Paddle Blogs Posts

Kayaker Andrew Pollock: Detox on the Polela

andrewPoll — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:55:15 +0000

Here are a few shots from a recent run down the Polela in the detox prototype. This was only my second time running this section which has quite a few small drops and some technical rapids. It was also my first time running T-bone V-bone (last two pics) which was a good test of how the detox handles the steeper stuff. New prototype arrives tomorrow so ill be heading out this week to see how it handles. Thanks to Philip Claassens for the pics [caption id="attachment_360" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Philip Claassens"][/caption]

The Local Adventures of Worleybird: The crew chalk up a 2nd descent!!!

worleybird — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:08:08 +0000

Ok. I'm gonna finally put a totally kayak based post up. It's taken a while but I've linked to this from an online guide (Sandys creek into the Little Murray) so I guess this needs to be here in case someone actually clicks the link!! New years day is one of the few days we are garuanteed to have off, so I took the opportunity to organise a trip with a few guides and friends. Ended up with 6 of us and we decided to do a trip that Tom and I did earlier in 2009, down Sandys creek into the Little Murray to Deervale rd. Tom and I had hoped it would be slightly higher than when we did it as we spent most of the day quoting that ever so often, paddling trip uttered phrase "If only there was 1' more water!". It turned out that our trip down Sandys creek was probably a first descent. Not an epic, but I'm willing to chalk that up as our first first descent! And now I'm chalking up our first second descent!! Tom, Chloe, Dis and I headed up the mountain. We took a while getting breakfast at Dorrigo as the place was swarming with Crime Scene Investigation cops after a serious incident the previous night (new years eve)!! The entire main street was blocked off and there were guys in overalls and shoe covers walking around taking pictures and measuring stuff as well as yelling at the locals that were completely ignoring the signs telling them the footpath was closed!! After meeting two more of Tom's friends and getting some breakfast, and watching some entertaining breakfast making at 'juan's cafe', we set off for Sandys creek. It was hard to tell at the take out but it looked like it was the same or less water than our trip in 2009. Oh well, it'll still be fun!! (and it was!) Up to the put in and we were off and ready. After some fence climbing, scrambling down banks, around trees and some seal launching we were all in the creek keen to get paddling!! [caption id="attachment_169" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Everyone found there own way in. As always Tom found a spot to seal launch!!"][/caption] Sandys creek was interesting for me as we'd forgotten most of the creek other than the 18ft waterfall (quite a memorable rapid on a grade II creek!!). On our first descent a farmer we talked to had actually warned us not to go on the creek cause of this 18ft waterfall! It only served to get us more keen to try this creek so we asked if it was possible to get around it and whether the pool was deep and everything ticked the right boxes so we went for it. After scratching some plastic of all of our boats for about 1km we reached the falls, which we had named 'platypus plunge' after there was a platypus in the pool when we ran it on our first trip. [caption id="attachment_170" align="aligncenter" width="606" caption="The whole crew cruising upper Sandys!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_177" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="We came across some trees in annoying places."][/caption] After scouting the falls we confirmed that it was probably slightly lower than our first trip which meant we had to do the same seal launch off the bar on the left of the falls. The entry is very straight but at low levels there is a shallow scrapy section which could turn you into a little undercut ledge that looks a bit hurty, so the call was made and I set up on the rock. On the first trip this was the biggest waterfall I'd ever run and for a few people on this trip it was also the biggest that they'd run. The great thing about the drop is it sort of does most of the work for you. You slide in off the rock and it's just a nice drop until the rooster tail automatically boofs you out into the pool. Everyone who ran had a great run and kyle even went back for another drop. [caption id="attachment_171" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Seal slide off platypus plunge."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_172" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Straighten up a prepare to be boofed."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_174" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Kyle on his way down."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_175" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Dis sliding down his biggest drop!!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_176" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Chloe sets off down the plunge. Also her first waterfall!!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_179" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Almost felt crowded with this many. Last time it was just Tom and I."][/caption] From here it's about 1km till we entered the Little Murray and the major portage of the day. This is a huge chasm drop of about 85ft. The portage is across part of the chasm on an elevated foot walk next to a pipe running from the weir above the falls. Then following the pipe down the ridge and back to the water. [caption id="attachment_178" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Tom, Chloe and Dis on there way below platypus plunge."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_180" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Chloe walking the paddles across the walk way. Don't look down!!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_181" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="The signs of a hard portage. (on the boats that is!!!).Dis left this Liquid Logic plastic all over the place. If we ever have to find Dis lost on a trip we'll be able to just follow the blue trail of gouged plastic!!"][/caption] The rest of this trip is mostly read and run grade III rapids which were great fun with a big group, watching all the different lines with differing successes and the occasional swim!! [caption id="attachment_183" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Tom at the top of the mini chute!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_192" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Read and run amongst the scenery."][/caption] The trip is capped off with a nice grade IV rapid about 1km before the finish. It's a nice drop and slide rapid but with a bit of an undercut and boulder on the right side to be avoided. On the first trip Tom and I decided not to run this rapid but this time we were pretty keen. Tom ran first followed by Kyle and I. All had a good run, with Kyle even putting in a reverse entry down the slide and into the pool! [caption id="attachment_184" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Tom leading the way on the dropandslide!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_185" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Tom over the drop getting ready to slide!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_186" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Kyle on his reverse manouvre down the drop and slide."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_187" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Me entering a bit far right on the dropandslide."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_188" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Already trying to back away from the boulder on the right of the coming slide."][/caption] We then continued down the last km with a couple of grade II-III rapids and a couple of longer pools an we reached the bridge. [caption id="attachment_190" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Dis rescuing his paddle."][/caption] I was again impressed with this run. Perfect run that doesn't stretch your whole day, easy shuttle, and a great continuous standard with easy portages for anyone not wanting to run some of the bigger rapids. I'll definitely get back on this section when there's some more water as I think it'll be even more fun!! [caption id="attachment_191" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="The salto basking in the sun after another trip!"][/caption]

