JBK - AUSTRALIAN SURF KAYAK TEAM

2009 sees the Australian Surf Kayak Team preparing again to compete at the World Surf Kayak Championships. This year it is to be held at Santa Cruz in Portugal from the 23rd July to the 2nd August. The team comprises of Paddlers Tracy Gibson and Bonnie Tregenza who will be competeing in the High Performance class.

Tracy Gibson & Bonnie Tregenza
Both girls are passionate paddlers and with training in full swing for the competition you will find them in the surf and at the gym several times a week and working hard fundraising for the trip.

At the 2007 World Championships at Mundaka Spain, Tracy was the first person to compete for Australia. After winning her way to a position in the semi final Tracy finished 5th overall. Her aim this year is for a place in the final to put herself in a position to win the event. Tracy works as a professional sea kayak instructor for the Jervis Bay Kayak Company. She has been kayaking for 8 years. More specifically, she has been surf kayaking for nearly 4 years. Tracy is enthusiatsic about sharing the sport with people at all levels and promoting surf kayaking in Australia. Tracy Gibson - Mega Neutron RV March 2009

Bonnie works as a professional outdoor activities instructor in several areas including sea kayaking (with Jervis Bay Kayak Company), canoeing, hiking and rock climbing. Bonnie has been surf kayaking for 1½ years. This will be her first time competing at an international level. She enjoys pushing her comfort zone and continually working to improve her surfing. She is excited to be surfing world class waves and meeting some of the world’s top paddlers.

Bonnie Tregenza - Mega Prowler March 2009

Both Tracy and Bonnie can't wait to be amoungst the excitment of the world surfing community in July. They are looking forward to representing their country at the competition and doing Australia proud.

The Team at JBK and Mega Surf Kayaks Australia would like to wish you both the best of luck in Portugal July 2009.

Ross Boardman

JBK - School Programs

The month of March sees the Team at JBK busy at work conducting various experience programs for schools from as far away as the Mid North Coast, the Blue Mountains and the ACT. The ability to tailor and cater for the Outdoor Education Experience needs of Schools and Universities is one of the reasons why JBK is the Leading National Training Provider for Australian Canoeing.
For fourteen years JBK has conducted Day and Expedition Programs in Expedition Sea Kayaks and shorter programs in Sit On Top Kayaks to the Public and Private School System.With Professional Sea Kayak Instructors and Assessors on Staff and the best equipment in the Business we provide the perfect introduction to Kayaking and continuing education programs for repeat visitors.
Last week we spent 3 Days on a self contained Sea Kayaking Expedition with Alfred Deakin High School from the ACT. This school has a fantastic Outdoor Education Program and the students are of the highest calibre. Prepared to paddle when necessary , laugh when require and even sing a little ( ok, a lot ), to make the trip all it can be.


Bushcamping is the brief we work to where the students are required to commune with nature and each other, with no outside influences. This trip was one of our best yet. Perfect weather, heaps of Sun,a little wind, a little rain, and a lot of fun, even Rick, Rob and Trent the residing teachers had a ball. Thanks guys for a great experience you really made it a cracker.

Regards
JBK Team

JBK - 5 Blokes and a River

Just for a laugh, it was decided that 5 Local JB guys would tackle the wilds of Clyde River, Yadboro to Shallow Crossing. Although the trip took about twelve hours and two days , it proved to be an incredibly picturesque adventure with long stretches of comfortable paddling. log jams and much dragging through the gravel races and small rapids.

Roger, Jason and Ross - Doing abit more dragging across a causeway.

Starting in theUpper runnable sections at Yadboro, the river quickly runs in to a remote wilderness that would be a difficult walk out if required providing great scenery and tall timbers and long shallow running pools of beautifully clear water.

Steve Canon going for broke (Grade 6? Rapids

Each section stepping down to the next with a small race or rapid, some runnable, most not, but the boys laughed and rammed into each other as we made our way to Shallow Crossing 25km away.

Jason Andre - as laid back as ever negotiating a log jam.

7 hours of pretty continous paddling saw us at the upside down bridge north of Brooman for our campsite and a great fire kept the light rain off us throughout the evening. Waking to more light rain we quicky packed up and hit the river at 8 am for another full day of quality scenery and intimate river environment to Brooman then a maze of 4 foot round logs and much portaging to the running section just south to last 8km of long uninterupted pools to Shallow Crossing.

Able Walsh / R2D2 (Barell ) / and the view downstream

This trip requires some good planning, as the car shuttle to the starting point is about 1.5 hours, and some food is always a good idea Able, although Maccas at Ulladulla saved you on day one.

After 26km of paddling and crashing - Shallow Crossing

The quality of the experience is sensational on this trip, great scenery, but there is lack of good campsites on the upper stretch, so be prepared to stop when you find one. We found the kayaks at around 3.7 mtrs were optimal as they could negotiate the rock gardens more easily than the longer type kayaks. Plastic is essential as the river is a graveyard for fibreglass canoes, they simply wont cut it, and be prepared to have some serious wear on your kayak or the one you borrow from an old friend.............................

Cheers
Rossco