Fairfield Canoe Club
2019 Centenary Year
Menu
FCC member Julian Russell reports on his recent success at the Avon Descent:
On the 9th and 10th of August I paddled the Avon Descent in Western Australia, a 124km race down the Avon and Swan Rivers from Northam to Perth. The event is a mix of whitewater and flat paddling, as well as some sections of dense ti tree thickets with narrow channels and fast-moving water. This year I was in a Wavehopper, a plastic wildwater style K1, borrowed from my family's collection of boats in Perth.
Day 1 covers 52km from the town of Northam to Cobbler Pool in the Avon Valley. It is mostly flat water with some swifter channels and a handful of rapids for the first 40km, then 12km of ti trees to close out the day. The water level was at a comfortable medium level, and I had a relatively smooth run despite the persistent heavy rain, finishing in 5hrs 24mins. Overnight I was surprised to see I was leading the K1 plastic class, around 2 minutes ahead of second place.
The rain continued overnight and the river was now approaching flood levels for Day 2. This would be great for the speed we would come through the valley, but a challenging 40km of whitewater was ahead. I made good progress over the first half of the valley, ticking off the key rapids and my skills holding up. Unfortunately as I got tired (and the water level continued to rise) a couple of mistakes crept in and I turned over 3 times in some big water in the lower parts. Luckily my boat was recoverable and I was able to get back on the water in one piece, and I stayed reasonably strong over the 30km of channels and flat water to the finish. Day 2 had taken me 6hrs 58mins, and despite my mishaps I extended the lead in my class, eventually finishing 20 minutes ahead of the nearest rival. I was informed that the prize is a free entry to next year’s event to defend the title!
