Southern Paddlers

Southern Paddlers first trip away began on Saturday with the trip up to Orford on Tassies sunny Eastcoast. Paddlers converged on the cafe strip for a caffine fix and final instructions for the weekends first race before heading off to the start at the Eastcoaster Resort.

Making up part of the Ocean Series the two race weekend could prove pivotal with many regular paddlers having Christmas engagements and work commitments they couldn't get out of. Race one began at the "resort" and headed into the strong Westerly (not my fault) to the mouth of the Prosser River before turning 180 degrees and heading downwind for about 10kms into the secluded Oakhampton Beach.

Big Stew Lawless put the hammer down off the line dragging a small group clear in the shelter of the headland before hitting the head wind. One after the other people dropped off until Stew was alone searching for the turning buoy with a group of five behind containing Ace, Cooka, Bucks, Sprotty and Lester then ones and twos behind them. Off Spring Bay Ace put in an interval drawing level with Stew but on a wider line whilst the rest of the chasers were well inside heading directly at the headland marking the left turn into Oakhampton. The glue holding Sprotty to the chase group failed just before the point under the pressure applied by Cooka as he drove the group to catch Ace and Stew. At the line Cooka had all but caught Ace but ran out of ground whilst Stew had managed to pull clear to take an emphatic victory, his first in this years Ocean Series.

Saturday night saw an informal gathering at the "resort" with a BBQ and a few drinks and many re-runs of the days race. Strangely whilst the timing girls were in the bar doing the nutbush with the locals a few of the boys took the opportunity to duck out and head back to Hobart or off to bed. In the morining at the pre arranged rendeavous race two's course was decided upon after much discussion. West Shelly Beack to Paines Place got the final nod after the forecast revealed the winds wouldn't go Southerly until the afternoon.

Off the line Cooka lit it up at one end with Sprotty going beserk at the other with the two ends eventually joining to form a phoenix like sprearhead with the pace increasing with the wind and waves gaining more fetch as we moved further away from land. The lead pack was tightly bunched with Stew back at the head of affairs whilst Sprotty, Cooka, Bucks, Lester and myself rode the bus all the way until the Oakhampton headland. Passing the headland the wind started to come more from the South prompting many to thing we should have started at Rehban i'm sure, that's what I was thinking anyway. Across the bay Lester opened a small advantage on Sprotty whilst Stewy Buck and myself were all roughly level but on different lines towards Lords Bluff.

The runs were there but they were quite technical. It was a matter of heading left to pick them up and then trying to maintain speed and work right before repeating the whole process again. Around Lords Bluff Lester had maintained his small advantage whilst Sprotty and I were trading run for run as we headed down the the bumpy section created by the Southerly wind and swell rebounding of the sheer cliffs. Behind Bucks had managed to shake Stew with Martin Stephenson revelling in the conditions holding down sixth. Lester held out the fast closing Sprotty to take his first win of the year with Myself another 27 seconds further back.

Many thanks to the timing girls and and our awesome safety boat crew in Ringo and Ronnie with out yous guys it wouldn't be possible, we luv yas.

Expected time to complete: fastest 45 mins (assumes average of 12 kms/hr), slower paddlers may take up to 1 hour 50 mins (assumes average of 5 kms/hr)

Registrations: via our web site* (1000kms4kids.blogspot.com) from December 1. Or on the day registrations open at Kingston Beach from 7:30 am

Entry: via donation to be paid on the day of the paddle, when signing your waiver forms.

Twilight Series Race Three

Well Huey is playing trick on us again, the beautiful weather that saw many reaching for a hat and sunscreen on the weekend disappeared replaced by some good old Westerlty snot! It did nothing to curb the enthusiasm of the brave band of regulars though with 17 paddlers lining up for the regular 2 lap lung buster. Stewy Lawless managed to upset the apple cart tonight, taking the win in a tight sprint from Sprotty with Pete Genders relegated to third in the sub. Many thanks to Anne and Rex for timing and Ringo and James in the safety boat.

Don't forget Saturday is the second Ocean Series race. The weather looks to be shaping up nicely so hopefully we will get some good down wind conditions. Race details will be sms'd and posted on the site by 9am Saturday morning, hope to see you there.

Ocean series Race One

Kingston to Bellerive

Tassie's biggest season of Ocean racing began in earnest today with the 12km down wind (sort of) dash from Kingston Beach to Bellerive. This years expanded Ocean Series will see competitors battle it out over nine races culminating in the first ever state championships. An overall series winner will be determined under a cumulative points systems with paddlers able to drop there worst result.

