Blog Post Migration

Hello anyone and everyone who reads this.

I haven't posted anything on here for a long, long time. Partly because of final year and partly because there was simply nothing to post about. I recently started getting back into the some paddling and felt time to make a return to the blog.

To start, Munster Dive & Canoe sadly closed its doors while I was in final year, forever? who knows, let see what the future holds. Since the shop closed there hadn't been anything new posted to the shops team blog page. So I decided to migrate some of the material I had posted on there to here. It still exists over on http://mdactripreport.blogspot.ie/ but now it's all here also. I know the posts are all out of date and out of sync with the rest of the blog but as you scroll down they're all in the order they were posted with their original post dates at the start of each post.

So what's coming up next......?

I competed in a three long distance races in the summer 2012, I'll have a little insight into them and how I prepared or not for distance.

The surf forecast has been quiet flat since September but the South East coast is finally kicking back into action and I've got my GoPro back so hopefully a new video coming soon. In the meantime check out this awesome new website http://swellseekers.ie It's the place to buy and sell second hand gear in Ireland. Run by a couple of guys out of Tramore who hadn't enough just surfing they had to make it their livelihood too. Below is a promo video for the website starring Tony Walsh and myself among many other surfs. The video was shot and edited by James Ahearne a college mate and budding young photographer. If you're in search of a wedding photographer or someone to shoot excellent footage of you on the water check out James's site www.jameshearnephotography.com

I've decided to compete in as many of the Irish Whitewater Race League events as possible this winter, this Saturday Clare Glens!



That is it for now stay tuned.

The Land of Oz Video

ORIGINAL POST DATE: FRIDAY, JULY 8, 2011

The Land of Oz

ORIGINAL POST DATE: THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2011

For the last 8 months I've been enjoying a life free of words like recession, snow, thesis etc etc and savouring words like 30°+, after work beers and Barbie (the BBQ kind!). Unfortunately that life has been free of any sort of paddling, that was until 3 weeks ago. Niall Quinn and Myself decided to head off on a paddling adventure.

The trip kicked off with a 5hr spin to the closest whitewater on the East coast, Nymboida Canoe Centre. To get there drive south on the Pacific Highway for 5hrs until you reach Grafton, turn off here and follow the signs for 25 on Armidale Rd. Bingo! Nymboida is an awesome centre, an artificial course constructed on a small creek into which the turbines of a small local hydro plant spills its water. Frank Whitebrook was the force behind the design and construction of the site in the 1970's. The centre is currently run by Robert Delderfield, it has a massive campsite which runs the length of the Goolang Creek on which the course is built. Powered, unpowered and cabins are available, we were the only customers during our few days there and had full run of the site. The weather was quiet wet and cold so we paddled as much as we could and sank some beers and lite a fire any of the nights we could. We wouldn't have turned down some other paddlers for some company but it was a great couple of days.

Camping at Nymboida is $8 a night per person, use of the course is $6 a day and gear hire (although very basic) is $30, you get a boat, paddle, BA and helmet. The water in Nymboida is cold and the river is shaded by trees all along its run so if you are going to bring any one piece of gear bring a cage and rash vest. A roll of duck tape and some caping mat the custom fit some of the boats would also be hand but Rob and the other staff at Nymboida are more than happy to help you source any bits and pieces you need with came in very handy when nail broke his lap strap on his first run of the river.

(Just 2 min. after starting to put up our tents Niall had this little fella sucking on his blood)

(Some beer inspired photography tricks were in order)

(A random sign post on the back road from Nymboida back to the Highway, we nearly crashed the car when we saw it!)

The awesome Dangar Falls in Dorrigo, NSW. We spotted a signpost for this beast by chance as we drove through town and we veered off to investigate. It's 70ft of vertical awesome. Some creekers, a few throwbags and a little more water might have seen us make some attempt but we still had 9hrs driving ahead of us to Sydney. We'll be back! If you're around here you go, Latitude: 30°19'23.35"S Longitude: 152°42'54.56"E

(Niall checking out the boat hire fleet in Penrith, plenty of C1s!)

(Here comes the water, the pumps in Penrith could fill an Olympic swimming pool in 55seconds!)

So we arrived at Penrith Olympic Whitewater Stadium (home of the Slalom for Sydney '00 Games) on the Saturday morning in time to see the water come on for the Australian Slalom Team's Morning Training. We stuck around for a few hours and watched in awe, I arranged my Boat hire with HorizonLines Kayak Shop up at the Regatta Centre for the following day and then we headed off to the campsite in Emu Plains.

When we rocked up at 1030am the Sunday morning the water was already flowing and we wasted no time and hit the water. God bless the invention of conveyor belts which mean you can keep paddling all day without every needing to leave the water.

So entry to the course cost $35 a day and you must pay a $20 deposit for the numbered bib you have to wear. Boat hire from HorizonLines was $60 a day and you gear a boat, paddle, BA and helmet, if you are there for more than a day they do a discount for your second and subsequent days of $30 a day. The gear is basic but the boat I got was an almost brand new Jackson Rockstar, we likey by the way! Camping at Emu Plains was very basic (as in just some random waste land on the side of the caravan park but cost $38 a night.

