This set of six technique drill sessions has been designed to support you along your journey to improve your paddling.

Starting with the Balmoral Blast in Sydney, Australia, we will be running these clinics on a regular basis, on a rolling six week window. As the programme is developed and grows, we will be rolling it out across as many of the Blast paddle groups around the world as we can.

Our aim is to have an ongoing rolling six week programme of paddle technique clinics and drill sessions designed so that if you miss one of them you can still jump into the very next session, knowing that the same session will be available five weeks down the track.

Each of the six sessions builds on their predecessor, although each session has also been designed so you can do any one or more of them as stand alone sessions and still gain the full benefit of each relevant session.

We’re running these clinic’s as free sessions for paddlers who regularly participate in Blast time trials, fitness squads or races. You are of course welcome at any time to bring a friend or a paddler you know who might light to join us for any of these clinic sessions, but if they aren’t participating in any Blast events regularly they will be asked to make a $25 donation to their local Blast per session.

This session, the first of six runs for 30 minutes, and includes:

• 05 mins preparing off the water covering the key points
• 20 mins on the water where we put everything into practice
• 05 mins off the water wrapping up and reviewing what we covered

Introduction

During this technique clinic we’re going to work on the following areas:

• Core strength
• Sitting position
• Focal Points ( visual and mental )
• Fatigue ( physical and mental )
• Hurry up and slow down
• Relax and just breathe

OK, let’s get into it

What are some of the key things that can effect your balance when you’re paddling?

1. Core strength

If you are having issues with feeling stable and keeping your balance when you are paddling, it could be that your core muscle groups are not supporting you ( abs, obliques etc ). This is probably one of the most common issues we all face.

To address this you can add some basic core strengthening elements to your regular daily and weekly workouts / training sessions such as:

• Crunches ( full range of central and side combinations )
• Planks ( front and sides, elbows and hands )
• Superman
• Sitting twists ( coin pick up and put down / ball roll )
• Bicycle pedaling and leg raises

Our core “tummy” muscle groups are the big muscle groups that power us through the day, basic things like walking for example are driven from the core muscles in our abdominal region. Every one of us can easily walk for hours and hours without too much issue. These very same muscle groups support us when we paddle if we engage them correctly.

+ Try some of the moves in my core strength workout sheets

I’ve prepared a handout for you to use when you put your own workouts together at home. If you haven’t already received your copy check with your coach and I’ll get a copy to you as soon as possible.

2. Sitting position

Your sitting position when you’re on your ski can dramatically effect a number of key areas of your paddling technique, from basic balance which is what we’re going to be focusing on today, through to causing you injury ( lower back pain, sore shoulders etc ).

What is the correct sitting position? It’s actually surprisingly very simple, as are most elements of good paddling technique. I once has a paddle coach say that paddling was a simple sport made complex by people.

One of the best ways I’ve found to find the best sitting position is to simply sit on the ground before you jump on the water on your ski, and put your legs in the same position they are when you’re in the ski, with the same sort of “bend” in your knees as there would be when your bum is in the seat and your feet are on the foot pedals.

Once you’re sitting on the ground with your feet at their usual position they are when you’re sitting in your ski, simply rock your torso back and forward a few times, and what you’ll quickly find is there is a natural “comfort zone” where your body will naturally rest into a sitting position.

You will have to review just what that natural comfort zone is, because we don’t all have perfect sitting posture, so if you have bad posture when you sit, then you’re going to find you are sitting the wrong way in your ski. Slouching forward or leaning too far back are both wrong and will cause you a whole bunch of issues over time.

The best position I find is one you’d probably tell a five year old kid to assume if they were at the kitchen table eating dinner, upright and sitting squarely facing forward, it’s that simple. If you’re sitting up straight, your skeletal structure and the relevant bio-mechanics will be able to move naturally.

And if your body can move naturally and not feel like it’s fighting itself, you will find you have much better balance and you can just sit in your ski more comfortably. So make time to just sit on the ground, grass or sand at the beach, and find where you feel the most comfortable when you’re just “sitting” and you’ll usually find that this is the best sitting position for you when you’re in your ski as well.

3. Focal points ( visual and mental )

If you are focusing on your feet or the front of your craft, your focal length effects your balance, the shorter your focal length, the more “tippy” you will feet.

+ Look up at the horizon

To address this, simply look up – ideally look at the horizon, or some high point, if you’re paddling around the harbour, then look at the tree line at the top of the hills, the link where the tops of the hills meet the sky.

Your eyes will accommodate for all the visibility you need with your peripheral vision, you can see a lot out of the side of your regular line of sight and you just need to practice using your peripheral vision – it will come to you quickly.

+ Try my peaked cap trick

If you find it hard to keep your head up and your eyes on the horizon when you’re paddling, try a simple trick I’ve used to help many paddlers lengthen their focal point, just wear a regular peaked cap, and pull the peak right down so it’s lower than you would normally wear a peaked cap. This will force you to lift your head up to see ahead of you.

Not only will this cause you to practice paddling with your head up, it will also help you correct your sitting position as you can’t slump into a fetal curl when your head is held up high and looking straight out at the horizon.

+ Where’s your head at

Another cause of balance issues is not having your mind on the game. It’s very easy to find yourself paddling along and loose track of what you’re doing and before you know it you’re feeling wobbly and may even end up in the water.

This is a no brainer ( pardon the pun ) but it is easy to find yourself loosing mental focus, something might distract you, and your mental focus gets pulled away from your paddling and things quickly fall apart and you get wobbly.

So it might sound obvious, but when you’re paddling, keep your mental focus on the game, especially while you’re learning to paddle or if you’re still getting comfortable in your ski or if you’re upgraded to a new ski. Keep your head in the game and your balance will follow.

4. Fatigue

Another big cause of balance issues when we’re paddling is fatigue. If you have been paddling for a while and have been putting in some big efforts, and your body is starting to feel tired, your balance can be effected.

You may find that as you get near the end of a paddle, be it a race, a time trial or even just a social paddle or a training session, that your balance starts to go and you get frustrated that for some reason you feel like you’re all over the place.

This is related to point #1 as your body is tired, and your core muscle group is struggling to support you, and your mind is probably wandering a bit, so concentration starts to laps, and before you know it you are wobbling all over the place, and you may even start to fall out of your ski.

There are a number of factors that cause fatigue and most of them are pretty straight forward. They usually include the obvious factors such as hydration, energy levels or plain and simple running out of power.

+ Physical fatigue

Physical fatigue is easy to combat – when you are training, make it a habit to get to know your body and your fitness levels so you know when you are going to start to feel physically and mentally fatigued.

If you get to know when you are about to run out of steam, and you can be aware of it and work with it you’ll be able to manage it rather than be surprised when it happens, and it happens to all of us.

If you know you’re going to start to get tired 30 to 40 mins into a one hour time trial, then be mindful of it and back off the effort for a while, rest your body by reducing the effort and focusing on technique for a few mins, and then put the effort back in when you feel you can.

+ Mental fatigue

We covered this in part in Focal points. Mental fatigue is just as important to feeling stable on the water, if you are starting to feel mentally tired and start to loose concentration you will find you’re no longer connected to your ski, and in some case physically ( because you’ll fall out ).

This is easy to combat, again when you’re training or if you’re on a long paddle, keep taking check of how you feel, and if you thing you’re starting to drift off and loose concentration, break your routine up, do something different for a few mins, throw in a burst of effort, count your strokes for a few mins, you’ll find easy ways to bring your focus back.

