The 2011 Green River Extreme Kayak Race delivered spills aplenty!

As the summer season approaches and Team Fat Paddler starts to think more about rocks and surfing, it’s a good time to take a look at what our crazy white water brothers are up to around the globe. Then I found this video of the carnage at the recent Green River race, where the water pumping through its steep creeks and gorges stepped up for one hell of a ride. Enjoy! Cheers, FP

Tags: green river, white-water

There's something awesome about rock gardens. But they can be painful too!

It started off well. Mike, Lt. Gelo and I met at Sydney Harbour Kayaks at the start of a magnificent Saturday morning. We kitted up in protective gear – wetsuits, booties, helmets etc – and set off for Grotto Point looking for some fun in either surf or rocks. The weather report for the morning looked great (seas a little under a metre and 13knts of wind) and we couldn’t wait to get amongst it.

Mike in his new helmet and wetsuit looked more like a Navy SEAL than a paddler!

But beware of enthusiasm! When we arrived at Grotto Point the seas were slight and the rocks looked inviting, and I zoomed ahead of the others and made straight for our usual starting rock garden, riding a small wave in before jamming the paddle into the drink to bring me sliding in behind a good sized rock. At this point I felt excited to be in the zone and looking forward to the fun about to commence. What I didn’t do however was look over my shoulder to see what might be behind me, because at that exact moment a big once-an-hour bommy sucked the water out from behind the rock, dropping me down a couple of feet right in its lee, before jacking up and crashing over the rock itself.

Of course I didn’t have time to take much of this in. All I knew was that I had suddenly dropped, and in that split second of realisation, spun my head around at the exact moment a wall of water crashed over the rock directly into my face.

The change in water height can be deceptive from outside the break zone

At the moment of impact I threw my weight and paddle into the wave, expecting it to carry me side-surfing into the rocks behind me. Instead I seemed to burst through the wave and was now leaning and bracing in exactly the wrong direction to stay upright, and rolling down the back of the wave toppled over and past the point of no return.

Everything slowed down as I teetered on the very edge for a split second, then as I started to roll my paddle hit rocks below me, and my first thought was to prop myself up with my paddle. However another wave sucked the water out from below and I toppled upside down and under the water, landing head first on the rocks below. As the next wave rolled over me, it picked me up (still upside down) for the briefest of moments, before slamming me back down onto the rocks.

Lt. Gelo could hardly hide his satisfaction that it wasn't him being smashed against rocks this time

Despite the pounding I was getting on the rocks whilst upside down and locked in my kayak, I was amazed at just how calm I was. I’ve never tried to roll in a combat situation before but, as I peered through the frothy green water around me, I figured that now might be a good time to start. I quickly setup for the roll but again I was smashed down and pinned against the rocks below me – I now couldn’t move my body at all, let alone my paddle.  Still, as my boat got picked up by the next wave I started to sweep out for the roll when my skirt and legs were ripped from the boat and I emerged at the surface, paddle in hand but out of the boat.

The water looks soft and frothy, but as I discovered, it hits the rock with force!

The first thing that hit me was the next wave, smashing me against my boat which was rapidly filling with water. I slipped my paddle under the bungees and dragged the boat around facing the oncoming waves. The big rock was still between me and the safety of deeper water, and I was keen to get the boat out of the way, so as the next wave poured over the rock I launched my boat nose first into the wave, over the rock and out towards Gelo and Mike.

Now I had the problem of getting past the rock myself so I could swim to safety. Sometimes I could stand on the rocks below, other times I couldn’t, so as the next wave came in I launched myself onto the back of the rock, scrabbling up to its top.  As I perched there I realised how vulnerable I was, as the next wave hit and swept me off it backwards (I’m sure I heard Lt. Gelo laughing at this point!).  I climbed it again on the next wave and then launched myself immediately off it, thankfully into a lull between waves where I was able to swim out to Mike and Gelo who were now holding my boat.

Mike watching the currents swirling around "the rock" that got FP earlier

When I got to the boat I took stock of the situation. I looked to see how far we were from the rocks, and helped by the outgoing tide, realised they were no longer a danger. Then I took stock of my own physical condition – the wetsuit was keeping me warm, but my right shoulder felt like it had been run over by a truck. I wondered if it might be dislocated but it seemed to have a full range of movement so I put that thought out of my head.

