Yes, left pedal went south under tonkin bridge.
My best avon from a personal p.o.v. Trained hard, prepared well, knew what was on the cards well before the week and knew what to do.
12th K1, 38th overall- i am well pleased, believe me. beat a couple of people that i consider to be very good.

Congratulations to aNyoNe who entered this year. it was always going to be gruesome. i still can't get over some of the sights i saw: perfectly spanking fun whitewaters reduced to mean and slippery boulder farms.

20 mm across a good portion of the catchment Wed and Thurs - might make it just on time for the Avon next weekend!
....
Ohh ... thats' right ...
:-P

Nice work Fiasco - beat some very good paddlers this year!
Did you have rudder problems at the end?
Saw you paddling (on the big screen) and it looked like you were doing a bit of one-sided paddling ...
And thanks for the RBP sticker too!

I'll parade around topless at Bells just for you, maacski.

G'luck everyone, especially you crazy SPers. :)

Any one who shows their hooters will get a loud cheer, i reckon.

See you at the start line.

Good Luck to all of you! Will be thinking of you all... I have the utmost admiration for everyone who crosses the start line this year. I hope you all have the best race that you can. :-)

OK guys - time to go!
Good luck to all still doin it, and no foul on those who pulled out - it would always be a tough decision.
Esp. good luck to the SPs - should get medals for even bothering to start!
See you at the end ...
337

Good on those still in the big AD, you are strong willed buggers. Best of luck to you all, and may the pools join to form something like a river.

I'll be another one of those pikers on the shore yelling.

Bolders is on Leg 2 Day 1 Katrine - Toodyay in Team 549, then reappears on Day 2 on Leg 2 from Stronghills to Bells. I have a loud hooter and will honk back at anyone cheering for me!

For everyone taking on the challenge, full respect!! I'll be cheering hard from the banks in hopes of winning the 'spectator' category.

have a safe one, all
Hope I won't see any SP's on the water ;)

323

Just a quick message to everyone paddling to have a great race, keep your sense of humour and be kind to us short plastics
GOOD LUCK
From
Hopper

Helmet cam footage from one of the powerboaters last weekend showing most of the fun stuff from Day 1, including a look at Northam weir, Katrine, Glen Avon, Extracts and all the windy stuff in between.

This is presumably Saturday afternoon judging by the position of the sun, so Walyunga 0.34/Ti Trees 0.135.

I *think* it's here. I know there's a level crossing near it because they had vehicles in there in '06 to take us back to the finish, and I remember it being at the end of a long shallow pool.

Whilst an earlier start would seem sensible, any suggestion of this always seems to bring major grizzling from the power boaters who are afraid of encountering fog down river from the start. I seem to recall them complaining last year that the start should have been delayed, even though I don't recall seeing any fog on day 1.

Not the best news I've heard all day (can't say I'm happy about it), but at least the river will be less congested to start with. Assuming power boats still at 30 second intervals, last grid could be about 9:30.

I would encourage any paddlers who are not feeling confident about the water level, their fitness, ability, got some gardening to do, missing some daytime tv etc, to pull out. If you're out there soaking up 5m of the river, do the right thing for those behind you and go as hard as you can.

Can anyone point out *exactly* where the Tea Tree checkpoint is - is it at Lovers Lane?

I spoke to Organisers who advised that Gird Intervals will be 1 minute (not 30secs) Therefore we need to re-think our calculations for start and cut off times.
They did say they would confirm the intervals and start times at registration on friday.

Perhaps an earlier start will be announced.

It was bright and clear at 7:15 this morning.

How frustrating would it be all standing around in the bright sunshine waiting for the clock to tick over to 8am before the power boats go.

I've just been wondering about the upcoming carnage at the bottom of Northam Weir.

12 boat grids at 30 second intervals adds up to 1 new boat piling into the logjam every 2.5 seconds.

I'm in grid 55 - the last long plastic grid, followed by 4 grids of doubles. Getting run over by them while negotiating the flotsom & jetsam before me is not something I'm looking forward to!

