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Ocean Paddler Race open for Sea Kayakers

A member of the club has kindly highlighted that there is a new ocean race out that is open to sea kayakers. The following is an excerpt from his blog:

For many years sea kayakers were not welcome to ocean racing after a slew of safety incidents over the years & a perception that sea kayakers were less skilled in rough water, needed rescues etc etc.

Now local paddling identity & founder of the Southern Districts Ocean Paddlers Steve Newsome, has been working to reinvigorate the grand old 'Caltex Bridge to Beach' race, a surf club challenge that had first been run back in 1984. For the first time in many years there will be an open ocean race run in which us sea kayakers are welcome!! This is a pairs event whereby kayakers can enter as a team of two, and their finishing time will be the time when the last of the pair crosses the line. The logic is that a pair of sea kayakers racing together will be able to help one another out in the event of a problem, and it also fits better with the ethos of our sport being a more collegial one than other paddlesports with a competitive base.

Bay to Beach Course

The 2012 Bay to Beach will be run on February 25, starting at Bonna Reserve at the western end of Silver Beach at Kurnell, head out through the heads of Botany Bay past Cape Solander & Boat Harbour, across the expanse of Bate Bay, around the headland at South Cronulla & into Gunamatta Bay & the finish. It's 18km which will take you from the calm of the Bay, through the invariably confused water of the southern cliff line around Cape Solander, out into unbroken open water with the prospect of a Nor Easterly tailwind all the way along the Cronulla beachfront, then around into the lee of Port Hacking. It's hard to imagine a course with such a great variety of water & the prospect of summer sea breezes & fast running seas.

Sea kayakers wishing to enter should consider several aspects. First, there is about 5km of unlandable cliff from Cooks Landing all the way to Boat Harbour. The water around here in a Nor Easter is confused & multidirectional, but nothing like the sort of genuinely big conditions you get around the Royal National Park or several other headlands along the Sydney cliffline. You should be well versed & practiced in the art of assisted rescues in rough water, and some experience in big open water conditions would be almost a pre-requisite.

Steve has enlisted the local surf clubs to patrol the course in support boats & RIB's, so the safety margin is way higher, but by the same token it's not quite as easy to get a kayak on board a support boat if there is a big problem, so it's a good idea to be sure of your skills.

The race is organised through Paddle NSW. You can register here - entry is $45 which includes a race singlet & a BBQ lunch at the presentation party afterwards. It would be great to see a huge sea kayaking field, & to maybe see this race turn into our annual event for blue water racing as well as a classic for the coean racing ski & OC1 guys.

Paddler Grading System

Your responsibility

Sea kayaking is by its nature dangerous. The sea does not suffer complacency kindly. Paddlers should aim to minimise their own risk, and the risk they expose others to.

Paddlers should be aware that paddling on the ocean is generally more physically demanding than on sheltered waters, and that a reasonable fitness level may be required for even moderate distances. The formal Paddler Grade qualification that you have achieved at a point in time does not necessarily mean that you are able to paddle at that level today. Being unfit, or out of practice, may reduce your ability to safely take part in a proposed trip. You must be candid with the trip leader when discussing your participation in a trip. If you have any doubts about your fitness or ability to paddle at the expected level, you must fully disclose all of your concerns. If asked, you must be ready and willing to demonstrate your skills.

From London to Paris in 1957

It was the summer of 1957, and I was a lieutenant in the Royal Marines studying at the Royal Naval College in London. It also was the year that I had escorted a girl called Camilla throughout the London Season as she ‘came out’ as a debutante. And it was to see Camilla that I would paddle solo from London to Paris that August.