2026 Torrens Island Race

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2026 Torrens Island Race

  • When: 23 August 2026
  • Time: 9:30am to be on the water for 10:00am
  • Distance: 16 Km, allow around 2.5 hours
  • Location: Garden Island Boat Ramp, Port Adelaide

The ACC Grading for this event is: Demanding. Please check the trip grading description for more details.

Organiser an contact: Hugh Stewart, 0423283214 and on WhatsApp.

This event is free for members of the Adelaide Canoe Club and non-free for other participants.

Closing date/time to register: Sunday 23 August at 10:00pm.

The event is open to all paddlers but must be in a sea kayak, surf or ocean ski or outrigger canoe longer than 15 feet (4.5m) in length. Not suitable for flatwater K or C boats but exceptions will be made on the day depending on weather and the paddler.  All paddlers should have paddled at least 16km in the 6 months prior to the event, and be competent in self rescue. Contact the organizer if you are unsure.

If you have any questions about the event get in touch with the organisers. Please register via JustGo online prior to the closing date – see booking link below.  If you are not a Paddle Australia member you will be required to sign up as a temporary member on the day. Ticking the ‘I am going’ box on the Facebook Event page does not constitute a booking.

Torrens Island Circumnavigation (16km)

This race is for people who have paddled previously in open water on the ocean and can complete a 16km paddle. PFDs and self-rescue equipment are mandatory and boats will be scrutinised for open water suitability and safety prior to the start. This race is for sea kayaks, surf skis, ocean skis and outrigger canoes over 4.5 metres in length.  Flat water craft without bulkheads (e.g. Olympic K and C boats and TK1s etc) will be included at the discretion of the organisers (dependent on weather and expertise of the paddler).

The race will run anti-clockwise from the Garden Island boat ramp, towards St Kilda, through the channel known as ‘ the cutting’, returning down the Port River, under the Torrens Island road bridge and back to the Garden Island boat ramp.  Safety boats will patrol the participants during the event.

If weather forecast is for winds above 15kn during the event we will run the event over the short loop course as described below (4 laps).

8 km short loop

We will also run an event consisting of two laps of a course running from the boat ramp to the end of the Garden Island marina towards the power station and back. This is in protected water and is approximately 4 km per lap. We will have some discretion in the type of boat paddling this event but PFDs are mandatory.

Toilets are available Garden Island Boat Ramp.  Adelaide Canoe Club will provide a BBQ and refreshments for sale at the finish. We may take pictures of the trip and mention your name on our website. If you have any concerns about this, let the organizers know.

Note that ratios/quotas will apply, depending on the number of Instructors or Leaders on a trip. We may take pictures of the trip and mention your name on our website. If you have any concerns about this, let the trip leader know.

Torrens Island Race — 13 October 2024

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Registering prior to the briefing at Garden Island

At 10am on Oct 13, Anne and Simon Langsford started 8 boats from the makeshift start/finish line between the beach and a yellow channel marker near  the Garden Island Boat Ramp.  The course was anti clockwise heading up Barker Inlet to the cutting and then out onto Port River and through the North Arm back to the boat ramp.  The distance was about 16.5km depending on how close you paddled to the mangroves.

The Start

The race started in overcast conditions with a light Easterly wind blowing enough to make a slight chop on the starboard beam as paddlers tried to find deep water near the channel markers heading up to the cutting.  Pavel had streaked ahead out of the starting blocks so he gave everyone something to aim for.  The rescue boat manned by Jim Murphy and Ian Hume stationed itself outside of the cutting and even with low tide still a half hour away it was a slog to paddle through the bar at the entrance to the cutting.  Once through and out the other side onto the Port River, paddlers had the advantage of the light breeze coming in behind them and soon the tide changed to give an extra boost.  Great racing conditions.

Tug Boats

Mark and Berny on the Port River

Half way along the Port River paddlers watched two tugs shepherd a huge grain ship out of the Port, a reminder that we were paddling on a working river.  The tug captains were very respectful and the leading tug even slowed a little as the lead boats approached it.  Most boats stuck to the left hand edge of the channel so while they were technically on the wrong side of the channel they weren’t in the channel so not hindering other traffic.  As the paddlers turned into the North arm the tide was giving a reasonable push to those out in the channel, until paddlers reached Swan Alley where the tide coming down Barker Inlet met the tide coming in the North arm and all assistance was negated. Paddlers had to paddle the last 1000m with no assistance apart from the adrenalin rush that seeing the finish line provided.