I can tell when I’m starting to loose mental focus, as my spin rate starts to drop off, I find my water speed is backing off and I might have a couple of “oh crap, that was close” moments where a wave catches me out.

One of my favorites is to simply start counting out double taps, the old “one.. two.. three..” counting when the left end of my paddle goes into the water. This helps me keep my spin rate up if I hit the wall in a race as well. You’ll develop your own fun wake up tricks quickly.

+ Hydration

Hydration is a huge factor in muscle and mental fatigue, if you are not hydrating property prior to, during and after a paddle, you will have a much higher risk of becoming fatigued. A basic water bottle, or ideally a water bladder and feeding tube with a mouthful of water every five minutes is the simplest way to stay hydrated.

If you can it helps to include a hydration assisting supplement in your bottle or bladder. I’ve had great success with produces like Agent Orange from Australian Sports Nutrition ( ASN ) for example will dramatically decrease the onset of hydration related issues when you’re paddling. It’s easy to mix with water and tastes great.

+ Keep the fuel tank full

Energy levels can also be managed by ensuring you are putting fuel back into your body at the same rate you’re burning it up, and again you can gain huge benefits from the smart use of supplements such as protein shakes and energy gels such as the GU and SIS brands.

One of the better products I’ve have huge success with for paddle sport in general is ASN’s Anabolic Injection ( comes in two great flavors ). Mixed with water or milk ( milk slows down the absorption rate ). I use it with milk myself, but most use it with water.

When taken prior to and after a paddle a protein mix like Anabolic Injection will help top up the fuel you’re burning off when you paddle, and will help get rid of that feeling of lethargy after a big paddle. I find a 400 ml water mix 20 mins before I paddle, and another 400 ml milk mix within 15 mins of getting off the water works best for me.

5. Hurry up and slow down

So many paddlers get into the water and start paddling flat out and don’t take time to just sit in their surf ski. It’s a lot easier to feel stable in your craft when you’re paddling, due to the simple fact that when your paddle is in the water it’s acting like an outrigger.

It’s always so tempting to jump into our surf ski’s and start padding flat out, but that takes a lot less skill and practice than paddling slow and more importantly, sitting still in the water. So make a note of adding some slow paddling to your sessions, as well as floating “dead in the water”.

Too few of us get into our surf ski and practice just sitting in the water without moving forward. A very basic skill to develop and work on every time you get on the water is balancing while just sitting in your ski while you’re “dead in the water”.

This is a skill that becomes very important for a range of reasons, you should be able to comfortably just “sit” in your ski when you’re getting in the water or off the water. Being able to stop in the middle of the harbour or ocean and “have a chat” for example if you see a friend when you’re paddling is a lot easier if you don’t have to keep dipping your paddle in the water to stay upright.

You will one day also find you fall in and end up getting back into your ski and discover you’ve managed to let go of your paddle, and if you can’t sit in your ski without your paddle then you’re going to quickly be in a heap of trouble.

+ Sitting on your ski and just “floating”

This is really simple to work on, all you have to do is make a point of taking a minute or two every time you get in the water to just get into your ski, put your paddle across your lap, and sit still on the water, just float or drift, and focus on the feel of your ski when you’re not paddling.

You can do a number of things to build up to sitting still in the water if you are not initially 100% comfortable with sitting in your ski without paddling, you can build up to it very quickly with a couple of simple drills.

Here is a video I’ve put together with some of my basic Balance drills that you can do any time you’re on the water:

- Legs over the side

You should all know this one, it’s something we all learn when we start paddling a surf ski. You simply hang your legs over the side of your surf ski and instantly you have a lot more balance and stability than you do when your feet are inside the footwell or in your foot straps.

But it’s pretty hard to paddle far like this so although you can start out with your feet over the side of your ski to get comfortable just sitting in the water, you should try to quickly progress from both feet over the side to just one foot in the water, and then both feet back into the ski. But don’t rush it, do a bit at a time till you feel comfortable.

There’s no shame in stopping in the middle of the harbour or out on the ocean and chucking your feet over the side, even the best paddlers do it – you’re better off in the ski feeling comfortable rather than pretending to be comfortable and falling in.

- Hands in the water

Another simple way to feel more stable when you’re sitting still in the water on your ski is to simply lay your paddle in your lap and dip your hands in the water – run your hands up and down along the side of your ski.

This is the same basic principal as having your paddle in the water, and having your arms lower when your hands are in the water lowers your center of gravity which again makes it easier to balance.

It’s also just a nice feeling dangling your hands in the water, it’s one of my favorites in fact, to paddle along and then just relax, dangle my hands in the water and drift and take the world in, and let’s face it, that’s why we paddle in the first place isn’t it, to enjoy it.

6. Relax and just breathe

Again it may sound like a silly thing to do, but being able to just relax when you’re sitting in your ski is a very important part of paddling. If you let yourself tense up, and your muscles are all tight, then you will find your center of gravity feels higher, and you’ll feel more tippy.

Just relax into your ski

If you find yourself paddling along and a wave or boat wash starts to bump you around, just relax into the seat, move with your ski, and feel the boat move on the water and you’ll find if you relax and move with it, your balance will improve dramatically.

Take a deep breath and blow it out

Another thing we often forget to do when we’re a bit stressed and feeling uncomfortable is we stop breathing. Holding your breath is a natural response to getting out of your comfort zone, we all do it, and before you know it you’ll feel tense and tight and your balance will go.

So one of my regular drills when I’m feeling wearly, tired, or just find I’m bumping around a bit on a boat wash or some rough water out on the ocean, is to just take a couple of big breaths and blow them out.

It’s a pretty simple quick fix, just do the big “ah” sigh that actors do to reduce tension, take a big breath and blow it out hard with a “swooosh”. Before you know it you’ll have relaxed, your balance will be back and you’re powering along on the water feeling much more comfortable.

That’s it for this session

There are of course so many more areas to work on over time to improve your balance and your comfort sitting in your ski, but this session has been designed to focus on the initial set of drills to get you started on your journey to being more comfortable and more capable in your ski.

One golden rule to keep in mind with anything as mentally, physically and emotionally challenging as sitting on a surf ski is this stuff takes time. Nobody gets it right instantly, even if you may be a freak of nature and have amazing balance, or if you’re in top shape fitness wise, or are some sort of zen master or yoga guru – nobody gets on a surf ski and nails it immediately.

It won’t happen over night, but it will happen

A hard case line I like to quote from a TV advert the Kiwi model / actress Rachel Hunter became famous for years ago is the old “It won’t happen over night, but it will happen” – it’s not quote a mantra of mine yet but it probably should be.

You will have to work at all this stuff over time, it can take weeks, months or even years before it all comes together. So don’t be too hard on yourself, and pace yourself – you need to give yourself time to improve.

Any time you find yourself feeling frustrated, if you ever just get the “heebie jeebies” and think “oh crap, I’m never going to get this right”, give yourself a break, go easy on yourself, and just chip away at it over time.

The top paddlers in the world didn’t just jump out of bed one day, launch themselves on a surf ski and “get it” and start competing at the top levels. They have all invested life times in training and working on the basics, technique, fitness, balance etc, and frankly most of them do it full time, so hacks like us need to keep reminding ourselves that Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Here’s a video I put together with a collection of drills I use, many of these will help you improve not just your balance, but also a number of other elements in your paddle stroke and technique

Good luck and enjoy your paddling and thanks for taking part in my first of six surf ski technique drills sessions.

