Welcome to the Summer Safety Special. To make sure you all enjoy the wonderful wet summer we have a series of articles to help you enjoy those lazy days paddling. Plus, after a stiff call for articles the flood gates opened and we bring you not just one, but two articles on the Easter Scotland trip. So thanks to all those who put finger’s to keyboard.
In this Issue
- Important Stuff
- How not too paddle the Upper Dart
- Dave’s International Scale of River Difficulty:
- River Safety
- For Sale Notices
- Where’s all the water gone ? – Scotland Trip Easter 2000
- Another Scotland Trip article
- Address List
- Programme
- Low brace v High brace
Important Stuff (aka Club Notices)
Notification of Bristol Canoe Club 2000 AGM We have provisionally booked Thursday October 19 for the club AGM, to be held at the University Joint Social club, the same venue as previous years. Could you please mark the date in your diaries.
Please could you all check to see whether you may have any club equipment (spray decks, buoyancy aids, etc.) which you may have accidentally left at home. If so, please bring them back – we need them! Also, if anyone has any old items of kit lying around at home, which they don’t feel they want any more, the club will normally be very happy to accept them for more active use.
A reminder about our electronic age:
The club has a web page at http://www.bristolcanoeclub.org.uk. This has details about the club, together with write-ups of some trips, back copies of the club magazine, and various photos, etc. If you have any photos you’d like to add, then give them to me to scan in, or if you have them already scanned, you can email them to me at my work address: conor.oneill@aethos.co.uk
Also, about 70 club members are on our club email list. If you have email, and would like to be on this list, then email me to tell me your email address. It is much easier to send out club programmes, etc., by email than by post.
How not to paddle the Upper Dart
At the end of January, an intrepid bunch of us again ventured down to Devon to paddle the Upper Dart. As usual, we had a mixture of people of varying abilities, experience, and enthusiasm. The weather was great, the water level about medium, so all was lined up for a great paddle.
I’m not going to describe each drop, cos I can’t remember them all anyway. However, we made good progress, and by half way down, I don’t think anyone had swam.
We came to the middle section above Euthanasia, which some people refer to as ‘the mad mile’, though luckily I’d forgotten that. We were paddling along in line, not stopping above each drop, but choosing lines ourselves. I was about half way though the group, and in front of me everything seemed fine. I then realised, as I was at the lip of one particular drop, that I’d cocked up the line a bit. I struggled to head sideways over to a better line, but badly, and I ended up piling diagonally into a stopper. Tried to stop myself going over, and arghhh.
Immediately, I realised my left shoulder had dislocated. (Yes, I’ve done my right one 4 times previously, so I know what it feels like!). I actually tried to roll, or in fact I tried wiggling the paddle around a bit with my good arm (well, it sometimes works when surfing…), but no joy. So bail out. I managed to keep hold of my paddle, and somehow I was washed almost straight away into a nice quiet eddy.
Apparently, at this time, carnage was happening all around me, but I hadn’t noticed it. Fred and Richard were having ‘fun’ in the same drop, ‘playing’ in the stoppers. Lisa saw all this, and saw me swimming, but had no time to stop above the drop. However, she got through it fine.
As I neared the bank, various people paddled up to me and called out the usual sort of ‘are you alright’ type questions, obviously assuming I was. It took a little while for me to point out that actually I wasn’t.
Funnily enough, my shoulder wasn’t hurting, while I was still in the water. I wiggled it about a bit hoping that it would go back in (it sometimes works), but it didn’t. I got Lisa to try pulling my arm in the appropriate direction, but this didn’t help either. So I then got out of the water. Then it hurt. By this time, most of the others had gathered. Quent had managed to retrieve my boat (thanks Quent). We started discussing how to get me out of there. Quent suggested that I paddle on. No thanks. I’d have to walk out. I realised that we were now only 100 yards above Euthanasia, and I know you can walk down from there.
