Big Boat Bonanza 2006- The Truth
Another year, another dry river in Wicklow, another Big Boat Bonanza. After last year’s legendary event and party the race has firmly established itself as the most important event in the Irish kayaking calendar, with people traveling from all over Europe to take part. This year, Alan Ellard led a contingent over from the UK, strongly supported by Pyranha kayaks and the boys from Palm Dagger. Despite a tradition of bone dry water levels, the event manages to entertain the crowds by providing limitless amounts of carnage and competitive racing.
With the race on, the party kicked off superbly on the friday night with an open mike session. Jenny Kilbride blew us all away with her incredible voice. Unfortunately things could only go downhill from there, and pretty much did. Despite the bitter cold, paddlers from the four corners of Ireland and abroad mingled and caught up until the wee hours.
Saturday morning drifted slowly into consciousness and paddlers assembled at the course for the team race. Teams of three raced the course against the clock, with the fastest time winning. After some awesome carnage the Dutch boys took joint first place in the men’s expert event with the Cork lads Cillian Duggan, Daithi Power and Sean MacIntyre, just ahead of myself, Dave Carroll and Simon Westgarth. Due to a judging error the Cork boys were relegated down the results, but subsequent enquiries and a sneaking sympathy for the fact they were from Cork and therefore rarely win anything, led to them being bumped up to joint first. In the ladies expert event Kim Siekerman, Kate Harris and Rosie Cripps won by some distance with a blisteringly fast time that would have put them in fifth place in the men’s event.
The BBB party has been elevated to legendary status over the past few years, and this year was no different. The party theme of Country and Western was strictly adhered to, with some awesome costumes. Cheesy Robertson rocked the place on the decks, and by the end of the night the place had a real wild west feel to it. Late in the evening cowboys and saloon girls wandered off to various vans, tents and B and B’s around Laragh, some very surprising and enterprising liaisons been witnessed among some of the the better known names on the Irish paddling scene.
Sunday morning, or more like afternoon, dawned slowly, and some of the British pro paddlers, perhaps accustomed to a more serious approach, were seen wandering bewilderedly around in full paddling kit at 10 am. Two hours later everyone else resurfaced and the race was on.
Boatercross involves three kayakers racing at the same time down a rapid, and requires a particular combination of speed, luck and deviousness. Each race could turn on a tiny mistake, or by assassinating the opposition. Simon Westgarth deserves a special mention for particularly devious and underhand tactics, as was expected of him, though ultimately he was knocked out by the valiant efforts of myself and Steve Fahy.
Paul Cheesy Robertson, beaten finalist several years ago, won the men’s expert in some style ahead of Ross Redmond in second place, with Kim Siekerman edging out last year’s winner Rosie Cripps in the ladies experts.
Hannah Otton and Susan Doyle won the ladies club and university categories respectively, with local paddler Mike Conway and Thomas Collier taking the top spots in the men’s club and university categories.
Through the efforts of the organizers, the BBB has become one of the most enjoyable races on the European calendar. Special thanks most go out the organiser, Shane Cronin, for the monumental task of putting the event together, and to the rest of the organising team: Steve Fahy, Pete Barron, Kate Harris, Killian ‘We know what you got up to’ Kelly, Gerry O Brien, Kim Siekerman, Dave Carroll, Noel Maguire and Mike Conway and to all those who helped out over the course of the weekend.
For full results and details of next year’s event keep an eye on www.bigboatbonaza.com. All photos thanks to Pete Barron, Brendan Barry and Michelle Granaghan.
December 26th, 2006 at 3:50 pm
What an outright lie, Mr Coffey after being a boat length be hide leading into the first rapid, grapped my boat and pull himself ahead, whilst Steve also join in the underhand tactic, leave myself form being in the lead to being last. So with the crowd finally in sight I reproduced the same tactic on Steve, whilst Rob had gottne ahead, but was pinned across Jacksons. With him in the cross hairs I T boned him on the broadside, where up on he went for the bear hug, and this is how it stayed until Steve broke free from last to first. Look at the image of Rob above, why is he reaching across if only to cheat, terrible and ungentlemently.
The Flesk awaits soon