Newsletter. Committee. Club AGM Saturday September 21. PADDLING TIMES AT LIS- MORE BOAT- SHED Saturday 8am Sunday 4pm Tuesday 4pm Thursday 4pm

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F A R N O R T H C O A S T C A N O E C L U B P O B O X 4 6 9, L I S M O R E N S W 2 4 8 0 H T T P : / / W W W. F N C C C. C A N O E. O R G. A U / September 2010 Editor: Colin Cussel cussel@hotkey.net.

A/H 6624 4103 Vice President John Caesar A/H 66282168 Treasurer Bruce Taylor A/H 6624 4103 VOLUNTEER AT THE AGM!

Tuesday 4pm Thursday 4pm Photo: Elspeth Berger Racing in Lismore. The Lismore EnviTE Kayak Marathon was a great success. For details of all Northern Marathon Races, see Racing News inside this issue.

Please attend the AGM as it is an important part of the workings of the club. Please also consider putting up your name for nomination for the committee for 2010/11.

1 F A R N O R T H C O A S T C A N O E C L U B P O B O X 4 6 9, L I S M O R E N S W H T T P : / / W W W. F N C C C. C A N O E. O R G. A U / September 2010 Editor: Colin Cussel cussel@hotkey.net.au The Committee President Colin Cussel A/H: Ordinary Members Newsletter Chris Allen Narina Donnelly Therese Crollick Lyn Delaney Secretary Barbara Davies A/H Vice President John Caesar A/H Treasurer Bruce Taylor A/H VOLUNTEER AT THE AGM! Inside this issue: p2 p3 p 4,5 & 6 p 7 & 8 Instructors course July Noosa Tour Northern Marathon Series Race reports Upcoming events PADDLING TIMES AT LIS- MORE BOAT- SHED Saturday 8am Sunday 4pm Tuesday 4pm Thursday 4pm Photo: Elspeth Berger Racing in Lismore. The Lismore EnviTE Kayak Marathon was a great success. For details of all Northern Marathon Races, see Racing News inside this issue. Club AGM Saturday September 21 The Annual General Meeting of the Far North Coast Canoe Club will be held on Saturday 18 September at 9.30 AM at the Lismore Clubhouse. Please attend the AGM as it is an important part of the workings of the club. Please also consider putting up your name for nomination for the committee for 2010/11. You can find out about all the details of the AGM by looking at the homepage of the club website at Click above where you see the AGM logo. You will find out all the rules about who is eligible to vote, how to download nomination and proxy forms etc. You will also notice a number of interesting articles and features on the front page of the website. The Bilge September 2010 page 1

Instructors Course for Lismore October 16-17 The club will hold a flatwater instructors course in Lismore on the weekend of 16 and 17 October. That s the weekend after the schools holidays.

They will also qualify as guides, who are able to plan and supervise recreational paddles. Successful participants will achieve certification under the Australian Canoeing (AC) Awards Scheme.

2 Instructors Course for Lismore October The club will hold a flatwater instructors course in Lismore on the weekend of 16 and 17 October. That s the weekend after the schools holidays. Club members who successfully complete this course will be able to act as flatwater instructors, who are able to safely introduce new paddlers to our sport. They will also qualify as guides, who are able to plan and supervise recreational paddles. Successful participants will achieve certification under the Australian Canoeing (AC) Awards Scheme. PaddleNSW will fly a course facilitator up from Sydney for this training. Letter from Mayor Jenny Dowell Remember that to be an instructor, you don t have to be a gun paddler. You just have to be reasonably competent. An instructor is different to a coach, in that an instructor introduces new paddlers to the sport, while a coach improves those who can already paddle. The advantage of having several qualified instructors in our club is that we can standardise the training of new paddlers. All our new paddlers will be trained to obtain their basic skills award, which can be taught and assessed by any current AC Instructor. The Award is purely an introduction and participant award that can be delivered and assessed by a current AC Instructor. Assessment is to be carried out on flat sheltered water. Costs: PaddleNSW have made a very generous offer which will result in those who fulfil all the requirements of the course, including practical work in training new paddlers after the weekend, having to pay nothing or very little. Participants will be required to pay $180 course fee up front. However once all requirements to obtain the instructors certificate have been fulfilled, the club can then apply to PaddleNSW to have this $180 refunded. Depending on how many other clubs apply to conduct courses, the whole amount is most likely to be refunded. There is a $140 fee to register with AC for successful course participants. This will not need to be paid by our members. PaddleNSW will cover the entire $140 registration fee. Registration is for 3 years. The amazing things you can find on the river bank! This one depicts a bygone era maybe a 1920 model. No doubt this car could tell a few stories about the river. It probably saw The Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression and many a major flood and now leaves itself as an art form resting on the banks of the Wilson River. Bob Terrill If you are interested in enrolling in this instructors course please contact Colin Cussel on or cussel@hotkey.net.au. The Bilge September 2010 page 2

