Byron to Bondi Paddle For Prostate Cancer 08/09

Fitness and beating cancer

2011-12-07T13:08:00.002+11:00

David Haas is a cancer survivor and awareness program advocate at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. He's asked to post a guest blog on the benefits of fitness on coping with cancer. Here's his article.

Fitness Advantages Over Fighting Cancer

Cancer is a highly debilitating disease, on many different levels. Not only does the cancer patient suffer physically, but another risk is that of psychological suffering. Many cancer patients go on to receive psychological therapy to help deal with the psychological aspects of facing the disease. Surviving cancer and dealing with the treatments are great accomplishments, and many patient's new priority in life is to keep the cancer at bay. The latest medical research studies support physical exercise as way to do this. Multiple studies show that after diagnosis, higher levels of exercise lead to a lower chance of the cancer recurring as well as longer life span.

When it comes to physical health, a cancer patient often feels like they are not in control of their own body. This is a terrible feeling, and can lead to some serious psychological consequences. One of the best ways to fight this feeling of loss of control is to enter into a committed physical exercise routine. The benefits are instantaneous, and the effects are far reaching. Not only is physical fitness improved, but psychological fitness benefits as well. This can benefit someone going through any type of cancer whether it is pancreatic cancer or rare mesothelioma.

There are many different kinds of exercise and ways to exercise. Many people view exercise as boring or tedious. It does not have to be this way, and in fact, should not be this way! Cancer patients especially should realize that by engaging in fun, physical exercises, they are helping their health and helping to fight the cancer away proactively. Exercise makes you stronger physically - not only will you notice an increase in your muscular strength and flexibility, but an increase in stamina and endurance. Exercise improves the strength of your heart and its circulation, lessening the risks for arterial and circulation problems. Exercise leads to weight loss and leaner body mass with more toned muscles.

Many people do not realize it, but exercise also is great for improving mood. Not only does it get the blood flowing to your brain, bringing fresh oxygen and improving its function, but also it gets you breathing harder. Taking deep breaths, in addition to the excellent worn out feeling you get from a good work out, has many calming effects. Feeling more in shape means that you will be more confident. Exercise also reduces fatigue. As you build up stamina and endurance, you will have more energy reserves to draw on regularly. The benefits are truly many, and there is no better time to get in shape than now. Your body will thank you for it!

Arrival coverage

2009-01-16T18:06:00.007+11:00

Day 20 - At home

2009-01-10T15:35:00.005+11:00

We got into Bondi yesterday after a hard 3 hour paddle from Manly into strong southerly winds. It was a bizarre feeling to come past that final headline and realise that this was it; no more getting up at 4am, no more paddling for 8 hours a day and no more mind numbing exhaustion. Strangely I kind of miss the simplicity of it all. It's actually odd to be back. I slept 11 hours last night, I've been for a surf, bought a TV from Bing Lee and watched 4 movies already. I'm still pretty knackered. My plan for tomorrow is to rent all 3 series of Dexter and watch them back to back whilst Ali feeds me grapes...apparently we don't have any grapes...but Dexter is on, guaranteed.

Here's a couple of pics from Bondi. A massive thanks to everyone that came down to show their support. Now that the internet connection's better, we'll get a gallery up in the next few days.

I'm not sure what Scotty's up to right now but I bet he's missing the view of the back of my head. R

Rob sux!

2009-01-08T15:00:00.001+11:00

Not much else to add other than that.

Se y'all at Bondi at 1pm tomorrow.

Scott.

Day 18 - Umina to Manly

2009-01-08T14:41:00.002+11:00

It's another Southerly, shoulder busting head on wind. We started with one so it seems fitting to be ending with one too. Tomorrow's going to be one last hard haul to Bondi and then it's done: we'll have completed 740kms down the east Coast from Byron Bay to Bondi beach and we can finally rest, see our girlfriends, eat pizza, watch DVDs, wake up at a normal time and stay as still as possible for as long as we can. It's such an awesome feeling to be here. We've been in such an alien routine and so consistantly physically knackered for so long that being back in normality is actually weird. I'm slightly freaked out. We landed at Shelly beach in Manly at around 12.30pm with Lee waving a couple of beers from the headland and I'm now at home. Scotty's blow drying his hair and dreaming of soy lattes (who knew Aussie's were so metro?) and I've got to go into town and get a new phone having drowned the last one. Bring on the Bondi finish tomorrow. We'll be coming in at around 1pm if you can make it. Hopefully we won't stack it infront of everyone. Proper thanks will come to everyone tomorrow but needless to say Mr and Mrs and Ms, Doug, Christine and Joanna Timbrell have been living legends in supporting us down the coast. See you at Bondi. Rob

42km's to go and 42km's to never paddling again!

2009-01-07T17:06:00.002+11:00

Hello to you all. As stated above we are nearing the end of our trip and we are only 42km's off finishing this ridiculously stupid paddle down the East Coast of Australia. To date we have paddled 698km's and both Rob and I are feeling a little tired and worse for wear Rob seems to be doing the worse though out of the two of us as the whinging pom is starting to rear his ugly head a little but is expected i guess!
I thought that for this blog I would share with you some of the things that i have learnt whilst in the middle of the ocean paddling a kayak...
1. Peeing in the middle of the ocean is an artform and takes a little getting used to at first. Once mastered it is a very nurturing feeling with the boat rocking back and fourth that you feel at one with the ocean. I have considered once i arrive home that i will need to go for constant swims in the ocean or have a bath to simulate this feeling again.
2. The further you travel down the East Coast the slower the coffee service becomes and don't, don't ever ask for soy milk in a regional town unless you are ready to accept a knowing look of "what a poofter"...I am came to accept this early on and instead of asking for the regular soy latte optede for a skinny latte (fair enough i guess).
3. Everyone you meet down the EC seems to be named either Dave or Sheryl?
4. Over thinking is over rated. I officially know how it feels to be a female now and over think the smallest thoughts and then dwell on them and then get woeked up about them and then cry and then laugh and then just move onto the next issue. I cant wait to get back to Sydney so I can be distracted by at least 30 different things at any one time and spend a total of 20 seconds on each subject.
5. Paddling 8-9hrs a day is really boring!
6. Watching Rob paddlr for 8-9hrs is boring!
7. Steak, eggs, sausages, baked beans, Nutri Grain and toast is always a good combination for breakfast at 4am...dont knock it before you try it.
8. Paddling for 8-9hrs is boring...wait have i said that one?

