King of the Coast 2011, Sunshine Coast Qld
Some paddling crew from up north brought this event to my attention some months back. Whilst my ski racing skills are probably not quite there yet (ok, probably never!), you can’t help but admire the pace and swell running of these guys. Top it all off with some brilliant video work by the famous Rambo and you get one entertaining race!
The race ran for 18km downwind from Point Arkwright to Mooloolaba and had over 200 paddlers onboard, paddling everything from SUPs to kayaks to OCs and of course ocean skis. The event raised money for the Sunshine Coast Children’s Therapy Centre and drew widespread attention from the Sunshine coast locals. Check it out! Cheers, FP
(Thanks to KOTC, SCCTC and Rambo for the use of images & video)
Tags: King of the Coast, KOTC, Rambo, Rambos Locker, Sunshine Coast Childrens Therapy Centre, THINK
Bugger, what paddle was I supposed to be using here? Damn evangelism!
I picked up the title of today’s post from the commercial blog of a local kayak retailer who was referencing “some people out there in (the) blog world”. I couldn’t let such a brilliant piece of descriptive prose go without comment, so I thought I’d dissect it into its pieces using the most relevant definitions from various dictionaries at my disposal.
Folly: Lack of good sense; foolishness
Bizzare(ly): odd, extravagant, or eccentric in style or mode
Evangelical: marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause
Fundamentalist: strict adherence to any set of basic ideas or principles
So in essence this retailer is describing certain paddling writers as foolish eccentric zealots who strictly adhere to the basic idea of… their paddle preference. It’s an interesting way to describe what other retailers might refer to as “loyal brand or product advocates”, a highly sought after group which brands usually nurture and support. But this is a blog about paddling, not marketing, so I’ll get back on topic!
I thought about the various paddling blogs I read, and then of those which involved Greenland paddle users. Here’s a few examples, all of which are by the above definition varying degrees of foolish, eccentric and zealous!
Gnarly Dog - does the seemingly impossible by surfing with a stick!
Up north we have Gnarlydognews which details the exploits of GnarlyDog, Tess, Vanilla, Greg and friends, all fans of Greenland and Aleut paddles, all great rollers (as to be expected), and apparently, pretty good surfers too. They are clearly and unashamedly fans of traditional paddles, Greenland rolling styles and generally having fun. I’m not sure I’d call them foolish though, they seem to be doing ok with their choice of paddles in a range of conditions.
Helen Wilson heads out into the surf and rocks of her northern Californian backyard
Helen Wilson, widely known for her rolling DVD and classes, is pretty much a stick-only kinda gal. She’ll happily take any of her boats out to the incredible rocky coastline of north California, regardless of conditions, and have fun surfing and rock gardening. She’s so comfortable in the soup using a stick that she was recently invited to a Tsunami Ranger retreat where rumour has it she convinced some of their own members on how handy a Greenland paddle can be in rough conditions.
Surfing some storm swell with a stick. Clearly a zealot.
I had to include myself here. I love my Greenland paddles, I love the feel of the timber in my hand, or the slide of the stick as I adjust the position of it when bracing, or the incredible buoyancy when moving around in rough stuff. I love surfing with one, rock gardening with one, and cruising distances with one. I’ve even paddled ocean skis with a stick!
Are we really foolish fundamentalists, stuck in a by-gone era?
Despite the taunts of some in the paddling world, many other water-loving men and women choose to use a traditional paddle. Or a Euro. Or a wing. Or even a single-blade paddle. Just like different people like different boats, or different cars, or houses, or choice of retailer (haha!). Preference isn’t always about “best”, but rather about “best for me”. And those people may truly love using their own equipment, and write about it, express enthusiasm about it, or even try to share their passions with others. This doesn’t make them foolish or eccentric, it’s just a reflection of the diversity of humanity in general.
Does foolishness blind the evangelists to alternatives?