Noosa Tour July 17-19 Story and Photos by Bruce Taylor We all met at Boreen Point on July 16 th for an overnight camp.

The kayaks were packed with all our gear and we were soon paddling in a Northerly direction across Lake Cootharaba with a light South East breeze pushing us along.

Looking across Lake Cootharaba from the start at Boreen Point Paddling the Upper Noosa River We paddled 9 kilometres across the lake to Fig Tree point, the entrance to The Narrows, and the start of

3 Noosa Tour July Story and Photos by Bruce Taylor We all met at Boreen Point on July 16 th for an overnight camp. When Barb and I arrived, Phillip, Narina and Elspeth were already there with the fire going. Fran and Steven arrived not long after us. We had a leisurely start next morning. The kayaks were packed with all our gear and we were soon paddling in a Northerly direction across Lake Cootharaba with a light South East breeze pushing us along. The armada consisted of 5 Mirages and the 2 club Sequels. It was amazing just how much gear could be stashed in the holds. Looking across Lake Cootharaba from the start at Boreen Point Paddling the Upper Noosa River We paddled 9 kilometres across the lake to Fig Tree point, the entrance to The Narrows, and the start of the Northern section of the Noosa River. This section is very picturesque and is referred to as The Everglades. A further 6 kilometres on we stopped for a break at Harry s Hut which is as far as vehicles can get. We then paddled 7.7 kilometres further to campsite 3, which was our destination. We set up camp and had the site to ourselves. Only Steve braved the paddle to camp 15 and got back just on dark. Our first activity Sunday morning was the 6 km walk to the Cooloola sandblow with good views to the South & East. After lunch we packed up and paddled 4 kilometres further up the river to the new walker s campsite past camp 5. We were running out of time so we turned & backtracked to Fig Tree point where we were to camp the night. On Monday morning we had nil wind & glassy conditions for our return across the lake to Boreen Point. Once loaded up we diverted to Tewantin for lunch before facing the drive home. Good on you Fran for organizing this paddle.it was one of the good ones. Cooloola sandblow The next Noosa paddle is on the Long weekend, October 2,3 & 4. See details in following pages. The Bilge September 2010 page 3

Racing News Brunswick Heads - Sunday 29 August Story and Photo by Colin Cussel The Brunswick Heads race lived up to its usual reputation. It was a beautiful, mild, late winter day with a light breeze.