Have to go now as getting kicked out of the internet cafe we are so will fill you in the rest later.
Peace,
Scott
PS have had no time to proof read so sorry in advance!

Day 17 - The Stockton Bight

2009-01-05T16:59:00.003+11:00

For the fact that I'm typing this, you know that we've not been swallowed by sharks on Stockton beach. I might be typing one handed and have lost an arm having heroically prized open the jaws of a monster attempting to eat my friend Scott, but actually I still have two hands, Scott's watching TV and we didn't see a single shark all day...very disappointing. We did however paddle 5 hours without a break, get followed by a playful pod of dolphins, play 'shag/marry or chuck' for the umteenth time and do interviews with The Herald and Channel 9 on the beach. All up, a successful day. We've got an early start to Norah Head tomorrow. Looking forward to Sydney. R

A cloudy, hazy day...

2009-01-04T18:21:00.003+11:00

As Rob has mentioned today was a little foggy to start with but a good 5 hour paddle to get the blood flowing and clear the mind a little was a welcomed distraction.
We were paddling with the wind behind us today which in most cases is quite good to push you along but with 2 metre swell and hidden bombies (little reefs in the middle of the ocean where waves will build and break suddenly) appearing it was quite a trying and at times scary paddle. With the constant fear of sharks after the first 2 we sighted within 5 minutes of each other the senses were switched on as neither of us wanted to capsize in the middle of the ocean. Its funny when you see one shark as you then constantly keep seeing more and more sharks out of the corner of your eyes, if these sharks are there is another matter but for a split second you see that fin and then again and again....
Not much else to report but I am looking forward to a nice early night and hopefully waking up with a more positive outlook in the morning.

Peace,
Scott.

Day 16 - The day of shark fear

2009-01-04T17:43:00.003+11:00

We paddled into Boat Harbour today, just south of Nelson Bay and for the first time properly got fin fear. It's a little like Sunday paranoid hangover fear except you're afraid of being eaten by a monster with 1000 teeth rather than just being looked at or bumped into whilst queing at the Coles check-out.
It was a sunny but really windy day and we'd left late because of a few beers with Scott's cousins the night before...so essentially we had Sunday paranoid hangover fear, but with high winds and choppy seas in an unstable 2 person kayak surrounded by sharks - sound like fun? First we saw a 1 1/2 metre juvenile hammerhead, then a 3 metre shark, then a menacing piece of sea weed, leading eventually to both of us getting twitchy and imagining every bit of white water and dark shape was Jaws about to take an arm off. We didn't have much to say as we were both feeling sick and were concentrating too hard on staying upright. Tomorrow's a big paddle to Newcastle accross Stockton Beach. Stockton beach is known for it's Great Whites - see SMH article http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/reeling-in-great-white-sharks/2005/10/22/1129775998728.html .
It's going to be so much fun!

Pics

2009-01-03T15:30:00.004+11:00

We've had problems using flikr so sorry for the lack of photos. Here's a quick update from our Olympus 1030 camera. http://www.flickr.com/photos/b2b4prostate/. Lots more to follow.

New Year's Eve!

2008-12-31T17:34:00.005+11:00

After an extremely pleasant paddle this morning...a mere 20kms...through azure blue waters and past many very pleasant beaches, a nudist colony, one tortoise, 3 dolphins and a 1 1/2 metre shark (further justification for peeing in a coffee cup), we've arrived in Forster, my new favourite place. It's low tide and families and us have been floating down currents, sitting on sand bars and throwing back 'throw backs' - another new Australian discovery (they're miniature beer bottles that make you feel like a giant - great for someone like myself who pretends that he's nearer 5'8 than 5'7 or maybe 5'6 tall). It's heaven and there's no more paddling for the next day and a half. We've got 2 radio interviews at 8am tomorrow morning which could be tough depending on what happens tonight, we were on Channel 10 news a couple of days ago and we hit the front page of the local rag today announcing our arrival. We're spreading the prostate word good and strong.
Happy New Year's Eve!
Rob

Things I've learnt...

2008-12-30T18:21:00.009+11:00

Things I've learnt since the start of this paddle:

1. Sitting on your arse for 8 1/2 hrs straight is not relaxing - couch potatoes and computer game addicts deserve more respect
2. Sitting on your arse for 8 1/2 hrs soaked in your own pee is generally unpleasant, but still preferrable to getting in the deep dark water where the sharks live, or leaving your World Of Warcraft game as with above said gamers
3. There's more than one use for a coffee cup and two are better than one...dependent on your muscle control
4. Despite what your watch says whilst kayaking, time is not constant, can slow, stop and sometimes go backwards - a similar and related theory applies to dentist waiting rooms, meetings on a monday morning and pregnancy tests
5. The land mass of Australia is in fact a floating island, that sometimes moves - generally clockwise - due to the east Australian current (EAC) first discovered by Nemo, causing land masses to move away from tired kayakers unable to keep up with its rotation and associated time flux
5. What looks like your final destination, often isn't, despite what the map says: a common happening that provides an endless source of amusing and sometimes intelligable expletives from Scott
6. Jeff Buckley, Rage Against The Machine and Coldplay, are all good at attracting sharks
7. Steak and eggs at 4am in the morning is an untapped unrenewable energy which could put India in the top 3 world leading countries if enforced nationally - shame they don't eat cows
8. Australian's like to swear alot and use a variety of interesting non-dictionary derived terms relating to the human antomy as expressions of endearment
9. Scott, unlike normal people and a little like the new Brad Pitt film, is ageing backwards and is currently celebrating his 10th birthday psychologically - shame for him that he doesn't look like a 29 year old Brad...note here that I'm learning how to 'rib': another form of native Australian bonding I've discovered recently and have perfected following a series of unsuccesful attempts that were mistakenly interpreted as 'dissing'
10. Kayaking is a little like moving to Australia: it takes a long time to get there, but it's all worth while once you finally arrive
ROB

Conversations onboard a kayak...

2008-12-29T17:28:00.003+11:00

We are well and truly past the half way point now and we are both looking forward to a "few" drinks on NYE at Forster in a couple of days. We have planned out on detail what, when and where we will be doing everything for NYE over the last couple of days in the middle of the ocean and they all tend to end up with us quite drunk on a dancefloor doing the electric boogaloo...look out Forster we are coming!

So i thought as a little treat i would give you an insight to the typical conservations we have on any given day whilst heading towards that ever elusive headland.

6am "lovely morning today Rob" "yes Scott this is great maybe we should try and go even further than planned today as feeling really good after that steak, bacon and eggs we had at 4:30 this morning", "Sure Rob sounds like a plan, hey check out those dolphins noble creatures aren't they"

7am "Time for a break i really need to pee", "oh thats disgusting Rob i cant believe you did not bring a cup or anything???".

7:10am "Breaks over lets get going so we can have a break at the next beach and stretch our legs", "sounds good Rob lets motor"

7:15am (insert babble here regarding drunken stories, relationships and when we finally arrive in Bondi)

8am "Feels good to stretch the legs huh, lets go and grab a coffee". We exit the kayak and walk to a cafe to buy coffees still feeling good about the day.

8:20am "Alright so we have 2 more hours until our next stop so lets get going", "lets do it"

8:45am "I swear that headland is moving away from us Rob is that possible?", "I think i saw a story on this once and yes i think it is entirely possible Scott".

9am "Break time and i hope you remembered to bring your cup this time Rob?", "oh shit i knew there was something i forgot..."

9:30am "That bloody headland is still doing that moving back thing, f#*k i hate kayaking!"

10am (roughly) "Lets stretch the legs again and have a sandwich and knock over this last leg as am keen to have an afternoon off to chill", "sounds like a plan"

10:15am "I really hate this kayak and those bloody dolphins are really pissing me off right now"

10:20am "............................................grumble, grumble, moan, f#*k.........................................!!!!!!"

10:40am ".....................................................................I really hate Rob right now!!!!"

10:41am ".........I really hate Scott right now!!!!"

10:48am ".....................such a stupid idea, i hope a shark comes along and eats Rob's arm so we can call it a day......."

10:50am "Are you sure that is the right headland Rob and not the one on the horizon?", "no thats definitely it Scott"

11am "Sorry Scott it is that one in the distance..."

11:01am "I really hate Rob!"

11:30am "It's definitely that one now for sure Scott", "grumble, grumble, moan Rob grumble f#*k!"

11:40am "........................................................................................F*#K!!!!!!!

11:45am "headlands moving away from us again Rob???????????", "Do you really think?", "yeah definitely this time without a doubt...........!"

11:55am "..................................................grumble, grumble, gruuuuuuummmmmmmmmbbbbbbblllllllleeeeeeee........................"

12a. "Aaah finally made it, that wasnt to hard at all!!!", "yeah looking forward to tomorrow now...".

IDIOTS!

Stay tuned,

Scott.

Day 8 Scott's Head to Hat Head

2008-12-27T16:31:00.004+11:00

It has been awhile since my last blog and have no excuse other than have been a little lazy...sorry about that ladies and gents.

So tomorrow signifies the half-fricking-way point, woop-woop bloody WOOP! We are expecting fireworks, chopper escort and ticker-tape parade when we arive into Port Macquarie tomorrow to signify this momentous occasion....only time will tell Port Macquarie, only time will tell (you have roughly 16hrs to do final prep FYI).

Today's paddling was good apart from dropping the bag with our 2 way radio, food, sunscreen, flares, digital camera and Rob's water bladder when we launched from the beach this morning, but besides that today was a good day. The good news is that the folks up here are the honest type and my dad i mean *ahem* "support crew" when he went back to search had already called it in and had the items out drying them for us. Good on you Scott's Head town folk, good on you (its not just a clever name after all)!

We managed to do just over 40kms today in just over 4 hours and both myself and Rob have noticed the difference in our stamina and endurance that we have slowly built up thanks to those lovely southerlies we encountered last week. All in all we are in good strength and the afternoons aren't so filled with calls to the girlfriends or friends looking for sympathy cause we are so sore and tired...well not me anyway! Some mornings are tougher than others though as you just want to curl back up in bed and get a few more hours sleep rather than getting up at 4am knowing that you have to get into the water well actually this is every morning but who's counting? That said once you get out on the water and you warm up little everything is ok and you just point the nose to the most distant headland and paddle.

