Hawkesbury Classic

First paddle this morning in my V8 from the actual "start gate" of the Classic. Just over 10km's, a little more than an hour with average spped of 9.8km/h.

Two things I noticed with the short up and back paddle was that the speed difference not only when I turned around and headed back but also on different stretches of the river was very noticable.
Average about 9.5km/h on one straight, turned a corner and started
averaging 8.5km/h.

The second thing I noticed was how different paddling on dead still water with no breeze was. You dont get a sense that your moving fast at all on glass water...And paddling with noting to look at gets boring quite quickly.

The speed difference would have been the boat feeling the shallow bottom.

One reason to run a GPS so you know where the deepest channel is.
If you were river racing all the time, it would be worth fitting a sounder and monitor the bottom all the time.....

Hi RAB,

How Shallow (or deep) before the boat feels the bottom? I though it was water under 3ft deep or or so that started to affect boat speed. Thats not to say I wasn't in 12 inches of water, it was that
murky I couldnt tell.

Cheers

Hi Shady

You may not believe it but Windsor is still tidal, I'm a member of Windsor Canoe Club so thats where I paddle most of the time and tides can have a difference of nearly two metres. Because the river is still tidal that far up there are a number of eddies to contend with.

Talk to people who have done the Classic to find out about eddies in the river as they can make or break you for this event.

Cheers
Tom.B

Hi Tom,

I was aware that the river was still tidal up near Windsorbut I didnt know or think about the effects of eddies. That must have been what I experienced. It was just as I was going around a bend and slowed me down by over 1km/h. I think I'll need to learn a little more about them.

I averaged about 9.2km/h going against the tide and about 10.4km/h going with it. I dont know where the tides were at.

I'll be giving it another crack tomorrow with a 35km stint.

Anything up to around half the length of the boat will have an effect.
There is a great article around here somewhere.
I'll link it if I find it.

Found it

Eddies certainly show themselves here in Currumbin creek as well.
If you know where they are you can hitch a ride against the tide.

Generally you can see the border of the main flow and the eddy flow if you look carefully.
A GPS is again your friend to help find this.

whichever way the river is flowing, the water generally is deepest in the middle unless there is an unusual river bed.
But at the corners, the momentum of the water tends to make it shoot straight ahead and miss the corner to some extent, overshoot and run around the outside.
This leaves a strong eddy on the inside.
So as long as you can see which way the river is flowing, you can usually predict where the main current will be and where the reverse eddies will be.

Jump on Google earth and look at some rivers from above and look where the sand collects and where the deep channels form in a river.

If you're looking for paddle partners, let us know - we'll be putting some distance over the next few weeks (hopefully!) - I'll be in Queensland for the next couple of weeks, but the rest of Team Fat Paddler will be out there.

Looking forward to meeting you at the race!

Cheers, Nat
www.sydneysurfski.com

Gday Nat,

Definately keen to rack up some km's and sharing the pain makes it that much easier.
just let me know where and when or who to contact and I'll be there more often than not.

Cheers

Went for decent paddle in the Hawkesbury today and learnt plenty. Put in a km before sackville punt and pulled out at Wisemans Ferry, about 30km...I think.

Lessons learnt
1) before you drive 40mins to sackville, get geared up and start undoing the straps on the ski make sure you rembered to bring the paddle!

2)Once you finally get in the water (1 1/2 hours late) and push back from the shore and turn on the Garmin, make sure you remembed to recharge it the night before.

3) there are big cruise boats as far up the river as Dargle. This one must have been 50ft and the wake to match.

4) wake from boats hits you from one direction at first and then from every other imaginable direction as it bounces of the shore several times.
5) Eddies dont just form in a normal circle at the same place on each corner, they form anywhere they like and as far out as 2/3 across the river from the apex of the corner and there can be several forming either clumped together or one after the other in a line.
6) wind and wind chop in tge Hawkesbury can rival anything you've seen in the Harbour.


hopefully theres not much more to learn......


Cheers

Shady wrote: there are big cruise boats as far up the river as Dargle. This one must have been 50ft and the wake to match.