Kayaker Andrew Pollock: Detox video, Swaziland

andrewPoll — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 08:46:41 +0000

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1OqQtGmTuQ[/youtube]

Fluid Dynamics: Collie Run - Christmas Eve '09

butto — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 06:26:45 +0000

Christmas Eve 2009 some of the Murray paddler crew decided to do an early run of the Upper Collie before heading home for mince pies, cold beers and presents from our favourite kayak shops.

The team consisted of myself, Yvonne, Jen, Amy & Kelvin, and “Collie” Rob. Here’s a shot of us at the Put In just below the Wellington Dam wall.

[caption id="attachment_433" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="put in upper collie"][/caption]

The water release was about 400 megalitres so we hoped for quiet a good run.

The Sun was out and the crew keen to get on it. Despite that we had two swimmers within the 1^st 5min as both Yvonne and Jen got slammed by the jet of the release flume. I had a couple of deep braces but managed to stay up in the first peel out into the flow.

After that it was pretty smooth sailing (err paddling) , except Rob snapped his nice paddle about a km down the river at the water gauge wave, where a roll went wrong, he must have caught his blade in a rock. It gave us some time to have a play on the wave and just take it easy, while he had to walk back to the put in cars to get a spare paddle (next time I will bring my breakdown in the boat)

Here’s a few shots of me and Kelvin playing at the water guage wave - while Rob ran back to the car.

As an interesting aside - Rob took his broken paddle into MainPeak as it was still under warranty, it was an AT2 paddle. MainPeak had no response from the supplier in the USA but still replaced the paddle - so big UP's to them - they are a good bunch of people and good paddlers.

The next few hours was a combination of tight channels through trees and rocks (classic west coast creeking) - very tight, technical and bumpy. Its pretty low volume so you can bet away with mistakes with just a scratch or 10 and a few slaps from branches.

There are a few nice drops on the upper section, and some really cool rock slides which are great fun. Next time out I will get some video and more pics.

One of the bigger drops is called the "Rapids" - obviously not named by a paddler. I had a rubbish line and bounce-boofed off the bottom rock. Not pretty. Jen had a similar line but managed to tip off the side of the bottom rock. She didnt nail her roll and ended up pinned close to a strainer and log. Luckily me and Rob had got out our boats and had a rope ready. Rob dived in managed to extract her from the boat and pulled her to safety. Not a good place to be pinned or stuck and a good reminder to have safety set up on the more challenging sections.

A woman drowned in a very similar rapid on the upper section, she had apparently gone down the rock slide on an inflatable mat, hit the bottom, shot off the front and got stuck in syphon/strainer.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful and heaps of fun.

Most rapids cannot be scouted, as the are either in or just after narrow channels through the trees. Kelvin has paddled this section a lot so gave some lines (mostly just follow the flow buddy) when it mattered. Cheers Kelvin.

There are a couple of long pools to just lay back, stretch out and enjoy the sun and paddling buddies.

A brilliant way to spend Christmas Eve....I think I will make it an annual event.

OUT

The Local Adventures of Worleybird: Canyoning through rose coloured glasses.

worleybird — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 12:02:07 +0000

Australia day 26th of January 2010. Just a short report for the moment with some pics. I'll explain bit more later. Went up for a quick look at Rosewood creek canyon. The creek runs off Dorrigo plateau and drops about 400m in a 2 km. For the section we ran it was mostly walking/jumping the drops with two large abseils of about 50-60m each. Some nice gorge sections and some great jumps. Beautiful spot and was unbelievably warm!! I get really cold normally but I spent most of the day in just shorts and thermals. Canyoning doesn't get much better. Enjoy the pics!! Stephen [gallery link="file" columns="2"]

Kayak Essentials DVD: Kayak Essentials DVD

Kayak Essentials DVD — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:31:04 +0000