Cheers,
Dez

–
Dez Blanchfield
Blast Paddlers ( Founder )
p: 0414 464 356
e: Dez@BlastPaddlers.COM
w: http://BlastPaddlers.COM

] 10k Mystery Course with something for everyone

This weekends event is going to be run on a brand new mystery 10km course, announced on the day, you will love it. We’ll be running a scratch group start, always exciting, and there’s something for everyone in this race, count on it.

• Registration opens at 6:30 AM
• Race briefing at 7:00 AM
• Race start at 7:15 AM
• Location is the south east end of Balmoral beach

Please come early, don’t come late. One person coming late holds up the entire event and we don’t want that and we don’t want you to miss out ;-)

Entry this weekend will be $10 per craft ( i.e. singles = $10, doubles = $10 ), and Juniors ( 17 & Under ) are sponsored by Blast and receive free entry! So bring your junior paddlers, they race for free thanks to Blast sponsorship.

] Please RSVP as soon as you can

Please drop Dez an email ASAP and RSVP with a YES or NO to let us know if you will
be coming, so we know how much food to buy. We really hope you’ll come along.

] Plenty of exciting prizes

It wouldn’t be a Blast without some fun prizes, and we’ll have some awesome gear on
offer, we have everything from Caps and Tee shirts, hopefully some winter Hoodies, vouchers
for discounts on new gear like Paddles and Skis, we have Compression clothing prizes,
and much more to come!

Confirmed so far this weekend’s massive prize pool worth thousands of dollars includes:

• 1x Mens & 1x Womens compression garments from Unleash Compression
• 1x Waterproof duffel bag & 2x Waterproof phone cases from Over-board
• 3x Evolve Anabolic Injection 2kg Sports Supplement packs from ASN Neutral Bay
• 2x $1,000 ski purchase discount vouchers from DD3 Paddle Sport
• 2x $200 ski purchase discount vouchers from Think Kayaks Australia
• Hoodie, Tee’s and Caps from Think Kayaks Australia
• Hoodie, Rashies, Paddle tops, Tee’s and Caps & Goodies from Slipstream Surf
• Caps, Stickers, and Kayaking Book from Sean Smith AKA Fat Paddler
• Blast Rudder Flags and a bunch of other goodies from the Blast prize box

We’d like to thank the following partners for their support and sponsorship of our 100th Balmoral Blast:

If you can offer prizes for this weekend’s Blast, please email Dez ASAP, all fun
prizes are welcomed, you’ll get promotion throughout the Blast Web Site, Facebook,
Twitter, Mailing list & Results mail out, on the day this Saturday, as well as
Photo’s post event on the Website and Facebook, any support is welcome.

] BBQ Helpers & Sponsor needed ASAP

We’d really like to put on a BBQ for this milestone event, so we need a couple of volunteers to
help out, if anyone is able to offer to bring a BBQ, any back yard Master Chef’s out there
able to jump in and cook, we’d really love to hear from anyone willing to pitch in and help
ASAP. If you can help in any way, please email me as soon as possible with a Reply email.

Can you sponsor the BBQ, can your company pitch in, we’d love hear from you!

] That’s all for this week, see you Saturday

See you on Saturday morning, please come, don’t let us down, we really want to see you there, it
simply won’t be the same without you there, this is a fun milestone for us, we’re counting on seeing
you there, and bring ALL your paddling pals, they will have a fantastic time and there’s plenty of prizes for them as well ;-)

The Blast Crew
Blast Paddlers ( Australia )

We’re aiming to have All groups gather and co-ordinate to be on the water as close as we can to 2pm. The gatherings are a social event, not a race, designed to be all inclusive.

Sunday June 5th, 2011

The event date is Sunday June 5th, 2011 across the world in as many locations as we possibly can. Some regions may run on Saturday June 4th but we’re trying to schedule the majority for Sunday June 5th. So grab your diary or calendar and mark it up with a big red circle, because we want to see you there.

We plan to have each regional group paddle for around an hour, between 5km to 10km, depending on the local group. All paddle craft are welcome, if it floats, and it’s safe, and you can paddle it, we want to see you on June 5th

We have artwork you can down load and print for event “banners”. Click on the following URL to download a high resolution version of the campaign logo. We want everyone to print the largest “logo banner” they can and hold it up as part of a group photo at least. Ideally we want the Paddle For The Planet banner in as many photos as possible.

Link: http://BlastPaddlers.COM/Paddle_For_The_Planet_Logo

How do you get involved? It’s really easy

it’s really quite simple actually, all we want you to do is come for a paddle, not a race, a fun social paddle, with other paddlers from your region.

All it takes is one or two paddlers in the same place to catch up and get out on the water, for the conversation to start, and for ideas and interests to be shared – that’s it, nothing too difficult.

Here’s a quick checklist of things to do to get involved:

1. Keep up to date via the Blast Paddlers web site at:

Link: http://BlastPaddlers.COM

2. Join our Facebook page, post your pix and let us know what you’re doing on Sunday

Link: http://Facebook.com/Blast-Paddlers

3. Once you’ve joined the Blast facebook page, “tag” yourself on this image with your location

Link: https://Facebook.com/Blast-Paddlers/where-am-i-paddling-for-the-2011-paddle-for-the-planet

4. Download the following “poster” artwork and print it in the largest format you can, ideally in color to use in your photos ;-)

Link: http://BlastPaddlers.COM/Paddle_For_The_Planet_Logo

If nothing else, the plan is to have paddlers meet up at their nearest regular Blast Paddlers site at 2pm on Sunday June 5th and just go for a paddle together, that’s it, nothing else, no donations required, not sneaky stuff – just get out on the water and enjoy a paddle – and help us raise awareness for the many Environmental issues relating to our oceans.

Hey, if you feel really compelled to go the extra mile, we’d love you to print a whole bunch of Posters for us and put them up around the place and take photos of them in fun and interesting places, get all your friends and neighbors, work colleagues, local store owners, people just walking by.

Get anyone you can to simply hold up one of your printed posters, take a photo of them, and your photos up on the Blast Paddlers Facebook page ;-) Have a bit of fun, surprise us if you can!

Can you spare a few pixels on your web site?

Another great way to help is if you can spare a few pixels on your Web Site, or Facebook page, or Email, stick a Paddle For The Planet link on your website, perhaps create an icon or banner for it.

We’d really love you to post it to your Facebook page if you can too please, and just post a link back to the Blast Paddlers web site so people can find out how to get involved, and so we can spread the word – the more paddlers we can involve, the more successful this will be.

Of course it would be great if you can also email all your paddling friends about it.

Are you able to be one of our regional points of contact?

Can you host a local social paddle and help us extend the Blast Paddlers campaign for the 2011 Paddle For The Planet? If you can, we’d love to hear from you, it’s a pretty simple challenge, all we’re asking is for people to let us know where other paddlers can meet with them to paddle together on Sunday afternoon – it’s that simple.

All we need if you are willing to be a local contact for your region, is a location ( google map? ), any directions on how to get to wherever you plan to meet up, relevant contact names and numbers ( mobile ), and a time if 2pm doesn’t suite you, so we can add you to our network of local contacts for your region, we’d really appreciate your support.