- Maddo #972

Anyone else heard the rumour that the organisers are planning to make the grid intervals 1 minute rather than the usual 30 seconds? Even with 12 paddlers per grid, this means those starting down the back are going to be even more up against cut off times.

Slotted in grid 43 in the LP category. Not too bad considering (9th out of 21 LP grids). Was put in the grid I'm in as I requested the same race number as last year (753) and that's where it happens to fall. Damn, why didn't I ask for lower number!? Not to worry.

Was a bit disappointed to see some of the 'elite' LP paddlers elevated to their own very early start grid. I might not ever beat them but it'd be nice to have a level playing field for all from the gun. Maybe base the start grids of the last year's results? Seems fair to me, I'd be happy for the people who beat me last year to start in front of me as I think the people who I beat would be happy for me to start in front of them??

Hoping to improve on my 30th place finish in LP last year. I'm honestly looking forward to the race. Bit of a slog is good for you. See you all out there.

If this is your first AD, dont be dishartened with all the negativity. If you find that your struggling with cut off times, then change your goal. Try to pass as many check points as possible. Get out and enjoy the day and return next year with new enthusiasm. Just getting involved gives me a buzz.

I also acknowledge that the grids will not be entirely full when they head off, with all the pulled out entrants. This will thin out the field at the start which is a positive.

Something I was told last year when I queried my grid position at the back of the field while a bunch of novices were starting in the first 5 paddle grids.

The first couple of grids are allocated by Canoeing WA so will be filled with top guns, internationals etc. Everyone else is allocated by race ID and previous results are not taken into account. You can however make a request when you first lodge your entry to start near the front, on the same grid as your mates or whatever.

Keep it in mind for next year!

sorry woof woof couldnt resist saying that even if it doesnt fit, although I didnt sense much sympathy from you?

Yeah I choose to paddle SP and I choose to start - I am not complaining - we are the under dogs fighting above our weight. We have a very healthy competiveness within out class and personally my challenge in the race is to get past as many LP's as I can which is often difficult with lots of boatwash and in a wavehopper without a rudder, but that is the challenge.
SP

Yeah we all feel for you guys who paddle short plastics, but that's what you choose to paddle. We all know what grid positions you are facing if you decide to paddle a short plastic. What would happen if you were put up on a higher grid position? We would all get stuck behind you, and then there would be a larger percentage of people not reaching cut-off times.How many spectators want to go and wait at bells on a freezing sunday morning, and only see a hand full of competitors make it that far. It is great to hear an attitude like that of wannakikamoocow, take the challenge head on and defeat it, if you can't do that, I don't see anyone forcing you to start. Sorry if I am putting anybodies nose out of joint by saying all this, but, I think a few people are starting to lose sight of the reasons why we keep coming back to this great event year after year, it's definitely not for guaranteed high water conditions, it's definitely not to set records every year, it's because this is the greatest Whitewater Race on the Planet, and we should all be thankful that we are even in a position to make the decision whether we want to compete against the river, be it very dry, or not. I think the organisers do a great job with allocating the grid positions, when you are trying to cater for 900+ competitors, you will never make everyone happy. It seems like the only other alternative they have is to put everyones name into a hat, and draw them out randomly. Imagine if that was to happen, here we are with the profile of the race at an all time high, attracting numerous international competitors, prize money at an all time high, then a high profile paddler draws a grid at the rear of the pack, and loses the race after being tangled up with novice paddlers, these guys train twice a day for over 12 months, do you think they, or their friends would return?

I have done some maths and on my grid position and my 2006 time, I reckon I can beat the cut offs.
assumptions
1-race Start 8.00am
2-26 grids power boats at 30 sec intervals = 13mins
3-half hour wait for 1st paddlecraft = 8.43am start
4-me on grid 68-26 power boat grids = 42 paddle craft grids = 21 mins = 9.04am start.
5-cut off Katrine = 3hr 45m = 12.28
6-2006 did Katrine 2hr 24m, 2010 = 11.28
7-allow 30mins longer in 2010 and
Its all down hill (river) from there

Work your own out - you can do it!!!
SP

i think it is cruel putting short plastics behind everyone. I think teams should be last.

grid 30

There is also some random favouring of the supergrids at the front. why should some lps get an advantage over all the rest?