Welcome to the first Kayak Essentials Blog. The DVD is in full production now and we expect it to be making its way to all those people who have pre ordered within the next 10 days. For now here is the DVD cover to wet your appetite. Remember that you can view sample clips from the DVD at www.kayakessentials.co.uk Thanks Matt Giblin and Nick Cunliffe

The Local Adventures of Worleybird: Heron Island Field trip=700 pics!!

worleybird — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:58:05 +0000

This is just a short report of my field trip to Heron Island in October with uni. I drove up to Gladstone by myself with the intention of trying to catch a Barra in lake Awoonga while I was there. I'll write up a seperate report for that in the kayak fishing section!! After a 12 hour drive up to Gladstone, and a days rest, I jumped on the boat with the rest of the crew and we headed off on the 2.5 hour journey to Heron Island. The Island sits about 75km offshore to the NE of Gladstone. The boat ride was long and choppy and many got sick. I suffer from seasickness easily so i had taken some "kwells" and so wasn't sick at all!! We arrived at the Island got unpacked, had an orientation to the Heron Island Research Centre and then had our first lectures. We were going to be doing a lot of study, lectures, pracs, assignments and exams during our 8 day stay so we were all keen to get in a bit of diving any chance we could get and we were quick to grab the snorkeling gear as soon as we were done for the day and any other free time we had. We got up for a snorkel at 5am most mornings to fit it in before breakfast. With all the activity and early mornings and late nights I was getting more and more tired by the end of the week!! Throughout the week we had a lot of learning to be done but it was enjoyable learning as the course was very interesting and I'm sure we all came out knowing a lot more about coral reefs than when we came. I had my camera on me pretty much all the time while on the island (except when i was sleeping, or showering etc cause that would be weird!!). This meant that i had a myriad of Photo's to go through and edit/cull during the trip. While on the trip I decided it might be an idea to have a video made from all the photos to show at the end of the trip. So during one of the free time sections at the end of the week i put together a video. We showed it on the last night after everything was done and it was a good wrap up to the week. Here's the vid below. It contains a lot of photos in a short time and has some 'IN' jokes you may not get but enjoy. If you want a closer look at the pics, there's some posted below too! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GEeX6zTFp4[/youtube] I did a lot of underwater photography stuff while on the island and really enjoyed trying to get close to critters to get the pics. I really couldn't get enough of the diving and we did it pretty much everyday at least!! I also got some terrestrial pics that I was happy with as well. I was using my 'olympus 8000 tough' camera. It's 10m waterproof (which i tested), 2m shockproof, 12 megapix, and I reckon it takes pretty good pics for a point and shoot type camera. It's very handy as you can just carry it around and not worry about dropping it or getting it wet and you don't have to worry about an underwater case. You can go straight from shooting pics on land and then dive in the water!! I wouldn't use it for scuba diving though as it's only 10m waterproof!! Anyway back to the trip. There was a gastro outbreak while we were on the island which made things a bit more interesting (it's not the time you want to be sick!!) but i didn't get it. We also went on a couple of boat snorkels on the outside of the reef as well as did a few surveys out on the reef flat. There was something new and interesting everyday and I was never really bored (which is pretty good, considering we were doing uni!!). After 8 days it was finally time to go home and we jumped on the boat and the trip was far quicker and smoother with less sickness. We arrived back in Gladstone and everyone began to go their separate ways, except me!!! My car, which had been parked in secure parking at the wharf, had a flat battery and wouldn't even clutch start!! Luckily, with the help of some other guys from the trip, I was able to jump start the car and i was off home...........Well at least for 30 mins. I decided to camp at the Boyne river on my way, to get some rest for the big drive the next day, and so spent the night in a fairly wet swag but still got a good nights sleep. It took another 12 hours home in one day and i was back to Sawtell. Home at last (which my pregnant wife was quite happy about!!!). Some more pics below. [caption id="attachment_125" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Smile for the camera!!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_127" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="and it's not even Christmas!!"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_129" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="I can seeeeee youuuuuu!"][/caption]

Kayaker Andrew Pollock: Detox Testing, Swaziland

andrewPoll — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 08:37:20 +0000

If you haven't heard yet Fluid has a new kayak in the works, its called the Detox and its a river running creekboat. This last weekend a small group of us went up to Swaziland to spend some time on the water in the latest prototype. We were lucky enough to be shown around by Swazi local Shane Raw who took us down a few sweet sections of the Usutu. The Crew was made up of myself, Shane, Hugh Du Preez, Hendri Coetzee and my mate Rich. Apart from a swim from myself on day one things went smoothly and some good info was gathered on the boats. Here are a few photos from the trip, thanks to Shane Raw and Hugh Du Preez for letting me use them. [caption id="attachment_329" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Shane in the Detox followed by myself and Rich"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_330" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Hugh"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_331" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Hendri"][/caption]

Kayak Huasteca: Rio Alseseca with Kayak Huasteca

paddletime — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:31:14 +0000

The Alseseca has more than 20 sections. It is a micro creek that drops through the dense jungles of Veracruz, MX. One section happens to be a roadside, that is where the race takes place. The Tablazo section has everything you could want in a river. Slides, falls, sticky holes and a big S-turn. Enjoy the Video.. CLICK BELOW Rio Alseseca with Kayak Huasteca Aaron