You wont get much sympathy on this forum, most ocean skiers go looking for boat wakes to ride them

Another 30km paddle yesterday and thankfully not as many lessons learnt the hard way.
I remembered my paddle this time and had charged the garmin the night before.

Windsor to Sackville in just a tad under 3hrs with a change in tide at halfway.

The main Lesson for today was just how fast the tide runs and how much mental and physical energy it drains, especially when your paying close attention to your speed on the gps.

I've also come to realise that my current 2-3hr paddle speed just doesnt work for anything longer. I'm wallaby ted's brother after and there's no way I could go again for another 10 hours.

Tomorrow is another 3hr paddle from Wisemans to Spencer with the majority against the tide. My only aim for the day is to arrive in reasonable condition, so I'll be focussing on kepping the heart rate under 150bpm instead of my usual average of 168-172bpm.
I've also got the voltaren for my lower back and hamstrings. We'll see how it pans out.

Shady, I found Nurofen worked really well. It was my reward at Wisemans Ferry. Within minutes the pain was almost gone (probably more psychological than anything).

After 3 hours, yes you can keep going, and you will. You just keep paddling, what else is there to do in the middle of the Hawkesbury in the middle of the night? There are limited places to get out if you decide to stop, you will have to paddle to the next checkpoint anyway, unless you are ill or injured you may as well just keep going. Keep putting the paddle in the water, every time you stop you risk the tide pushing you back up stream. Every paddle stroke is 5 metres further down the river. Think of it this way, the more you paddle on the night, the less time you will be on the ski and the less it will hurt. If you stop a lot, you just make the pain last longer.

The race is 75% in your mind. If you can paddle for 3 hours you can finish the race (in all my years training for the Hawkesbury my longest paddle each season was only 30km, and that was only once or twice, you don't have to run marathons in training to race a marathon). If you keep your fluid and food intake up you will make it.

Cheers Red,


Decided to do Windsor to Sackville again as it's too far for my wife to drop me off at Wisemans and pick up at Spencer especially with 2 kids under 4.

Made a point to keep the heart rate a bit lower this time regardless of speed. I set the HR alarm at 155bpm but after 10 minutes of paddling I felt relaxed with good speed at 140bpm so I tried to keep it there for the entire 3 hours.

Arrived feeling much better, and although I was glad to be at Sackville I would have been just as happy to keep paddling.

Ave Hr was 138 compared to 167bpm 2 days earlier. I was paddling faster on the other paddle my Garmin training center says that on the 1stOct I did 18km in 1hr 38min 28sec and today I did 18km in 1hr 40min 56sec...A whole 2 1/2 minutes slower. Both trips were on outgoing tides until the 20km mark on the 1st Oct trip.

The things I tried today.

- Took 2 voltaren 1hr before I started. This stuff is gold!! Very little lower back pain. Stil had quite sore/tight hamstrings. May need to adjust the foot plate.
- A $20 Dick Smith MP3 player in a plastic bag. Either the unit or the battery gave up after 2 hours. Thought that music may annoy me but it was good.
- It was a bit blowy when I jumped in and quite cold so I had the long sleave thermal and the long sleave bike jumper

Shady,

Your times seem pretty good. I wouldn't worry about a 2.5min difference, no tide is ever the same and the wind plays a part.

I found the hardest section of the race for me was always between Sackville and Wisemans. My estimated arrival time was always about 10-20min slower than expected for the distance. It has always been into the tide, the first dark section and there are lots of turns in the river.

From Wisemans on the river opens up and normally the tide has turned in your advantage.

With the ferry crossings, you are bound to be stopped at one point or another. Use the time to eat, as much as you can shove in.

Good luck, I will see you on the river next year.

If anyone has time, i have a few novice questions about the classic

The hswksbury classic website was difficult to navigae. I did not find detail about the route, what class to enter, etc.

but surf ski bloggers have posted great advice

So here it goes

I have two Fenn XTs
I am a 62 year old with a wonky back who paddles leisurely once a weekend for 2 hours in Middle Harbour,
I fall out once a month in some boat wake, wind squall or stupidly try to go out to e heads or around to Manly - someday i will have core strength

My partner is a fit 15 year old who seldom paddles but he is game to join me in the overnight adventure. He has better balance in the ski than me but we will both have PFD and paddle leashes

What time should we leave
In what group?
What class to i register in with Fenn XTs?
Is this all too much and should i just read about you guys on Sunday ?!?