When you are out on the water and have been paddling for awhile and you have taken as many stabs as you can at Rob and you are both sulking cause that headland is not getting any closer and you swear, i mean, you know that you are going backwards (you never actually are but at the time you know this to be the truth) you start to think about a lot of things, some random and some not as random as others. Here is a list i have compiled of some of the things that you think of and bear in mind some of these are at the darkest of hours:

1. Food - that you have eaten, you are going to eat and you would eat if it was right in front of you at that exact time

2. The future - so much about the future...

3. Work - contemplating where you have started, where you are going and general work stuff like 'where did that stapler go i had 6 months ago...?"

4. Love - what a craazy notion!

5. Sex - same as food above just replace 'eat' for 'have'

6. The paddle - actually finishing the paddle and making it to Bondi. Then the following day watching the kayak go up in flames as you laugh like a jackal.

7. Mortality - kind of a big one out on the water as there are certain times when you have no other humans around and a national park for massive stretches and you start to wonder what if a shark....what if we got knocked out and....would Rob jump in the water if a shark grabbed my arm mid stroke to save me?

To answer the last one Rob asked me this question and i said probably not so would not expect anything less from him.

There is a lot more things that go on in your head out on the water but they would be the top 5 but i will be sure to update you if there is anything else that bumps something off the list.
WE are currently staying with some family friends in South West Rocks for the night which is great of them to put us up for the night. WE went for a wander through town earlier and stumbled across the local Thai takeaway and being a fan of a good pun we had to take a picture and i have included the image for you all.

About it for me today but stay tuned...

Love Scott.

Day 6 and 7 - Coff's to Nambucca

2008-12-26T19:49:00.002+11:00

Got to be quick on this one as I'm sitting in a chip shop smelling kiosk, I'm tired and the web point is like something out of a 60s Sci-fi movie. It's going to start asking me to call it Hal and then defrost the freezer and short circuit the cold drinks machine, electrecuting me as I try to pull the plug.

Xmas day was very relaxing as we sat round the pool in Coff's, ate loads of food and generally zoned out. Today was a relatively short one of 42kms to Nambucca. we had following winds and so pressed onto Scott's Head after a pretty knackering 2nd half. Even though the winds are behind us know, the chop is heavy and it takes a lot of effort to keep the kayak stable and on course. lots of dolphins, no shark sightings but I've heard since that there were some tiger sharks out there today. Scott's passed out and I'm heading to bed.

Night. ROB

Day 5 - Yamba to Coff's Harbour

2008-12-25T11:11:00.003+11:00

Yeahaaa another day from heaven and hell. the morning was great - no wind, sun coming up over the horizon, oily sea, 2 shark sightings and Keggsy was on good form playing a classic mix of indie hits for the first 3 hours. we had a perfect beach landing and coffee break at Bare Bluff then got back into the kayak. Idyllic. We'd been expecting a southerly change but not so early in the day and just as we got off the beach, i felt the breeze pushing the tip of my hat down into my face. Great...it got stronger. Four hours of muscle and ligament grinding later, having struggled straight into this head-on wind and chop, I was tired, my wrist was killing, I'd been in and out of black thoughts 4 or 5 times already...and in my mind, it was all Scott's fault! That's what I've discovered happens when you're under massive physical stress and tired, you blame the nearest living thing near to you, and after 8 hours paddling, that's the other person in your kayak...and they're not going anywhere. Hee hee. What fun. I think Scott was about ready to hit me round the head with the paddle. As soon as you're safe and out of the wind, the mood totally changes the music gets turned up and it's all good fun and laughs again. After 8 1/2 houres, we eventually got into Coff's Habour entrance, which was like a washing machine, and had a camera crew from channel 9 NBN plus Coff's Habour Advocate photographer waiting on the beach. We're in The Tropic Oasis in the sun now sitting by the pool on our Xmas Day off. Mr and Mrs Timbrell have arrived and brought stacks of food and presents. Legends. Happy Christmas everyone. ROB

Day 3 and 4

2008-12-23T18:16:00.004+11:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day. I managed to strain my wrist during the first two days of ripping southerly winds and as it was still howling out at sea, decided to knock up the kms by paddling down the Evans River. It was stunning. Today however we were up at 4.30am and back out on the high seas with a gentle NE wind following down the coast. After another shark sighting, a beach break at Brooms Head and some stronger winds, we ended up cruising past our goal of Minnie water and straight into Wooli. We hadn't meant to, but my map reading isn't that good and from 2kms out, it all looks the same. Still, it was 10km more than we meant to do so the paddle to Coff's tomorrow should be more manageable than the 62km we'd planned. There are strong NW winds at the sart of the day turning into SW in the afternoon which could be a shattering way to arrive, so we're getting up at 4am tomorrow instead to try and beat it. Yippee.

Putting some pictures on the blog now. Below are a couple of videos. ROB

Day 2 - Ballina to Evans Head (40kms)

2008-12-21T15:28:00.002+11:00

Ouch ouch ouch, lots of expletives and a call out for happy pills. That was another really really tough day. The southerly is still blowing strong, white caps on the water, wind in the face and no time to eat, pee or check the radio. From Ballina to Evans Head is one long open stretch of endless beach with the only landmarks being so far away that you just don't feel like you're moving or getting any closer. It's a real test on morale. After 5 hours head on into the wind, we made the call to do a beach landing (something we've been advised not to do if possible) as the strain was too much and my arse was shouting at me to stand up and walk around, which isn't advisable or possible 1km off shore in a rocking kayak. Jesus may have done it but then he hadn't been paddling for 33kms without peeing.