GorgeHits.com: Bridal Veil - R-1

RScott — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 17:35:52 +0000

The weather in the gorge the past few weeks has been inconsistent to say the least. Sunny and above freezing in the high elevations and cold and frozen down around sea-level. Dan McCain picked a good day between the cold weather to get on Lower Bridal Veil Falls. Try and try again, Dan could not convince anyone there to jump in the raft with him. However, that did not stop his ambition. Check out the video of Dan dropping off the lip - CLICK HERE

The Paddling Adventures of Baronet: Trekking a beira do Rio vidoeiro

baronet — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:45:30 +0000

aqui ficam umas fotos[gallery] Neste rio temos dois percursos : O primeiro percurso inicia se na aldeia de mouramorta e vai acabar na ponte do vilar - Abertura não Oficial O segundo Percurso começa na ponte do vilar e vai acabar na barragem de Codeçais de Ermida. Abertura não Oficial A abertura inicial para breve

The Local Adventures of Worleybird: A babyfest of every species!

worleybird — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:53:24 +0000

This is a report from months ago. Just wanted to post it as it shows the diversity of fish that we get here. Well finally I got out for a fish in my kayak. This was the first trip in my kayak and offshore for while. I'll keep it short as I don't remember a lot about the day other than it was full of variety. I paddled out to pig island off coffs harbour. It started fairly calm but there was a bit of swell and the wind came up a bit once I was out. I was just keen to get into some fish, especially the kingies that were there last time I went out there. It ended up one of those classic mixed bags you get sometimes when fishing. I ended up catching over 7 species. All in exactly the same way. Plastics retrieved erratically from the wash around the northern side of the island. It was great to see the variety. Nothing massive but I was able to keep a kingy and a got a decent salmon that threw the hooks at the boat. All up a good day but a bit too much sun on the legs. Now you can just oogle the pics!![gallery link="file" columns="2"]

The Local Adventures of Worleybird: Salt and fresh, Light and dark!

worleybird — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:26:45 +0000

Leading up to christmas it had been windy everyday with NE sea breezes!! I was hanging to get a fish offshore but haven’t had a chance. So on boxing day I decide i’m gonna get out for a fish no matter what the weather, just probably not offshore. I organise with a mate to paddle right up Pine creek and chase some bass, GTs and Jacks in the arvo. By the time that comes around it had started raining and I get that phone call: “are we still gonna go out??” i.e ‘it’s looking a bit too wet!’. I say that I’m going out no matter what but suggest that we should maybe go out somewhere that we can stay closer to the launch (to appease those who are less convinced!!!) We decide same launch just stay in bonville creek. I was getting my stuff into the car and it starts to rain harder and I get another call: “How about now? You still going out? In this??”. I re-affirm my position: “Yep still going out”, but realising the tone behind the phone call I also offer the option of piking with no ramifications of name calling etc if my mate doesn’t want to go. That option is quickly taken and confirmed and I am now open to going where ever I want at whatever time. This new availability of choices turns out to be not a freeing development, as I then fiddled for over an hour and ummed and aaahed about where to go. After long deliberations I decide to head to the top of a local creek on the basis of a successful trip and report on this section of river by adrian. Finally I get on the water around 5ish. The water was very fresh (and felt like a bath at about 26 degrees!!) and so I decide to head downstream. I had my basscada topcrawler on my big rod and my new hawk lure (fake chubby) on the little rod. The fish were just spooking from the surface lures so I stuck with the little rod and got a couple of bream. I was throwing the chubby replica around in about two feet of water over a little gravel race and got a few hits. I could see a fair few bream cruising around, so I was mostly just sight fishing, looking for fish then casting at them. Intently looking around for movement I see a dark shape come up onto the gravel bed. “there’s one!!!” oh. That’s pretty big! oh. That’s a bull shark!!! He was about 1m long and just cruised straight up to my kayak, hung around for a bit nearly right under me and then just kept cruising around the shallows. I threw a popper near it and it came up and had a good look but didn’t take it straight away and I didn’t really persist as it would be an unfair fight with my overkill 12lb leader!!! He stayed around for a bit until I turned on my camera, then he went back into the deeper pool of course!!!. [caption id="attachment_92" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Blurry $5.95 fake chubby"][/caption] Oh well, that was cool, and worth the rain (it wasn’t too wet). After that I had a few casts at some snags then decided to head upstream where i’d had more success in the past. By the time I’d dragged up the first couple of gravel races it was starting to get dark so I moved back to the surface lures. I started to get bream hits on the basscada nearly every cast but I only had single hooks and they weren’t hooking up, and they gave up after a few hits each cast. I threw the cheap chubby at a snag to try and get a hook up and I did immediately except that this fish was long and thrashed around on the surface, a nice little flatty in the fresh water!!! [caption id="attachment_93" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Nice flatty from the sweet water."][/caption] I continued up the creek and got a big surface hit/boof about 100m up from the flatty. It was definitely a bass. I had a few more casts at the snag. Didn’t get the bass but got a a persistent little bream. [caption id="attachment_94" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="persistent fella with a big stomach!"][/caption] Now it was totally dark and things started to heat up. I paddled a few hundred metres upstream to a tree covered pool with steep sides that had usually produced in the past. It was quite hard to cast as it was pitch black and there are lots of trees hanging down to the water in spots. First cast under the trees got a nice hit. I paused, no follow up hit so I twitched the basscada a bit then continued the crawling retrieve. No strike, so I cast back into the same spot. I wound about 2 feet and then smack!!!! I was on. Everything tightened up and line began to pull off the reel and I was promptly pulled straight in under the trees. Trying to keep my rod low to keep it from snagging I copped a face full of branches while keeping the fish from going back into the logs below!! I was able to push myself out of the branches and then bring the fish in to the yak while out in the clear. He put up a nice fight but kept it clean and came into the net with a bit of prompting! When he laid down next to a ruler he was 43cm, my pb bass!!! Got some pics and now he’s currently back out there adding cm by cm so that I can get him when he’s over 50cm!!! [caption id="attachment_95" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="PB bass- 43cm and nice and healthy looking."][/caption] [caption id="attachment_96" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="mmmmm that's a tasty looking basscada!"][/caption] After that I was running out of time but for the next 30 mins I got at least a hit from every place I tried (mostly bream hits) and got another two bass (both around 34cm) and a bream. [caption id="attachment_97" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Another feisty little bass - 34cm"][/caption] It’s great to be back into some bass for the first time this summer and great to find them again healthy and fat in my local!! It was also cool to catch flathead, bream, bass AND see a bull shark all within a few hundred metres of each other!!

