Giving the big girl a run

Hi All
Work and packing has been pretty chaotic added with the fact that Sue and Tim have been crook and it has been a struggle to get out on the YAK. I was hoping for another river run (particularly as the river has been up) but with Sue crook it was a case of needing to be independent. The Dam it is!
The last couple of Dam paddles has been pretty ordinary of late and it was after lunch before I could escape so I dragged out Sue's Hobie adventure for today's run. She is not the fastest boat about but she is very stable when the conditions turn nasty - plus it has a rudder to keep the nose pointed in the right direction which has been a challenge of late in the dagger!
I didn't manage to get onto the Dam till about 2:00 and the wind generally picks up during the afternoon so I was expecting pretty ordinary conditions. That said it was pretty good considering the paddles of late. Yeh there was a strong breeze but it was reasonably smooth really. At one stage it was even still but this was mostly as I loaded the YAK onto the car :)
Anyway I managed 7Km/h average over 14Km in the big boat so I am reasonably happy with that. I also talked to the shop owner at the Dam and she was happy to put up some promotional posters etc. which is also good exposure - all good. Also I have managed to get a few good people on board @ work to sell raffle tickets / collect donations in different workshops so that is great as well. I now have the problem that I have run out of ticket books - what a great problem - hopefully they sell lots of them!!!
Take care all - thanks for all those comments - don't be afraid to add suggestions/ comments as I love reading them
Phil

New YAK for the paddle

Hi All
The fantastic Guys at BLA have come good with a New Kayak and paddle to complete the Brook to Beaches! What champions!!
The Kayak is a very sexy (I know kind of weird to get so excited about a YAK) Necky Manitou 13 and Carlisle Paddle. She is an absolute beauty and I can't wait to have a paddle - but all in good time.
The most exciting thing is that BLA are happy for me to raffle off the Kayak on the last day. How good is that! The replacement value is over $1700 if my maths is right so be sure to get a ticket!!
Tickets will be on sale shortly (once I have set up a bank account for the money to go into) and will be $2 each or 3 for $5 - What a bargain!!!
Thanks again to BLA for their generosity - truly legendary stuff Fitzy!
Keep your eyes peeled as I will set up a link for ticket buying / direct contact when I get it all sorted
Phil

Elerslie paddling

Today I got up with the intention of paddling from Elderslie to Luskintyre which is approx 20km according to my calculations.
Well I awoke at about 3am to hear that it was absolutely pouring!! Later at 7am when I crawled out of bed it was still raining solidly! Great this will be fun. Anyway as time went on (and as I procrastinated) the sun came out and the rain cleared. Woohoo!
When I arrived at Elderslie the sky was clear but it was blowing hard! Oh well I'm here now I think so hit the water. Luckily the weather was kind and I didn't get the wind straight into my face till the last 1.5Km which was nice.
Overall I managed approx 8km/h average over the length of the paddle which I am happy with. I even managed a max speed of 13Km/h at one point but I suspect that this was with a large tailwind through rapids (not much chance of me propelling the little dagger that quick on my own I am afraid!)
On the sponsorship front a big thanks to Marine Matters in QLD that have kindly donated an epirb to ensure that if things go bad then help will be at hand. Thanks Russo and Maureen - I am sure Sue will sleep much better each night knowing that I will return at the end of each day.

Itinerary

Gday all
This week I have fiddled a bit with the Blog and added the proposed Itinerary for the paddle showing were I hope to be each day as a minimum. You will probably have to scroll right down to the bottom to see it! This breakdown had more to do with were I can get out of the river easily, at roughly equalish intervals,more than anything else but I reckon if I keep up the training I should be able to do it a couple of days quicker. You can be assured that I will keep you posted each night on the days paddle and were I got to each night.
I didn't get out for a paddle on Friday as I managed to get a touch of food poisoning and couldn't stomach the paddle but I attended the regional apprentice of the year awards on Friday night and was lucky enough to take out the Hunter Region electrical division so that was nice. Congrats also to Jayco Newcastle who's apprentice won in the caravan cabinetry (i think that was the category) award.

Fine weather at last

Finally I got some reasonable paddling weather on the Dam the other weekend. It was still cold with a reasonable breeze but at least it was less lumpy than it has been over the last couple of outings.
I managed to increase speed a little to hold 7Km/h for the 10Km paddle so that was OK. That said I think the little dagger might need a clean up on the bottom of the hull as she seems to be developing a bit more drag over time (and punishment)
I was excited to receive donations from Macquarie Generation, Jayco Newcastle and Hunter Valley Homes this last week. Thanks Guys, Legendary Stuff!! Rest assured that each dollar helps the Kids (and their families) and will make a difference.
On the paddling front I plan to put in a 20Km river paddle to add a couple more scars to the old dagger and stretch the shoulders a bit this weekend. This type of training is great real world stuff with the added bonus that I get to see likely conditions for the big trip in October.
lastly thanks to all the comments and ever growing followers to the site, you are a great source of encouragement me as I continue to train for the event
Phil

New Promo poster

He Guys and Girls
Check out my new Promo Poster. The only problem at the moment is it is coming up at the bottom of the Blog so you have to scroll all the way to the Bottom to see it! I'm sure I will manage to put it somewhere where it can be seen easier.
If you would like a copy to put up at your workplace or local noticeboard please send me a message and I will email (or snail mail) you a copy.
I will continue to add in new sponsors as they come on board so keep an eye out for civic minded companies.
Phil