What else can you do to support the campaign?

Well get creative of course, it would be awesome if you could print out the Paddle For The Planet poster / banner – the artwork will be posted on the Blast Paddlers web site in the next 24 hours so you can down load it and print it in the largest format you can, here’s that URL again:

Link: http://BlastPaddlers.COM/Paddle_For_The_Planet_Logo

Ideally if you can please print it in color, and then shoot heaps of crazy fun photos of you and your pals with lots of water, paddles, and kayaks / SUP’s, ski’s or whatever in the back ground.

The we’d like you to visit the Blast Paddlers facebook page and post your photos – yea, post yourself crazy, just visit the following URL, click on “Like” to join and then post your pix and throw some comments out there if you have the inclination.

We’d love high res copies of your pix in the post if you can

If possible we’d love you to post us the high res versions to use for media etc but that’s up to you of course ;-) Email Dez for the address to post them to on a CD or USB stick if you can.

See you on the water this Sunday

Look forward to seeing you on the water on Sunday afternoon or to seeing your photos of your local Blast crew paddling and holding up Paddle For The Planet banners in group shots with fun and interesting things in the back ground ;-)

We’re hoping to gather around a quarter of a million paddlers around the world, this is going to be huge, don’t miss out by not coming will you.

Come along for a paddle, it’s going to be a Blast ;-)

Regional location coverage:

Blast Paddlers is holding local social paddles at approx 2pm on Sunday June 5th at the following locations across Australia ( these are the current Australian locations confirmed, there are more to come from around the world ):

AUSTRALIA

QLD:

• Townsville Blast
• Keppel Coast Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 2:00 PM meet up
c: Toni or Wayne Boatwright
e: keppel_blast@yahoo.com.au
p: 0400 626 063 or 0438 611 993
a Southern End Lammermoor Beach – near Cap Coast Outrigger meeting spot
i: this is a social paddle with the Keppel Blast crew, there is no entry fee

• Port Douglas Blast
• Cairns Blast
• Noosa Blast
• Sunshine Coast Blast
• Brisbane Blast
• Gold Coast Blast

d: Saturday June 4th
t: 6:00 AM to 6:30 AM “registration”
c: Mr Julian Norton-Smith
e: Julian@Paddle2Fitness.com.au
p: 0417 549 409
a: 69 Sunshine Blvd, op. 7eleven petrol station at Pacific Fair, Broadbeach
i: this is the regular Gold Coast Blast time trial, it has a $10 entry fee
i: there is plenty of free parking here, but bring gold coins just in case


NSW:

• Byron Bay Blast
• Coffs Coast Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 9.30 AM meet up
c: Ann Leonard
e: amleonard@bigpond.com
p: +61 414 464 356
a: Southern end of Balmoral, far east end of council parking
i: this is a social paddle with the Coffs Cosat Blast crew, there is no entry fee
i: meet up at the Coffs Harbour Yacht Club, Marina Drive, Coffs Harbour
i: paddle out of harbour along Nth Wall to Park Beach and McCauleys Headland and return.

• Port Macquarie Blast
• South West Rocks Blast
• Central Coast Blast
• Newcastle Blast
• Pittwater Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 2:00 PM meet up
c: Mr Ross Crawshaw
e: rcrawsha@optusnet.com.au
p: 0432 543 375
a: Bayview, Pittwater, far west end of council parking area near the boat ramp
i: this is a social paddle with the Pittwater Blast crew, there is no entry fee
i: this location is paid council parking so bring gold coins for the meters

• Narrabeen Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 2:00 PM meet up
c: Mr Dale Atterby
e: dale@atterby.net
p: 0416 228 212
a: Pittwater Rd, Mactier St, The Esplanade, Jamieson Park, next to sailing club
i: this is a social paddle with the Narrabeen Blast crew, there is no entry fee
i: this location is paid council parking so bring gold coins for the meters

• Balmoral Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 2:00 PM meet up
c: Mr Dez Blanchfield
e: Dez@BlastPaddlers.COM
p: 0414 464 356
a: Southern end of Balmoral, far east end of council parking
i: this is a social paddle with the Balmoral Blast crew, there is no entry fee
i: this location is paid council parking so bring gold coins for the meters

• Rose Bay Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 2:00 PM meet up
c: Mr Dave Bell
e: ozsupcentre@gmail.com
p: 0423 733 061
a: Gather near the boat ramp at the Woollahra Sailing Club
i: this is a social paddle with the Rose Bay Blast crew, there is no entry fee
i: you can hire SUP’s from OzSUP Paddle Center at this event
i: there is a mix of unmetered & metered parking, so bring coins just in case

• Botany Bay Blast
• Cronulla Blast
• Shoalhaven Blast
• Jervis Bay Blast
• Lake Albert, Wagga Wagga Australia

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 1030 am
c: Lee
e: bidgee.dragonswagga@gmail.com
p: 0409676509.
a: at the container near the Boat Club
i: all are welcome-just look for us in the pink and blue shirts.

• Wollongong Blast

ACT:

• Burleigh Blast
• Highland Blast

VIC:

• Beaumaris Blast

d: Saturday June 4th
t: 7:00 AM to 7:30 AM “registration” START 8am Sharp
c: Mr John Lisica
e: BlastPaddlers@FitnessLifestyle.com.au
p: 0418 106 656
a: Beach Road, Mentone (Melway Ref. 87A9) – Jetty on the beach op. the historic Mentone Hotel.
i: this is the regular Beaumaris Blast time trial, it has a $10 entry fee
i: there is plenty of free parking here, but bring gold coins in case you want to park in the council car park.

• Geelong Blast
• Outlaw Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 9:00 AM meet up
c: Mr Jarad Kohlar
e: Jarad@OutlawPaddling.com
p: 0409 786 237
a: Sandridge Beach, Melbourne
i: this is a social paddle with the Outlaw Blast crew, there is no entry fee
i: paddling towards St Kilda and meeting up with SUP HQ for coffee at Sandbar
i: this location is paid council parking so bring gold coins for the meters

• Kite Republic
• Euchecha Blast
• Murray River Blast

TAS:

• North West Tasmania Blast
• Tasmanian Blast

SA:

• South Australian Blast

WA:

• Perth Blast
• Mandura Blast
• Broome Blast

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 12:00 Noon meet up
c: Mr Alexel Ramz
e: BroomeSurfSchool@hotmail.com
p: 0406 782 181
i: this is a social paddle with the Broome Blast crew, there is no entry fee
i: there is plenty of free parking here, but bring gold coins just in case
a: TBA

NT:

• Norther Territory Blast
• Ares Rock Blast ( we’re hoping for some dry creek photos! )

PHILIPPINES

LAPU-LAUP CITY

Cebu P4P – Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 7:30 AM meet up
c: Mr Dale Rennie
e: dale@omsasia.com
p: +639088836999
a: Cebu Yacht Club, Lapu-Lapu City, Philippines
i: this is a social paddle with the Cebu Kayaking Club
i: there is no entry fee AND ALL WELCOME

CANADA

• Northern SUP (Barrie, ON, Canada)

d: Sunday June 5, 20111
t: 2:00 PM Meet up
c: Brent Ackland
e: brent@northernsup.com
p: 705-718-2408
a: Centennial Beach, Barrie waterfront, between the park and the bathrooms
i: This is a social paddle with Northern SUP to be part of the 1,000,000 SUPers simultaneously paddling worldwide, for Paddle for the Planet.
i: Spread the word to as many SUPers as you can and let’s see how big a turn out we can get!