I changed back to short plastic and now I am on grid 68 - well its good to be back with people I have paddled with for most Descents (Sorry Spencer). Look out ahead for the angry short plastics bringing up the rear and trying to beat the cut off times. Give it hell!!
Short Plastic

So it appears the organisers do not look at the previous years results when allocating grids. I can see some people got favoured whilst many many didn't.

At least it gives me more people to overtake, I prefer overtaking than getting overtaken!

I'm ID 888, see ya's out there!

Grid 70 for me. Yeah I take on the challenge and I'll prove to myself I can do it....
and kick some cow ass along the way if you're too slow !!!!

I was feeling very excited to give this year a real good go despite low water etc....but to be the last grid in a short plastic..is like a kick in the guts when youre already down.
I will still push hard but its now very very tough to make the cut off's.
Should be same as 2006 - 60% of short plastics wont finish Day 1.

He never said anything about rain in Northam - that would be ridiculous ;)

Lifesaving WA do a great job with their part of the Avon. I hope they put the grids out soon - the tension is mounting.

Given they reckon the power boats can still get through - it should be no worries for paddlers. As for which rapids will be flowing, we'll find out on Sunday.

How low is too low? A couple of questions for paddlers pre 2007:
Any idea what level the river would need to be at before the organisers made some changes e.g. paddlers start early on Saturday?
By the time we get to Walyunga on Sunday, the river could be as low as 0.26
Anyone ever attempted doing a Walyunga run at that depth?
Will Emu's, championships, Syds etc. even have flow?
Any word on whether power boats will be starting from Northam or Katrine?

I did half the valley in a rubber ducky last weekend and it's not that bad. Yes day 1 will be a slog, yes day 2 won't exacly be wild water, but most of it was doable. We had to drag the boat through a lot places but it needs a lot more water than you guys do. I didn't see anywhere I would have walked around had I been on the trusty plastic ski. Sure you'll need to accept that you're going to pick up more gouges than usual but that's why I use a plastic.

So ease up on the doom and gloom, you're not going to get high water every year. Instead just imagine yourself in years to come ... "Kids these days are too soft. When I did the 2010 Descent, I had to carry my boat from Northam to Toodyay on foot and I still made the cut off with time to spare!"

Jayp - that's for Perth. By the time you get out to Northam it's down to 20%, and York doesn't even rate. One model out of five predicting a light sprinkle isn't a forecast, it's an anomaly.

If he'd been talking to Russell we all would have fallen asleep as he stumbled his way through the definition of an average temperature.*

* - in-joke for the tragics who watch ABC news.

If only I had registered my flinstone kayak. I could throw some straps over my sholders and run over the shallows. What was I thinking ???
I'm ready for what ever happens...except a fog delay at the start. (SP class)

OCF - most credible/conservative forecast summary. 40% ("may") of forecasts predicting an expected 0.3 mm ("light"). No, despite the Perth forecast saying "Chance of a shower", it's not gonna rain on Thursday - but it's their job to talk it up.

Shame he went onto the back foot, as per a politician being grilled. It's not his fault the water is low. Would have been good to hear him sound more excited about the event. Some people's lot in life is calling up local radio and being negative.

Now if he was talking with Russell Woolf - he might have got a different response on talking up the weather.

Greg Tate from Royal Life telling to suggest 2006 that a high % of starters finished the race. That certainly wasnt the case for Short Plastic's.
From my count its was 30 out of about 90 starters finished (30% is hardly a high %)in SP class.

I hope we get 1st grid or we are destined a similar fate.

Juffy surely he meant the light fall was in the river levels. :-) That's far more likely than rain . . .

"I believe Thursday there might be a light fall"

I'd love to know where he's getting his forecast from, because NO ONE (not even E*****) is predicting credible rain on Thursday.