4 Racing News Brunswick Heads - Sunday 29 August Story and Photo by Colin Cussel The Brunswick Heads race lived up to its usual reputation. It was a beautiful, mild, late winter day with a light breeze. The Brunswick River is an enjoyable place to be any time. Far North Coast canoe Club was represented by nine paddlers. It is a pity that more did not make the short trip for this enjoyable race. All our entrants took part in either the 18 kilometre event; which involved paddling to Mullumbimby and back to the start at Brunswick Heads; or the 12 kilometre event; which involved rounding a buoy at the entrance to Kingfisher Creek and then back to the start. In the 18 Kilometre distance, Tony Curtis won the Open Men s K1 section. His time of was almost a minute ahead of the under 18, Tim Stenlake from Indooroopilly. Well done Tony as Tim stuck with you a lot closer at Grafton! Mark Yager finished in to be third in this event. Marion Brownlie finished strongly, wash riding a K2, to win the Women s Mature Vet K1 in Vince Cross said he was please with his race. He also had a few wash rides. He finished 1 st in the Mature Vet Men s K1 in a time of In the skis Peter Jacobsen finished 1 st in the Mature Men s Ski in a time of He was disappointed not to finish in front of Stuart Fowle of Coffs Harbour, who races in a younger division. He stopped to clear his rudder and did not catch up. Peter is equally at home on Peter Jacobsen the sea as on flatwater in his Epic V12. He recounted to me how he had paddled a long downwind leg from New Brighton to Lennox during the week. Andrew Gordon finished second in his event, behind Stuart Fowle. His time in the Young Vet Men s Ski was In the 12 Kilometre distance Phillip Rowe and Narina enjoyed the outing and finished at exactly the same time on Despite what Narina thought, she did not finish last in the mature vet TK1. She was well ahead of Jo Homan. Phil also won his Recreational Mature Vet men s. I competed in the K1 Mature Vet Men s. I wash rode a TK1 paddler from Logan canoe club for most of the course. The president of Logan, also in a TK1, was close behind. When the highway bridge came in sight, I made a break and held on to cross the line just in front of the 2 Logan paddlers. I was so tired at the finish I couldn t sit up straight in the boat. I was amazed when I stopped to take a few photos to find Tony Curtis, who had paddled 6 kilometres further than me, only 3 minutes behind me. Lismore EnviTE Kayak Marathon - Sunday 8 August Story by Colin Cussel Photo by Elspeth Berger Race 4 in the northern Marathon Series was held on the Wilsons River in Lismore. 52 paddlers competed in 40 boats. It was great day with beautiful weather and calm waters. One competitor declared that it Couldn t be beat! New safety procedures, insisted on by the Ballina office of NSW Maritime, made this a very safe event. There were no incidents Competitors raced in three distances. Each lap of the course, which winds around Lismore s bridges, is 7.5 kilometres. The majority of competitors were in the two lap, 15 kilometre race. This distance had two starts depending on the type of craft. As the field spread out, competitors from both these starts started to intermingle, making for some interesting groupings. In 22.5 kilometre race there were 3 starters. Daniel Jenkin from Bonville Creek, Brad Restall from Far North Coast Canoe Club and Tim Stenlake from Indooroopilly,who was competing as an under 18.Tony Curtis from Far North Coast was away for the event and did not enter. Unfortunately Brad had a bad start The Bilge September 2010 page 4

However eventually Daniel moved ahead of Tim, on the last lap, on the way back from Robert White Bridge and finished 30 seconds in front of him. His winning time was 1,40,43.

5 Racing News and eventually pulled out of the race. Tim Stenlake was able to stay with the pace set by Daniel Jenkin for most of the race. He tried to burn me off a couple of times but I stuck with him, declared Tim after the race. However eventually Daniel moved ahead of Tim, on the last lap, on the way back from Robert White Bridge and finished 30 seconds in front of him. His winning time was 1,40,43.It is incredible to think that these 2 competitors did not take much longer to complete three laps of the course than it took most to complete two laps. In the 15 kilometre races the most keenly contested class was the mature veterans mixed TK2. There were 5 boats in this section with Narelle McBride and Grant Epple form Currumbin finishing first in Bruce Taylor and Barbara Davies from Far North Coast finished third in 1,27,12. Another hotly contested class was the young veterans men ski race. Stuart Fowle of Bonville Creek asked that his ocean going ski be reclassified from unrestricted to the ski class. With a finishing time of 1, 14, 25, this placed him ahead of Far North Coast s Andrew Gordon by about one minute. Chris Mason and Stuart Thompson also of Far North Coast finished fourth and fifth. Other Far North Coast competitors to win their class in the fifteen kilometre distance were Mark Yager in the open men s who finished in 1,09,39 to just beat Luke Frost of Nerang by two seconds; Peter Jacobsen in the ski mature veteran men s (1,13,53 ), Marion Brownlie in the mature veterans women s (1,21,19) and Vince Cross in the mature veterans men s (1,20,04 ). Vince beat Mark Richard of Currumbin by seven seconds in another close finish. This event was the fourth in the six race Northern Marathon Series. The remaining two races are at Brunswick Heads and Currumbin. Many members of Far North Coast canoe Club volunteered their time to make this event a success and thanks go to all these volunteers. Forster - Sunday 4 July Story & Photo by Bruce Taylor Saturday was cold and overcast as we drove south to the Wallamba River Holiday Park, the venue again for Race 3 of the Northern Marathon Series. There was a bitter wind from the South West due to snow on the Barrington Tops. The social paddle on Saturday didn t draw a crowd as people surveyed the bleak conditions in heavy coats, gloves and beanies while carrying their cups of coffee. We met for dinner and lots of great paddling stories at a local pub and carbed up for the race. Sunday broke clear and sunny. The wind had slowed and lost some of its bite, but it was still cold. The widespread cold front must have affected all regions as there was only a total roll up of 37 boats. Mark Yager (far from camera) in a close finish FNCCC was represented by Peter Jacobsen in the Mature Veteran Ski class and Barb and myself in the Mature Veteran TK2 class. Both of us pushed hard and won our classes. There was good competition even though the fields this time were smaller than usual. There were three starts according to course distance due to the narrow width of the river. The 20kilometre race started first, followed by those doing 10 kilometres, and a third, much smaller contingent, paddling 5kilometres. The Bilge September 2010 page 5