Kayaker Andrew Pollock: New sponsor - Vitamin Water

andrewPoll — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:57:21 +0000

I'm proud to announce that I have a new sponsor for 2010, Vitamin Water! Still quite new here in South Africa, Vitamin Water make a range of vitamin enriched flavoured water. Here in South Africa we get it in 6 flavours, each one with its own unique blend of vitamins and minerals. The perfect thing if you are feeling a little fragile after a big night out, needed an energy boost or you are just thirsty. A super cool company and I’m excited to be involved with them.

Kayak Huasteca: Spokiz Sunglasses. THE MOVIE!

paddletime — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:56:18 +0000

It's a very Merry Christmas here in Mexico. We have been paddling a bunch and are looking forward to the Alseseca Race in January. If you haven't seen the best kayaking sunglasses made, yet? Check out the pics below. These hinge less glasses have no arms to break. Mine have been flawless, they are extremely difficult to scratch too. Here are Spokiz in Action on the waterfalls of the Rio Micos.

CLICK HERE!

Have a Great day.

Aaron

Liquid Fusion Kayaking: Old Rasputin Paddle

thorn91 — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:42:50 +0000

Dark Beer Paddlers - Never Say Die!!!

[caption id="attachment_471" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Sea kayak rock gardening on the Mendocino Coast."][/caption] We just celebrated our Second Annual Old Rasputin Paddle and declared this to be an annual event for those of us who love North Coast Brewing Company's Old Rasputin and sea kayaking out of Fort Bragg, California - the home of North Coast Brewing Company and Liquid Fusion Kayaking. In 2008, we celebrated the conclusion of our paddle with Old Rasputin XI which is North Coast's barrel aged version of Old Rasputin celebrating its 11th anniversary and only sold at the brewery in Fort Bragg. This year, we [caption id="attachment_473" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jeff Laxier of Liquid Fusion Kayaking"][/caption] followed suite with the even smoother and more delicious Old Rasputin XII. YUM!!! December 2010 - Fort Bragg, CA - Old Rasputin Paddle III - Never Say Die!!! [caption id="attachment_475" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Old Rasputin Paddle 2009"][/caption]

The Paddling Adventures of Baronet: Rio Mau - Percurso II

baronet — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:06:46 +0000

O percurso 2 do Rio mau inicia-se abaixo da ponte da granja junto ao moinho que se localiza do lado esquerdo, acabando no rio Paiva.

: Primeiro rápido logo no inicio do percurso

: eu uns metros mais a frente do inicio

aqui ficamos com umas fotos da parte incial e ate ao meio do trajecto

: Ultimo rapido do percurso antes de ir desaguar ao rio paiva

GorgeHits.com: Little White - R-2

RScott — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:34:38 +0000

Photo courtesy of Paul Thomson ptnature.com Check video of their run through Chaos - CLICK HERE

Madamax: Gentle 40' over peaceful Ikopa.

madamax — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:19:59 +0000

A fun week end on the Ikopa river, south of Antananarivo.

Typical male dominant attitude and usual maried couple set-up! Good flow, very average weather with a last gust of winter trade winds plus a light rain.

