2026 News

Windsor Paddlesports TT Invitation - Sat 6 June 8am

RORO Row Your Boats! report by Dave (Chuck) Little

Plumb /plʌm/ adjective – Vertical. Something which the walls of our shed are not. In fact, the Ettamogah Pub springs to mind! Add to this our shed internals at the narrowest point measures 2179mm, so a challenge presented itself to design a boat racking system that would maximise storage within the available space. The final design is a Roll-On-Roll-Off rack incorporating a slip jointed frame and adjustable rollers to account for the vagaries of our internals (and the sheds internals as well…).

Step one of installation was to pick up the framework from fabrication and deliver it to LCRK. A huge shout-out to monsieur Tony Hystek Esq for driving his large truck replete with a tailgate lift to allow us to ascend and descend with our parts with verve and alacrity. Oh, the grandness! only matched by the ascension and descension of the Wurlitzer at the State Theatre!

The next day Tony, Steve and your author repurposed some our old existing racking into storage for our K4’s with Tony also delivering surplus racking to the keen paddlers in our club who require additional boat storage.

Rack installation took place over the weekend and I was ably assisted by Messer’s Steve Wooden, Rich Yates and Craig Ellis. Rich was there to ‘peer-review’ the authors design, perform deflection measurements and non-destructive testing whilst Craig peer-reviewed the peer reviewer. Needless to say, there was much peering, reviewing and cogitation happening. Happily, with everyone’s help the framework installed as intended and we set about fitting up the roller assemblies utilising 1,010 individual components. We may be having boat roller nightmares for weeks!

Thanks to the various club members who dropped by for their support and offers of assistance, feeding us (thanks Andy Pearce), grabbing boats for us to test-fit (cheers Chris J) and general heckling (I’m talking to you Duncan!). Thanks also to everyone who assisted with storing boats offsite whilst this work was being done.

The upshot of this project is that we have increased our internal boat storage from 42 boats to 53 in what was already a maxed out shed. The racking is tight, but we hope the majority of our club members will enjoy the convenience of the new RORO racks particularly at the far end of the shed where the motorised roller door has been installed. Stay tuned for more incremental improvements to our facilities, and happy paddling!

Clean Up Australia Day – Sun 1 March

Clean Up Australia Day traces back to 1989, when sailor Ian Kiernan returned from an international ocean race shocked by the pollution he’d seen at sea. Back in Sydney, he organised a major volunteer clean-up of Sydney Harbour and its surrounds. Just one year later the idea had grown into a national event, and through the 1990s and 2000s it expanded in both scale and structure as councils, schools, sporting clubs, bush care groups, and community organisations made it part of their annual calendar.

As participation grew, so did the systems needed to support it. Clean Up Australia developed practical arrangements that help thousands of volunteers work safely and effectively with registered sites, clearer safety guidance, coordinated rubbish collection and disposal, and the recording of what’s found. The collection of data helped shift the day beyond “a cleaner place for now” to also understanding what litter keeps appearing, where it comes from.

In more recent years, the focus has increasingly highlighted the link between land litter and marine pollution, alongside rising concern about plastics and microplastics. Much of what ends up in rivers and the ocean starts as everyday rubbish—wrappers, plastic fragments, bottle tops, takeaway packaging—then gets carried by wind and rain into stormwater drains, creeks, and waterways. That land–water connection was clear again in this year’s LCRK Clean Up Australia Day effort. Compared with some previous years there were fewer large items, although one unexpected bee hive was found. The bigger challenge was the volume of small litter around the mangroves—easy to miss and hard to get. This is the kind of debris is a foreign body risk for wildlife, and fishing hooks and fishing line remain a persistent hazard for shore creatures.

After three hours of cleaning last Sunday, our dedicated bunch of LCRKers had collected around estimated 30 kg of rubbish which was an even bigger effort considering the shift from larger to tiny items. We wrapped up the event with cake and muffins, and a few little As popped in for a visit—and, inevitably, far too many lollies. Hugo made a few new friends, while Grace gave the same crowd a miss, watching safely from Mum’s lap. Clean Up Australia Day is a yearly tradition nationally and for our LCRKers community. Thank you for Cleaning up Australia to: John D, Duncan J, Richard and Thomas A, Jeff T, Matt S, Andrew Pearce, Anne and Stephen W, Tim H, Wade and Hugo R, Caroline and Grace.


Above: Wade and Hugo R - great pic!

Bass Strait Crossing - 9 Feb to 24 Feb 2026

Richard Barnes, Andrew Murray & Mark Hancock and Elise & Luke Richmond set off on their Bass Strait crossing on Mon 9 Feb from Port Albert.


