Rambos Locker Outrigger Canoe Blog

Hey guys, bailing is a skill and another reason why we should be proud our sport is so different from others. The Top Crews will make a move when they see another crew bail, it can make or break a race and it’s all part of racing smart.

I remember in 1995 National Titles @ Rockhampton, Mooloolaba Masters started the race with no covers (as did lot’s of crews but not all) and just after the start the weather changed and i had to bail continuously from seat 5 for the entire 16k race. I could never get all the water out, but managed to keep the canoe high enough to maintain our lead in the race, dispite constant swamping. That was until 200 metres from the finish line when we took a huge swamping and sunk the canoe up to the gunnel’s. At that point every everyone had stopped paddling and had given up and i was so pissed at having bailed all that way i screamed at the crew to just paddle submarine style to try and make it to the finish line, as we had a sizable lead over 2nd and 3rd canoe. With the encouragement of most of the crowd on the beach we paddled underwater like crazy and passed over the line and won by half a boat length and an excited Ronnie Grabbe through his paddle so high in the air, i don’t think it ever came down.

It was one of the sweetest wins you could ever have and was a big part of what built the Mooloolaba Masters into the crew it is today and still gets talked about when the grog flows at the bar.

This was the crew - Rambo, Ronnie Grabbe, Pete Tremain, Adrian Blandford, Neil Campbell, Greg Anderson.

Bailing is a big part of our OC6 sport and history and we should embrace it and become skillful at it, not find ways to bastardize it.

BTW - My excuse for a poor “Shaka” in the photo is, i could barely lift my arms above my shoulders from all that bailing. Did OK at the bar that night though.

Learn to bail !!!!
Cheers Rambo