20 paddlers took the start line under threatening skies keen for the forecast cold front to materialise in time to provide some runs and a bit of fun along the way. As the siren sounded Angus Sprott took off like a scalded cat, setting a steady 15km/h as the field sorted itself out rounding Allum Cliffs. It didn't take long for the bushrangers from Carlton to appear at the head of proceedings with Sprotty's Fenn stuck in an Uno sandwich as the pressure was applied and the three found themselves clear of the chase group by about 30 metres at Crayfish Point.

A chase group containing Todd Sargison, Stew Lawless, Pete Genders, Cooka and Lester Nation tried to keep the leaders in sight but at the John Garrow Light Jim Stubbs broke the shackles, working the confused runs towards Bellerive. Behind the field was spread far and wide with the strong South Westerly pushing many paddlers east of the rhumb line as they searched for runs, eventually forcing them to head back into the wind to reach the finish.

Jim Stubbs won comfortably with an impressive average speed of 13.5km/h over Ace Petrie with Sprotty flying the Fenn flag for third.

In the interest of providing the best possible course for the conditions on race day a start location will be posted on this site as well as an sms sent to all current and past competitors. If you didn't receive an sms today please let us know at the next twilight or ocean series so that we can add you to the data base.

Twilight Series Race Two

Race two saw 23 paddlers take to the water to contest this weeks race. The conditions were much improved on race one with a solid westerly prompting a course change with paddlers completing the two laps in a clockwise direction. Peter Genders took line honours again this week with Lester and Sprotty filling the minor places. If you know anyone that paddles let them know about the Twilight Series, we want to get enough paddlers to have two divisions.

Ocean Series Race One - Saturday 1pm Kingston to Bellerive (Final course direction will be posted by 9am Saturday)

Twilight Series Race One

The first ever Sandy Bay Twilight Race kicked off with a two lap lung burner along sandy Bay Beach. The wintery conditions probably kept quite a few at home but 19 brave souls still turned up to have a go. Pete Genders took out the race in a close sprint finish from Ace Petrie and Stewy (Buzz Light Year) Lawless. The twilight races are on every Tuesday forthnight through Summer. There will be a brief at 6.15 on the grass before every race. Due to insurance purposes we can not allow people to race without a PFD, there are no exceptions, sorry! Thanks to Anne, Ian, Rex and Sonia for helping out on the night with the safety boat and timing.

2009 Carlton Park Grand Final Ski Race - Report and Results

The 2009 Carlton Park AFL Grand Final Race attracted a good number of paddlers and they were greeted with a fresh southerly breeze that provided some challenging conditions for the 10km race around Frederick Henry Bay. The start in the Carlton river mouth was clean and the pack soon spread out as they made their way along Carlton Beach. Sam Norton and Jamie Stubbs broke away from the field using their local knowledge to good effect paddling close to the beach just outside the surf line.

Ace Petrie started out wide but wisely chose to follow the front pack eventually ending up on the same line a couple of lengths behind. Approaching Spectacle Head, Jamie pushed out a couple of lengths lead on Sam Norton, before Sam surfed his way back, make it staus quo again for the tough upwind section out to Whale Rock.

Turning Whale Rock it was neck and neck as they tried to work the difficult runs to the finish.With about 1 km to go, Sam caught a run, giving him a 20m lead which he held to the finish. Jamie came 2^nd with Ace finishing 3^rd. Allie Britton paddled strongly to be the first female home from seasoned paddler Julie Howard. Don Marsh was the oldest paddler.

Fenn have come to the party once again this year offering not one but two fully adjustable carbon paddles as spot prizes for this years series. Australian distributor and paddling God Dean Gardner has also launched the Fenn Cup, a series of races in NSW. Perhaps we could get a crew together for the January races?? Click on the poster to find out more.

Tassie Fenn distributor Angus Sprott has put together some deals that would have Arthur Daley running for cover. These deals are just for this years series, not only that but he has a Fenn XT intermediate ski available for hire for any of the ocean series races. The hire fee is $20 for Ocean Races and $10 for Twilight Races - and if you buy a ski off him he will take the hire fee off the price of your new ski, can't be fairer than that. Hire is on a first come first serve basis so contact us at the site to put dibs on it for one of the races.

Think Uno

The first Think Uno has hit Tassies Shores. The boat belongs to Jim Stubbs with another arriving later in the week for Ace Petrie. If first impressions are anything to go by, the boat looks fast and well finished. Jims version is the carbon model and wouldn't weigh much more that 10kg. It comes with a longish rudder and all the usual Think additions like permanent leash anchor point, deck occy's and the Uno also has recessed carry handles at each end to comply with European safety requirements.