Mark and Berny in the North Arm

Finish Line

Pavel finished the race in 1 hour and 45 minutes followed closely by Hugh S and Hugh M in their sea kayaks and then Phil and Marina in their double not far behind.  Greg just managed to pip Charlie on the line and then Mark and Berny crossed together a few minutes later. All boats were back on the beach by 12.05 so all negotiated the race at good speed.

Once the paddlers  were changed and boats away, they gathered under the shelter and marquee provided by Paddle SA.  Simon had the BBQ going, effortlessly grilling sausages organised by Greg Adams and Phil provided the coffee.  Anne then presented her ‘medals’ which were delicious.  We finished the BBQ watching 3 dolphins cruising out in the passage.

Next Year

Pavel and Hugh at the finish line

Next year we hope to have the event integrated into the Paddle SA long distance race calendar and have a few more paddlers attending, but we agreed that the ‘inaugural’ Torrens Island Race was a worthwhile and fun event. Thanks go the race organisers Greg Adams, Phil Doddridge and Hugh Stewart, Starter Anne Langsford, Scrutineer Simon Langsford, rescue boaters Peter Drewry, Jim Murphy, Ian Hume and Mark Bulmer and all those who participated.

Race Results

Name Boat Time
Pavel Berdashkevich Stellar Ocean Ski 1hour 45m 05secs
Hugh Stewart Mirage 580 Sea Kayak 1: 45: 29
Hugh MacMillan Audax Sea Kayak 1 : 53: 00
Phil Doddridge and Marina Walker Mirage 730 Double Sea Kayak 1 :54:00
Greg Adams Audax Sea Kayak 1: 55:05
Charles Walker Petrel Sea Kayak 1:55:10
Mark Loram Prijon Sea Kayak 2:06:03
Berny Lohmann Ecohezhig Sea Kayak 2:06:14

Torrens Island circumnavigation — 16 June 2024

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The trip was listed as a leisurely paddle and that’s what we did. Anne, Simon, Peter C, Peter D, Phil, Abelardo and Mark set off from the Garden Island boat ramp around 10am to paddle around Torrens Island. The tide was suitable to paddle through the shallow cutting at the northern end of the island. Conditions were nearly perfect, and they improved as we paddled.
We looked though clear water to see razor fish, oysters and an eagle ray. Birds were also in abundance; swans, pelicans, ducks, ibis and, of course, cormorants and gulls.

With such fine weather we made extremely good time getting to The Cutting. So, being well ahead of schedule, we had a quick discussion and made a unanimous decision to lengthen our trip a little and go to Bird Island for lunch.

After a pleasant lunch on a sandy beach with view of swans, pelicans and mangroves (left) and distant container ships unloading (right) we returned to the boat ramp via the Port River. Frolicking dolphins in the river added to the pleasure of the day. Back at the boat ramp we loaded our boats. (And Mark had his healthful swim in the cold water.)

All agreed it was a great way to spend a Sunday.

St. Kilda weekender with overnight stay in Community Hall — Sat 9-10 September 2023

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St Kilda Weekend History

Another great weekender out to St. Kilda was conducted on Saturday 9th and Sunday 10th September. Weather, wind and tidal conditions were perfect for the ten club members who participated.

The St. Kilda weekender has been a feature of the ACC calendar for over ten years now. It is an easy trip requiring paddlers to carry minimal equipment. We stay in the St. Kilda Community Hall overnight and go to the pub for dinner and drinks.

It’s All About the Tides

The devil is in the detail of planning however and the critical elements lie in getting the tides just right. The trip takes in most of the Port River estuary which is highly tidal. On the wrong day the currents can be severe and in places the water just disappears at low tide.

