ISSUE 4 5 Trans Taupo Race Results - Canoe & Kayak

Madness MayhemAll hands on deck!us to have a say about the places we value. You can too – see www.doc.govt.nz.Click on “getting involved”, “consultations” and “current”. To participate inthe review of their “Conservation Management Strategy” in Northland go towww.doc.govt.nz/northlandcmsreviewMike Scanlan’s “Kayak Fishing Workshop” won hands down for me over theYoga session with Michelle Smith, the “Safety at Sea” session with Sue Tuckerand Jim Dilley, and a recap of the Kayak for Cancer epic trip to Cape Reingaby Guy Folster and Chris Dench – only because I had done/heard/been therebefore, whereas soft-bait fishing was new. Mike had dragged along his kayakand kit providing a great hands on approach, in tandem with an informativePower Point and detailed notes. Adherers should not fail to catch fish.Before lunch the duo act of John Kirk-Anderson and Stephen Councel usedhumour to illustrate the serious and sobering business of drowning – andhow to plan NOT to. Think AC/DC. A = Avoidance (e.g. check the weather,use a map) C = Cope (use your paddle skills) D = Dealing with it (e.g. useyour paddle float do a self-rescue) and C =Call for help (e.g. use your VHF orcellphone in a drybag).Once again the food fairies delivered, Christine Watson quietly in thebackground, Ross Brunton tying up rubbish bags, Charlie Barker re arrangingchairs… all we had to do was eat and try not to talk with our mouths full!I didn’t have a choice about which after lunch workshop to attend as I wasdelivering “How to create pictures vs. taking snapshots”, but it would havebeen a toss up between Hugo Meares’s talk on paddling in Patagonia andErica Law’s one on the Southland Fiords. For the strong hearted there wasmore from the Tsunami Rangers.The hardest choice was between – Gabriela de Tezanos Pinto’s NZ MarineMammals , Chris Dench humorous look at “Gear and Gadgets”, “Food AndForaging” with Jacqui Tyrrell and Greg Dunning or to do another sessionwith Biff looking at the nuts and bolts of canoe-wandering in Europe. By anarrow margin, the ‘Foodies’ won. I was staying with the Dunnings and theyhad been talking in code over breakfast… I was dying to find out what the“Green Things” were that Juliet had to bring along and well, Greg’s chowderis legendary; I wanted the recipe.Interspersed between the cups of tea and workshops, we had Pod meetingsto plan our approach and tactics for the Kayak Games on Lake Pupuke.After smoko it was all on. The participants got very wet; we supporters andspectators got a load of laughs. Richard Saysell, Gary Sheeran and Peter Beadlehad developed some interesting sports. There was madness and mayhemout there. You’d have thought the imaginative Calvin and energetic Hobbeswere up to their flights of fantasy. There were variations of stern deck rescues,bow held towing, swimming with a paddle, paddling sideways, paddling ona compass bearing ‘blindfolded’ by a bucket on ones head…. The main thingwas we all had fun, and got to know each other before the serious stuff onSunday.But the day hadn’t finished – after a sumptuous dinner, Sandy Robson who setoff in 2007 to follow in Paul Caffyn’s paddle strokes around Australia, gave anaccount of her journey. Like Mark Jones, she too encouraged us to embracenew challenges and live our dreams.There wasn’t much time for sleeping or dreaming – as we had to leaveAuckland by 7 am to get to Sullivan’s Bay and on the beach for an 8.15am podgathering and briefing. Trundling along SH1 there was a procession of carsladen with kayaks, plus I spied Dai and Anneke Williams taking their BBQ(one of three) for a ride. With 24 pods of 8 things had to be efficient and wellplanned. Fortunately we had logistics expert Neil Watson as Pod Chief withRoss Brunton his 2IC. Kevin Dunsford was responsible for a Risk ManagementPlan; emergencies were ‘covered’ with Mike Scanlan arranging delivery ofa rescue boat, Peter Lory as its Captain. (The only emergency I was awareof was when Treasurer Dai Williams and Capt. Lory were scooting aboutlocating pod leader Charlie Barker,to find missing tent poles that Charlie wasresponsible for.The beach was a colourful but organised sight; pods duly checked each other’ssafety gear, and then set off for about four hours of exercises. Towing systems,ISSUE FORTYfive• 2008 21