Anyway, the beach landing went well (Scott's got 29 years of surf experience), but we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, no houses, no people and no road access, plus the waves looked too big to get back out again once rested. It looked like it could be a long trek. Then, like a mirage from the sea spray, came Dave, a wildlife reserve ranger who was steaming up the beach in a 4 x4 truck checking out the populations of endangered birds; oyster catchers and siberian somethings. We hitched the kayak to the back of the truck with Scott hanging on by one hand and me sitting warm in the front, whilst we sped down the last 7kms of beach to Evans Head, where we continued the last kms of the paddle up the river. Some may call it cheating, some may call it a lucky break, but we're just thankful not to be sitting in a sand dune shivering and checking out the birds (of the lesser spotted feathery type).

The campsite's all set up, bellies are full of fish and chips and we're off to the bowlng club tonight to shake a bucket of cash and raise funds.

I'm praying for North Easterly winds for tomorrow.

A massive thanks Sofia and Leif who've got us into a jungle resort for tomorrow night. Bring on the massage girls. (I'm joking Al x). ROB

Day 1...done!

2008-12-20T20:42:00.003+11:00

So after day 1 both myself and Rob are feeling sore, raw and a little disillusioned. Who would have thought paddling 740km down the East Coast would have ben so hard...well not us for one but we have been shown the hard way that this is not the case.
After starting the day in magnificent form with Channel 9 news and the Byron Echo coming along to film the launch we started our paddle on a nice, clear and calm Byron Bay. This however changed as soon as we rounded the corner and headed straight into a Southerly wind that was trying to push us backwards (very unproductive wind and i think i mentioned this to it on numerous occasions with the odd swear word chucked in so it knew i was serious). The wind did not let up and turned our 4 hour paddle into a 7.5 hour paddle of endurance, great way to start!
We did see some marine life on our travels with the first being about 40 minutes into the trip. Now before i mention what we did see i should introduce our 3rd paddler named 'Kegsy'. Kegsy is our bucket of tunes iPOD dock which we aptly had blasting some songs to motivate us on our trip. Now as i was saying our first visitor, was a shark that we saw off to the left of us a couple of times which prompted the question "does bass attract sharks?". We didnt want to test this so we turned it off just in case and promised to Google bass and sharks. Upon returning we have realised that this is the case so Kegsy's involvement on the paddle is in jepoardy for the rest of the trip. Kegsy is understandably upset...
Thanks to Leif and Sophia coming down to see off us in Byron and be sure to go see Leif for any Aveda products you may need when in town and not a couple of skanky cheaper girls who have just opened a salon down the road.
Also a big thanks to Dan, Lisa and little Indy for making the trip down to say hello and see us off, it was much appreciated. Indy and i did not hit it off to well but i do have to say that it is one good looking baby but with parents and genes that she has there is no wonder (see picture below of the happy parents and even happier little girl i am holding, always had a way with the ladies...). Thanks guys and speak to you all soon.
I am off to bed now for a 4am start.
Stay tuned.
(sorry have bad connection so cant upload images but will do so tomorrow).

The start of the trip

2008-12-19T08:06:00.003+11:00

So it is 8:13am on the day before the paddle and i am at Sydney airport ready to fly up the coast to Byron to relax and prep for the trip.
The only problem with this plan is that the plane has been delayed for 2 hours so i am stuck and stranded, on a caffeine high with nowhere to go. My main hope is that this does not become a re-occuring theme for the trip....i'm sure we will be fine?
My sister Joanne is roughy about 100km out of Byron and she is kindly driving the kayak up the coast for us so we are ready to go tomorrow morning. Big thanks to her and for her help as she will also be staying on as our road crew for the first few days so big ups big sis!
Stay tuned as i am sure the blog will become a lot more interesting over the next few weeks once we start tomorrow, as opposed to a blog written in a sterile airport from an anxious, ADD riddled person such as myself.
Peace.

Santas drop in with Adrenalin.com.au

2008-12-18T06:33:00.005+11:00

As part of our training regime, we've been looking for ways to increase the heart rate and get the fear factor pressure on high in order that when we see sharks on our paddle, we don't freeze and start crying. So when I was given the chance yesterday to jump out of a perfectly good plane, dressed as Santa with full red suit, white beard and hat - I said yes please...and then rand to the car to get a spare change of pants. It was to celebrate the launch of a new range of festive experiences to buy online from Adrenalin.com.au, including amongst other things, a tandem skydive with Santa. Have a look at the footage (I'm the short person who's first out of the door at the beginning).

Adrenalin have been really supportive of our paddle trip. They gave us a kayak tuition experience in Sydney harbour for our charity auction and are potentially using their power boat for journalists to follow us into Bondi on the last stretch on the 9th January.

Olympus says that Poseidon's cool with it

2008-12-14T20:07:00.005+11:00

Olympus have very kindly given us a couple of their waterproof and shockproof 1030SW 10.1 megapixel cameras for use on the journey. It means that we'll be able to upload pictures and footage each night, capture sea life as it trys to eat us and make what we write on the blog seem more interesting. Very very cool. Keep checking this site for updates.

After all this time thinking about it and preparing, we'll be on the water in just 6 days. We fly up to Byron on Friday, start paddling on Saturday and should be back to Sydney in just 20 days.

Thanks

2008-12-14T20:02:00.002+11:00

Again just a quick thanks to all those people and companies that helped contribute to our auction fund raiser.

Byron to Bondi on The Morning Show

2008-12-10T07:09:00.003+11:00

So yesterday morning we woke up Nelly and took her to the Channel 7 studios for an interview with Larry and Bec on the Morning Show about the trip. Follow the link to watch the interview.

Huge thanks!

2008-12-09T13:26:00.003+11:00

A massive thanks to everyone that donated prizes to the auction, that came along to show their support and to those that bid for prizes and donated money. We raised over $4000 on the night which is a fantastic result. Thanks also goes to the ladies from the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and also to Scott's parents who came down to Sydney for the night and chatted to just about everyone in the room.