I have used the tide in a couple of ways for this trip over the years. This time around I used the dodge tide to minimise the impact of tidal currents and extremely low water levels. A dodge tide is a phenomenon almost unique to Gulf St. Vincent and Spencer Gulf. It also occurs in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf Of Mexico. A dodge tide is where the water levels change minimally over a 24 to 48 hour period; it is if the tides miss a day! Last weekend we had a 15 hr tide on Sunday resulting in negligible current and change in water levels. The water level did not go below 1.2m during daylight hours which is most important when planning to explore the mangrove creeks of the Barker Inlet and the Section Bank at Outer Harbor.

I have also used spring tides (nothing to do with the seasons!) to create a fun “ride the tide” experience. On this type of tide we begin at Largs Bay and travel into the Outer Harbor Channel where the rapid inflow of water to the Port River due to the rising tide is quite amazing! With just an easy paddling effort you can achieve 10 or more kilometres per hour.

Departure from UniSA Kayak Shed

Departure from Uni SA Kayak Sheds

Thus trip’s group including Mark L, Abelardo, Terry, Greg, Anthony, Bella, Charlie, Marina, Giresh and myself. We assembled at the UniSA kayak shed near Adelaide Marina on the main arm of the Port River to launch for the 16Km paddle out to St. Kilda. This is the first time we launched from here and it was most convenient as we could leave our vehicles locked up securely in the compound. We planned to finish the trip here as well. Big thanks to club member Dr. Scott Polley, who is a senior lecturer at UniSA for granting access.

North Arm and Ships Graveyard

Paddling Amoungst Ship’s Graveyard (2)

The journey out to St. Kilda was via The North Arm and Barker Inlet which is such a stunning and little known part of Adelaide. Travelling up the North Arm we observed the maritime relics left abandoned in the “Ships Graveyard”  early last century. The remains of vessels such as the Glaucus, Garthneil and Seminole give an insight into early shipping in South Australia. You may find more information about this unique section of the River. 

Barker Inlet and Swan Alley

Even more captivating was the exploration of the mangrove creeks of the Barker Inlet. When paddling through the maze of creeks flowing off the “mainland” you get the feeling that you’re far from civilization. It’s a stunning, waterlogged forest. Exploring comes with a warning! You have to know the impact of the tides. Get it wrong and you can encounter fast flowing water that can wash you under low tree branches resulting in capsize and a heap of real issues. At the other end of the spectrum you can run out of water…the creeks go dry at low tide heights. The creeks are best paddled on a dodge tide with a water level of at least 1m which is what we had!

Exiting Swan Alley

Our journey entered the system via Swan Alley. We then took the Embankment Channel which is artificial and links  Burrows Creek, Post Creek and Garnets Creek. Due to the tide height there wasn’t much dry land for lunch. We exited Burrows Creek to find a small sand island to haul out on before returning to the mangroves and continuing down the channel.

Arrival at St Kilda and Community Hall

On exiting the mangroves the next target was the St Kilda Channel and down to the St. Kilda Boat Club to store kayaks overnight and walk to the Community Hall. The pub meal was a little disappointing for some…. squid snitty not up to the usual standard!

Return via Bird Island and Outer Harbor

Sunday began with even better weather for our journey out to Bird Island and the Outer Harbor breakwater. Bird Island is a sand spit that has been increasing in size since I have been visiting the area. I first remember it some 20 years ago as a couple of hundred metre strip of sand running northward from the breakwater without much vegetation but plenty of bird life. It is now a couple of kilometres long and well covered with vegetation and trees. It is an important bird breeding area and one of the few location in Adelaide that Pelicans raise their young. The sand flats to the NW of the breakwater are stunning. It is easy to imagine you’re in the Bahamas!

There were also plenty of long nosed fur seals on the breakwater. Several young ones swam some distance with us and may have never seen a kayaker before.

St Kilda Dusk

The group had a slight incoming tidal current to push us the final few kilometres back to the shed. On the way we got to see one of the Naval ships under construction and were warned by Mark to stay out of the “Restricted Zone”; no saboteurs allowed!

When back to the shed it was a quick clean up of gear on the nice lawned area of the UniSA compound. A great weekend had by all!

