Keen Adventure Race - Support Crew

Whoa!

This was a huge event! I am blown away at how hard this race ended up being - and I am only support crew!

Prologue - tuesday
Ed and Martin (my good friends in our Adventure Racing team, The Wacko Jacko's) checked into the race, then had a short prologue on the Tuesday with a paddle and swim in huge swell at Port Campbell. They did reasonably well but were shaken by the huge surf. Everyone was shaken by the huge surf. Huuuuuuuuuge huge surf!

Day 1 - wednesday
I skipped a day at work and headed down there tuesday night to support them on their race. I wish I could have spent more time helping. We spent the tuesday night plotting the course on the numerous maps that were required. Though Martin is an amazing navigator, it took a long time to get the course worked out. Then the contacting and numbering took a few more hours. We knew they wouldn;t have time later in the week, and probably be too tired anyway.

The race started at the Bay of Islands, about 20ms west of Port Campbell. 29 teams lines up at the start line at 7am, which was a classic beach at the end of an high walled inlet. The sun was rising as the Wacko Jackso's (Ed and Martin) readied their gear for the first leg's paddle.


Huge swells greated the kayakers as they headed out of the calm bay waters into the ocean. Some paddlers chose left (shorter, but more into the swell and waves) while others took a calm safe approach heading the longer but safer way. It is such a long race, that they shortcuts don't always work. Immediately there was trouble, with some expert paddlers struggling in the huge breaks.



One boat was destroyed (snapped in half), another was holed (and sunk), while a many other boats ended upside down with the occupants in the waves. I hadn't seen a double kayak go vertical in a wave before - but now I have. That's a scary sight.

I saw them sail out of sight, and jumped into the Subaru to a few points along the way. I could see many teams in trouble in the huge swells. The support teams in seadoo helped them when capsized, but it was scary for me, 500m away on shore, to see what they were battling that day.

Roughly 3 hours later the Jacko's arrived at Port Campbell, happy to be out of their boats.


More still to come....