Peninsula Downwind Classic

CAN’T WAIT FOR NEXT YEAR!!!

Turn phone sideways to see promo video. For the photo gallery check here.

FINAL RESULTS

The race is done and the results are up here https://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=380565. Everyone either pulled out (thank you for evaluating your capability in challenging conditions) or completed the race well. Our aim was to race in optimal downwind conditions and while we would have liked a little less west in the wind the consensus seemed to be that we achieved our goal.

Thanks to the race committee, Paddle Vic, volunteers (particularly Portsea SLSC and Mentone LSC for IRB support), PLCC for access to the club rooms/bar/nibbles and sponsors.

Finally thanks to the paddlers who supported this inaugural event. We’ll aim to make this an annual event. If you wish to help next year to make it bigger and better please contact info@mppaddlers.org. In particular assistance with timing using Webscorer would be much appreciated. We have the system worked out! A feedback survey will be sent to all paddlers shortly and your comments are welcome.

And the “bragging rights” for top club based on 5 to 1 point for the top 5 in male/female and short/long course are

  • River Rats - 13

  • Half Moon Bay - 12

  • Patterson Lakes Canoe Club - 8

  • SUP Victoria - 7

  • Peak Adventure - 5

  • Westcoast Paddlers - 4

  • MP Padders - 2

  • Sandridge - 1

Happy paddling!

Jon Ford (Peninsula Downwind Classic race director on behalf of the race committee)

UPDATE - STARTING TIME CHANGED TO 11AM. COURSE UNCHANGED

PADDLER BRIEFING - PLEASE READ IN FULL

Following is the full briefing regarding all aspects of the event including evaluating your capability to complete the course safely and cancellation contingencies.  Please read this in full to ensure you are adequately briefed for the race on the weekend.  This will be assumed knowledge for all padders and will only be overviewed in the briefing before the event.

The aim of this event is to have fun racing in optimal wind conditions of up to 25 knots (average wind speed), however such conditions have risks that must be accounted for.  The detail below is essential to read and abide by for a safe and successful race this weekend and into the future.

All paddlers must be over the age of 16 and have made a declaration (guardians sign for those under the age of 18) attesting to their swimming and paddling ability.  It is a condition of entry that entrants be able to swim 400 metres without rest and can remount their craft after capsize in downwind conditions.  Paddlers must also have previously paddled the race distance in the ocean or bay in downwind conditions of at least 20 knots average wind with higher gusts.

IMPORTANT – conditions are forecast to be at the upper limit of the race cancellation threshold (25 knots average as measured by Willy Weather Frankston Beach weather station).  There are likely to be gusts higher than 25 knots.  Paddlers must consider their ability and experience in such conditions and if in doubt change their entry to the short course (which will run closer to shore) or not race (entry fee will be held over until next year).  To support safety and correct decision making

  • Paddlers not affiliated with a Paddle Vic club will be contacted tomorrow to discuss capability in the conditions

  • IRB water safety will evaluate paddlers as they progress to the first turning buoy of the long course.  Paddlers who repeatedly capsize or are clearly struggling to manage the conditions will be withdrawn from the race

We will be racing on Saturday 15 February:

  • Short course (~10km) start 11am - Mother’s Beach Mornington to southern side of Frankston Pier 

  • Long course (~19km) start 11.15am - Mother’s Beach Mornington to the pontoon on the right side of the Patterson River 500m from the entrance (see map attached). Long course SUP/sea kayak/outriggers starting at 11>10

  • The long course will paddle around the yellow marker next to the Mornington pier and then around an IRB located 1km out to sea to assist in aligning paddlers with the wind (coordinates 38°12.098'S  145°1.783'E)

  • There is a yachting regatta at Mornington and paddlers must give way to sailing vessels

  • Course maps and locations including GPS coordinates are attached

The course is optimised for the predicted SW wind noting that

  • Short course should follow coast line heading to left side of Oliver’s Hill and to the right side of the Landmark Corporate Centre in Frankston