Next was talking Mike through his first assisted rescue. He dutifully followed my instructions, emptying my boat of water and then steadying it for me to climb back aboard. I think he was amazed at how quick the rescue happened, and within a few minutes I was back in the boat sucking in some deep breaths to recover from the ordeal. I also realised at this point that I hadn’t turned the video camera on and had missed the entire episode (again!!).

If there’s anything I’ve learnt from my many ordeals it’s that sometimes you need to get straight back on the horse to ensure fear doesn’t keep you in its grip later on. I looked at the rock garden, and that big bloody rock in the middle, and knew I had to get back in there and beat it, so I pushed off from the boys and charged straight back in, this time keeping a closer eye on what the waves were doing around me.

Ok rock, you haven't beaten me yet. Bring it!

Dropping down into the suck zone behind the rock as the wave comes in

And then punching in through the wave and over the rock. Owned!

For the rest of the morning we played without incident. We bounced around in rock gardens, paddled the Grotto Reserve cliffs for a while, and sat off the Dobroyd bombora watching it’s awesome tubes in the southerly swell. Then we head back to the rock garden for a last play before starting the calmer trip home.

On the way back a couple more things happened. First we met Terry in his magnificent Skin On Frame kayak, complete with home-made Greenland paddles. We stopped for a lengthy chat on the boats he’d built and how they performed in various conditions before he set off again. Then as luck would have it Garry arrived in the coffee boat, allowing us to stop and drink fresh frothy coffees by the edge of the rock gardens we’d played in earlier – brilliant!

Terry and his SOT kayak and Greenland paddle. Beautiful!

Garry and his Coffee Boat. Equally beautiful!!

When we got back I had time to think about what had happened. How should I have reacted differently, what should I have done to keep myself in my boat, what did I do when I swum to safety that might have been done better. Instruction and reading is all important when developing skills and knowledge, but there’s a lot to be said for learning from experience. And importantly, it’s far better to have friends around to help you if you do run into trouble.

Mike later demonstrated his wet exit technique.

Until the next adventure – stay safe, but have fun! Cheers – FP

Tags: kayak rescue, rock gardening, rock gardens, rocks

Trekking into the Upper Colo region with a bunch of canoes

The week had been wet and the Upper Colo River to Sydney’s north west had gone from around a metre deep to over 10 metres deep in a matter of days. I’d been chatting to a fellow canoe paddler about getting out in our open boats for a paddle and we decided to head up to the flooded Upper Colo region with another canoe fan to get a little white water. Of course when we arrived the river was in full flood and rushing through the valley at a huge rate of knots. To say I was nervous was an understatement – this was a huge flood zone moving at incredible speeds, and I’m not exactly experienced in white-water.

Looking downstream - a whole heap of water disappearing into the valley

Still, we were here and ready to paddle so we set out in the canoes into the adjacent flooded lands. We had a quick poke into the edge of the river just to watch it rushing past, before ducking back in to explore the nearby flooded roads and farms in the valley.

Gelo & FP paddling the moving water in the nearby flooded areas

The next few hours were spent rescuing a stranded horse, an emotional and difficult job made tougher by the horses exhausted state and the difficulty of working in the flood waters. Once that was finished however we had a new job, as we’d been hailed by a group of Korean locals who were also stranded by the rising flood waters. Using our three canoes, we were able to ferry them across some of the water and then once we paddled through a difficult section of moving water, ferry them the rest of the way to their property a couple of kilometres up the valley.

Chris loads up a couple of stranded locals into his canoe

Chris' "gondola" made a handy photography platform!

Of course despite the rescues, the flood was an amazing spectacle to see. We were travelling over roads that were metres underwater, and the damage was looking to be extensive.  Street signs were barely visible and what was above the water line was becoming a refuge for spiders and insects escaping the rising waters.

Oops! Didn't quite make it to higher ground in time.

No Overtaking. Now only good for spider refuge!

So much water, so few roads...

When we finally arrived at our Korean friend’s property they invited us in for tea to say thanks. Over tea they showed us incredible videos of them demonstrating their martial art of preference – horseback archery!  Gelo and I looked at each other incredulously at how the day was progressing – floods, horse rescues, people rescues and now tea and archery – it was truly an odd aventure we were having!

When we finished our tea we thanked our hosts and returned to our canoes. Paddling back out through the flood waters, we explored the flooded area and generally mucked about in our boats.

