Saturday, August 14, 2010

Last weekend was the Avon Descent, a white water race which is considered to be one of the best, and people from all over the world come to compete.  However, this year the water levels were extremely low, the worst ever, since Perth has had very little rainfall this winter, so the race was a real challenge, to put it mildly.  Many of the competitors dropped out by Sunday, since their boats got damaged by all the exposed rocks on Saturday, and only two of the power boats actually finished the race.  Here are some pics showing boats getting stuck on the rocks, which happened continually, and most of the kayakers had to get out, pick up the kayak, walk around the rocks, and then try paddling again, until hitting the next rock.  It was kind of pathetic actually, but they are a tough and determined bunch, even though it took roughly 4 to 6 hours longer than normal to finish the race.  One boat split into two going through the rapids, and they actually taped it together with duct tape and finished the course.