[caption id="attachment_455" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Saturday night camp under grey sky!!!"][/caption] Ikopa actually flowing through Tana is a cool weekenders favorite spot. A fun loving group celebrating a 40th birthday. [caption id="attachment_456" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Typical Ikopa's riverside scene."][/caption] Being that close from city and that isolated is sheer luxury. Super crew to handle the logistics and crates of beer, ... [caption id="attachment_457" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Heads feels heavy as lead."][/caption] Sunny sunday morning to heal hangovers from a very late lasting bonefire and Three Horses Beer (the local brew) carnage! [caption id="attachment_453" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Crisis in the boat industry"][/caption] 2009 political troubles led to a change in Madamax boat renewal policy, ... We even took the time and the energy to do a bit of reforestation. With the beginning of rain season, it's time to start planting. [caption id="attachment_458" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Locals planting new trees"][/caption] Fruit trees are our favorites for this kind of pico action. And that's what we do with our guests. Every day out during wet season is an occasion to put in a few more trees to develop agroforestry ideas and help locals (more info on our actions on woodenstock.org , In french only, sorry!) [caption id="attachment_459" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Outsiders do their share!"][/caption] Visitors always enjoy the chance to do their little bit of work towards a not so gloomy future. I love those hours spent in peaceful Imerina countryside, away from city noises and troubles, 45' away from downtown!!! [caption id="attachment_460" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Boat's garage"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="199" caption="Playful day on Ikopa's beach"][/caption] Will be back on it with 100 paddlers in two weeks, stay posted, ...

Liquid Fusion Kayaking: Land and Sea Adventures in Fort Bragg, California

thorn91 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Here's our latest video creation Outdoor Adventures in Fort Bragg, California featuring some of our land and sea adventures in our home of Fort Bragg on the Mendocino Coast of California. Of course, we feature kayaking but also some of our other favorite activities on the coast and in the forest including abalone diving, mountain biking, and more. A special thanks to Brent Reitz - master instructor of the Forward Stroke - for allowing us to use Single Care as our main song. If you have taken one of Brent's Forward Stroke Clinics, you probably have immensely improved your forward stroke and probably heard him rock-out on the harmonica. Here's a link to his group - Bad Habits. We hope that you enjoy the video - we sure had fun making it. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4WKC5VbQRs[/youtube]

Kayaker Andrew Pollock: Sungai Mangga, Multiday, Malaysia

andrewPoll — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 21:44:33 +0000

Here is a little write up of a multiday I did on the Sungai Mangga river in Malaysia. I just want to say thanks to Pat Camblin and Benny Marr for letting me use these images, to check out some more go to triberiders.ca. Let me start with the quick back story. Ben Marr, Pat Camblin and I had been in Malaysia for 3 weeks running rivers all over the country including a trip down the lower section of the Sungai Manga. Dave Nieuwenhuis and Nick Doran had just arrived and we decided to go back to the Sungai Manga and try drive much further upstream and do a multiday on a previously unpaddled section of the river. The Sungai Mangga is located in the Perak province in the very northern part of Malaysia. The river runs through the Titiwangsa Mountains and the tropical Belum Rainforest before reaching Lake Banding. The forest covers an area over 200,000 hectares and is said to be over 130 million years old, making it older than the Amazon. It is home to Elephants, tigers, bears, “Sumatran” rhinoceros', gibbons and more than 300 species of birds. Despite most of the forest being protected, there are areas where commercial logging has been allowed. Our plan was to drive on these logging roads to a point about 30km upstream of where the river enters the lake. There had been a lot of rain in the area for a few days before we arrived, not only did this mean that the river was very full (twice the flow of your last run) but we soon realised that our rented double cab didn’t have the right tyres to make it up the steep and muddy logging roads. We came up with a plan B and decided to drive as far as possible with our vehicle, unload our gear and try hitch a ride on one of the logging vehicles heading upstream. Luck was on our side and we managed to organise a ride before we had even finished unloading our boats. [caption id="attachment_209" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Hitching a ride"][/caption] So with the 5 of us and our boats loaded onto the back of a Hilux we started heading upstream. During the first few kilometers we past sections of forest that were destroyed by the logging, with all the large trees having been cut and dozens of winding roads covering the hillsides. [caption id="attachment_246" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="end of the road"] These areas soon passed and we began slowly winding our way along the steep muddy forest roads with untouched forest as far as we could see and the river winding along the valley floor hundreds of meters below us.

After about 4 hours of driving the road bacame quite bad and we could see that it hadn’t been used in a long time. After a few more kilometers the road ended abruptly where a large section of it had collapsed and fallen down the hillside, we could go no further. It was mid afternoon and were still hundreds of metres of thick jungle between as and the river , it became obvious that we would need to set up camp here for the night and continue in the morning. We thanked our drivers for the lift and luckily managed to buy a panga from them when we realised ours was left in the vehicle during the rush.