(Super-niall)

(Plenty of raft carnage)

An awesome 2500km+ round trip for some paddling that after 7 months was a welcome little spin, I'll never ever complain about a shuttle or the spin to the river ever again. See you all on a river at home soon, Mike.

Cork Rodeo 2010

ORIGINAL POST DATE: FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2011

At long, long last I got around to narrowing down two and a half hours of video into about 5mins of footage with some music. Here we have it. It was recorded using a home made Jib arm attached to my tripod during last years Cork Rodeo. The video is also available in HD. The main track on the video is from Irish rapper RíRá, as we made our way to the event in Tony's car that morning the track came on as part of an interview with Tommy and Hector on RTE Radio 2! The credits tune I stole from the Young Guns Productions movie New Reign, Its Try by the Sweatshop Union. Any ways hope you all enjoy the video sorry it took sooooo long!

Queenstown Wafting

ORIGINAL POST DATE: MONDAY, MARCH 7, 2011

Just back from a weeks holiday on New Zealand's South Island. I was hoping to get a paddle on a river or two while I was there and while the closest I came was passing four guys getting off a river in the pitch dark in the middle of the night, I did manage to clamber aboard a raft for a spin down the Shotover River outside of Queenstown with Queenstown Rafting. And while the gear definitely dosen't make you look cool and the water was far from warm with the first fall of snow in the mountains for the winter season the night before, the trip was deadly.
The road in to Skippers Canyon was almost as exciting as the rafting, the bends in the road the sides of which were sheer drops off into the canyon, all were named with titles to rival the names of the rapids on the river! Our Guide for the day was Tom a guide from Hokitika on the West Coast, Tom has also worked on the Zam, the nile as well as most parts of the French and Italian Alps, we had alot more than most of the others on the raft to talk about, its a very small community with us whitewater folk!

The river was pretty good there were only about 7 or 8 rapids to speak of but it ran through some pretty cold gold mining country side and the trip is well worth it as a whole. Trips with Queenstown rafting are around NZ$185 and leave from Arthur's Point. If you are looking to paddle in the area without arriving with gear then you best make some arrangements before you arrive otherwise I was advised that the only place to rent gear on the South Island was around Murchison, where the Buller Whitewater Festival was taking place that same week! just my luck eh? Till next time Mike out. PS. I have been reasonably assured that the Cork rodeo footage is winging its way to Australia on a hard drive in the mail as we speak, so the video minus the Expert rounds (thanks Jack!) will be up shortly!

Here it is......... Alps 2010

ORIGINAL POST DATE: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2010

If the video is too big just click on it to go to the YouTube page.

For those interested I edited this with Sony Vegas Pro 8.0. Its a nice program easy to use and a big step up in production values from Windows Movie Maker. Music by Wale - Freaks (Bird Peterson remix). All the footage was shot with the Sanyo Xacti WH1. Gotta get me one of those GoPro HD Heros soon, Dear Santa.......

Alps 2010

ORIGINAL POST DATE: SATURDAY, JULY 10, 2010

I'll keep this short and sweet. Tony and myself left it quiet late to head for the Alps this year. We set off on the ferry on June 17th and were glad to arrive in the paddling mecca of l'Argentiere after 3 months of no water at home. The weather in France had been hectic in the weeks before we got out but levels had returned to almost normal in most rivers bar the Guil and a few others. We hooked up with our good friends in UCC and paddled a few rivers and shared more than a few beers each night. The first week was bitterly cold and sleep was pretty rough we were glad when the weather cleared and we got to work on our tans.

After the lads left us to head home we headed up to the Ubaye Race Course where we spent a few days running the river and hanging out in La lauzet which is the nice small town and the get out of the race course and get on of the gorge, the pub there had some "interesting" Ruby Leffe on tap and the line of credit the bar tender gave us made for a very interesting night . On our last run we decided to bust out the new WITKC Club water proof camera, we fashioned a rig of sorts made up of a tripod and two roof straps fastened to the back of my lovely new Jefe Grande (see below). The footage came out pretty well but the file sizes are huge to stay tuned for that footage later.

Luckily I didn't have to roll on the race course but the following day on the Slalom Course in l'Argentiere I went over and took three attempts before I managed it and took a fairly hefty blow to the back of the head. Feeling a little groggy and at a loss for what to do for the next few days we headed over the mountains in search of a river Colin Wong had told us about one night the Germanasca. The river was just about 2hrs max up and over the mountain into Italy and well worth the spin thanks wongy!

We spent the last few days camped up beside the Gyr in Vallouise, enjoying some normal Leffe in the local hotel by night. The campsite there is much nicer than the one in Argentiere minus the slalom course and worth a stay for a night or two in future. All in all it was a very good trip,nothing crazy and I will look forward again to my return to France. For now its summer and I'm home so the heavy rains can't be far away, so bring on the summer paddling season, I'll be guarding the waters in Clonea for the summer if anyone is around say hello. Stay tuned for video to come soon............