Badger Paddles – Huntsville, Canada

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 1:00 PM meet up
c: Fiona Westner-Ramsay, Mike Ramsay
e: badger.paddles@me.com
p: 705-783-6016
a: Buck Lake/Illfracombe Public Beach, Huntsville Ontario, Canada
i: this is a social paddle with the Badger Paddles crew, there is no entry fee
i: located at the 2nd Public Beach/Boat Launch area (Illfracombe) on Ravenscliffe Road (a.k.a. Muskoka Road #2) approx. 19 km west of the town of Huntsville.
i: first dozen paddlers to show will receive some free Badger SWAG in celebration for the cause

SPAIN

TARIFA:

• Tarifa Blast

d: Domingo 5 de junio 2011
t: a las 12.00 de la mañana
c: Sr. Henk Post
e: youploi@gmail.com
p: 956 68 26 68
a: Playa de Getares, Algeciras
i: Si te gusta remar por favor venga a Getares, especialmente después del desastre de la semana pasada en nuestra bahia de Gibraltar. Paddle for the planet quiere aumentar la Conciencia ambiental y devolver algo a nuestros Océanos.
i: Te espero. No olvida llevar su camera de foto y su kayak por supuesto.

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

• Williams Bay, Chaguaramas

d: Sunday 5th, June 2011
t: 6 a.m – 6p.m
c: Ms. Alicia Rostant
e: akarostant@gmail.com
p: 1(868)784-7112
a: Kayak Centre, Williams Bay, Chaguaramas
i: There is no entry fee
i: It is dubbed P4TP Family Fun Day with a Cause
i: There is a cost for use of Kayaks i.e.TT$50. single / TT$80. Double
i: Latitude: 11º 00′ North of the Equator : Longitude : 61º 00′ West of Greenwich

CANARY ISLAND

• Tenerife

d:sun 5th June 2011
h:11am (GMT +0)
c: Ruskin Herman
e: weybil@msn.com
p: 650843090
a :Playa las Teresitas,San Andres,S/C de Tenerife,Canary Is.(spain)

SWEDEN

STOCKHOLM:

• Stockholm Blast – Brunnsviken Canoe & Kayak Club

d: Sunday June 5th 2011
t: 8:00 AM
c: Linda Härefelt
e: ungdom@bkk.se
p: +46 734 16 89 21
a: Frescati hagväg 5, Stockholm
i: No entry fee for the event. If you’re not a member of the canoe club you have to bring your own kayak.

All of the Blast International world wide details going up on web site over the next two days as we confirm them

What exactly is Paddle for the Planet?

Paddle For The Planet 2011 ( PFTP ) is a global effort to to raise awareness about the terrible things that are happening in the Ocean we use daily.

Our common goal is to hold a world wide seires of “relay” style paddle events through whicl all paddlers participate in and become part of a global effort increase awareness of what’s going on in our oceans and want to create an opportunity to make a difference. We want to allow all paddlers the opportunity to help, and by doing so, help bring about change, by merely doing what we love to do – paddle.

Paddle for the Planet’s aim is to support Marine conservation, and as the campaign grows over the ensuing years, we endeavor to support all kinds of Marine Conservation.

For the first couple of years we are going focus our efforts on an initial campaign to raise funds for a marine reserve in Raja Ampat, Indonesia and keep it protected. Each year we want to grow this idea and see the project branch out further and further, as more paddlers get involved keeping more and more waters protected. You can help make a difference.

Some key points of interest:

• Each year, three times as much rubbish is dumped into the world’s oceans as the weight of fish caught. (www.marinebio.org)
• 32% of the world’s fisheries are overexploited, depleted or recovering, which threatens the health, economy, and livelihoods of communities all over the world.
• The global fishing fleet is estimated to be 250% larger than needed to catch what the ocean can sustainably produce. (www.marinebio.org)
• Every year tens of millions of sharks die a slow death because of finning. Finning is the inhumane practice of hacking off the shark’s fins and throwing its still living body back into the sea. The sharks either starve to death, are eaten alive by other fish, or drown (if they are not in constant movement their gills cannot extract oxygen from the water). Shark fins are being “harvested” in ever greater numbers to feed the growing demand for shark fin soup, an Asian “delicacy”. (www.stopsharkfinning.net)

How does it all work, and why is it on the 5th of June:

June 5th is World Environment Day, so there there is no more fitting date for us to hold Paddle For The Planet.

We want paddlers paddling for the planet in Every Time Zone on that day! Ideally they will paddle between 5km to 10km ( so they are on the water for around an hour ).

Even just one or two people paddling together in the same area as a group is sufficient!

We really need your help to make this a success, and to get this WORLD WIDE paddle happening.

What do we need from you?

1. To make it as simple as possible for you to join a local group of paddlers, the Blast Paddlers project will be listing ( on our web site ) locations, names, contact details, and instructions on how you can take part in your region. Check out http://BlastPaddlers.COM daily for updates and details on how to participate in your region.
2. If you can’t find a group in your area then start one. If we don’t have your region covered, please urgently net us know ( email Dez@BlastPaddlers.COM ) and we’ll add you to the network and help others find you and paddle with you to start your own regional group. You can be the “Leader” and get all your friends to join you.
3. Download the Paddle for the Planet logo / banner / artwork and put it on your web site, your Facebook page, your Twitter channel, add it to your email signature, print it out on A3 or A4 and make some banners or posters, if you can print up some t-shirts, stickers, throw your imagination at the challenge, do whatever you can, be creative, go wild
4. Let us who and where you are, i.e. your name, a contact email and mobile phone number, details of where you’re paddling and when, drop your details to us by email at Dez@BlastPaddlers.COM asap so we can include you in an event near you.
5. On the day of the paddle we need you to take a pictures of your Paddle for the Planet team and post it immediately on the Blast Paddlers facebook page, and if possible post copies of the original digital high res versions to us on a CD or USB stick ( see web site for postal address details ).
6. This year the focus is on getting the paddlers to paddle for the Planet. But of course donations are more than welcome, if you or your business feel you can help us fund this project, we’d love to hear from you – details on how to donate coming later this week.

Further updates and information will be placed on the Blast Paddlers web site & Facebook page as we lead up to the big event on Sunday June 5th at approx. 2pm.

For now, the challenge is to spread the word far and wide, so please help right now, email your friends, paddling connections and get the word out there! Be part of the effort and help us make a difference.

Thanks for your support, thanks for being part of something bigger than all of us. Look forward to seeing you on the water on Sunday!

]]> http://blastpaddlers.com/2011/05/paddle-for-the-planet-2011/feed/ 0 http://blastpaddlers.com/2011/02/2011-cronulla-bay-challenge/ http://blastpaddlers.com/2011/02/2011-cronulla-bay-challenge/#comments Fri, 11 Feb 2011 05:58:57 +0000 admin http://blastpaddlers.com/?p=568 Saturday 12th of February will see the second annual running of our 2011 Cronulla Bay Challenge, at Gunnamatta Bay in Cronulla, NSW, Australia.

With over 98 entrants registered already, this is set to be another fantastic turn out and a great mix of the regular Blast crew coming, as well as new faces, and if the predicted conditions turn out as expected, then there’s going to be a bit of everything thrown at you, head wind, cross wind, tail wind, runners, and a nice clean run to the finish!