[/caption] As they drove away i think we all began to realise what we had gotten ourselves into, we would be on our own for the next 2 or 3 days in the middle of one of the worlds oldest rain forests, with hours of bush whacking and 30 kilometres of white water between us and our take out. After a few minutes of taking in where we were we all got to work, Dave and I started with a fire, Pat set up our tarp and Benny and Nick went to on a little scout of the landslide. As we cooked our supper and the light began to fade I was amazed as how jungle seemed to come alive with the constant buzz of insect and animal calls. [caption id="attachment_225" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Camp day 1"][/caption] Day 2 started with a quick breakfast after sun rise, we needed to get going early as we knew it could be a long day. We decided to lower our boats down the landslide as it was far easier than cutting through the jungle. This was slow muddy work and we spent the next two hours lowering and dragging our boats whilst trying to avoid slipping, dislodging rocks or letting the boats slide too far. The land slide went from muddy to rocky and eventually narrowed to an end where we were faced with a thick jungle wall. I certainly had a few moments where I was asking myself why I do stupid things like this. [caption id="attachment_228" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Start of the landslide"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_294" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Getting down the landslide"][/caption] Its surprisingly dark once you get under the canopy and the thick vegetation made moving forward just that much more difficult. Eventually we reached a little trickle of a stream which although not easy going was taking us in close to a straight line towards the river. 5 hours after we left camp we were finally at the river, with a few high fives and 15 minutes to repack our boats and get our gear on we were ready. [caption id="attachment_230" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Dave in the jungle"][/caption] The point were we had reached the river was almost half way down a rather nasty looking rapid that we decided to portage. We managed to find a way down to the opposite bank and after a quick scout realised the bottom section of the rapid was good to go, sweet! After our first little whitewater encounter and with everyone styling it we were all smiles as we headed downstream. [caption id="attachment_258" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Me first rapid"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_259" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Pat first rapid"][/caption] As we went on we had a few fun little rapids with one or two portages which helped us to get a feel for our loaded boats. One of the things that makes these sorts of trips so exciting is the fact that you don’t know what’s around the next corner or over the next horizon line and there is also something special about being in a place like this where only a few people have ever been. After a few kilometres of leapfrogging our way down some easy class 3 read and run sections we reached a small flat stretch where the river opened up a bit. We noticed some movement on the far bank and we start paddling over to see a group of 5 Asian elephants slowly making their way along the river bank. As quickly as hey had appeared they were gone, vanishing into the bush before we had a chance to get a good photo. [caption id="attachment_261" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Elephant in the bush"][/caption] After this encounter and in high sprits we set up camp on a perfect little sandy island. Everyone got to work collecting wood, setting up the shelter, getting the fire going and preparing food. The night was spent around the fire sipping at a small bottle of whiskey talking about the days events, the possibilities of what lay downstream and eating a mixture of noodles, nuts, tuna and baked beans. [caption id="attachment_263" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Camp day 2"][/caption] Day three was one of anticipation, we knew from our GPS that we were not far from one or two large tributaries coming in just downstream. We were also getting starting to get close to the section we had run a few weeks before. The first few kilometres were not very different to the day before, with some more fun rapids but it wasn’t long before we passed some tributaries and the river became noticeably higher volume. After passing the last and the biggest tributary we quickly found ourselves in our biggest rapid of the run so far. We kept moving and found that the rapids were just getting better, after running 3 great class 4 rapids we got to the point that from where Pat, Ben and I had put in a few weeks earlier. Once we reached the next rapid we realised just how much more water there was from our last run. We scouted the rapid and although it had a line it wasn’t an easy one and the entire river was pushing straight into a large retentive hole at the bottom of the rapid. [caption id="attachment_271" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Nick scouting"][/caption] After giving it a good look Dave, Pat and I decided we were going to walk it. Ben didn’t want to let this one get by and decided to give it a try. The rest of us set up safety and cameras. Ben charged in and just narrowly made his line making the boof off of a rock in the centre of the rapid and missing the hole at the bottom. He was stoked. [caption id="attachment_265" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Benny on the big one"][/caption] Nick seeing the successful run decides he's going to give it a bash. We waited at the bottom. Nick charges in but miscalculates the power of the current a bit and ends up getting knocked off line missing the boof that Ben had hit on the previous run. Nick is quickly channelled straight into the centre of the hole at the bottom. He's in there for a good 20 seconds with ends flying, trying to find a way out. He disappeared, seconds go by and then his paddle followed shortly by nick and his boat emerge 15 meters downstream of the hole. Dave threw a rope and Nick is pulled to the side while Ben went after his boat. [caption id="attachment_267" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Nick mid beat down"][/caption] Once we get the pieces back together we spend the next 4 hours running countless big water rapids, a few small waterfalls and an awesome canyon section. This ended up being some of the best white water of the trip and some of the best I have paddled anywhere. [caption id="attachment_293" align="alignnone" width="475" caption="Dave getting it done"][/caption]