By this time my shoulder was really hurting, and the thought of walking about 3 or 4 miles down to New Bridge was pretty horrible. I got back into the water, and got Fred to have another go at pulling my shoulder into place. Click. This worked!!! Bliss!!! Now my shoulder just felt sore, rather than horrible. So now I’d manage to walk out. Lisa dug out her first aid kit, so I even had a sling to wear.
NOTE: It is certainly not good advice to try putting shoulders back in while on a river bank. You can cause more damage, and if you trap a nerve it can be very painful. But I’d had this done to me a few times before, so I knew precisely what to do, so I decided to risk it. I DO NOT recommend anyone else to do it, and the doctor told me off afterwards too.
Lisa said she’d walk out with me; the other five would paddle on down, then walk back up to help carry our boats. So we watched them paddle Euthanasia, then started on our trek. It was horrible. The path down from there is difficult when just walking, but carrying a boat and paddle, and with only one arm, was almost impossible. It took us an hour to do about half a mile. Then the path gets better, and progress was faster. I didn’t need any help here, so Lisa was champing at the bit wanting to paddle the rest, but it wasn’t advisable on her own. Finally, about a mile from the end we met up with Quent, Gary, and Richard, so they could carry my boat, and Lisa got on the water to paddle the last bit.
We entertained a few people in the car park at New Bridge by letting Lisa remove most of my wet kit. At this time my arm was still just sore, so there didn’t seem any urgency to get to hospital. So, in fine tradition, we all went to the pub in Ashburton. Finally, when we got back to Bristol, I went off to Southmead hospital, and got my shoulder checked out. There were no complications, so it only took about 3 hours…
The result of all this was being strapped up for 6 weeks, then physio for another 6 weeks, and then still feeling very weak for a long time. I’m not sure whether I’ll ever be doing the Upper Dart again…
The moral of this story is, if you don’t want to end up with knackered shoulders, make sure that your technique is good. Fred sent me a page from William Nealy’s canoeing book, which describes exactly what I did wrong. I suggest that everyone trains themselves in stopper technique (also used when surfing), and strengthens their shoulders also. Hopefully we’ll get it scanned into this magazine too…
Happy paddling! – Conor
Here are the pages from Bill Nealy’s book:
Dave’s International Scale of River Difficulty
Someone was asking me about my class IV comfort level the other day, and my answer was something like “I’m comfortable that I can usually find an eddy to swim to”. This inspired me to write Dave’s International Scale of River Difficulty:
Class I: Easy. Fast moving water with riffles and small waves. Swimming is pleasant, shore easily reached. Almost all gear and equipment is recovered. Boat is just slightly scratched.
Class II: Novice. Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels which are evident without scouting. Swimming to eddies may require moderate effort. Climbing out of river may involve slippery rocks and shrub-induced lacerations. Paddles travel a great distance downstream requiring a lengthy walk. Canoe hits a submerged rock leaving a ding on gunwale.
Class III: Intermediate. Rapids with moderate, irregular waves which may be difficult to avoid. Water is swallowed. Legs are repeatedly ground against sharp pointy rocks. Several eddies are missed while swimming. Difficult decision whether or not to stay with boat is made. Decision to stay with boat results in moment of terror when swimmer realizes they are downstream of boat. Paddle is recirculated gently in small hole way upstream. All personal possessions are removed from boat and float of different directions. Paddling partners run along river bank shouting helpful instructions. Boat is munched against large boulder hard enough to leave series of deep gouges. Sunglasses fall off.
Class IV: Advanced. Intense, powerful but predictable rapids requiring precise swimming in turbulent water. Swimming may require ‘must’ moves above dangerous hazards. ‘Must’ moves are downgraded to ‘strongly recommended’ after they are missed. Sensation of disbelief is experienced while about to swim large drops. Frantic swimming towards shore is alternated with frantic swimming away from shore to avoid strainers. Rocks are clung to with death grip. Paddle is completely forgotten. One shoe is removed. Hydraulic pressure removes car keys and credit cards from zippered paddle jacket pocket. Paddle partners running along stream look genuinely concerned while lofting throw ropes 20 feet behind swimmer. Paddle partners stare slack-jawed and point in amazement at canoe which is finally stopped by major feature. Climbing up river bank involves an inverted tree. One of those little spring-loaded pins that attaches watch to watchband is missing. Contact lenses are moved to rear of eyeballs.