Racing News The Forster race is always a great event and it is held at an excellent venue. The caravan park, with lovely waterfront cabins, is well-equipped for all seasons.

6 Racing News The Forster race is always a great event and it is held at an excellent venue. The caravan park, with lovely waterfront cabins, is well-equipped for all seasons. We found Trevor Bacque and young paddling companion escaping the cold in the camp kitchen. This turned out to be a glass enclosed, well-appointed room with gas fake fire heater, large flat screen TV and a prize home class enormous kitchen. It was just the place to go to be comfy and avoid a cold tent and freezing wind. The river was clean and flowed through lovely countryside with lots of trees. It was a beautiful natural environment. When we finished the 20 kilometre paddle and just before the shivers took over yet again, we escaped to our cabin for a hot shower and warm woolies before the presentation. To us, Wallamba River is well worth the trip. Grafton - Sunday 6 June Story & Photo by Colin Cussel A clear day and a slightly chilly Westerly wind set the scene for exiting racing on the Clarence River at Grafton on Sunday 6 June. Big River Canoe Club hosted this event which hasn t been part of the Northern Marathon Series for four years. Grafton Rowing Club provided their excellent facilities at the end of Prince Street, Grafton and Steve Muir of Grafton Paddle Sports made the announcements and performed the briefing. The course consisted of 7.5 kilometre laps around Susan Island. The short course being one lap, the longer course two, while the open and under 18 s division paddled a twenty kilometre course with the laps extended to round the pylons of the Grafton Bridge. Far North Coast Canoe Club had eight representatives. In the open men s division, Tony Curtis was pushed all the way by his younger rival Joe Fahey. He really made a race of it! declared Tony. Apparently Joe Fahey, who doesn t belong to any club, only read about the race the day before in the paper. He finished six seconds behind Tony whose time was 01:19:03. Timothy Stenlake from Indooroopilly raced in the Under 18 division of the Tony Curtis & Joe Fahey 20 kilometre course. However despite his youth he was third across the line 21 seconds behind Tony. Brad Restall had some elbow trouble and finished a little off the pace. In the ski classes, Peter Jacobsen and Andrew Gordon represented FNCCC in the 15 kilometre event. Peter led the combined 15 kilometre fleet and finished first in his mature vet men s division in a time of 1:04:58. Peter declared that he, Likes his new boat and he ll definitely keep it. The slightly younger Andrew Gordon did well, had none of the rudder problems that plagued him in the Coffs Harbour Race and finished second in the young vets men s division in a time of 01:07:25.In the K1 mature vet women s 15 kilometre division, Marion Brownlie won her class in a time of 01:17:09 and was noted not to be wash riding. Bruce Taylor and Barbara Davies got their TK2 going well and finished strongly in a time of 01:15:40. They were second in their mature vet mixed division. I wimped out and raced my KT1 as K1 in the short 7.5 kilometre course. I finished third in a time of 00:43:34. I found the shorter course to be undemanding, had a little difficulty handling the wakes and wash rode behind Christine and Bob Berridge of Bonville Creek Club all the way down the back side of Susan Island. I then paddled my kayak to the East end of Susan Island to take some photos. It was a great race and definitely more Far North Coast Canoe Club paddlers at future Northern Marathon Series events are required. The Bilge September 2010 page 6

Upcoming Events Currumbin Capers, Gold Coast - Northern Marathon Series Race 6 Date Saturday 25 September, 2010 Host Location Starting Time Entries Briefing COURSES Currumbin Creek Canoe Club Preston