Auction prizes

2008-11-29T08:55:00.004+11:00

Auction prizes for Wednesday night so far are....
Hope you can make it.

Kylie Double Pass – Silver
Adrenalin experience gift vouchers - www.adrenalin.com.au
Dinner for 2x at Favela - www.favela.com.au
Lamborghini toy cars - www.lamborghini.com
$300 ksubi voucher - www.ksubi.com
Men’s out fit from the new Fernando Frissoni label - www.sunherald.com.au/fashion
Framed large print from Aquabumps - www.aquabumps.com
Time Out Subscription - www.timeoutsydney.com.au
Ruby Smallbone dress - www.rubysmallbone.com.au
Famous Magazine beauty pack - www.famousmag.com.au
Deus Ex Machina gift vouchers - www.deus.com.au
Odyssey sunglasses - www.odyssey2020.com
1 week satellite phone hire and 2 hour boat charter from Pittwater - www.banksiaferrycharters.com.au

Fundraising auction launch party

2008-11-22T17:04:00.004+11:00

YOU'RE INVITED!

We're holding a fundraising party in Paddington on Wednesday 3rd Dec for anyone that can make it. There's going to be so many cool items up for auction including Odyssey sunnies, an Aquabumps surf pic and weekends away, to exclusive tickets to Kylie's sold out concert and Gucci handbags, plus loads more. We'll put a full list up soon. Please pass on the invite to anyone that would like to come, can donate something to the auction or would like to know more about our paddle and our cause - raising money and awareness of Prostate Cancer.

The kayak schedule

2008-11-17T20:34:00.003+11:00

Here's our planned paddle schedule. It includes the approximate distance to paddle, date and destination. I seem to have underestimated the total distance by about 100kms from when we first considered this trip - oops. Just means some big paddle sections and less room for bad weather. We've got a remote camping spot planned on Broughton Island, but the rest are mostly towns. The biggest section is 60km, which could cause some problems, but we've got a couple of rest days and some fat within the plan. Currently Christmas is at Coffs and New Year at Seal Rocks. I'm not sure that the celebrations at Seal Rocks are going to be that wild, but I like the idea of a bonfire on the beach and beers.

5 weeks to go

2008-11-15T13:20:00.006+11:00

I've been out this morning to buy stuff from a boat place. It feels like being a kid in lolly shop except its all a lot more expensive. Here's what I got myself:

1 x Hig vis workman's shirt - so I can be seen on the water
1 x workman's polaroid sunnies - much less expensive at $10 than the Oakley kind - also pretty cool looking
1 x 2m length of nylon rope - I feel like I should have it, without knowing what it's for
1 x roll of sealable rubber tape - for the paddles and minor repairs
1 x roll of all purpose duct tape - for major repairs
1 x fibreglass repair kit - for bolstering the middle of the kayak which has fallen in slightly - I'll do that tomorrow
2 x smoke flares
2 x red light flares
1 x plastic flag thing that can be seen by helicopters, satellites and god
1 x glow stick - for hard house kayaking once the ipod's installed
1 x emergency blanket - in case I get cold
1 x emergency mirror - for annoying people on the beach

I talked to the guys behind the desk and apparently we can hire EPIRBS and VHF radios which is great beacause the cost a bomb.

All that's left is to get an emergency collapsable paddle, marine charts, some lifejackets, funding, water holders, the kayak up to Byron and to start paddling. We're getting there. R

I'm a bi-global home owner

2008-11-08T08:50:00.004+11:00

Oh my god, or (OMG) as my girlfriend puts it - I'm coming to terms with the fact that I'm a 'bi-global home owner'. In the past it's taken years for people to out themselves, but with modern technology and access to the web, it now takes just seconds. Literally 10 hours ago, me and Ali (my harem queen) signed a contract on a house in Manly...so what with kayak courses and a bloody great 6m fibreglass double kayak sittting in the garden outside...I'm penniless. Scott says that he'll bring me a sandwich and some milk when he comes round.

The auction party we're doing is looking great. We've got all sorts of crazy prizes. The venue and date will be confiormed this week and the invite will go up on the blog, so if you're reading this and can get to Australia in early Dec then you're morally, physically and spiritually obligated to come along. Anyone that can donate some cool prizes please let us know.

So...on media we've had some good news. The Morning show on Channel 7 have said they'd like to interview us. Aquabumps Eugene has given us a post. Outdoors magazine are doing a link and the Manly Daily are doing a shoot. Woop woop. We're going to make prostates famous.

Another massive thanks to Bruce from Pittarak kayaks and his lovely lady. We went up to see them last weekend and got some great advice that has reshaped our whole outlook on the journey. They've done some amazing work for kids' cancer research and there are sites all around the country that have been started by the work they've done together. Check out the site.

Name TBC

2008-11-06T11:30:00.003+11:00

So we had our first paddle this morning on our new double Pittarak kayak that we brought on the weekend. I am a little and tired now after being up since 4:30am this morning but no pain no gain I guess...

We were both happy to know that it floats!

The only thing left for us to do (besides the obvious of training as much as possible) is to name her. We were hesitant to give her just any name so we are waiting for the name to come to us when training so we will keep you posted.

Only a small one today but thought it was important to let you know about another milestone achieved.

Scott.

Bring on the coverage!

2008-10-23T20:06:00.005+11:00

We got our first piece of coverage on the paddle this week - a whole half page at the front of the Wentworth Courier, a well read Sydney weekly. I place stories on big companies for a living so it's weird to be pitching yourself in, but great to be doing it for a charitable cause. If you're interested in reading the article then click on the title above.