Class V and beyond: Expert. Not recommended for swimming.
You should see my rock-climbing difficulty rating system for true naked terror… >:)
Dave P
River Safety
Along time ago ie. last year to be precise, ‘The Brain’ and me (Dave Brain and….. me) decided that we should look at River Safety with Plas-y-Brenin on the River Tryweryn…..
“I mean hey how many times have we all swam in our Whitewater (and flatwater) careers? how many times have we had a trashing? and who has been pinned? (I’m not talking about stuck up against some poxy pebble either), I’m talking gert rock or gert tree, Who has performed a rescue with a Throw-line and missed or been pulled in after the victim!? Who here has seriously got themselves in a rather unpleasant situation and really thought I’m up **** creek without a Paddle?”
Whether you’ve answered yes or no to any of these you might consider going on one of these courses, a hundred quid could save your neck or even someone elses!
Well like I was saying ‘The Brain’ (“if there’s Whitewater and rocks I’m swimming!”) and I attended a two day Whitewater Rescue and Safety course on the River Tryweryn on the upper section in August on two piping hot days wearing drysuits, bloody hot out of the water and pretty damn cool in!
On the agenda was:
- Defensive Swimming.
- Throwline’s.
- Boat to Swimmer rescues.
- Pulleys and all that.
What I’ll describe next is an outline, it’s not a formal means of instruction, so by the time you’ve read it you won’t be much better off in a swimming role and no expert in the Black Art of rescues…. what I’m saying get your carcass off on one of these courses ‘cos when I’m swimming or pinned in my silly Squirt boat I would dearly like to be rescued while I’m still capable of panicking, breathing and filling my pants! (I’ll try my hardest to return the gesture if you are in the same ‘wet suit’ shoes)!
Defensive Swimming:
A couple of thing we did there, all with the ‘Chipper’ Sluice Gate downstream remind us that if we failed we could be pinned against a Strainer!
Sod the £630 Boat and £180 Paddles if your life is in danger! ditch them, your beloved would prefer you alive (unless you’ve really upset them) than you popping your clogs all for your 810 quids worth of kit! Get on your back, feet forward and arms out, back paddling looking for an Eddy (you’ll be in a crucifix pattern, be ready to kick yourself off any rock or obstruction! (Clogs up so they don’t snag any underwater obstruction)!
- Swimming down a rapid/drop
Curl yourself into a ball and let the fast moving water (at river bed level) carry you through!
- See an Eddy
Roll onto your front long before you pass the Eddy, angle yourself towards the Eddy and swim (Crawl Style you don’t get prizes for how bad it is, just swim like *******)! when you are beginning to cross the TOP OF THE EDDY (at its narrowest point) simply roll onto your back arms outstretched then roll onto your front arms outstretched then… you got it…. just keep rolling over and over through the Eddy until you are in slack water, then stand up and count your lucky stars (if you are a bloke make sure your marriage prospects are still attached)!
Throwlines:
You know those thingy’s most people have got one and they keep it somewhere in their Kayak, and they’ll use them for lowering Kayaks down steep slopes, hanging their Canoe Kit out to dry…….. and to be honest ain’t got a clue how to use them to rescue someone (I used to be in that catagory) laugh if you must, throwing the thing is one Art, not following the victim down stream is another!
