sport in Australia in the right direction. Watch this space for further developments, and if you wish to assist in developing surfski ocean racing in any way whatsoever, please email me with any ideas, thoughts and suggestions; paulmauger@hotmail.com Feel free to visit our website for newsletters, results, calendar and info on http://geocities.com/currumbinpaddlers
Guy Andrews Surfksi School One of the easiest ways to grow the sport is by providing infrastructure, such as a surfski school. And who better to do it than one of Australia’s favourite sons and a world class athlete, Guy Andrews? In an interview conducted recently, Guy gave me the low-down on his GA SURFSKI SCHOOL. http://www.guyandrews.com/SkiSchool.asp It’s for all newcomers, with or without a ski. Guy will teach you the ways of the ocean and help you develop confidence on a surfski. Guy has skis to hire to get you up and on the water quickly. He tells me that he’s looking to roll out the GA Surfski School to the rest of Australia. Anyone interested can contact Guy on 0412 310 896.
48/Events Northern California Outrigger Canoe Assocation 2007 Events now posted. www.ncoca.com -- select Race Schedule Linda Dresbach, NCOCA Treasurer & Race Secretary 408-981-3717 mobile 813-393-2398 fax 408-371-0136 home/msg - linakad@yahoo.com
HAWAII 6 May - Rhino Events Ka'iwi Channel Relay 40.2 Miles. Team Relay - Molokai to Magic Island
10-13 May - Kaua'i World Challenge http://www.kauaiworldchallenge.com
CALIFORNIA 1 April - Catalina Challenge Relay The Catalina Challenge is less than two weeks away. This year is looking to be a huge turnout with several teams from Hawaii, I don't want to exploit their names but lets just say it will be a race with the best of the best, and two names that in the past won together, now they will race against one another. The race promises to be a slug fest start to finish. If you want to be a spectator for the finish we encourage you to come down to baby beach, The first crews will start arriving at about 3:15. We have seen in the past that the race can be won or lost inside the harbor. A long upwind grind after 38 miles is never fun, but makes for great watching. Race details can be found at www.catalinachallenge.com. A division we added two years ago that has seen tremendous growth is the three person relay, We expect the division to grow again this year with more teams finding out that it is every bit as competitive, with less demand on the paddler. If you aren't sure about the distance or your partner, the three person team is a great option. We are looking forward to seeing you at the race, If you need anything let me know. Aloha, Chris O'Kieffe Ocean Ohana, 858.337.1190 www.oceanohana.com
Individual warm up races Thurs. May 10th. Wailua-Kalapaki 11am Meeting 12n Start Fri. May 11th. Kalihiwai-Haena 11am Meeting 12n Start Relay Race Main Event (approx 34 miles total) Fri. Night May 11th at Niumalu Canoe Club 4pm Final Registration. 5pm Tradeshow, vendors 6pm Paddlers' Race Meeting. 7pm Spagetti Dinner, Race Videos Sat. May 12th 9am Race Start Wailua Beach to Salt Pond (Hanapepe) Change at Hanama'ulu – 5 miles Change at Kalapaki (Dukes’s) – 5 miles Change at Poi'pu (Sheraton Beach) – 12 miles Finish at Salt Pond – 12 miles Lunch, Beverages, Entertainment at Finish $20,000 in Cash Prizes Amount based on number of entrants in each division. Minimum of 5 entrants to establish a division. Sun. May 13th OC6 Race. Open Men, Open Women, and Mixed Divisions. $5000 Cash Prizes, split depending on entries. Start at 10 am at Kalapaki, finish at Poipu Beach at around 12 noon. Entry fee will be $120 per canoe team.
49/Events 20 May - Molokai World Solo Canoe and Surfski Championships
SOUTH AFRICA South African Surfski Series
Hosted and put on by Epic 32 Miles, Solo Endurance Race, Molokai, Kalua Koi to Oahu http://www.molokaiworldchampionships.com
http://www.surfski.co.za/calendar.asp Comprehensive calendar and guide to South Africa’s surf ski scene.
The 2007 race will feature a new event organizer as well as a slightly new course. There will be two pre-races/ time trials. The first will be a relay from Kailua to Kaimana Beach (traditionally known as Souci Beach). The second will be a time trial from Makapuu to Souci Beach. The race will take place on Sunday, May 20th and finish on Waikiki's Queens Beach. The race distance will be 32.3 nautical miles (37.2 miles or 59.9 kilometers). While the course will be slightly longer, we've eliminated the last 5K into the wind. If the trades are blowing, the runs from Hawaii Kai to Waikiki are awesome! The Awards ceremony will be held 100 yards from the finish at Lulu's Surf Bar and Restaurant at the base of the Park Shore Waikiki Hotel. Be prepared to carbo load in style. On this new website you will be able to read all about the nitty gritty of the 2007 race; how to enter, where to stay, renting a ski and more, as well as the rich history of the race. There are also links to a variety of excellent paddling sites.