  • Long course can be navigated by considering the course direction (slightly on the south side of true SW) and the fact that in most Port Phillip Bay downwinders it pays to stay on the upwind side (to the west of the line from start to finish).  The Skyrail sculpture post is visible from 5km.  Paddlers are starting together so paddlers less familiar with the course can follow the leaders and the IRB(s)

  • IMPORTANT - every effort is made to provide an accurate briefing re navigation but downwind paddling is challenging to predict and paddlers are advised to make their own efforts in optimising navigation (eg entering finish coordinates into your watch). A Garmin GPX map for your watch is available on request. Garmin watches also have an option to navigate to a set of coordinates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Cunll0HoM) which can be considered

The timing of the event will be

  • Registrations 9:30 to 10.20am – you must check in at registrations and wear your wrist band and boat number provided at registrations to race. You will also be asked to start your Webscorer GPS timer with assistance provided as needed

  • Briefing at Mornington (for all participants) 10.00 – it will be assumed that paddlers have read and understood this email in full

  • Mandatory safety check of paddlers and safety requirements (see below) on the beach 11:15 to 11:30

  • Short course start 11.00am

  • Long course start 11:15

  • Estimated fasted paddlers finish 12:15pm

  • Estimated slowest paddlers finish 1:15pm

  • Estimated presentation ceremony with prizes and individual/club winners announced 1:30pm at Patterson Lakes Canoe Club (10 Launching Way, Carrum).  Showers, bar tab and nibbles also will be available at not cost

The start will be in the water at with water’s edge.  The finish will be a water finish in the Patterson River (see attached map)

All competitors must 

  • Adhere at all times to the Paddle Australia Code of Behaviour here. We take our paddling seriously but we prioritise looking after each other

  • Wear a leg leash attached to their craft (apart from outrigger canoes and sea kayaks)

  • Wear a high-viz lifejacket of an approved type (Level 50 or 50S).  SUP and prone paddleboard paddlers only are permitted to wear an approved Lifejacket Level 100/150 bum bag inflatable lifejacket.  A Hi-Vis top must be worn

  • Carry a fully charged mobile phone in a water proof case that has the free Webscorer app installed via the App (iPhone) or Google Play (Android) store and have created an account USING THE SAME EMAIL that you used to register for the event

  • On the day participants must before starting

    • Ensure there is adequate mobile phone coverage

    • Make sure phone location services are turned on for Webscorer and set to "High accuracy" or “Precise location” mode

    • Start the Webscorer app and select “GPS self-tracking”

    • Select “PV Peninsula Downwind Classic”

    • Tap "My upcoming GPS races" and then tap the race name

    • Tap “Start GPS tracking” during registration. If you can’t achieve this you must track your location using our Whats App group

    • “Share GPS tracking” with emergency contact person. You can also provide your emergency contact the following link for GPS tracking during the race - https://www.webscorer.com/racemap/viewracers?pid=1&raceid=376252

    • If there are any problems with the above steps contact a registration official after the briefing

    • Participants can then turn the phone screen off and put the phone in their pocket

    • The app keeps sending the location at the interval specified in reg setup (e.g. once per minute). If there is no mobile coverage the app still collects data and updates when there is coverage again

    • If at registration it is clear Webscorer GPS is not working, paddlers will be expected to join a Whats App chat to enable live tracking

  • Carry flare carried on the paddler (not on the boat)

  • Wear appropriate warm clothing and sun protection such as a hat and sunscreen

  • Follow the event course at all times

  • Follow the direction of water safety officials at all times when on the water including withdrawing from the race on request

  • Give way to larger vessels when on the water at all times

  • Stop and help any other competitor/s in difficulty whilst on the course 

  • Stick paddle or arm straight up in the air if you require assistance

  • Notify race management by text message if unable to finish (0422 244 183 or 0413 101 860)

  • Recommended that a minimum of 1L of water is carried during the race

The race will be timed using Webscorer with a manual timing back up.  To assist the race officials please

  • Finish between at the pontoon with the Paddle Vic flag on the right side of the river (see attached map)

  • Yell out your race number (last 3 digits only starting with 7)

  • Paddle past the inside of the pontoon in finish order to record your race number.  Without this confirmation your race ranking may be inaccurate