The lads playing in their Mad River Canoes

Fun in open boats - you gotta love paddling!

On the way back the lads in their white water canoes were keen to have a crack at the river itself. We were on the wrong side of a spit of land so the lads decided they’d portage their canoes over it and come down with the rushing water. Gelo and I decided we’d take the safe way back and then pull up on the edge of the river to watch them come down and take video – and come down in the rushing water they did!

Then of course Gelo and I had our turn, taking the far safer route down the bank of the river and into the flooded carpark!

And with that, we all pulled in and packed up our boats, laughing at the strange morning we’d had and how great it is that paddling offers so much unexpected adventure. Gelo and I thanked our new canoe mates and head off back to Sydney.

All three Mad River Canoes were purchased at Blue Earth Paddle Sports – if you’re interested in getting into a quality open canoe then drop into their Drummoyne store for a chat. Cheers – FP

Tags: Colo River, flood, Mad River Canoe, Upper Colo River

The stranded horse and paddlers to the rescue

Adventure comes when you least expect it…. unless of course you go looking for it! Gelo and I had organised a canoe session with a couple of fellas experienced in white-water canoing, and had travelled up to the Upper Colo River to witness some flooding that had happened during the week. The river usually sits around 1 metre deep, but the flood waters had passed 10 metres in depth by the time we ventured up there. When we arrived, the river was an enormous torrent of fast-moving water rushing past at incredible speeds and Gelo and I both felt pretty nervous about the situation. Instead of heading with the flow, we ventured upstream in some flood water that had covered up the adjacent road instead.

We didn’t go far before we came across an odd sight. A horse was immersed in the flood waters at the bottom of a steep hill, and we could see a deep furrow where it had slid down the hill, into and through an electric fence and finally into the waters below. Cuts on its head streamed blood and the horse shivered uncontrollably – the poor animal was obviously in trouble.

We continued to paddle until we found a driveway into the property and one of our new mates Chris raced up to let the owner know what we’d found. He quickly returned with a kayak and we led him back to the stricken horse.

The horses owner Ron gave her a quick once over to make sure she was ok. Gelo and I kept her calm and helped Ron remove her coat before Chris and his mate paddled up in one canoe ready to attempt a tow operation to lead the horse out of the flood and onto dry land.

The rescue mission was going well until about 100 metres or so later, when the horse hit a shallow spot and jammed on the breaks. Chris thrashed at the water with his huge white-water paddle but the horse stuck solidly. Even with Ron coming up behind the horse to give her a shove, with one canoe on the tow there was no way to move her any further.

So our next step was to link up two canoes and try to lead the horse out with three of us on the paddle. With my canoe in the lead, Gelo, Chris and I put in a huge effort through our paddles and managed to drag the horse forward once more, until we beached our canoes on the dry bank we’d been heading for.

We all jumped out of our canoes and continued pulling the horse in. However the ordeal had exhausted her and she finally collapsed on her side into the flood waters, as we ramped up the urgency to drag her into land. When we got her to the shore, she was absolutely spent.

Once on shore, all the paddlers jumped on the rope and dragged the horse across the wet grass onto higher ground. Ron then got us to help him as he took stock of her injuries. The cuts on her head and nose didn’t seem too bad but she had nasty gashes on both knees from the initial fall into the water. Ron checked to make sure her legs weren’t broken, and then satisfied she was safe, let her rest after the stressful rescue.

Ron thanked us all for coming to get him and for all the help we’d given to rescue the horse, before setting off in his kayak to race home to gather some medical supplies and anti-biotics. With that, we all climbed back into our respective canoes and continued on our journey into the Colo River floodwaters. Cheers – FP

The horse finally able to rest, surrounded by paddlers and canoes

Tags: flood, horse rescue, Mad River Canoe, white-water

Tsunami Rangers - riders on the edge of madness!

There are so many different types of paddling out there, each with their own appeal and thrill factor.  But if you want to find out what defines “extreme”, you need look no further than a group from the US who call themselves the “Tsunami Rangers“.  Their activity borders on lunacy, but boy is it exciting to watch.  Rolling champion Helen Wilson said to me one night, “they really used to be crazy when they were younger…” – USED to be crazy?? Well, watch their short video and let me know what YOU think! Cheers – FP

Tags: extreme kayaking, extreme sea kayaking, Tsunami Rangers