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==== WA Race Week 2023 (Bellingham Paddlers Report) ====

**G'Day from Western Australia\\
Paul Reavley** \\
11/15/23 #34729

Wilson, Denise and I (I'm using Denise's laptop) got to Perth all in one piece without anything major misplaced or forgotten. The wind and waves in front of our place in Sorrento were absolutely rocking when we arrived. We haven't seen it quite that good since then - so far. Ana got here okay also, but with a bit more of a flight delay for her connecting flight. She has her surfski and Wilson and Denise hope to get their NKs soon this afternoon.

It's after 1pm Thursday here - we're 16 hrs ahead of Bellingham. Jeff Castleberry is here - he and I got our boats (Jeff - Vega Flex, Me - Ares) yesterday from Ozone Western Australia and paddled a couple of out and backs in the afternoon. More Hood River folks arriving the next couple of days.

WA Race Week officially starts this weekend - first race will be the Fenn West Coast Downwinder on Saturday - 24 km. Jeff and I are going to do the 11 km Sunset Surfski Series Race #1 this evening 5pm here. Everyone else is resting.

View in front of our place - Finish for the Fenn race this Saturday and the Doctor the following Saturday will be on the beach - kind of at the far right corner of the water you can see.

{{:locales:australia:sorrento1.jpg?direct&450x339|sorrento1.jpg}}

Paul

**Dan Mayhew** 11/16/23 #34730

Thanks for the update Paul. Glad everyone made it safe and sound. Looking forward to the downwinder reports and videos!

**kas@gorge.net** \\
11/16/23 #34731

So excited for you all! Please keep the commentary and photos coming💪

**Stacey Wenger** \\
11/17/23 #34733

So excited for TEAM USA!!! Paul, thank you for your newsy update— please Do keep ‘em comin’ as time permits. Would love to see a picture of you and your teammates in the Team USA T-shirts that Wilson created!\\
Stacey C

**Denise Weeks** \\
11/17/23 #34734

Our two MOST STOKED members did an additional pre race-week race on Thursday—the Sunset Series #1, 11k from Port Beach to City Beach. Unfortunately, the wind didn’t get the message. But these guys rock.

The official WA Race week starts today. Whoo hoo. Fingers crossed I can find my way up the coast.

{{:locales:australia:sunsetseries1.jpg?direct&300x169|sunsetseries1.jpg}}{{:locales:australia:sunsetseries2.jpg?direct&300x169|sunsetseries2.jpg}}

**Eli Holmes** 11/18/23 #34735

Ditto! Please lots of updates and reports on, like, everything so we can vicariously enjoy with you!

**Kevin Olney** \\
11/18/23 #34736\\
Awesome to see the NW paddlers tearing it up down under! And Austin top 5 against the big dogs!! West Coast Downwinder:

[[https://bluechipresults.com.au/results.aspx?CId=11&RId=1676|https://bluechipresults.com.au/results.aspx]]

**Denise Weeks** \\
11/18/23 #34739

Yes, Austin represents! Whoo hoo!

My race went fairly well till about the 12km mark. I knew where I was going, though perhaps I was not as far out as was ideal. The wave direction generally pushes toward shore, so I didn’t want to get suckered into taking all those nice waves and end up on the beach 20km from the finish. Anyway, at about 12km I started getting muscle cramps. First my right hand turned into a claw, then my quads seized, then my hip flexors, then my left hand to even things out. I thought, if only I could just ride waves and not paddle! That would be ideal! If only I had Oscar C’s skill. But it took a few strokes to get on those guys, and my strokes were looking pretty sorry by then. To round out my first Australian race, I huli'd at some point and wondered if my legs would work to get me back in the ski, and then I 100% forgot about a final red buoy we were supposed to go around right off shore. I didn’t even see it. When I got to land the boat handler said, You missed the buoy. He asked if I wanted to go back. Ha! I could not have paddled back out for any amount of vegamite. So I guess I’m lucky I didn’t get DQ or DNF. I know some others forgot about that buoy, too.