 

Overall statistics (Links point to GPX track files)

 

Saturday 9 Sep 2023 – UniSA Kayak Shed – Barker Inlet – Swan Alley – St Kilda – 17 Km

UniSA Kayak Shed to St Kilda_Sat 9th Sep 2023

Sunday 10 Sep 2023 – St Kilda – Bird Island – Outer Harbour – UniSA Kayak Shed — 21 Km

Return from St Kilda to UniSA Kayak Shed Sun 10th Sep 2023

Training around the ship wreck

Basic Skills Training, Garden Island — 6 June 2022

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Between the mangrovesGhanshyam and Terry joined Anne and Simon for some training at Garden Island on Sunday. The aim of the day was to refine strokes and provide tips to improve technique. Both Ghanshyam and Terry worked hard on the exercises and showed improvements in their paddling.

The dolphins visited us to inspect their style and surfaced very close a couple of times. We then challenged our manoeuvring strokes by paddling up one of the mangrove creeks. The plan was to finish the day doing rescues, however, Ghanshyam overbalanced working on a support stroke and had an early lesson in the water. After lunch we revised the heel hook rescue on land and then returned to the warmer water near the power station to practice.

Both Terry and Ghanshyam succeeded in getting back into their boats easily. The afternoon concluded with a paddle around to the ship’s graveyard then the incoming tide pushed us back to the boat ramp and a change into warm dry clothes.Training in Garden Island

Bog Snorkelling in Hidden Creek — 24 May 2022

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Bog snorkelling is a Welsh sporting event where competitors aim to complete swims through a peat bog in the shortest time possible.

What has that got to do with a pleasant paddle down in the Garden Island area? You’ll have to read on!!

On Tuesday 24 May the following ACC members gathered at Garden Island boat ramp for the first of the winter series mid-week paddles – Phil Doddridge & Bella Kosterman (Mirage 730), Kaye & Stephen Parnell (Prijon double), Peter Carter(Voyager), Mark Loram(Prijon) and Tom Moore(Mirage 530).

It was a warm but windy day so the plan was to spend the time in the mangroves exploring a little known area called Hidden Creek. Based on limited past experience Phil though the tide would be close to ideal to paddle right to the back of the creek. The journey through the creek takes you through a beautiful mangrove forest then a stunning samphire zone. The creek ends abruptly at the salt mine; now ugly and no longer being worked.

Launch and finding Hidden Creek

Launching from Garden Island boat ramp the group worked upwind across the Angus Inlet and some way up the Barker Inlet to get a fast downwind ride to the entrance to Hidden Creek. It has this name due to the entrance being indistinct and partially blocked by fallen trees. The entrance is on the eastern side of Eastern Passage just under the power lines. Once in the shelter of the creek conditions were ideal. Out of the wind it was much warmer, the water crystal clear and the winding nature of the creek made it feel adventurous! Phil and Bella were in a Mirage 730 double with Kaye and Stephen in their brand new Prijon double.  Turning these longer kayaks to negotiate the ever sharpening bends tested sweep stroke technique, strength and endurance!

The creek began to narrow and the turns were now continuous, no more straight sections. Phil  recalled of a wider pond at the back of the creek and after a short discussion with Peter decided to push through as this would be the only real option to turn the doubles around.

Hindsight is a marvellous thing! Well before reaching the back of the creek we ran out of water, the tide was not quite ideal! And this is where the Bog challenge began! Those in single kayaks were able to turn around (just) to begin the journey out. No so those in double kayaks.

Phil surveyed the situation and found what looked like a nice sand bar to get out and turn the kayak around by hand. It would be possible to lift one end over the low scrub while the other remained in the water that was there. There was a bit of sand, perhaps 5cm deep, then it was thick black mangrove mud. Phil quickly began sinking down to his knees…YUK!! The blades of the spare paddle made good “snow shoes” and kept him above ground while he struggled to spin the M730. It became obvious after a short time that this plan was not going to work so Bella got out too and promptly sank down to her thighs in the mud. What a dilemma.

Boged in Hidden Creek

There was no easy solution to get the M730 turned around so one end was shoved up onto the scrub and the rest lifted from the water to point it in the other direction. Phil and Bella then got in, taking quite a bit of smelly mud with them, and began paddling back. Well it was a mix of paddling, pushing off tree stumps and poling through the mud trying to weave through fallen branches and areas too shallow to float the boat!