I love my sticks, but I don’t religiously use them as the title may suggest. I love playing amongst the rocks along the coast and increasingly on rivers as well, where depth of water underneath (or the lack of it) is proving to be a bigger issue for my traditional paddles.
What the?! Is that an eccentric stick fundamentalist using a *gasp* Euro paddle??
In fact, for coastal rock gardens I’m probably going to retire my Greenland sticks and my touring Euros in favour of a short, robust white water paddle instead, where lack of water depth and amount of bite in aerated water are addressed with its design. That’s right folks, you heard it here first – I will actually be using a non-GP from time to time!
Regardless of your own choices, don’t let the knockers bring you down, and likewise don’t join their game and knock others. Embrace diversity and people’s right to choose and remember – as long as you love your paddling, have fun and don’t hurt anyone, use whatever the hell you want. Cheers – FP
P.s. If anyone wants to get me a tshirt made with “Evangelical Fundamentalist Paddler” on it, I’d like it it XXXL – ha!
Completely off topic today, but I was compelled to write a little something about White Ribbon Day, a movement to stop violence by men towards women. This is a serious topic that needs men to take a stand – to commit to actively stopping aggression towards women. That means never accepting acts of violence towards women by yourself, or by others.
I’ve known far too many battered women to ignore this. I remember being in high school and finding out some of the most beautiful girls I knew were being bashed by their boyfriends. I remember when at twenty one, I dragged a guy off a girl that he was attempting to rape in the heart of downtown Adelaide. And I remember the day my own mother admitted to me that my step-father was bashing her.
This is not a small matter, it is something that still happens way too much in the world. Here in Australia, the White Ribbon Day campaign is run by men, and urges men, to swear to take action against violence towards women. Don’t hurt the women around you. Don’t accept your friends hurting the women around them. Don’t accept violence towards women at all – the world will be a much better place for it.
There’s a heap more information on the White Ribbon Day website if you’d like to learn more. And happy paddles to you all – cheers, FP.
Tags: Stop Violence, White Ribbon Day
Early morning at The Spit, Mosman Sydney. Let the boat play begin!
Do you remember the feeling when you first felt rapturous joy out on the water? That’s the feeling I want to get across to beginners when they start, a taste of what really addicts us to being outdoors exploring watery worlds. Of course, beginners come in various states of readiness for watery activity, so you need to cater to their needs with the right activities, care and equipment.
A few of the morning's paddling crew in a range of boats
On this particular morning we had two folks who had never paddled, plus four other experienced members of TFP. Frank, who joined TFP as landcrew during the last Hawkesbury Canoe Classic, had decided to try his hand at paddling after not having done any exercise for many years. Alessandro, or Mistico as his friends refer to him by, is a surfer who was intrigued by footage of us playing in rocks. The two new paddlers were equally without paddling skills but in terms of fitness, had very different levels for us to consider.
Frank learns about balance and paddle strokes on a Sit On Top surf kayak
After initially trying Frank out in what to us is a fairly stable sea kayak, and watching him quickly learn how to wet-exit, we decided to shift him to the Sit On Top that Mikey had brought with him in reserve. This was far better and gave Frank the confidence to experiment with paddle strokes without having to worry about swimming again (as much as he claimed he’d enjoyed the swim!).
Not that he was the only one to get wet. Even the experienced ones amongst us get wet from time to time, as our ski-paddling mate Nat was demonstrating as he put a new ski through its paces!
Nat demonstrates how handy ski's are for floating on when you need a rest
After an hour on the water it was clear Frank was starting to wake up muscles that had long been asleep and we thought it best for him to call it a day. As he walked off to his car I asked him if the swim or the back-ache had put him off. The reply was quick and to the point – “No way! I can’t wait to get back on the water again!”. Brilliant.
Our next first-timer, Mistico. More experienced in water, although not in a kayak
The next beginner was our mysterious Italian friend, Mistico. As a surfer he was already fit and had a good understanding of the water. After spending an hour with him on flat water, showing him how to brace and paddle more efficiently, we decided to take him out to some rocks knowing that the sea state was virtually flat that day.