After observing the boat on the water it struck me as being a little like a K1. That may seem like a strange thing to say but it appears to have very little rocker and a vertical bow. Into the wind it appeared to slice through the oncoming chop nicely and also coped well with the runs on the return leg. I would say the speed would be comparable to the other top flite boats on the market, Jim reported stability to be about the same as his previous boat a Fenn Mako 6.

Memberships Are Now Due for 2009/10

All paddlers wishing to take part in any of the twilight races or the ocean series must be current Canoe Australia members. Membership is $40 for 6 months or $60 for 12 months. Membership entitles you to compete in races throughout the year and access free boat hire and many more perks, see the DCC site for more information. Membership forms can be downloaded through the DCC website. Simply click on the Canoe Club logo and navigate to the membership section to download the membership form. Please note 3 and 9 month membership options are no longer available.

Southern Paddlers set for a Massive Summer

Southern Paddlers is gearing up for a massive Summer of ocean paddling. We have been working on a completely new series that will include out and back style races as well as the favoured downwind speed fests. The pinnacle of the series will be the East Coast Double Header and the State Ocean Championships. The East Coast Double Header will give paddlers access to some of the States best paddling with the Mercury Passage often throwing up some magic runs that have to be experienced to be believed. With the enormous growth of ocean paddling in recent times we though it was the right time to introduce the State Ocean Championships. The Championships will for the first time offer paddlers from all disciplines and all clubs all over the State the opportunity to come together and race for the chance to become state champion. This event promises to be huge and should see a great race as the cream of Tassies paddlers fight it out to be crowned the inaugural champion.

We have also created a twilight series that will run out of the DCC facilities at the Derwent Sailing Squadron on Tuesday nights. This series will be a great way for paddlers to ease into ocean paddling and provide some quality racing on a regular basis. The DSS has wash down facilities, showers and a BAR!!! so it ticks all the boxes. Races will be between 5km and 8km and will be a mix of time trials, mass starts and the odd handicap to keep things interesting. Preliminary dates are on the new events page.

Slopen Slugfest

Results and Gallery are up now

Saturday saw the running of the final race of the Downwind Summer Series, unfortunately the forecast conditions didn't live up to expectations. The wind was still from the North but had fizzled from the healthy 20 knts earlier in the morning to a meager 5 or 10 on the water come race time. Instead of making the race boring it actually did the opposite and made for some great tactical racing.

Jamie Stubbs and Adrian Petrie made the much appreciated effort to come along and further bolstered the already strong field, making a few re-think their strategy. Off the start two groups quickly forged ahead ultimately coming together less than 500m later to form the lead group. Jamie Stubbs, Lester Nation, Stuey Lawless, Angus Sprott, Todd Sargison, Ian Cooksey, Adrian Petrie and myself. The pace was to quote Stuey Lawless "rude", the Garmin was sitting comfortably on 14km/h but I was not and was soon unceremoniously detached from the pack as was Cooka and then Sprotty not long after.

perfect wash riding technique

Passing Mays point the lead pack was reduced further to only three with Todd Sargison then Stuey Lawless finding the going too tough. Behind them Cooka had managed to catch and pass Sprotty and was in hot pursuit of Todd whilst Gordon Henry and Matty Watton were dicing it out further back.

The leaders were never in danger of being caught so a bit of cat and mouse ensued as no one was really keen on towing the others to the finish only to be pipped at the post. Jamie Stubbs took out the race over Adrian and Lester who were awarded equal second as it was impossible to seperate them on the line even with video footage. Stuey Lawless showed his flat water strength for fourth whilst Todd managed to hold off Cooka for fifth.

Jamie Stubbs taking the sprint to win race three

Lesters second placing saw him comfortably take out the series and take home the awesome carbon trophy. Sprotty finished second with Stuey Lawless in third. In the spot prizes Ben Maynard won the Fenn 4 paddle and Travis Woods won the Sharkskin Vest from Peak Fifthteen.

A big thanks to the series sponsors Fenn and Peak Fifteen, the girls, Jo and Anne for the timing, Rex and Angus for their help with the video and finish buoys, and all the safety boat crews that have selflessly given up their time to help out. Thanks to all competitiors for making the effort to support the series, we hope to see the fields get bigger and bigger in the future. Just a tip for those that haven't made the effort to support the races - if you want to see your sport grow and a strong race scene develop make the effort to come to races even if the conditions aren't perfect - ocean paddling events in Tasmania will only survive if they are well supported.