To emphasise this we saw a German Kayaking Rescue Video which really was downright funny, such as throwing the whole Throwline at the victim (and not hanging onto it yourself), attaching weights to the end to get some distance and knocking out the poor sod! Throwing the Throwline, the victim catching it then pulling you in after, or maybe you’ve positioned yourself to drag the victim attached to the Throwline into….yep a sump, an undercut or maybe even a tree….bad egg! All in all we spent a fair bit of time learning to throw them, then came the practice, Dave Brain doing what ‘Brains’ do best…….floating down a river, me well it’s good to know we’re mates….. I threw the most perfect line……2m too high…. and Dave well lets say he put defensive swimming into practice (Feet out first to kick away any obstacle) alas the obstacle was the ‘Chipper’ a big Steel Meshed Wall with water flowing through it – fortunately the flow wasn’t enough for him to drown! You know practice makes perfect!
Live lines:
A case of Rescuer attached to a Throwline attached to two anchors (good mates)! The victim floats by and the anchors cut some slack and you jump on the victim (not on top of, but near damn it)! The theory is that your really good friends hang on tight and pull you into an Eddy (You keep the Car Keys and they’ll ensure you are safe)! Interesting experience the victim gets a ducking!
Boat rescues Swimmer:
Simple! The victim swims, you wait downstream for the victim as they approach you pop out of the Eddy and offer you Stern (Backside) whilst backpaddling and they slide a little bit on board and spread their legs and you paddle to an Eddy! (Anyone want to hang onto a Squirt Boat)? Oh what happens if you are the Probe and you swim? We never thought about that one!
Eddy Hopping in your Kayak or Canoe or Inflatable:
Quickly on this subject we did different Styles of Paddling as a group – works well in smaller groups, leap-frogging down Eddies. Enough said but a good habit to get into!
Pulley’s and other Rope rescues – Dave’s Favourite subject:
We ran through this subject, certainly interesting and probably too complex to try and explain, suffice to say numerous uses:
- Allowing your Victim to Glide from one River bank to the other (a sort of Ferry Glide)
- Release victim with foot entrapment
- Pulley used to shift Boat or log!
Practice Rescues:
We practiced numerous rescue senarios, Victim in Weir (erm Dave shall we have a chat about your swim in the Weir or no)! Dave on the rock, Boat entrapment and finally everyone line up on both sides of the River bank….. yeh lets talk about that one, you’d probably have to be there to see how funny it was…
Well there were some twenty of us on either side of the River preparing for various rescue modes, ‘Live-lines’, ‘Throwlines’, ‘Paddles’, ‘Spotters’, and down stream was the ‘Chipper’.
So there we were, when along came a paddle, then a swimmer…. well the paddle got rescued, the Victim missed the Throwline, the Live line jumped in and caught the Victim…but the Live-lines Throwline snapped off so in went the second Live-line and did a double rescue…. then along came a a brand new £600 boat well the owner wasn’t having any of that and left the rescue post to chase after the Kayak only to see it float through ‘the Chipper’ then another boat floated by along with all sorts of kit! enough said chaos ruled the day!
So…… is it worth going on one of these rescue courses, yeh absolutely. I’ve seen one pin on the Tyne Tour which sure as hell put the Willies through me, the poor bugger got pinned sideways on against two rocks, capsized and remained under water for thirty seconds, the quick reaction of one Bloke got the Victims head above water, the actual rescue took some three minutes – a life saved!
In my early days I got pinned against a tree and could have slipped under had Mark Aplin not reacted very quickly. Jonathon Cummings did me a hugh favour with his throwline on the Triple Drop of the Eitive, Oh and the comedy rescue of Gary ‘Fellin’ Sweet nearly taking Nathan for a swim on the Orchy and last but not least not too serious but could have been, Jan P pulling Stevie B on the Exe (serious in that marriage could have followed)…..
Even if you’ve absorbed a little bit of info on the course and know what rescues (including self rescue) is all about then you could save your own or someones life! Go for it, it’s fun too!
Paul Coyne
For Sale:
Wavesport Stubby – 2.25m long Technical River Running/Playboat. Forgiving yet capable for running comfortably on grade IV (French or British) rivers – Yes that means either fast flowing or tight technical (and it doesn’t mean you can’t paddle in any other country either). Responsive Play and Surfing capability. Good condition, kept indoors, complete with Air bags and Hip pads. Base colour yellow with orange/red and black bow. Price £400.
