Winter Series race 1 week to go

Race 5 of the Winter Paddle Series takes place in the City on Sunday August 5............ after the last 4 races were held out around the Porirua Harbour.

Our preferred venue is Shelly Bay because it's so damned awesome over there......... it's sunny, reasonably sheltered in the southerly and has a nice grassy area to gather on. If there is a nasty little Wellington Northerly we'll base ourselves over at Hataitai Beach..........also sheltered with a nice grassy area.

If we hold the race at Shelly Bay we don't have Public toilet facilities there yet............... so you'll have to stop pre race at either  Baleana Bay, Hataitai Beach or Miramar shops public toilets on the way around............or if you are buying a coffee or food at the (new) Chocolate Fish Cafe in Shelly Bay they have toilets there.

Basically Southerly or Northerly we are prepared to make a switch and you'll know the exact venue by midday Friday August 3 and it'll be posted here................ as well as the wind predictions for the Sunday morning.

Other events have been added on the events calendar, left hand side of the page they are updated regularly and are correct as at July 28!    

Waitara 10km Kayak race

Well it seems like ages since I did an away race on flatwater.............. and I tend not to be one of those that says "I can't race because I haven't done the training" I just like to bowl straight into it and give myself a dose of reality.

I know the guys at Waitara do heaps of away races, going right back donkeys years and the new batch of paddlers are carrying on the Waitara Kayak Club tradition, I've seen them up at the Cambridge to Hamilton race and they travel down to Wellington, both at the drop of a hat. So when I look at races............ I go, well this bunch supports others races I need to go and do one of theirs.

The Waitara River is just an awesome stretch of water and today they held a 10km race, part of a National Series. The club is based on a tidal river which is only about 2 km from the sea and the river itself is also exposed to two big catchment areas meaning that it has a mean flow when it rains and some quick downriver flows. 

I was well off the score sheet today but I enjoyed turning the arms over and being amongst a good bunch of paddlers, who also choose to support this great event. 

Photos again courtesy of Sharlene Winiata
Click on any of the photos to enlarge.   

Long distance races coming up

I've always been keen on long distance races and every year I look forward to the months of August and September when some of my favourite LD races come back on stream again.

This year there have been a couple of changes.

The Foxton Loop Race, which used to be in August has changed to October 27 th this year, the reason for this was that many RWWC members were unavailable in August to run it. The race now has a permanent new home starting and finishing at the Manawatu Boating Club, the same as it did last year.

The date that the above was usually held in August (when we get the higher than normal spring tides) is when Welly Paddlers will be running a gap filler called the Manawatu River LD Race. It will start from the Foxton Township with the long course heading to the Whirokino bridge and back (17km) there will also be a short course of 10 kms (2 laps) and a SUP course of 5 km (1 lap) both these will be fairly sheltered.

So here's a bundle of races that you may be interested in:

Aug 19 Manawatu River LD Race 17km & 10km, SUP's 5 km Foxton
Sept 2 Ruamahanga River Race 31km & 19 km Martinborough
Sept 9 Twin Rivers Race 19 km Blenheim
Sept 23 Cambridge to Hamilton 24km Cambridge
Oct 6 Canoe Showdown 20km Warkworth
Oct 27 Foxton Loop Race 18 km Foxton Beach

You can get all the contact details on the event calendar on the left hand side of this page.

Race 4 results

A  bit skinny on numbers today but it would be fair to say that it may have been less than ideal conditions for some who found that a nice warm bed won over the idea of venturing out on the water today...............fair enough it is a pretty wintery day after all.

Fortune favours the brave and those that made it on the water had a couple of courses set that kept them in the shelter of the Onepoto hill side, especially the SUP paddlers who's course was a cheeky little 5 lapper that headed north to the last 2 boat sheds and back to the start finish out side the Mana Kayak Racing Club building, where Pania was tucked in nicely out of the wind in a comfy armchair with the stopwatch.

The long course took paddlers North past Te Onepoto Bay past the yacht moorings and around the concreted car tyre then back to the Clubrooms making this a 2 lap course. Around the corner past the boatsheds the wind was rocketing through in gusts mainly of up to 75kmh and between those gusts settling back to around 50 kmh.

Thanks to all those who supported the three Porirua Canoe Kayak Club events, part of the Wellington Winter Paddles Series, these fundraising races gathered a total of $470 in entry fees, which will go to those attending the World Waka Ama (Outrigger Canoe/Vaa) Champs in Calgary, Canada starting on August 11, for more info go to http://www.vaaworldsprints2012.com/

Just a reminder that race 5 of the Series on August 5 is tentatively at Shelly Bay..............but with it being winter and everything the objective is to be based in a sheltered bay for the starts out of the wind and also the cold............. if Shelly Bay is too marginal we have 2 other start venues up our sleeves...............Hataitai Beach and also Petone by the motorway.

We will make the final call on the venue by Saturday 9 am and post this on http://www.wellypaddlers.blogspot.com/..............or call or text Chester 022 6455 820

Todays brave peoples efforts are below.

