Hawkesbury Canoe Classic

The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic is an annual marathon canoe race taking place on the Hawkesbury River in Northwest Sydney usually at the end of October. The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic consists of a 111 km paddle downstream starting in Windsor and finishing in Mooney Mooney. The race is Australia's fourth-longest annual canoe race after the 404 km Murray Marathon, the 208 km Riverland Paddling Marathon on the Murray River between Martins Bend and Morgan in South Australia and the 133 km Avon Descent in Western Australia. The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic has over 300 paddlers each year. Around 300 paddlers travel 111 km in moonlight, down the Hawkesbury River from Windsor to Brooklyn, to raise money for Charity. Over the years the Hawkesbury Classic has developed into a great event. Paddlers, their land crew and hundreds of volunteers converge on the banks of the Hawkesbury River at Windsor on the day of the event to enjoy the fun and competition of an overnight paddle, and the now famous camaraderie and spirit of the event. Paddlers leave Windsor between 4pm and 4.30pm on Saturday and pass 18 safety checkpoints during the night. The fastest craft arrive at Brooklyn on Sunday morning in less than 10 hours, but the average time is closer to 15 hours. The classic began in 1977 and is made possible by volunteers who put in hundreds of hours of time throughout the year, the landowners who allow the use of their land for the weekend and the paddlers and their support crews. The Classic has raised more than $4.5 million for medical research, the major beneficiary continues to be will be the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation.

Entry fees and sponsorship monies raised by the Classic go towards supporting medical research. The first race in 1977 had 250 participants and raised A$8,500. This has increased over time with $185,000 donated in 2008. Over a 30 year association approximately $4.5 million has been donated to the Arrow Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation.[1]

The Classic is supported by volunteers from the NSW State Emergency Service, WICEN NSW (part of the VRA) and Marine Rescue NSW (Hawkesbury).

The 2024 Event is scheduled for the 26-27 October 2024.[2]

## Craft types

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The Hawkesbury Canoe Classic accommodates boats of all types (canoes, kayaks, outriggers) provided that they are propelled by human muscle. The majority of paddlers use canoes and kayaks with C1, C2, K1, K2 and TK types being the most popular choices. TK2 boats are claimed to be the best boats for the Hawkesbury as they provide stability and speed at the same time. Despite the strengths of the TK boats, professional and elite paddlers opt to compete in Olympic-class boats for the extra speed component. Ocean racing skis are becoming the most popular craft for the out and out racers in this event.

## References

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1. ^ "Supporters - Hawkesbury Canoe Classic Association". Australian Bone Marrow Transplant Foundation. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
2. ^ "Fun and Challenge | Hawkesbury Canoe Classic Association Inc |". canoeclassic. Retrieved 2022-02-03.

## External links

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* Official Site

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Hawkesbury River region, New South Wales, Australia

Islands|

* Dangar
* Lion
* Long
* Milson
* Peat
* Spectacle

National parks and nature reserves|

* Bouddi
* Brisbane Water
* Cattai
* Dharug
* Ku-ring-gai Chase
* Marramarra
* Muogamarra
* Popran

European explorers of the region|

* Arthur Phillip
* Watkin Tench

Bridges and ferries|

| Bridges|

* Brooklyn Bridge
* Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge
* Hawkesbury River railway station
* Mooney Mooney Bridge
* Peats Ferry Bridge
* Windsor Bridge

|

Ferries|

* Berowra Waters
* Hawkesbury River Ferries
* Lower Portland
* Sackville
* Webbs Creek
* Wisemans

Adjoining rivers, bays,
reservoirs, and creeks|

| Rivers|

* Colo
* Grose
* Macdonald
* Nepean
* Warragamba
* Wolgan
* Wollangambe

|

Bays|

* Brisbane Water
* Broken Bay
* Pittwater

Reservoirs|

* Mangrove Creek Dam
* Warragamba Dam

Creeks|

* Badgerys
* Bells
* Berowra
* Blaxland
* Breakfast
* Coal and Candle
* Cowan
* Eastern
* Mangrove
* Mooney Mooney
* Reedy
* Ropes
* South
* Webbs
* Wollemi

Local government areas|

* Central Coast
* Hawkesbury
* Hornsby
* Penrith
* Northern Beaches
* The Hills

Education|

* Colo High
* Richmond High
* Windsor High

Major attractions|

* Hawkesbury Canoe Classic
* RAAF Base Richmond

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Canoeing and kayaking

Main disciplines|

* Canoe sprint
* Canoe slalom
* Canoe marathon
* Canoe polo
* Wildwater canoeing
* Canoe sailing
* Canoe freestyle
* Paracanoe

Olympics|

* Summer Olympics
* Male medalists
* Female medalists
* Venues

Other disciplines|

* Creeking
* Dragon boating
* Nouka Baich
* Paddleboarding
* Surf skiing
* Surf kayaking
* Snow boating
* Squirt boating
* Standup paddleboarding

ICF championships|

* Sprint (Men's Canadian medalists
* Women's Canadian medalists
* Men's kayak medalists
* Women's kayak medalists
* Paracanoe medalists)
* Slalom (Men's canoe medalists
* Women's canoe medalists
* Men's kayak medalists
* Women's kayak medalists
* Mixed canoe medalists)
* Slalom Junior & U23
* Marathon
* Ocean Racing
* Wildwater canoeing

Recreation|

* Small-craft sailing
* Whitewater canoeing / kayaking
* Sea kayaking
* Canoe camping
* Kayak fishing
* Canoe and kayak diving
* Dongola racing
* Canoe orienteering
* Canoe livery

Modern boats|

* Canoe
* Kayak
* Concrete canoe
* Flyak
* Folding kayak
* International Canoe
* Malia
* Recreational kayak
* Sprint canoe

Traditional boats|

* Aleutian kayak
* Cayuco
* Chundan vallam
* Dugout
* Fur brigade
* Outrigger canoe
* Pacific Northwest
* Rabaska
* Sturgeon-nosed canoe
* Taimen
* Umiak
* Waka
* War canoe
* Swan boat

Techniques|

* Canoe paddle strokes
* Eskimo Rescue
* Kayak roll
* Portage

Equipment|

* Albano buoy system
* Outrigger
* Paddle
* Paddle float
* Paddle leash
* Royalex
* Sea sock
* Spray deck
* Tuilik

Venues|

* Artificial whitewater
* Canoeing and kayaking venues

Competitions|

* List of world records in canoeing
* Adirondack Canoe Classic
* Au Sable River Canoe Marathon
* Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Marathon
* Dusi Canoe Marathon
* Hawkesbury Canoe Classic
* Massive Murray Paddle
* National Student Rodeo
* Thameside Series
* Waterside Series
* Riverland Paddling Marathon

Festivals|

* Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival
* Duanwu Festival
* Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York
* Houston Dragon Boat Festival
* Lethbridge Dragon Boat Festival
* Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival
* Toronto International Dragon Boat Race Festival

Governing bodies|

* European Canoe Association
* American Canoe Association
* Paddle Australia
* Paddle UK
* British Dragon Boat Racing Association
* Canoe Kayak Canada
* Canoe Wales
* Croatian Canoe Federation
* Israel Canoe Association
* Scottish Canoe Association
* Portuguese Canoe Federation

Other organisations|

* Canadian Canoe Museum
* International Dragon Boat Federation
* Sir Alexander Mackenzie Canada Sea-to-Sea Bicentennial Expeditions
* UK Rivers Access Campaign

Media|

* La Chasse-galerie
* Paddle-to-the-Sea (film)
* The Rise and Fall of the Great Lakes
* Waterwalker

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