(I’m selling ‘cos I’m going to concentrate (badly) on improving my surfing and squirting – lots of improvement required)!
Please contact Paul Coyne on Home 0117 9618996; Mobile 07974 180167; Work Direct Line 0117 9709605 or E-mail pcoyne@norgrenit.com
(It’s currently at Performance Kayaks Weston-Super-Mare)!
Magic Bat – A superb example of the classic MAGIC BAT White-water Kayak, in a striking Yellow and Black designer artwork. Full whitewater spec. including back rest, buoyancy bags, and adjustable footrest. Price £185 ono.
Please contact Mark Gillett on 0117 973 4721.
Where’s all the water gone? Scotland Trip Easter 2000
My first canoe trip to Scotland – great there is bound to be loads of water, it always rains in Scotland. Hmm, this seems a bit odd. Why are all the kayaks heading South on the motorway? Do they know something we don’t? Well yes actually. I cannot remember seeing Scotland looking so dry. The mighty Orchy but a mere trickle. Why can’t it be like this when I come to Scotland to walk!!! Never mind, in true BCC spirit we decide to go canoeing anyway. Hey, who needs water? I must admit, as a founding member of the Wimpy Wednesday club the thought of not too much water seemed a more inviting prospect than all that scary white water stuff.
It just goes to show you don’t need water to go canoeing. Hardy souls like Mike, Ben, Lisa & Jenny (although I suspect her motives) were up each day at the crack of dawn to go in search of that elusive H2O. They generally found it under Spean Bridge. Looking splendid in their Teletubby outfits they recounted their adventures to us mortals who had only just managed to crawl out of bed. Descriptions of big drops and dangerous undercuts almost put me off my Cornflakes I can tell you. Loins sufficiently girded we would then all set off in search of paddleable rivers. This seemed to involve an enormous amount of driving the length and breadth of The Highlands – all very pleasant as we looked out on the scenery. So far Wimpy Wednesday membership very safe.
Eventually we would find a dam releasing enough water to allow us to paddle. Hooray! The first, courtesy of Melissa, was the Awe (I think). A nice warm up type of river with little boily bits to keep the proper kayakers happy, and flat enough to be able to say that I paddled a Scottish river without falling in. Indeed we had so much fun that we got in and did it again. White water scary? Don’t know what all the fuss is about.
Word got around that East Scotland was wetter than the West – we were getting desperate now. So several hours (it seemed) later we were on the Findhorn. It didn’t do my blood pressure any good at all to go and look at Randolph’s Leap before getting on. You mean people go down that! Fortunately Ben & Mike were getting a pretty good idea of the relative kayaking abilities of the group by this stage, and we managed to find a more easy-peasy section to try (phew). Apart from some territorial disputes over rights to eddies, and a stunning rodeo show from the Jedi Knight, the trip passed very pleasantly and uneventfully (and that’s how I like it). Two Scottish rivers, wow, really getting the hang of this now.
Back on the West Side we had the chance to paddle the Garry with and without water. Without water was just about the right level for the likes of me. I even attempted a “pop out” (honest, I’ve got photos to prove it). Pete, alias “Marigold Man”, was also in his element. We were ready for anything now. I should have known when Ben swam on one of the drops that “with water” would be a different prospect. It’s a mystery to me how one minute the kayak is happily bobbing on the surface and the next it’s upside down. How does that happen. Don’t panic! Get in position, good hip flick. Oh shit I panicked! First Scottish river swim. Never mind, just a fluke. Get back in. Take the next drop like my life depends on it. That wasn’t so bad. Almost at the end now…done this bit before…should be fine…oh no, not again…and where’s my circa 1977 Silver Jubilee Thermos flask…damn! Cold and fed up, it was all I could do to watch the others leaping off the bridge – captured for later entertainment by cameraman Conor.