Fluid Dynamics: Collie River WA

butto — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:47:41 +0000

The Collie River is a summer oasis for white water paddlers in the hot dry west Oz where the only cold thing flowing is generally beer (not that thats a bad thing) The Wellington Dam is with exception of Lake Argyle in the Kimberely, the largest fresh water lake in WA. Kayaking is allowed on the lake and its something I paln to do in a sea kayak or canoe. The real attraction is the fresh water releases for irrigation which flow down natural riverbed (the Collie) creating cool clear pools and steep rocky rapids. Water flow is measured in million litres per day. Check out Canoeing WA website (see my links) which explains how the release translate into paddleable water. The River From the dam wall there is about 6km of rapids to a place called Honeymoon Pool. This section is largely pool drop section, the river is relatively narrow and rocky. Its G3 but people have died on it so it needs to be treated with care, its got its fair share of wood too. This section includes 3 big drops called the "3 drops" yeah its original I know, Ihavent paddled it yet but I heard its fun so thats on for next trip down. From Honeymoon Pool (which has an awesome bush campsite with basic facilities) the 1st rapid is called Gelcoat Rapid, its a small rapid (G2) but is not as easy as it looks and has a nice log in it which should be avoided without too much hassel (start right finish left). After that comes the Waterfall, which is the start of about 10km of evenly spaced white water (G3). The Waterfall is 2 drops, the 1st is the more tricky with a faily retentive stopper at the base, there is also a very ugly looking log on the right side of the drop which is perfect to slam you in the chest or head, and the stopper generally pushes you towards it.

A broad view of the 2 drops of the Falls I walked it last time, without the log I might have been braver. Here is a shot of me seal launching instead of running it. I did manage to seal straight into the stopper but with angle came out ok.

After the 1st drop is another more straight forwad great drop over the main falls (2-3m high). The pool below the second drop is great and you can swim up behind the falls and stand on a ledge (apparently). after thats its just a series of really fun and cool drops and rapids to negotiate. take it slow as wood can be an issue. There is a few waves and stoppers on the way down to play on .... Rob on the 1st drop of the Falls Martin Styling in the old Phat Yvonne coming to grips with a rock slide After 10km of great rapids, the river ends at a weir (dam wall) and you have to float out of the valley in an irrigation canal. There are 2 little waves on the canal and there are 3 bridges which you probably have to roll under to get through. Last trip we had to portage as it was too high to roll under.

Getting out the canal is a mission in itself, the walls are smooth and the flow is pretty quick. Set up a rope at the take out and use a carb to attach you boat to it while another rope can be used to help yourself out. After a hard days paddle it can be pretty hectic. Dont swim or loose gear - there is apparently a tunnel around the next corner which would swallow you or your gear. The best thing is having a chance to get wet with some mates, cold clean water and blue skies...who could ask for more...not me. Cheers

Kayak Huasteca: SUP ing the Waterfalls of Rio Micos.

paddletime — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:38:07 +0000

As most everyone knows, here in Mexico we have warm water and an abundance of clean waterfalls. I decided to take the SUP board out and see if any of the falls were good to go. Click on the link below to see the video... Click Here Aaron

Kayaker Andrew Pollock: Asian Invasion Video

andrewPoll — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:07:11 +0000

I'm busy putting together a writeup on a multiday trip i did in Malaysia earlier this year. Here is a little video highlight of the entire Asia tour. Enjoy [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wlGuMcH7Sk[/youtube]

Liquid Fusion Kayaking: Into the Forest

thorn91 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:11:00 +0000

Fly Agaric Mushrooms on the Mendocino Coast

Guess we should change our voicemail and sign outside of our shop from we are on the water to we are in the forest. Fall and winter is one of our favorite times of the year for hiking and mountain biking in the forests of Mendocino County. We have lots of great singletrack trails for mountain biking and lots of colorful and choice edible mushrooms in the forest.

Ride thru Tree

We are still paddling and enjoying the colorful migratory ducks that are visiting us for the winter on the Noyo. On Saturday in addition to the mallards, harlequin duck, green-winged teals, and 40+ buffleheads; we enjoyed watching a colorful wood duck drake.

Bufflehead drakes on the Noyo River

Our mushroom paddles were a lot of fun. We started the paddles with a short lesson on the basics of mushroom identification followed by looking at and identifying the wild mushrooms growing along the Noyo. Finding a King Bolete growing along the river was very exciting. (especially for a boletivore like me - no I didn't pick it).

Finding a King Bolete on a Noyo River Mushroom Paddle

We just finished our first session of Intro to Kayaking at Fort Bragg's new aquatic and recreation facility - the CV Starr Community Center. It is beautiful!!! We are enjoying drop in kayak night on Mondays for eskimo roll practice and kayak fun and games until January 11 when our new Intro to Kayaking Class begins.

Eskimo Rolling in the pool of CV Starr Aquatic Center in Fort Bragg, CA

Hmmm . . . wood ducks on the Noyo? I bet we write more on this subject in the future. Stay tuned.