Above: obligatory departure photo

Monday night saw them paddle ~50km to Refuge Cove (Wilsons Prom), then another ~50km on Tuesday to Hogan Island.

Wed 11 Feb and Thu 12 Feb saw them sheltering on Hogan Island waiting our some weather (~60km/h WSW and 13 degrees).


Above: Richard, Mark and Muzza scale Hogan Island peak

The weather finally eased up and on Sat 14 Feb they paddled the ~50+ km from Hogan Island to Erith Island. On Sun 15 Feb they had a leisurely (~2km!) paddle from Erith Island to Deal Island - where there is a lighthouse, lighthouse keepers, phone reception - and presumably a better kick off for the next (long) paddling leg.


Above: The track from Hogan to Erith

Windy weather saw them layover on Deal Island on Mon 16 Feb - relocating to Winter Cove in readiness for the long paddle to Flinders Island.

On Tue 17 Feb, an early start saw them set out on the ~60km paddle to Roydon Island (about 1km to the west of Flinders Island) where a two night layover was required due to windy conditions.

A window of good weather saw then paddle to Whitemark on Thu 19 Feb, Trousers Point on Fri 20 and on to Cape Barren Island on Sat 21. A short hop to Clarke Island on Sun 22 for two nights (wind again!) then the final stretch to Little Musselroe Bay on Tue 24 Feb saw the trip finalised.

Hoping we can supplement with some 'on board' stories in due course....


Above: obligatory arrival photo - CONGRATULATIONS!


LCRK – Pondi (Penrith Beach) Sat 31 Jan

As some of the LCRK members will recall, we had an opportunity to paddle around the man made lake /pond referred to as Penrith's Bondi beach or "Pondi", located 1454 Castlereagh road Castlereagh (10klm North of Penrith)

This had been arranged by Steve Shelley and Cassie O’Connor to essentially fill in the gap caused by the postponement of the Wagga Marathon.

It was attended by paddlers from Penrith, Windsor, MPA and of course Lane Cove, a total of some 17 paddlers. The gates opened at 7.00 am by the beach manager (Henry) a very helpful guy and he went to great lengths to welcome us and outlined the genesis of this facility, which has been provided by the NSW Government to activate access to water ways areas in Western Sydney, the actual lake is privately held.

It consists of a clean sandy beach, shade pergolas, carparking facilities, change rooms and toilets, an easy walk down to the beach from the carpark and plenty of laydown areas for boats, spectators have plenty of room and you can effectively see almost the entire course from the bank under shade pergolas.

The guys from Penrith provided a briefing and course instructions (basically) an anti clockwise circuit around the lake/pond which depending on how close you were from the shore line, extended to between 4.6 and 5.0klm.


Above: the beach and lake. (photo: MPA)

The water is crystal clear and a balmy 25-27 degrees, no boats, no rowers, no fisherman no tidal flow no overhanging branches, rocks or other obstacles to contend with, and the general consensus was that the course is fast.

In essence this place is a must visit, and with some more careful planning could be used for a range of paddling events as it has all the attributes including a Portage area of beach (was put to use on Saturday by members of MPA and Penrith).

The author has already raised the use of this facility with Paddle NSW, and will be following up with a more detailed approach, it is understood that as it is privately held, there may be some hurdles to get over regarding liability and insurances, however these issues can be worked through if there is a clear intent to use more, unfortunately it is only open through the summer months at this stage.

If there is any interest from LCRK members to check it out perhaps we can arrange a further event in conjunction with Penrith, Windsor and other clubs.


Above: the paddling crew (photo: MPA)

Newy Paddlers Pride Round - Sun 15 Feb

Get ready to paddle loud, proud and spectacularly colourful as Newy Paddlers turns up the sparkle for our Pride Round! This is your excuse to break out the brightest kit, the boldest outfits and the most fabulous race face you can muster. Dressing up isn’t just encouraged – it’s celebrated!

Join us for a fun-filled short course race with a twist, where the vibes are high, the competition is friendly and everyone is welcome. There’ll be prizes for divisional winners, plus a BONUS prize for the brightest and sparkliest dressed male and female paddlers – sequins, colour and flair highly recommended.

As if that wasn’t enough, all paddlers entering the Pride Day Race at a cost of $10, will score FREE ENTRY to the Throsby Seafood Festival at the Newcastle Cruising Yacht Club. Paddle hard, then kick back, refuel and soak up the festival atmosphere with family and friends.

  • 🕗 Race start: 8:00am sharp (don’t be late!)
  • Bring your family.
  • Bring a fun attitude.
  • Bring a smile.
  • Bring your race face.
  • This is Pride, paddling-style – inclusive, joyful and just a little bit fabulous.
  • See you there, funky bear! 🐻🌈
  • Rego link here