Here’s the full details of the event, if you haven’t already registered, or if you miss the close off of the online registration, don’t panic, you can register on the day.

Look forward to seeing you there.

Event Details:

2011 CRONULLA BAY CHALLENGE




Distance:

Long Course Approx. 16Km

Short Course Approx. 8Km

Parking:

Plenty of unmetered parking along Nicholson Parade and Tonkin St

(please remember to park tail in along Nicholson Parade or you will be fined)

Race Registration:

7 to 7.45 am in the Main Pavilion near the Public Baths

Briefing:

8am (In the Main Pavilion registration area)

Start time:

8.30am

Start Type:

Rolling water start, following the IRB safety boat with red flag, green flag.

Craft:

Surfskis, Seakayaks, Outrigger Canoes, Stand-up Paddle Boards, Plastic Sit-on tops

Long Course:

Start in Gunnamatta Bay, out through the channel, turn right at proceed to Deeban Spit, across to Simpsons Bay, left turn and out to Jibbon Point, left turn to Bass and Flinders and back down to Deeban Spit. Two laps. Back into Gunnamatta Bay finishing on the beach at the northern end of the bay.

Short Course:

As above , but one lap

Presentation & BBQ:

Approx 11am

Entry Online:

Select Registration

Race Categories:

SURF SKIS Men:
| U19 Mens | Open Mens | V30+ Mens | V40+ Mens | V50+ Mens | V60+ mens |
SURF SKIS Women/Doubles:
| U19 Womens | Open Womens | V40+ Womens | Open Doubles |
Other Classes:
| OC1 Mens | OC1 Womens | OC2 | SUP Mens | SUP Womens |
| Sea Kayak Mens | Sea Kayak Womens |

If there are fewer than 3 entrants to a category, they will be entered in the category below in age group.

Race Singlets:

To be worn by all paddlers. Will be issued to each paddler entering the Series for the first time. Paddlers doing a subsequent event must wear the singlet issued to them at the first race.

Leg ropes:

All surfski, OC and SUP paddlers must have a leg leash available for wearing on the day. The Race Director will decide on the day if leg leashes must be worn.

PFDs:

Every sea kayak paddler must have a PFD available for use on the day. The Race Director will decide whether PFDs must be worn for the race.

Scrutineering:

There will be a scrutineer to ensure the Race Directors requirements are adhered to.

Safety Boats:

There will be Rescue Craft along the course, but it is the responsibility of each paddler to ensure that he or she is fit and able to complete the race.

Cancellation:

The Race Director may cancel or reject any entry to the race at any time for any reason he sees fit, including medical and fitness conditions, non-compliance with Race Organisers directions or unsportsmanlike behaviour.

Risk:

This is a demanding event. The event organisers cannot guarantee your safety. Possible risks include injury and/or drowning, due to being hit by other persons, objects or boats, other hazards include rocks, blue bottles, stingrays and sharks. Competitors enter at their own personal risk and are responsible for their own physical condition.

Series Pointscore:

Points will be accumulated in each category leading to placings and prizes at the end of the Series.

Prizes:

There will be prizes to the value of about $8000 distributed through the Series of 6 Races

Course Map:




]]> http://blastpaddlers.com/2011/02/2011-cronulla-bay-challenge/feed/ 0 http://blastpaddlers.com/2011/01/gold-coast-blast-qld-au/ http://blastpaddlers.com/2011/01/gold-coast-blast-qld-au/#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 12:39:14 +0000 admin http://blastpaddlers.com/?p=318 Gold Coast Blast launched in QLD, AU.

Saturday 25th September: Saturday 25th of September 2010 saw the launch of the first of a series of new Blast sites in Queensland, Australia. The first of which is now running regular Time Trials on the magnificent waters of Broad Beach, in the Gold Coast.

As part of our partnership with Paddle 2 Fitness and Julian Norton-Smith, a certified level 2 coach, Blast Paddlers rolled out the first of a series of new Blast sites across the state of Queensland in Australia, starting with the heart of paddle sport in Queensland, the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast Blast currently offers regular Time Trial events every month, membership is free, and entry to each event is just $10 per craft. Our time trials are held first thing on Saturday mornings, and are run out of Broad Beach, events are held in front of Pacific Fair on the corner of Gold Coast Highway and Hooker Boulevard , Broad Beach

Individuals who join have the opportunity to be part of a rapidly growing community of paddlers from all walks of life, who are looking to enjoy participating in consistent, professional grade, open and fun events, including weekly training sessions and monthly time trials with a consistent format, real time computer timing, accurate and fair personalised “starting group” handicapping, and accurate event results.

As well as running individual and smaller coaching squad, Julian offers offer Gold Coast Blast paddlers an opportunity to improve their fitness by running weekly training squads.

Our first Time Trial event ran on Saturday 25th September 2010 and saw a solid field of keen paddlers take part in an exciting launch race, thanks to the efforts of Julian Norton-Smith.

Our Gold Coast Blast Paddlers have proven to be an awesome crew, and event after event we’re seeing a solid core of paddlers turn out for the weekly Time Trial with a steady growth in numbers each month.

You can view the latest event results online via the Blast RMS via the following links:

• Event 1 – http://blastpaddlers.com/rms/results/show/225?site_code=Goldcoast
• Event 2 – http://blastpaddlers.com/rms/results/show/235?site_code=Goldcoast
• Event 3 – http://blastpaddlers.com/rms/results/show/279?site_code=Goldcoast

More information on local Time Trials at the Beumaris Blast will be posted soon.

You can register right now for free with the Gold Coast Blast online via the Blast Race Management System and select “Gold Coast Blast (QLD, AU)” when you register. The URL is:

• http://BlastPaddlers.COM/rms

For more information please contact Julian Norton-Smith via:

• Mobile phone: (0417) 549 409
• Email: admin@paddle2fitness.com.au

Alternatively you can also email Dez <at> BlastPadders.COM

]]> http://blastpaddlers.com/2011/01/gold-coast-blast-qld-au/feed/ 0 http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/294/ http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/294/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:40:14 +0000 admin http://blastpaddlers.com/?p=294 Blast 72 coming to Manly Harbour, Sat July 10th, 2010.

Manly here we come!

An exiting first for the Blast Paddlers crew, a Blast held on the awe inspiring waters of inner Manly harbour, on Saturday July 10th, 2010.









Exciting and fun new 10km Course




An entirely new 10km course has been developed for this event, which launches form the beach at the Manly Aquarium, takes in a YA marker in the middle of the bay, loops back around a marker pole just off Fairlight beach, rounds the wharf off the 40 Baskets beach, tracks around the exciting water off Dobroid point, a nice long run down to a yellow marker off Balmoral beach, around the inside of the moorning markers off Oblesk (aka Nudie) beach, and then back to the Manly Aquarium via a reverse of the same track.




Course Map



Blast 72 – all new exciting 10km course to challenge all skill levels




Course Overview




This exciting new course is approx 10km from start to end, and takes in almost every possible feature of the inner Manly harbour waters, offering paddlers the best of all possible conditions, from quick sprints to turn markers, rough wash and reflection off Dobroid for a technical challenge, the long run to and from the midway marker at Balmoral, and for spectators the start and end run can be enjoyed from the walkway that goes from Manly beach to Fairlight beach – giving friends and families a great chance to watch the start and end of the race.

.