SUP course 3.75 km

39:05 Glenn Butcher
39:26 Howie Clarke
41:50 John Toomath
50:39 Nick Kapeica
56:20 Kevin Brown
58:21 Ilka Kapeica

Surf ski/kayak course 7.2 km

46:02 Mike Tate
47:32 Chester Burt
51:02 Sandy Winterton

Race weather update for this Sunday

The Forecast for tomorrow is for a Northerly 39kmh - 74 kmh

After communications with Turi, the course will, more than likely be, a triangular course, buoy by Northern most boatsheds at Onepoto, a buoy turn by Te Pene Ave, then around a buoy in front of the Rowing/Kayak club jetty............this will make it a 5 lap course.

For the SUP's................ they will get a course of around 4 kms and (2 laps)......... sheltered upwind.......... and yes with some downwind............... course may be similar to the above.

Register early with Pania when you get there..............Matt Archer will be setting the course.

Winter Paddle Series Race 4

Wellington Winter Paddle Series Race number 4 is this Sunday.

When

15 July. Sunday, 10am race start. Rego from 9am

Where

Porirua Rowing Club, Titahi Bay                                 

How Long

10km, All waka, kayaks

5km, Stand ups

How Much

$10.00/ W6 crew

$5.00 All other craft

Thank you

To Fergs Kayaks for sponsoring this Series http://www.fergskayaks.co.nz/ Dave and Aaron from Fergs will be along this weekend as well, with some more toasty warm Adrenalin tops (to save anyone a trip to the shop wasting gas and parking fees buying in the City).

Don't forget life jackets, warm clothing and footwear for on the

water. Pass the word around and See you on the water.
 
cheers, Turi

Change of scenery

I took a paddling detour today from my hallowed paddling ground of Wellingtons Eastern suburbs to venture out to the Porirua Harbour Pauatahanui Estuary Area.

I started off by the bridge at Mana entering on the Pautahanui Estuary, which by the way, is the best place to start and finish in a coldish southerly like today.

I did a 14 km loop into Browns Bay back under the bridge and along the Western Shoreline of the Poirua Harbour, along Titahi Bay Road to Whitireia back along the eastern shoreline of the Harbour then back to the bridge. It was about 3 hours off full low tide today when I started with a good little southeasterly and the enjoyment of the shallow water levels......great resistance training.

Gear back on the car and an easy 30 minute drive back to Wellington with the heater on of course!

Click on any of the photos to enlarge them as a group.

Hikoikoi Matariki results

Here are the results hot off the press from Chris Fox, you will see there are a couple of times out of order so I'll double check those, Chester.

Visit http://www.hoetonga.co.nz/ for the list of helpers and sponsors and thank yous.

SUP 3.4 km

22:57 Glen Butcher

23:30 Quentin Reweti

23:48 John Court

23:57 John Toomath

28:43 Nick Kapica

30:20 Tio Leota

31:21 Ilka Kapica (Woman)

Surf ski/Kayak 10 km

58:27 Chester Burt

W1 Men 10 km

57:58 Paddy Rimene

58:37 Ray Lambert

58:52 Jack Wormald

60:49 Laurence Hynes

62:56 Joern Scherzer

W1 Women 10 km

70:48 Aroha Grant Women

W6 Junior girls 10 km

67:16 Taimaru

71:12 Keu's Angels

W6 Junior boys 10 km

56:48 Whiti te Ra

W6 Mixed 10 km

59:48 Wellington/Wairarapa

62:23Saturday Coffee Club

60:40 Jailbirds


W6 Women10km

52:04 Inano

61:22 Tuwaikanui

66:12  Moutere

68:15 P.O.W.A

W6 Men 16.5 km

73:33 Makaira Blue

75:57 Makaira Black

79:17 Liddle bit Tippi

79:38 Kokiri Sheep

77:10 Mana Menz

80:31 Outlaws

W6 Women 16.5 km

89:17 Kokiri Pango

91:33 Kokiri Mango 

Hikoikoi Matariki Race July 1, 2012

What a difference a day makes. Sunday dawned with a picture postcard harbour for the Matariki today, which was the postponement day, though many entrants couldn't make the alternate day, they missed out on a race with a good mixture of craft and way better paddling and spectating conditions for all.

The SUP's were first to head off with a 3.5 km course to the Petone wharf and back.

Next up were the 10km singles field, 2 minutes later, with their course heading out around both Mokopuna then Matiu Islands then directly to the Seaview bridge turn point on the Hutt river, then a final dash to the finish along the Petone foreshore back to Hikoikoi. The short course W6's were next up 10 minutes later on the same course.

The final race was for W6's and they headed around Mokopuna and Matiu Islands, south around Makaro Island, back behind Matiu and Mokopuna Islands again then over to the final turn buoy by the Petone Wharf then a final dash along the Petone foreshore back to Hikoikoi.

I won't go into too much detail about results as these, and an article should be on http://www.hoetonga.co.nz/ shortly.

If you'd like to check some of the photos that Shaz took go to the slideshow on the right hand side of this page.