C'mon geez talk it up Tatey!!!

'Sounds like it's all about saving face.

I believe another well known Perth "endurance race" was cancelled for the first time ever only a few yrs back,
How about considering ALL the competitors for a change!!!

All I'm asking is for some other option to be out up early, we ALL know the river can't be paddled at the (this sites!!) predicted level.

My 2c worth

Fixed 'cm' to 'mm'. I wish the river was deep enough to drop another 30cm by the weekend, but it isn't. 30mm it can manage.

Sadly, I have come to the decision that I will not be competing this weekend. I wouldn't paddle from Walyunga to Bells at .29 so I won't be paddling 137 kms at that level. I did the 2006 slug-a-thon and the terrible memories of digging up sand for the first 30 kms was just to much to get past. Any way I wish all the competitors luck on the weekend and if I have any advice carry some anti chafe cream to put in your arm pits. Trust me your need it.

I bought a pair of the sharkskin socks before last year's Avon. I have used them under my booties on nearly all really cold days on the river.

I've never really worn them to stop sore feet (to be honest I've never really walked all that far in them), but they're warm and comfortable so I'd recommend them.

I also use sharkskin pants as I paddle a PRS and it gets a bit cold sitting in a small puddle of water all day long. They're nice and warm.

I guess I'll be able to tell you how good the socks are for walking in about 10 days time...

2006 was b***** tough to paddle or was it shovelling sand??, I was in a short plastic, but what I remember is that it wasnt a race anymore it was about helping out fellow paddlers so that we could all get through. If we have the attitude that we help each other to get through day 1 and then down the valley on day 2 we can race it out on the flat.
This AD I am using a very old and fragile DR boat that fortunately is only 11.5 kgs and goes very well in shallow water but doesnt like rocks!!
I have my certificate for 1st place in 045 SP 16hrs 34mns - it was worth it.
SP

* Get a lift up to Posselts Ford with your MTB and ride down the railway road to Bells cheering madly at every rapid. (You could probably follow a single paddler pretty easily, they're not exactly going to outrun you)
* Go paddling in the ocean, Ski Girl will tell you there's plenty of water.
* Poke yourself in the eye with a sharp stick and pay a stranger $20.

Phantom - I don't criticise NADA because it's easy, I do it because they consistently bullshit the competitors every year about water levels and they give the distinct impression that the question of what to do when (not if) the river dies is firmly in the 'too hard' basket.

I hope like hell they've at least learnt from '06 and have decent communication between the Ti Tree checkpoint and Day 1 finish, so support crews aren't told "Well, if your paddler hasn't finished yet then they've probably been pulled out, but we don't really know."

My only concern is that NADA have already decided

" ... it's going to be 0.3+, so let's not worry about contingency plans"

Their announcements seem to me to be aligned with that notion - I hope I am wrong.

You've already paid the dollars. It costs you the same to pull out as it does to give it a try (minus the fuel, food etc).

What if you have paid $20 for a poke in the eye with a sharp stick? You'd have to get your moneys worth...

But what else are you going to do next weekend?

2. I like my body and I don't want to destroy it in a low water slugfest?

I did a 70km low water paddle in May and I am still suffering from it, the altered paddle stroke required from the shallow stuff puts all sorts of different strains on your arms from what you practiced and increases the chance of injury. My elbow blow out put paid to my Avon hopes before the lack of rain did.

Oh wait. That's not inspirational

I am having a difficult time trying to decide to race or not. As I compete in 06 I know what the rive is going to be like and I can tell you it wasn't as you would say a "White Water" race. So I am looking for inspiration to compete in this years event. I'll go first...

1. I've spent $170 and numerous days training. ( Which I don't want to waste)
2. ?????

I always wear socks in my booties. Thin sports socks, business socks and explorer socks all help keep the feet warm. Explorer socks make my boots fit very snugly, I'm hoping this will help guard against chaff and blisters.

my sharkskin pants are the bee's knees. Soft, dry etc.
Don't know about the socks. Being quite thick, you'd need to try them beforehand.