Race categories

• Surf Ski’s (single & double)
• Outrigger Canoes (OC1, OC2 & OC6)
• Standup Boards
• Paddle Boards
• Sea Kayaks (single & double)
• Plastic Kayaks (single & double)




Entry Fee

• $10 per craft




Safety

• Leg leashes are compulsory
• PFD’s are compulsory (PFD’s to be worn or carried)
• Good level of paddling skill / competency
• All craft are considered to be “safety craft”




Event outline

• Registration is on the day ($10 per craft)
• Registration opens at 6:30am
• Registration closes at 7:00am
• Race briefing at 7:10am
• Race start at 7:15am
• Race close at approx 8:30am
• Presentation at approx 8:40am




Food / Breakfast







There is a cafe immediately behind where the race will be run from, where you will be able to purchase food and drinks, breakfast and a range of tasty treats before, during and after the race.




Event Updates

.

Further information will be posted here regarding weather, conditions, and anything you may need to know leading up to Blast 72 – please check back to this site regularly through the week and up till close of business Friday evening in case there are any changes to the event.

We look forward to seeing you there – bring a friend or two to paddle against, and bring your friends and family to cheer you on – they will have a great time watching the race from start to finish from the beach the vantage points around to Fairlight beach.

]]> http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/294/feed/ 0 http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/beaumaris-blast-vic-au/ http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/beaumaris-blast-vic-au/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:05:14 +0000 admin http://blastpaddlers.com/?p=291 Beaumaris Blast launched in VIC, AU.

Saturday 27th March, 2010: in March 2010 Blast Paddlers launched the first of a series of new Blast sites in Victoria, Australia. The first of which is now running regular Time Trials on the magnificent waters of Beumaris bay, in Port Philip, Melbourne Australia.

As part of our partnership with the Fitness Lifestyle and John Lisica, Blast Paddlers rolled out the first of a series of new Blast sites across the state of Victoria in Australia, starting with the heart of paddle sport in Melbourne, Beumaris Bay.

Beumaris Blast offers regular Time Trial events every weekend, first thing on Saturday mornings, run out of Beumaris Bay.

The Beumaris Blast site is being run in conjunction with John Lisica of Fitness Lifestyle & Fitness Mart (FitnessLifestyle.com.au).

Our first Time Trial event ran on Saturday 27th March 2010 and saw a solid field of keen paddlers take part in an exciting launch race, thanks to the efforts of John Lisica.

Our Melbourne Blast Paddlers are a hardy bunch, and even in the middle of the icy frozen cold of Winder (this year’s seeing record low temps!) we’re still seeing a solid core of paddlers turn out for the weekly Time Trial.

You can view the latest events results online via the Blast RMS via the following link:

• http://blastpaddlers.com/rms/results/show/164?site_code=Beaumaris

More information on local Time Trials at the Beumaris Blast will be posted soon.

You can register online via the Blast Race Management System and select “Beumaris Blast (VIC, AU)” when you register. The URL is:

• http://BlastPaddlers.COM/rms

For more information please contact John Lisica via:

• Mobile phone: (0418) 106 656
• Email BlastPaddlers@fitnesslifestyle.com.au

Alternatively you can also email Dez <at> BlastPadders.COM.

]]> http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/beaumaris-blast-vic-au/feed/ 0 http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/dana-point-west-blast-ca-usa/ http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/dana-point-west-blast-ca-usa/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 16:16:41 +0000 admin http://blastpaddlers.com/?p=278 Dana Point West Blast launched in CA USA.

Wednesday 30th of June, 2010: Blast Paddlers is pleased to announce the launch of a new Blast site in the stunning West Dana Point Coffs region of Orange County, California, USA.

As part of our World Wide partnership with the World Paddle Association, Blast Paddlers is rolling out new Blast sites across the USA, starting with the heart of paddle sport in the USA, Dana Point California.

Dana Point West Blast is now offering regular Time Trial events every Wednesday evening run out of the Dana Point Yacht Club, and dates will be posted soon.

The new Dana Point West Blast is being run in conjunction with Scott Sanches of WPA.

Our first Time Trial event on Wednesday 30th June 2010 saw a solid field of keen paddlers take part in an exciting launch race, thanks to the efforts of Scott Sanchez.

Results from the first Time Trial at Dana Point West Blast can be seen online via the Blast RMS – click on the following link for the full event results:

• http://blastpaddlers.com/rms/results/show/172?site_code=WPATRAIN

More information on local Time Trials at the Dana Point West Blast will be posted soon. You can register online via the Blast Race Management System and select “Dana Point West Blast” when you register. The URL is:

• http://BlastPaddlers.COM/rms

For more information please email Dez <at> BlastPadders.COM.

]]> http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/dana-point-west-blast-ca-usa/feed/ 0 http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/coffs-coast-blast-nsw-au/ http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/coffs-coast-blast-nsw-au/#comments Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:51:49 +0000 admin http://blastpaddlers.com/?p=279 Coffs Coast Blast launched in NSW, Australia.

Saturday 3rd of July, 2010: Blast Paddlers is pleased to announce the launch of a group of three new Blast sites in the beautiful Coffs Coast region of New South Wales, Australia, as well as an entirely new race series to be run at the new sites.

As part of the launch of the Coffs Harbour Blast, we have also launched an all new three (3) race Ocean Series, the “Coffs Coast Blast 2010 Ocean Series” (details below).

Coffs Coast Blast is now offering regular Time Trial events, and dates will be posted soon. The Coffs Coast Blast is part of a group of three new Blast sites being launched jointly which now includes:

1. Coffs Harbour Blast ( live as of Sat 3rd Jul 2010 )
2. South West Rocks Blast ( launching Sat 14th Aug 2010 )
3. Port Macquarie Blast ( launching Sat 4th Sept 2010 )

Coffs Coast Blast is being run by Mike Mils-thom and Robyn Lynch of the Coffs Coast Outrigger Canoe Club.

Our first Time Trial event saw a solid field of 21 Ski and Outrigger Canoe (OC) paddlers take part in an exciting launch race, thanks to the efforts of both Mike Mils-thom and Robyn Lynch. Mike in fact raced in the 1st ever Time Trial at Coffs Coast and took out 1st place!

Results for the 1st race can be viewed online via the Blast RMS at the following link:

• http://blastpaddlers.com/rms/results/show/174?site_code=COFFS

Robyn Lynch managed the heady challenge of race planning and preparation, managing the challenge of producing the required admin and tailoring of the standard Blast registration and waiver forms the week before the event, the on the day registrations, and the timing and results.

The entire event ran like clockwork, and Robyn ran the timing like a seasoned pro – you could have been forgiven for thinking she had run the Blast Race Management System (RMS) for years.

Mike and Robyn will be running regular events, both Time Trials as well as race events, and we will be posting details of those as they are available.

For more information on local Time Trials or the all new Coffs Coast Blast 2010 Ocean Series, please contact Robyn Lynch on (0418) 320 570 or email Dez <at> BlastPadders.COM.

Coffs Coast Blast 2010 Ocean Series

July 2010 has seen the exiting development and launch of an entirely new series of race events run by the Coffs Coast Blast team of Mike Mils-thom and Robyn Lynch.

Each of the “Coffs Coast Blast 2010 Ocean Series” events are being held at the newly launched Blast sites on the Coffs Coast as part of the ongoing development of paddle sports by Blast Paddlers and the Coffs Coast Outrigger Canoe Club.