Also really exciting news - we now have a logo, thanks to Brad Madge and his design skills. We just need to get T-shirts and caps made up now for all our adoring groupies. Really, if anyone can help us get 20 T-shirts printed in size 8 DD, please let us know.

Training's going good. I've had a couple of pre-work sessions during the week with Guy Leech and his hard core group of gnarly locals. Last weekend I had a couple or more beers in Manly stuffed a tenner in a pokie and won $700 straight up. I couldn't believe it. So I woke up the next morning pegged it down to the wharf and spanked it all on a second hand sit-on-top kayak for morning paddle sessions. It's now sitting padlocked to the side of the house. It's a big ol lump of plastic to be carrying down to the water and I almost fell down the stairs with the think balanced on my head on Tuesday, but so worth it once in. I live on Fairy Bower in Manly so I just paddled down the beach and back up to Shelly. Great thing to do as the sun's coming up.

It's all about the training...

2008-10-11T20:00:00.002+11:00

So its a Saturday night and i am at home updating my blog and like the title says it is all about the training! The realisation has just hit home over the past week that we are now commited to travelling down the East Coast in a tiny fibreglas boat in under 3 months as the money and interest has started to rol in.
I have set myself a no alcohol and fairly strict training regime to get myself ready for this (if that is at all possible...). I have even been trying out new things such as pilates as I have been told that this is great for your balance and core muscles which is what you primarily need to row. Now if anyone has ever seen an old Country n Western film where an out of towner enters the saloon and everyone stops what they are doing and stares at the stranger, well that is exactly how i felt walking into my first pilates class with all of the women! I do however have a new found respect for all of the girls that take these classes as it was bloody hard but did feel great afterwards.
As Rob has mentioned we went down to Jervis Bay for some kayak survivak training last week which was gret but ridiculously cold. We learnt how to capsize (I found out that i was more than proficient in this skill) and how to get yourself back once capsized, not as easy as one would think! Met some characters down there and sung soe karaoke 'Twist n Shout' getting a standing ovation and we were asked for encore, not to brag or gloat or anything! Big shout to Fluff and when i am next down i wil have to grab my hoodie that I left at your house.
Will keep you all posted soon on progress and stay tuned...
Scott.

Pics from Jervis Bay Kayaking

2008-10-11T08:20:00.003+11:00

Lining up for plunger coffee and carrot cake. There were dolphins playing in the water as we stood there.

Scott toweled up trying to keep warm having been the first to get wet

Scott warming up with a little dance back at the house

You're back in the room

2008-10-10T17:53:00.003+11:00

Whoohooo it's all kicking off again. We had a bit of a lull but we're back on track with firing out emails and picking up the phone. I'm starting training with Guy Leech on Tuesday, we're meeting the APCF ladies on Thursday, Scotty's done an exercise program which involves far too much protein powder and I've started trying to get us some media hype - plus this blog site now comes up on Google meaning it must have a few followers.

We did a 2 day kayak training course in Jervis Bay last weekend in the rain and the cold. It was good to get a feel for the kayaks and I suppose that getting cold and wet and capsizing and shivering for half the day is all a part of the game we've signed up for. I suppose. I was more imaging hot and calm Christmas days but we'd be lucky if that lasted for all 20 that we're planning to paddle. The carrot cake was good at Jervis.

Big thanks to Fluffy and the Shoalhaven lads and lasses that entertained us for the weekend. We'll be back for some more Yegas and a kareoke encore some time.

I'll put up some pictures soon although a lot of them have had to be deleted. R

Charity trip gaining speed again

2008-09-27T17:52:00.002+10:00

It's been a while since we've posted anything. I've been back in the UK seeing family and Scott's been on a Bali surf trip so we haven't spoken in a bit. Now that we're both back in the country it's time to start ramping up the campaign. The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia has given us official approval now on using their logo and support so we're going to meet soon and work out next steps. Hopefully we'll be able to work together over the next few months to spread the word and start raising funds.

It's amazing how when you make the first few steps on an idea with good intention, people respond so well and we've had a lot of people saying that they'd be willing and able to help. Bruce from Pittarak kayaks is going to give us his advice on the coastline, shark hangouts and any rips that'll set us on a course to New Zealand after the Ditch crossing boys. We also had some fantastic news from Ian at Meridian Kayaks who is actually in the process of making a double kayak that he says we can use for the trip! The guy's a legend and without his help we'd be attempting the journey in a bath tub. He's even putting a rush job on production of the prototype to make sure it gets completed in time. He's promised to include a beer fridge and waterproof ipod speakers in the design, so hopefully the coast guard will hear are merry singing each day and carols at Christmas.

There's a couple of things we're doing to try and make the trip slightly safer and a little more achievable considering that we're currently more at home in a client meeting than a kayak. Firstly I've booked us into a two day ocean kayaking course next weekend down at Jervis Bay Kayaks so that we can learn how to paddle in a straight line, not sink and get back in if we do capsize. The second is get into some mid week training. Guy Leech (Australia's Mr Fitness and celebrity Iron Man) is also a supporter of the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and runs paddle training sessions round the corner in Manly, so we're going to start getting up earlier and getting onto the water before work. I used to do his PR so I'd hope he takes it easy on us.

More consistent updates to follow. We're still looking for company sponsors and equipment (clothing, EPIRBS, tough laptop) so if you or someone you know can help, please let us know and pass on this blog address. I'm going to try and make contact with the Manly Daily tomorrow.

