Adventure Race Paddling - New Zealand Kayak Magazine

Adventure Race Paddling
By Nathan Fa’avae

Patagonian Lakes in Argentina, the Yellow River and Hydro Dams
in China, steep white water descents in France, the hot Mediterranean
Sea, Milford Sound in early morning dark, Lake Wakatipu at night into
the glowing lights of Queenstown – these are some of the paddling
experiences from my 2012 Adventure Racing season with Team
Seagate, NZ Adventure Racing team. (Sophie Hart, Chris Forne, Trevor
Voyce).
Kayaking is one of the three core disciplines in adventure racing,
joining hiking and mountain biking. The paddling within an adventure
race is dynamic and always presents new challenges. For starters,
navigation is required so waterproof maps and a deck compass are
needed to make sure checkpoints are reached. The paddling sections
are more often than not, ‘dark zones’, which means during the darkness
hours, progress on the water is forbidden forcing teams to camp out,
either comfortably or miserably, often a result of how much gear a team

is prepared to carry. These dark zones can be very strategic and can
have a big outcome on the racing.
In the 2002 Southern Traverse our team were forced to stop for nine
hours on the Wairau River bank in Marlborough, right beside the road.
With only 10 km to paddle the next morning and a big lead already,
the race win was ours but we needed to wait until daylight to complete
the paddle. We’d just got off the river wondering what we’d do when a
passing car spotted us and stopped, it turned out it was a cycling mate
of mine who lived locally. He asked if we needed anything. An hour later,
we were sitting around a fire, on mattresses, with blankets, drinks and
scoffing hot fish and chips.
For me the biggest challenge with the paddling in the sport is we
nearly always get different boats to paddle. Here at home we all have
our favoured craft and equipment, the stuff we like and are used to.
However, racing around the world we have to adapt to different craft
for every race and sometimes paddles too. Most of the time they are
doubles either inflatable or plastic. Some have rudders, some don’t.
Some are okay, some aren’t, I’ve never yet raced in a boat I’ve decided
to buy.
In the 23 years adventure racing has been going, Kiwi teams have
built a legacy on being exceptional boaters, with only South African and
Australian teams ever threatening to topple that title. There have been
a great number of international events won by New Zealand teams
who have forged leads with paddle in hand. From my observation, it’s
the Kiwis ability to quickly learn the behaviour and performance of the
different vessels supplied. Every race I see ultra fit and conditioned
paddlers not being able to utilise their power because the skill needed to
steer and manoeuvre the boat is lacking, resulting in more energy going
into basic steering and minimal energy going into forward gain.
Over 800 competitors will vie for places in the 31st Anniversary
Speight’s Coast to Coast race on February 8th and 9th 2013.
Will you be there?
Grade Two certification
and brush up courses run
through out the year.
Contact your nearest
Canoe & Kayak Centre
for details.
8 ISSUE SIXTY Seven • Christmas 2012 www.kayaknz.co.nz

In August 2012 our team raced the Ordos Adventure Challenge
held in Inner Mongolia, China. They had brand new plastic double sea
kayaks for the event but they had not been assembled correctly. Some
teams managed to get them sorted before the race started, some didn’t.
The other issue was the steerage system for the rudders was designed
to fit the average Asian, meaning anyone taller than five foot could not
get enough rudder adjustment to steer. For many teams this meant the
taller paddlers had to go in the front, often leaving the less experienced
partner in the back to steer without being able to see clearly. It’d be fair
to say it created some drama within teams and on the water. It was a
great surprise for many teams to see me (six foot +), steering the boat.
I’d found a way of reversing the steering pedals allowing tall people to
steer, but I’d kept that classified, subsequently, our team posted the
fastest paddle time. With all the rudder issues, the Race Organisers
decided for the next paddle stage the rudders would be banned.
They took the rudders out and put them in the rear hatch, cables still
attached. On the final paddle stage because the rear hatch was not
sealed properly due to the cables and rudder being stuffed in, over time
waves filled the rear compartment with water, taking on at least 50 litres.
For the final 3 km of the race, it was the hardest I have ever had to work
to keep a boat going straight and I’m sure Sophie who was in the front
was starting to think she’d paired up with a muppet.
I have been asked often how come the New Zealand teams are
always so strong in the kayaks. The obvious answer is that most of
the top adventure racers have all raced a number of Speight’s Coast
to Coasts, so they know how to paddle a long thin kayak 67 km down
a Grade Two river for over three hours, after a few bikes rides and a
mountain run. The skills required to do this demand a huge amount
of time invested in mastering paddling. That’s the easy answer. If I
were to delve a bit further, the athletes with a white water kayaking
background raise the bar another level. They have an additional range
of paddle strokes specific for a rudderless kayak that can give a handy
advantage. In the 2005 Adventure Racing World Champs in NZ, our
team was paddling to victory when a rudder was snapped off a racing
double in the Inangahua River, making it really difficult to steer. Trying
to beat a dark zone it was decided I should have a try in it. Although it
wasn’t easy, some basic white water strokes were enough to keep going
forward and we made it off the river in time. The point I’m making is
that to be a complete paddler in an adventure race, you really need to
have a wide range of skills and experience: playing in river boats, racing
boats and sea experience, which will all merge together to form the
experience required.
Within one race, teams can find themselves in action pumping white
water, in ocean swells and on lakes, in sheltered and exposed water,
in daylight or at night, in tropical heat or chilling cold. As a passionate
paddler, I’m most excited about the water stages of any adventure race
and that’s part of the reason I keep going back for more.
Keep on paddling NZ!
COMPETITIVE / COMFORTABLE / A TRUE CONTENDER
Ruahine Kayaks
Designers and Manufacturers of
Multisport & Adventure Racing Kayaks
Phone: 021 273 0550
kevin@ruahinekayaks.co.nz www.ruahinekayaks.co.nz
Ruahine 11-07 V1.indd 1
www.kayaknz.co.nz
25/07/2011 10:23:11 a.m.
ISSUE SIXTY Seven • Christmas 2012 9