Race 1 – Coffs Harbour – Approx 12km 1.00pm Sat 3rd Jul, 2010

• Location – This event run from Coffs Harbour Yacht Club
• Registration – 11.30-12.30
• Briefing – 12.30
• Race start 1pm
• Entry Fee: $20 per person

Race 2 – South West Rocks - Approx 13km - 1.00pm Sat 14th Aug 2010

• Location – Pending
• Registration – 11.30-12.30
• Briefing – 12.30
• Race start 1pm
• Entry Fee: $20 per person

Race 3 - Port Macquarie - Approx 16km – 1.00pm Sat 4th Sept 2010

• Location – Pending
• Registration – 11.30-12.30
• Briefing – 12.30
• Race start 1pm
• Entry Fee: $20 per person

Conditions of Entry:

• Leg ropes are compolsory for all three events
• PFD’s compulsory (PFD’s to be worn or carried)
• Course finalised on the day pending conditions

Race Categories:

• OMSS – Open Men Ski
• MMSS – Master Men Ski (35+)
• OWSS – Open Women Ski
• MWSS – Master Women Ski (+35+)
• OMOC1 – Open Men OC1
• MMOC1 – Master Men OC1 (35+)
• OWOC1 – Open Women OC1
• MWOC1 – Master Women OC1 (over 35)
• MOC2 – Men OC2
• WOC2 – Women OC2
• XOC2 – Mixed OC2

Demo Craft Available:

A range of Ocean Skis will be available for demo paddles from 11am curtesey of Kayaktivity.

]]> http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/07/coffs-coast-blast-nsw-au/feed/ 0 http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/06/fundraiser-for-peter-bilsborough/ http://blastpaddlers.com/2010/06/fundraiser-for-peter-bilsborough/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 15:53:12 +0000 admin http://blastpaddlers.com/?p=262 Paddle for Pete - Fundraiser for Peter Bilsborough – Saturday 26 June 2010

UPDATE: June 27th, 2010

Results are now available online via the Blast Paddlers Race Management System (RMS) via the following links:

P4P 2010 – Long Course (10km) event results

P4P 2010 – Short Course (5km) event restuls

Please note that a significant number of entrants changed race half way through the race, so if you entered originally either online or on the day for the long course (10km race) and then decided to pull up at the end of the 1st loop and only do 5km we have done our best to figure out who you are and moved you to the short course.

Similarly, if you entered online or on the day to do the short course (5km race) and then at the end of the first loop felt invigorated by the winter chill, and decided to go around a second time and do the full 10km long coure, again we’ve done our best to figure out who you were and move you to the long course.

But please, if we have anyone who feels their result is in the wrong race, just drop Dez <at> BlastPaddlers.COM a quick email and let him know and he will sort it out right away  for you.

Regardless a huge congratulations goes out to everyone who turned up on what has to be the coldest temperature every recorded for a Sydney Paddle Event yet (anyone got facts to back this up out of interest?).

What a fantastic event, an awesome out come on the fundraising front, and despite the cold, the outcome warmed everyone’s hearts at the end of the day and it was so great to see so many of the Blast crew and other paddlers get behind this event and this great cause! Thank you one and all!

Cheers, Dez

ORIGINAL POST: June 22, 2010

G’day Blast Paddlers!

As many of you know, we won’t be hosting our regular Time Trial at Balmoral this Saturday 26th June 2010. In stead, per my last couple of emails, I want you to join me in supporting a very worth cause by taking part in what will be a very fun paddle race event being held at Palm Beach in Pittwater. The “Paddle for Pete”.



Fundraiser for Peter Bilsborough

Peter Bilsborough was in a tragic surfing accident over the Easter Long weekend and remains in intensive care at Royal North Shore Hospital. With so much strength and courage Pete has gone through numerous operations to get where he is today.

He and his family need our ongoing support to get them through this difficult time. This event is being run to raise much needed funds to help support this wonderful family – you can be a part of it by just joining us for a paddle.

Of course there’s going to be prizes, a BBQ, lucky draw raffles – but you’ve got to be in it to win!

Event Details

Cost: $35 per paddler (incl $5 for insurance) rest of the money is donated to Pete.

Registration: 7am-7.45am – Pittwater side of palm beach, 200 mtrs north of Boat house cafe.

Paddle Start: 8.15am (rolling ocean 200m out from south palmy break)

Long Course:

Palm beach, around Lion island and back into the Pittwater side of Palm beach. 200m north of Boat house cafe.

Short Course:

Palm beach, around barrenjoey point and into the Pittwater side of Palm beach 200m north of Boathouse cafe.




Logistics:

Best plan is to register at Pittwater side of Palm beach as per above. Then drop your boat / board around to south palmy. Then take car back to where your registered so that it is there for you when you finish , and finally make your way back to south palm beach ( approx 10 min walk, or 2 min drive if you have someone to give you a lift back) to start the event.

Social Paddle and Demo time:

10.30am – Pittwater side of Palm beach 200 mtrs north of Boat house cafe. Boards will be available use for those who wish to demo any equipment. If you have paid registration in the race the demo is free. If not , to demo the boards for 45 mins will be at the charge of $30. All proceeds go to the Bilsboroughs.

Safety:

It is advised that you wear a PFD when paddling, as we will be in the ocean, although use of a PFD is entirely up to the paddlers comfort level.

Weather:

If conditions are looking bad, the call will be made friday lunchtime, and all relevant websites will be updated: Check on this facebook event page “Paddle for Pete Bilsborough”

More information can be found in the attached Poster or the Facebook event page.

How is the Blast involved?

After being approached by Peter Morgan the event director to see if the Blast could help, it was immediately clear the Blast community could bring a great deal of support to this event in so many ways, and really help make a difference.

So, as we always do with such things, we’re providing every bit of promotion, planning, logistics as we can, as well as our full support with our Race Management System – so we’re running Registration, Timing and Results, hosting the event photo gallery, and a whole swag other support, the full force of the Blast magic.

How can you help?

And that’s where you come in – I am counting on your support – all you need to do to help is simply come join us for a great fun paddle this Saturday morning, and get behind this great event, to help support a local family in a time of need, doing what we all love to do – paddling. That’s it, too easy, come join us for a paddle, and you’ll help make a difference – it’s that easy.

I’ve also uploaded a Poster for the event ( click here to down load it ) – can I get you to print at least one copy and stick it on your fridge at work or perhaps put a few up in your local shop windows this week to help spread the word about the event please.

I know I can count on you to help me support this awesome local fundraiser.

Could I also ask you to drop me a quick YES or NO email via Dez <at> BlastPaddlers.COM to let me know if you’re able to join me in supporting this event, so we can plan for as accurate a turn out as possible – I’d really appreciate it.

Can you sponsor this event?

Yes – if you’d like to sponsor this event, I’d love to hear from you as soon as possible – email me with any offers of sponsorship if you feel you can offer support please, no prize or sponsorship is too small or too large!

Really look forward to seeing you there this Saturday – please pass this email on to ALL your paddling friends and ask them to join you this Saturday at the “Paddle For Pete” and help us show just how amazing the Blast crew are when they get behind a great cause.

Thanks a zillion for your support.

Cheers,

Dez

____________ Dez Blanchfield

Founder & President, Blast Paddlers Time trials | Training squads | Technique days | Demo days | Race events

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