Exploring where ocean meets rock, a most beautiful part of our great city
Mistico gets to play in his first white water, a relatively gentle rebound wave
Playing in the gentle swell gave Mistico a taste of why we love the rocks. We gave him some pointers on how to safely position his boat and then carefully watched him whilst he played along the shoreline. Then we took him over to Gelo Cliffs in the hope that we’d get something bigger to rock-out in, a hope that was to go unfulfilled. The ocean was flat and apart from the odd freak surge, we were able to paddle right up to touch the cliff line and bounce our boat off rocks and patches of sea-weed.
Meanwhile, Michael had decided to leave his usual plastic sea kayak on the car and instead had brought out the little surf Sit On Top to test it. He was whooping and hollering as the manoeuvrable little craft bounced around madly, skidding off rocks and playing with small wash-overs as the surges sucked his boat across the rocky platforms.
Mikey slots in behind a platform, dropping behind it as an incoming wave sucks the water out
And then he's off, shooting across the rocks in his little SOT
Different angle! Mikey laughing as he shoots across the platform
And finally he drops down the front side of the platform.... before heading back for another go!
After a few hours on the cliffs, we slowly paddled back to The Spit. Mistico was grinning from ear to ear, having clearly enjoyed the morning, but looking fairly weary. Mikey too was looking pretty stuffed, as he pushed the slow little SOT along behind us. The hot weather wasn’t helping either, so when we finally got back to The Spit I decided it might be time to try to roll my white water kayak for the first time.
We ended of course with the obligatory Bacon & Egg Roll and coffee, completing the experience for our beginner paddler. The main question is, will we see the beginners back next week to continue messing around in boats? I expect we will. Cheers, FP
Tags: beginner paddlers, beginners
If you spend any time around the Manly area first thing in the morning you may come across a group of people paddling up to harbour beaches, stretching and running. Chances are it’ll be Ben Stephens from Benefit Active, putting another group of early morning risers through their paces. Ben has been running these training sessions for some time, combining the fun of kayaking with the benefits of exercise, and all against the magnificent back-drop of Sydney Harbour.
Sure, you could go to the gym. Or you could exercise on one of Sydney's magnificent beaches
Clearly exercise through paddling is something that resonates with me. When Ben approached me to support his upcoming Kayella, a medium distance kayak race for women with an emphasis on fun, I happily accepted. Amongst the prizes will be a couple of signed copies of “The Fat Paddler“, which rumour has it might quite a good read – ha!
It'd almost be a crime to NOT paddle in Sydney!
The Kayella itself is on Friday 25th November and takes in three of Sydney’s beautiful harbour beaches. It’s not a competitive race – more of a social paddle for a bit of exercise and a great way to meet some new people. Here’s the official blurb:
If you like the sound of a fun and social kayak race that takes you on a tour of three beautiful Sydney Harbour beaches, the Benefit Active Kayella is for you! People of all fitness levels can enter as the race is not competitive. The thing pushing most people is the promise of breakfast at the end overlooking Manly Wharf.
On Friday 25th November at 9.30am, the 3rd Benefit Active Kayella will launch from OceanWorld Manly. The race takes up to an hour and is on the picturesque calm waters of the protected pocket of harbour surrounding Manly. There will be many prizes on offer on the day. There will be catering for the event with an AMAZING breakfast and Ray will be on hand at Ciao Belli Café’ for the coffee lovers.
To enter or for more information, contact Ben Stephens (m) 0402 190 400 (e) ben@benefitactive.com
The 2011 Kayella is only one of many exciting activities on the new Benefit Active timetable. If outdoor spin, a staff boot camp or a kayak and running class are more your style, see our new timetable at www.benefitactive.com.
Benefit Active - Paddling fun and exercise on Sydney Harbour