After a short distance they came across Kaye and Stephen who had seen the dilemma and decided to stay in their seats and paddle backwards to a wider section to turn around. Good decision! The retractable rudder on the Prijon made this possible whereas the fixed rudder on the M730 would have got caught on every shallow area and tree stump making it impossible. With a great deal of direction from other paddlers Kaye and Stephen manoeuvred the Prijon back through the maze and were eventually able to turn around. The group made their way back to the entrance of Hidden Creek stopping for lunch on the way.

Down to Ships Graveyard

The wind was still blowing quite strongly so after a quick discussion Kaye and Stephen opted for a direct route back while others wanting more punishment headed on to the “Ships Graveyard”. It was a fun ride downwind and into the North Arm to view the remains of the Dorothy H Sterling and Santiago. These two relics are a link to the maritime past of South Australia. The Santiago was one of the first iron hulled ships ever made and was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 1856. The Dorothy was launched in Oregon in 1920 and was one of the largest commercial sailing ships of it’s era. Unfortunately, it became a victim of the Great Depression. Upon arriving in Port Adelaide in 1929 it’s crew found that the company that owned the boat had gone bankrupt and no money was waiting for them for wages and landing fees. Eventually the Dorothy was impounded and put to auction to recoup the losses. The stunning six masted schooner was sold off for £50 then dismantled for scrap. The full stories of these relics can be found online.

The journey back to Garden Island into the wind was a good workout to finish a day of fun, adventure, discovery and problem solving! Reportedly everyone had a great time of it and had never done so many sweep strokes in one day before! The pics of the adventure tell more of the story.

Come and Join Mid-week paddles

Mid-week paddles will continue through the wintery months to differing sheltered locations on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Likely locations will include West Lakes, North Haven Marina, Myponga and other reservoirs, Onkaparinga River and coastal location where weather permits.

If your interested register with Phil Doddridge (pdodds59@bigpond.com) and you will be contacted with further details.

If you wish to learn more about Hidden Creek and exploring Garden Island, then check out Peter Carter’s websites below:

http://www.users.on.net/~pcarter/torrens_is.html

http://www.users.on.net/~pcarter/aerial.html

Cheers,

Phillip Doddridge
pdodds59@bigpond.com
0487 663 102

PA 5097

Garden Island Mangroves — 7 February 2022

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Entering Garden Island Mangroves

Frances, Linda and Peter C joined Anne and Simon at Garden Island today. If only the wind had read the BOM weather forecast and did as predicted!

Garden Island Mangroves

Instead it was blowing at well over 16 knots and then gusted even stronger as we prepared our boats for launch. We avoided the open water and explored up the two small creeks to the west of the boat ramp instead. The tide was very high so the creeks were topping their banks as we paddled up. We kept an eye on the tide to make sure we would have enough water to get back over the submerged branches. Back at the boat ramp, Linda took one of the Delta kayaks out to see the difference between it and her sit-on-top. While paddling out from the boat ramp a dolphin came quite close to her; the perfect finish to a pleasant day’s paddle.

Basic Skills Certificate Garden Island — 16 January 2022

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Great day at Garden Island on Sunday 16/January/2022 for Basic Skills training provided by Anne and Simon. We had ten (10) members attending with five (5) being new members.  Many thanks to Anne and Simon for offering and conducting a great training day.

Five members of Adelaide Canoe Club achieved their Basic Skills certificate. They demonstrated good paddling strokes, doing a rescue as both ‘swimmer’ and ‘rescuer’ and showing they can swim in their full paddling gear. Well done to Liz, Esther, Kaye, Stephen, and Ron. Simon and Anne led the instruction, assisted throughout the day by Courtney, Lisa and Mark, especially when we teamed up for the rescues in the afternoon. It might have bemused the onlookers seeing a paddling group with 3 or 4 capsizes at the same time. It was a good opportunity to practice rescues.

The day finished with a gentle paddle up one of the mangrove creeks, enjoying the beauty, peace and quiet.