A Novice-eye View

I had the thought of doing the Avon Descent for quite a while but it never really worked it's way to the surface until my wife and I offered to support crew for a friend last year. Supporting was great fun and over the two days, and with all the race hype, I was really starting to wish that I was in there paddling (I didn't know what "The Valley", Ti Trees or 30km of flat water really meant at that stage). After the race had finished I stupidly told someone I'd do it next year.

A couple of months went by and I decided I probably should learn to paddle. A friend had given me an old DR boat that had seen a few Avon Descents (and a few rocks and trees too) and, as a seasoned paddler (from school camps about 15 years ago), I thought "this's the boat for me". After spending about a week upside down in the !@&%*!%$# thing it dawned on me that there was more to this paddling than meets the eye so I went out and bought my 415 and joined the UWA Outdoor Club.

I was lucky to meet some excellent paddlers (and teachers), Duncan Campbell and Julian Ilich, through the club who taught me basic paddling techniques and white water skills. We had a big turn out from the UWA Outdoor Club this year; twelve paddlers in all and it must have been about 60 support crew which made for a huge time up at our camp site near Northam. Most of the paddlers were novices and, to their credit, everyone finished. It was great having the 11 other paddlers from the club doing the race and over the months leading up to the event we had some excellent times training together.

The rain in May boded well for a good race but alas was not a sign of things to come (much to mum's delight who had been praying for no rain ever since I'd told her the race was more dangerous in high water). With one week to go many of our group (myself included) had only seen the Ti trees and Valley sections once.

The first day of the race was pretty slow going - the first few kilometres were like paddling in an irrigation ditch but as the day progressed things started to look up - the scenery got better. As I passed under Katrine bridge it was hard to believe that it was portaged the previous year due to high water. From below Extracts to the finish of Day 1 things seemed to go more quickly and the Ti trees were a welcome relief in a way, from the slow-moving, shallow channels.

The start of Day 2 was a lot more fun with the challenge of the short section of Ti trees at the start and then the valley. Super Shoot was a bit of a mess with skis and kayaks piled up, but amazingly I didn't contribute to the jam, going gracefully through backwards. The scary bits, Syd's and Bell's, didn't turn out to be as tricky as I expected but the 30km of flat water at the end of Day 2 was the most gruelling part of the race. The finish line was a welcome sight.

Some things that really stood out in the race for me were the support of the spectators along the way, from their well intended but sometimes not so helpful directions through the valley, to their vital cheers along the monotonous stretches of flat water, and the sportsmanship of fellow paddlers.

I have found the whole experience extremely rewarding. Completing the race was my original goal but I've found it has now also opened up a fantastic new sport for me from flat-water touring to white water paddling, canoe polo and kayak surfing.

For specific enquiries email: merv@aaaaustralia.com.au

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