Derwent Doctor Report

Check out the slide show in the gallery.

Derwent Doctor Start

Race two of the Fenn Downwind Summer Series saw 24 paddlers line up to contest the 12km jaunt from Kingston to Bellerive. The weather was playing the game too, and increased from a meager 5 knts to a healthy 15 knts from the South. Off the start Lester Nation made it clear from the outset that he wasn't mucking around and quickly opened a gap dragging the versitile Matt Dalziel along for the ride. Once the field had negotiated Kingston Point the runs opened up and the paddlers accelerated along the Taroona foreshore working the runs that were coming down the river. A chase group formed behind containing Sprotty, Todd Sargison, Kris Clauson, Cooka, Stewy Lawless, Ben Maynard and me.

Lester's used the runs to full advantage as he continued to build his already insummountable lead. At John Garrow light Angus put the hammer down and went after Matt who was doing an amazing job handling the waves in his Time Machine. Unfortunately Todd and I could only watch him go as he quickly opened a sizeable gap that was not going to be easy to close.

Rounding Kingston Point

Cooka and Stew Lawless had managed to get free of Kris and Ben Maynard and were having another tussle similar to race one. Phil Murrell and Pete Genders were keeping each other honest in the Time Bandits while behind them the remainder of the field was spread far and wide as everyone searched for the fastest way home.

Lester on his way to taking out The Derwent Doctor

Lester took the win and now leads the series whilst Matt Dalziel finished second with Angus Sprott in third. There were very few incidents really, Stewart Corney broke his rudder cable and was in all sorts of trouble, but other than that and a few spills everyone came through unscathed. Special mention must be made of all the paddlers in enclosed boats - just getting there without a spill is a major achievement - and really puts into perspective how good Mr Dalziel is. Race three will test everyones endurance and may see a bit of a shake up in the series standing. And as they say in the movies "if you think it's too hard or too far toughen up!!" See you there.

Update: Derwent Doctor

The start position may be moved depending on the wind direction to ensure a downwind race. There are a number of options available to us, so if need be we will move the start line to make the best course possible. The start departure point will remain at Kingston unless the forecast changes and we are face with winds from a Northerly direction in which case the course will be reversed and we will start from Bellerive and finish in Kingston. Race registration will take place on the Eastern end of the Esplanade at Kingston Beach , look for the Peak Fifteen flags. Remember PFD's are compulsory and must be worn, you will not be allowed to start if you do not have one on. Please ensure that you check back here on Friday afternoon as a definate decision will have been made and posted by 5pm. There will be two boats providing support as well as taking photos and video.

Frederick Henry Buster

The first race of the series saw a small but elite field of Tassies paddling community line up for a twilight dash from Cremore to Seven Mile Beach. Inside the lagoon conditions were idilic with a light breeze and the temperature in the low twenties. Outside however was a different story. The sea breeze was well and truely blowing. Unfortunately it was coming more from the East than the South meaning that the field would be hit by the wind and chop on the beam instead of from behind. The direction of the wind might have put a few off as even though there was a healthy dose of ocean skis and a couple of multi sport boats only one spec ski turned up making that class a little light on. Hopefully there will be some more at the next race.

As the field hit the open water two distinct groups formed, well one distinct group on a wide line well out to sea and Greg Stubbs further inshore taking the direct line close to the cliffs. By Mays Point Stubbsy was in front by a nose over Chris Clauson with Lester Nation and Angus Sprott close behind. The temptation to go after Stubbsy proved too much for Lester so he made the decision to change from the deeper line and set off in pursuit. Chris Clauson was doing an incredible job in his Time Bandit leading the group containing Angus, Stuey Lawless and Ian Cooksey.

At the halfway point Stubbsy was holding down a 30 second lead over Lester with Angus and Chris in deeper water locked in battle for third. Stuey Lawless and Cooka were still within range but were on a Northerly course that would probably see them paddle further but also give them the benefit of a fast downwind finish. Behind them Gordon Henry and Alan Roddan were fighting on another 100m behind on the same line powering through the slop trying to make contact with the group in front.

As they got closer to Seven Mile, with the wind more on the quater the runs really started to open up. It was awesome to see the spray flying in the air as the skis belted down the swell. Greg managed to hold on putting his surf experience to good use to take out the win from Lester with Angus managing to get over Chris for third. All in all it was a great race with everyone going home with a smile on their face. If you are reading this thinking gees I should have gone, you are right you should have. Get off you arse and turn up to race two, the more the merrier.

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