Rob

Training

2008-08-30T16:54:00.005+10:00

Today was our first day paddle training and it's made us realise how much work there is to do. We only covered around 8kms and we're supposed to be doing 35 a day for 20 days non stop. Oh god. It's not the same as river paddling as there's no river and no running water and if you don't paddle then you don't go anywhere. Weirdly that's come as a bit of a shock. It's good to have the reality check though as otherwise we'd end up on the water in Byron and it would all be over in a couple of hours having just got past the light house. There's some serious training to do and we're going to end up looking like the spartans from 300 and if we don't then I'm going to use makeup to get the 12 pack going for the photo call. I'm off to the UK on Monday for a couple of weeks so Scotty's on the case with chasing up sponsorship - we still haven't got a kayak as yet but the Australian Prostate Cancer Foundation has accepted our proposal so we can start sending out materials with their logo now. It's getting closer - we're both hugely busy with work and so late evenings and weekends are the only time we've go to make this happen. My mum still thinks we're mad and my girlfriend's decided to go home for Xmas and New Year rather than worry if we've been eaten my sharks each day. If anyone's thinking of doing a festive surf trip then let us know as we could do with some support on the land.
I had an idea today to do the whole thing dressed in suits, shirts, ties and bowler hats. It would look great as a launch photo and kind of gets that message out that anyone can have an adventure and raise some cash for a good course even if like us you've got intense day jobs and work in the city. 9to5 jobs (or 8to7 in our case) doesn't mean you have to be a rat. We're going to be racing whales instead.

Sunday morning

2008-08-24T08:22:00.005+10:00

It's a beautiful Sunday morning - sunny, clear and there's waves in Manly...fantastic. I've already done some school work and I'm about to email a few people about the trip. Got to check my lotto tickets, get a coffee, go for a surf and then we're supposed to be doing a training session at Spit Bridge for a couple of hours. Scott's gone awol so I've charged up the ipod and am steeling myself for a bit of solitary paddling. It's stunning on a nice day, cruising past all the mosman boat houses and finding little beaches with waterfalls away from everything. I came back on Friday night after a few beers and started emailing some adventure blogs and kayak websites, so if you're reading this and received a badly spelt email, I apologise - the intention was good . Massive thanks to Ian at Meridian Kayaks www.meridiankayak.com.au who emailed back almost immediately. Ian I'll be calling you this afternoon. Thought I'd attach the below picture I took of nuns looking like penguins picnicing on Fairy Bower Beach during the recent World Youth Day celebration (Fairy Bower is so named because of the real local penguin population.) Happy Sunday.
R

Logo needed!

2008-08-20T22:06:00.000+10:00

If anyone's got a crayon, mascara pen (it's a wand apparently), paint set or professional graphics mac program, could you have a go at making us a logo? We need something funky and simple for the site, T-shirts, sausage sizzle banner, boat and front page of the Daily Telegraph. Take 2 minutes to have a scribble and send us your ideas and designs to robinflowe@hotmail.com or scott.timbrell@hostville.com.au . We'll put them up on the site for everyone to vote on...unless they're rubbish. Thanks R

Up and running...

2008-08-18T18:27:00.000+10:00

So after our first day of being live and raising funds for our cause we reached $275.

Both myself and Rob are much appreciated with the early effort but we still far from our goal of $10,000, so we will need you all to get behind us and donate as much money that you can possibly afford.

We will be planning some fund raiser events in the lead up to our launch date from Byron so keep checking in on this page for updates.

Scott & Rob.

Inspiration from Crossing The Ditch

2008-08-17T09:54:00.001+10:00

A few weeks ago I met up with two utterly aspirational and inspiring guys, James and Justin, who had kayaked from Australia to New Zealand in their modified kayak, Lot 41. They'd paddled 3318kms over 62 days in January 2008 to make the world's first trans-tasman kayak crossing. They were speaking at the Sydney International Boat Show, gave me loads of advice, contacts and even offered us their old pittarak training kayak until we could find our own. There must be something about achieving great things that makes you a nice person because these guys were fantastic. Below are some comments they've sent us that I'm going to put up on the home page. Check out their website and DVD - they also do some fantastic lecturing for businesses and groups.

"It's great to see fellow kayakers getting out there and challenging themselves , whilst at the same time raising funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer. Both Justin and believe in what Rob and Scott are going out to achieve and will support them in any way that we can. We can only urge you to do the same"

“Their paddle down the East Coast of Australia is giving Corporate Australia an opportunity that cannot be missed.

This adventure is a must to get behind, with young Australians going out achieving dreams and raising funds for a most worthy cause- prostate cancer.

Dream to say anything is possible and as Australians we can achieve great feats.”

James Castrission
Adventurer- Crossing the Ditch
World First Trans Tasman Kayak Expedition

The beginning

2008-08-16T15:33:00.000+10:00

I work in a fun consumer PR company in Sydney called One Green Bean. Scott works on events in our sister creative ad agency Host. We both work big hours on pressured jobs and have sparse time for hobbies outside of school except surfing and letting the social kettle whistle. We all need more than work and beer sometimes so this project is about proving that however busy life is, there's always room for some adventure...and then more beer. About a month ago we were sitting in a pub in Surry Hills on a Sunday having just done a surreal press conference at the Sheraton with 5 WWE wrestlers and one diva in town for a live tour at Acer Arena. It's a varied and bizarre job that we have. Later that night we were in wrestling masks slugging bundies and shouting with a 17,000 strong crowd of red necks watching the Undertaker slam Batista whilst 6 year old kids screamed blue murder and middle aged men spat froth. Anyway, before this we'd been chilling out and sipping on skooners of carlton in a more civilised fashion when off hand Scott mentioned that he'd decided to paddle the east coast of Australia. A member of Scott's family was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer and this was his way of helping, coping and making a difference. This is where it all began.

(Below pic: Scott, Julian and Rob at Acer Arena on 15th June)