  • When your number is recorded paddle to a safe place to exit the water

  • All participants will be checked off by the timing officials against the start list

The short course paddlers will have an IRB with them the whole time and a volunteer paddler accompanying the slowest paddler.  Nevertheless paddlers need to have experience paddling in the forecast conditions as per the entry eligibility criteria

There is a small chance the course/time will change based on the conditions (particularly if there is more west in the wind).  This will be notified by 8am on Saturday.  If the Saturday race needs to be cancelled due to average wind observations at Sth Channel Island (as a means of forecasting coming wind), Mornington and Frankston weather stations being over 25 knots, consideration will be given to running a Sunday race only if there are sufficient volunteer (particularly IRB availability)

Prizes (pick your own) will be awarded to

  • Open male SUP – top 3

  • Open female SUP – top 3

  • Open male – top 3

  • Open female – top 3

  • Junior male – top 3

  • Junior female – top 3

  • Open male 10km – top 3

  • Open female 10km – top 3

  • Junior 10km – top 3

 The Paddle Vic winning club will be determined on the basis of the following for male/female in short/long course

  • 5 points for 1st paddler, 4 for 2nd paddler until 1 point for 5th paddler in male/female in short and long course

  • 1 point for all other paddlers

Conditions are looking perfect this weekend for a true “downwind” race!  Please support this event by encouraging your DW colleagues to enter now

Cheers

Jon Ford (Peninsula Downwind Classic race director on behalf of the race committee)

RACE MAPS AND LOCATIONS

For all race maps click here

GPS coordinates - copy and paste into Google Maps to find directions

  • Long course IRB turning location - 38°12.098'S  145°1.783'E

  • Start - Mother’s Beach Mornington - 38.21458° S, 145.03426° E

  • Finish short course - Frankston Pier - 38.14747° S, 145.11531° E

  • Finish long course - Patterson River - 38.07143° S, 145.12593° E

START LIST AND RACE NUMBER

To see the full start list with wave number and start time click here

WATER SAFETY

IRB plan

  • An IRB will lead and patrol the starters in short and long courses for the initial period of the race then be redeployed as required

  • One IRB will follow up the rear paddlers of the long course

  • One IRB will “float” to different areas of the course as required

  • All IRBs will be managed by the water safety officer by radio with mobile phone as back up

All IRB drivers will hold a Victorian Marine Licence and be certified as an IRB Driver through Life Saving Victoria.  All IRB crew will hold a IRB Crewpersons certificate through Life Saving Victoria.  All safety equipment required by Life Saving Victoria will be carried in each IRB and all occupants will wear an approved Level 50 lifejacket and be ready to enter the water.

The event organiser, MP Paddlers, has public liability insurance through Paddle Aus. This does not include or cover personal accident insurance for the competitors. All other insurances are the sole responsibility of the competitors.

If a situation arises that cannot be resolved by on-water safety and race management, then Victoria Water Police should be alerted. They are located in Williamstown and are the designated marine incident response coordinator. Any incident that has potential to impact shipping or enter Port Waters should be reported to Ports Victoria Vessel Traffic Services.

  • Victoria Water Police (Phone - 9399 7500)

  • Ports Victoria – Vessel Traffic Services (Phone - 9644 9790/9644 9777)

  • Life Saving Victoria – LSC Comms (Phone 13 SURF or 137873)

  • Triple Zero

  • Race Director - 0422 244 183

  • Water Safety officer - 0413 101 860

First Aid facilities will be available on the beach for treating minor cuts/abrasions, stings and mild hypothermia.  Any serious injuries or hypothermia will require Ambulance Victoria to attend.

RACE COMMITTEE, SPONSORS AND VOLUNTEERS

 MP Paddlers thank the race committee and all volunteers for the organisation of the Peninsula Downwind Classic

  • Jon Ford – Race Director

  • Gareth Johnson – Safety Representative

  • Ant Deague

  • Andrew Wilkinson

  • Peter Flockhart

This race could not run without the generous support of our volunteers - THANK YOU!

We also thank our sponsors

This event has been approved by Parks Victoria and the relevant local councils. For a copy of the permit click here.