June 29-31 Surfski World Cup Prize Money Doubled! ARB Electrical Wholesalers confirmed their sponsorship of the South African Surfski World Cup, to be held over the period 29-31 June 2007 in Durban, South Africa. Alan Burke of ARB announced that prize money will be doubled this year and the winner of the race will walk away with R80,000 (approx $11,000). This is the biggest prize purse in surfski history. "By giving the race a three day window, we hope to ensure optimum conditions," Butch Murray head of the South African National Surf Ski Committee said, "and there will be relay and celebrity races on the other two days. We aim to increase participation to at least 400 paddlers." Pre-race events will be held in all the major centres in South Africa, also sponsored by ARB to market this year's World Cup. ARB are adamant that this will be the world's premier surfski event and they aim to ensure that the top paddlers from the rest of the world will be in Durban to compete with the best South Africa has to offer "This race just came became a whole lot more serious!" Dawid Mocke, Cape Town's star surfski paddler on hearing about the increased prize money. Further details will be posted on www.surfskiworldcup.com
RECORDS Men’s OC1 record – Karel Tresnak Jr. (Hawaii) 3:42:24/2006 Women’s OC1record – Kelly Fey (Hawaii) 4:02:00/1997 Men’s S/ski record – Dean Gardiner (Australia) 3:21:26/1997 Women’s S/ski record – Lauren Spalding (Hawaii) 4:28:00/2002 2006 Champions First men’s OC1 Karel Tresnak Jr., Hawaii 3:42:24 First women’s OC1 Dane Ward, Maui 4:49:15 First men’s surf ski Clint Pretorius, South Africa 3:22:14 First women’s surf ski Maggie Twigg-Smith, Hawaii 4:27:05
AUSTRALIA 15 April - NSW State Titles Marathon 27-29 April - AOCRA National Marathon Titles (Seniors & Juniors) Coffs Harbor - Coffs Coast OCC http://www.coffsoutriggers.com Coffs Coast Outrigger Canoe Club, has been putting in a huge effort to ensure the success of the AOCRA National senior and junior national marathon championships. Blessed with an idyllic, laid back coastal environment, together with the enthusiasm and professionalism of its resident paddlers, led by President, Ron Walker, the stage has been set for some great racing. Attendance, ‘street cred’ and the lack thereof, has always been the pervading issue surrounding the AOCRA Nationals - the fact remains, Australian Clubs, should, must and almost as a right of passage, attend this event [and all subsequent Nationals] in order
49/Events that the sport can present itself in the best possible manner to the public, the media, existing and potential sponsors whilst nurturing friendships, networks and continued interest of the sport amongst its participants. The website has pdf downloads and plenty of information regarding the event. See you there!
NEW ZEALAND 31st March Tauranga Harbour Challenge 2007 24km/16km - Sulphur Pt, Tauranga Australia General MANLY PADDLERS
Currumbin Creek Surf Ski Series http://geocities.com/currumbinpaddlers Series founded in January of 2006 and ran 30 races by years end. The race has remained unchanged - 9.5 kms from Currumbin creek to Tallebudgera shark nets and back. Other events also staged. Contact paulmauger@hotmail.com
Manlypaddlers.com has been developed specifically for the paddling "community of interest" on the Northern Beaches of Sydney and continues to grow attracting attention from paddlers all around the globe. Our races are run on every Sunday that has an odd date. 8am start out of Shelly Beach. If the ocean conditions are particularly bad, we will run the race in the harbour, starting at Manly Cove. Manly Paddlers is a non-aligned, non-profit 'confederate' of paddlers interested in promoting the sport. QLD SUNSHINE COAST - TRAINING
POWERADE HAMILTON CUP May 31 to 3rd June 2007 Nominations Due by March 30th http://www.hamiltoncup.com Total prize money for this event is $50,000. Only those teams who have competed in the 16km marathons will be eligible to win prizemoney. All teams racing in one of the eight divisions, and abiding by all Official Race Rules and Hamilton Island Rules will be eligible to win prize money. Prize money will be distributed amongst the following five (5) divisions:Open Men, Master Men, Open Women, Master Women, and Open Mixed Division. Teams must compete in the 16km marathons to be eligible for prize money in the 42km marathon. Prizemoney will be awarded as follows. 1st $6000, 2nd $3,000, 3rd $3,000. Senior Master Men, Golden Master Men, Senior Master Women and Golden Master Women divisions will race for medals. Day One – Thursday 31 May 2007 OC1 and OC2 – 8km marathon OC1 and OC2 – 500m sprints OC1 and OC2 – 16km marathon Day Two – Friday 1 June 2007 OC6 – 16km marathons OC6 – 500m sprints Day Three – Saturday 2 June 2007 OC6 – 1000m sprints Day Four – Sunday 3 June 2007 OC6 – 42km Powerade Hamilton Island Cup Marathon
Rod Taylor has moved to the Sunshine Coast, he is able to offer one-on-one coaching for all disciplines of paddling - still water, surf, ocean, kayaking, or OC1s. For $60 a day Rod's offering selfcontained B&B, with up to two instructional training sessions per day, plus other activities such as surfing and cycling. Airport pickup included. In addition to his years of experience, Rod holds a Level II Coaching Certificate. If you want to consider several days away for a concerted training regime, here's and ideal opportunity. Rod can be contacted on his mobile 0419 499 309 or via his email address, downwindpaddler@bigpond.co