Thanks for any advice

Mike J

Mike, I'm new to the sport and am doing the classic for the first time next weekend so I'm not qualified to offer advice. I can however relay what has been said to me by many people most of who have completed the classic at least once.

Just for the record, I'm 38, always played sport but wouldnt consider myself fit, and bought an Epic V8 4 weeks ago.

I was advised to enter the Brooklyn or Bust class. Firstly because I wasnt going for any kind of record. This is also the first class to get underway startingnat 4pm. The alternatives didnt leave until 5.45pm. The flip side to this is that the tide is going against you for the first few hours. I plan on hitting my first stop, Sackville in 3 1/2 hours at which time the tide should be about to turn.

I doubt you'll have much trouble falling out if your usedntomthe XT. I had considered buying one instead of a V8 but i didnt think a month or two in the saddle wqs enough for me to get used to the XT.

I first put my bum in a ski inbetween christmas and new years and have paddled at least twice a week every week since. I started proper training for the classic about 3 months ago.

Its really up to you if you think your up to the challenge, whats the worst that can happen? You make it half way!

Good luck


Again I'm not offering any advice but a

Thanks for your reply

I plan to check weather on Tuesday and, if all good, sign up on Wednesday for the $88.. I'll just donate the $200 with no time to get colleagues to donate.

Posts like this give me some good tips that you might also try
Good luck and i hope you enjoy it

Shady, I found Nurofen worked really well. It was my reward at Wisemans Ferry. Within minutes the pain was almost gone (probably more psychological than anything).

After 3 hours, yes you can keep going, and you will. You just keep paddling, what else is there to do in the middle of the Hawkesbury in the middle of the night? There are limited places to get out if you decide to stop, you will have to paddle to the next checkpoint anyway, unless you are ill or injured you may as well just keep going. Keep putting the paddle in the water, every time you stop you risk the tide pushing you back up stream. Every paddle stroke is 5 metres further down the river. Think of it this way, the more you paddle on the night, the less time you will be on the ski and the less it will hurt. If you stop a lot, you just make the pain last longer.

The race is 75% in your mind. If you can paddle for 3 hours you can finish the race (in all my years training for the Hawkesbury my longest paddle each season was only 30km, and that was only once or twice, you don't have to run marathons in training to race a marathon). If you keep your fluid and food intake up you will make it.

Just a thought about late entries

Late entries: If at the close of entries there are less than 450 craft entered, late entries will be accepted at the Event Co-Ordinator’s discretion provided they are accompanied by an entry fee of $166.00 per paddler.

Hi
Just a short note.
Please be very careful of using anti-inflammatories with endurance races. Nurofen, voltaren etc - there is a risk of kidney failure made worse if you get dehydrated. You do not need much have that risk and I have seen athletes end up on short term dialysis. They are a big no no with distance runners.
Hope this helps someone.
John

First Hawkesbury Classic.......completed.
13hr 48mins
No major unexpected issues but lots of little mishaps.
Great weather except for thick fog around Spencer.
Really really tired and sore.

I was told a couple of months ago that the biggest reason people pull out of the classic is from upset stomachs and this one was no different. Many paddlers had pulled by the first checkpoint at Sackville, 30 km from the start. I had trained with my food and had no problems with muesli bars, mars bars and carbon gels.

I was also told by several people that the run from Sackville to Wisemans was the hardest and as much as I had my doubts, it certainly was.

The tides were not helpful. Paddling against the tide from the start to about half way between Sackville and Wisemans and then with the tide to the Low Tide Pitstop and the against the tide for the last 26 km.

After running into a fallen tree and submerged log trying to keep out of the fast running water in the dark I decided it best to stay a tad closer to the middle of the river.

All in all I'm glad it's over, think I'll put the ski in the garage for a few weeks.