7 Upcoming Events Currumbin Capers, Gold Coast - Northern Marathon Series Race 6 Date Saturday 25 September, 2010 Host Location Starting Time Entries Briefing COURSES Currumbin Creek Canoe Club Preston Park, Currumbin (south side of Currumbin Creek, turn into Michel Drive) 9.00 am N.B. Early start time am 8.30 am 22.5 km Open and U18 K1, K2 (two portages) 15 km Long course for all Veteran classes, TK, SSki, Rec, Unrestricted 9.5 km U 16 all classes and short course for all classes 6 km U14 Contacts Fees Presentation Night Suggested Accommodation Jo Holman joholman@oz .com.au $12 for adult paddlers who are members of clubs affiliated with Australian Canoeing, $5 for juniors. $10 extra for non-members, adult and junior Saturday 25 September, 6 pm for dinner, presentations at 7.30pm. Currumbin Creek Tavern, cnr Currumbin Creek Rd and Traders Way Estuary Motor Inn Ballina Island Paddle Challenge Sunday October 10 It has been many years since The Ballina Lighthouse & Lismore Surf Life Saving Club has hosted a Paddle Challenge event. On Sunday the 10th October 2010, it will be hosting what it hopes to become an annual experience. It is a major fundraiser for the Life Saving Club and will also be benefiting The Ballina Jet Boat Service and Rotary. It is open to any participant with a paddle Craft whether it be an Ocean or Racing ski, Kayak or stand up paddle board. Register: Missingham Bridge Amphitheatre (Pre Registration - TBA) Launch: Along the Sand Spit Down to the Sailing Club Start/Finish: Start Time Further Information Missingham Bridge will provide the start & finish for the Big Race am - surf boats, outriggers am - leisurely pace start am - competitive paddle challenge Andrew Dougherty, Club Captain Ballina Lighthouse & Lismore SLSC Ph: andrewd1@bigpond.com Visit: for info The Bilge September 2010 page 7

8 Upcoming Events Upper Noosa River Tour 1-4 October After the successful tour of the Upper Noosa River in July our keen tourists have decided to have another go. Here are the details:- Date & Time Meeting Place and Directions Facilities at Boreen Point What to bring The Plan Potential hazards Contact Friday evening 1 st October to Monday 4 October Boreen Point Campground, Sunshine Coast, Quensland. Travel to Boreen Point via Tewantin Camping ground which has modern amenities including camp kitchen. A hotel is close by to provide meals if you don't want to cook but kitchen will close around 8.30 pm. Sea kayaks preferred with water tight storage, camping gear, food,water, personal flotation device( compulsory), sun protection. Paddle to camp 5 which enables a 12 km round trip to visit the Cooloola sand patch which is worth the effort to view. We can be flexible and change our plans by consensus guided by personal preferences Wind chop on shallow Lake Cootharaba Phillip Rowe ph: prowe52@gmail.com Stowing Gear From Australian Canoeing s Demonstarting Simple Kayak Skills Clothing, camping gear, food, and other items are carried in waterproof bags or other containers in the fore or aft compartments. Various sizes of waterproof bags are available, and you should choose according to the size of your boat and what you need to carry. Generally, several small containers are better than one large one. You will need to pack according to where you are going, the duration of the trip, and so on, with reserves to cover contingencies. Lighter gear should go in the ends of the boat, heavier items such as water, cans, and so on, amidships. This means that handling of the boat in waves will be affected less, and stowing heavy items low will aid stability. Nothing must be able to move about and affect trim. It goes without saying that first aid kits and similar gear will be readily accessible. The only items on deck should be map or chart and other navigation items, paddle park, spare paddle, towline, and so on, all secure. Communications gear is perhaps best in a PFD pocket Month Club Meetings Touring & social Racing Septem- AGM Sat 18 Currumbin Sat 25 October November Ctte Meet Tues 5 Instructors course Sat/Sun 16/17 Ctte Meet Tues 2 Noosa recreational paddle Fri 1 to Mon 4 Ballina Island Challenge Sun 10 Ballina Island Challenge Sun 10 The Bilge September 2010 page 8

F A R N O R T H C O A S T C A N O E C L U B P O B O X 4 6 9, L I S M O R E N S W H T T P : / / W W W. F N C C C. C A N O E. O R G.

F A R N O R T H C O A S T C A N O E C L U B P O B O X 4 6 9, L I S M O R E N S W 2 4 8 0 H T T P : / / W W W. F N C C C. C A N O E. O R G. A U / December 10 Editor: Colin Cussel cussel@hotkey.net.au The