Oh, but the start of the race, a water start, was kind of a fiasco, so it all evens out maybe. I was watching the top woman in my age category, Natasha, so I kind of knew where to be. But apparently half the women didn’t see or hear anything about the start and missed it. Ana was one of those. Same with the men’s starts and Wilson. There was some concept of a flag, going into a chute, watching for another flag, etc., but what really happened is that people were just out on the water, paddling here or there, and might have been lucky enough to hear someone nearby say, OKAY GO.

People are super friendly here, the sun is always shining, and the beaches have the finest white sand. Not much seaweed to contend with, if at all. We carry out boats from in front of our hotel over to where trailers await, or to the Sorrento life saving club, crossing a divided road. We are a sight, I’m sure, but no one seems to mind hundreds of surfskis going here and there. Cars don’t slow down, either. We are usually barefoot and we’re running on asphalt. It reminds me of growing up in Phoenix.

I have a few days to figure out my salt intake for race #2 on Tuesday.

The rest of the crew are in good shape, I believe.

Tata,\\
Denise

**Paul Reavley** \\
11/18/23 #34740

My 2 cents addition to Denise's fine race account: For me the conditions probably couldn't have been much better. After getting totally wasted on Friday doing a practice run on the second half of the course, I had serious doubts about being up for the full 24 km race. But the wind & waves started light but surfable then built to what I believe Ana calls medium Doctor level. Plenty big for ordinary paddlers like me. The set-up is kind of like the complement of north shore Kauai with dominant waves coming from our left instead of our right. So I work up speed on smaller wind waves and decide when to try to drop in on one of the bigger, faster waves going right. Sometimes that turns out being a bomb I have to go straight with and hang on to and sometimes it may be a bit smaller and angled in a way I can diagonal across and stay with awhile. But none of these rides are free for me and once I get on one I have to work to stay on because there is enough turbulence and intersecting waves that I will be knocked off any rides right away if I don't keep paddling. Very few paddle down moments for me.

I seem to be the only one of our group who has gotten any paddling video footage so far (Denise has some beach start shots) but I don't have my laptop here so it will be awhile before I can post anything - maybe not until the FILM FESTIVAL?? Are you working on your videos???

Later mates,\\
Paul

**Stacey Wenger** \\
11/18/23 #34741

Love it, Paul! Keep it coming!!\\
Stacey C

**Paul Reavley** \\
11/20/23 #34744

Today Van Douglas, Jeff Castleberry, and I got to paddle one of the classic Perth downwind runs - the Snapper. The wind looked good and the run today was lining up our wind and waves with our direction so there was some good paddle down surfing. Brian Kummer was a little zapped from travel and his previous day's paddle so he graciously offered to shuttle us. Apart from a little late recognition that one of the ships in "our path" was moving and not stationary and a bit of wind drop toward the end, we had a great run. Denise and Wilson did a City Beach to Sorrento Run with Denise checking out the Trigg Buoy that comes into play for the Doctor race.

{{:locales:australia:snapper2.jpg?direct&300x161|snapper2.jpg}}{{:locales:australia:snapper3.jpg?direct&358x161|snapper3.jpg}}

**Paul Reavley** \\
11/20/23 #34745

(Unfortunately it looks like the next couple of days may hit 100 deg. F - will be a record for Perth for Nov. 21 if it gets that hot. But the heat may squash the wind for the next 4 - 5 days and may damper the Doctor race on Saturday.)

**Mary Harmon** \\
11/20/23 #34746

Thanks for the updates, Paul. It is so great to hear about the races and the paddles you guys are doing all the way over in Western Australia in the Indian Ocean!

It is awesome that you are there! Have fun!

Mary\\
White Salmon

**Paul Reavley** \\
11/20/23 #34747

Oh, and by the end of our shuttle Brian had just about stopped turning on the wipers for turns (wiper & turn signal posts are reversed from our usual positions here)

**Stacey Wenger** \\
11/20/23 #34748

Cool pictures Paul!!\\
Water looks so so so inviting!! nice swell!!\\
oh and don't you mean, "…one of the classic Perth downwind runs - the Snap-pah" ?\\
:)\\
kee the news briefs coming and we will send you all our Gorge wind for The Doc-TAH!!\\
Stacey C.
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