So much for the paddling, what about the rest of the holiday. One day some of us didn’t even attempt to find any water and went hiking instead in Glencoe. Some intrepid explorers followed a circular walk up Lairig Eilde (Pass of the Hinds) and down Lairig Gartain (Pass of the Ticks) – sounds inviting doesn’t it? Leading from the front with no map or any idea where we were going, Chris set an example to us all. In spite of his best efforts we didn’t get lost and had some wonderful views looking down Glen Etive. Andy also took photos of gnarly trees and such like for future watercolour subjects. How are you getting on with those waterproof crayons, Andy? On the way back we stopped to inspect the Etive, and agreed that we would all have loved to run those drops – if only there had been enough water. Some days you just don’t have any luck.
One of the ironies of there being no water was that it was only possible to paddle the more difficult bits of some rivers. So the Upper Roy was do-able, but the Lower Roy not. This involved several “interesting” drops and a spectacular gorge section. I would have loved to do this but I simply had to take photos instead. One of the more dramatic bits was “Wish You Were Here” which everyone managed successfully with a little help from Ben’s song and dance routine at the top. Paul made it look easy and just by way of showing off “Marigold Man” completed the last bit underwater.
As for evening entertainment, Richard was the man. His Cornflakes box, backflip routine was a sight to behold. Why did that table keep moving? Thanks also to Jenny and Lisa for other party games ideas. Where would we be without teachers? Beautiful sunsets with the gentle reflection on Ben Nevis on the loch also brought out the romantic side of some people in the party. Or maybe it was that intoxicating Mexican cuisine and Tequila Slammers that did the trick? It wasn’t quite candle lit dinners, but we did cook a meal by torch light one night when the circuit blew.
So all in all a very successful trip, and proof that you don’t need water for a BCC kayaking holiday. Beautiful scenery, good company, excellent food, and not too scary rivers – perfect. However be warned, any other Wimpy Wednesday members contemplating going next year you may have to reapply to the Exciting Tuesday club!
Clive Weston WWC
The other Scotland 2000 article
Here we were again travelling up to Scotland on a Friday night kit and boats loaded up hoping for loads of water as it always rains in Scotland doesn’t it? We were going to stay just outside of Fort William in Fassfern house which would have 14 of us living there for the week. The posse consisted of: Lisa Gunton, Conor O’Neill, Richard Gunton, Pete Carter, Jenny Jewell, Paul Nibblet, Andy Millener (our resident artist (real one not a drinking one)), Mark Gillett (or Big Bird as some know him from previous trips (‘I paddled the Grand Canon’ Mark)), Melissa Simons, Chris Ashcroft, Mike Millington, Ben Whittle and Clive Weston.
Two cars arrived in Scotland at 4 o’clock Saturday: Mike’s and ours. Me, Mike and Ben were desperate for a paddle so of we went to do the one drop wonder (the Arkaig). My last memory of this was Andy Millener going down the grade 4 first due to lack of break outs as me and Janet had them. Nice warm up paddle, warm weather, low water, where is the rain?
Every one else arrived by about 6 o’clock and we started drinking – good sign for the rest of the week.
Sunday for some strange reason I was awake by 7. I knew Men and Bike were thinking of paddling the Spean so I arrived down start at 7:20 dressed in my sexy all in one thermals. Jenny stood at the bottom of the stairs with Ben trying to persuade her to drive us to the river. She conceded and off we went, at least it was warm but not much water. Last time I did the Spean all the drops had disappeared; this time the rocks are closing in there is not enough room for the boat to go sideways and not much flow. We start off with a few small drops, no problems with these. Ben’s leading he decided to boof a rock at the end of a small drop and seem to be swimming for some reason, we had a good laugh and carried on. The next drop we could not see the bottom not sure where we are as every thing looks different at this level. Ben goes down to the next break out has a look and paddles over. Mike asked if I wanted to go next. I declined and decided to go last. Mike paddled to the break out then started to leave the break out to do the drop. He did a very fast turn back into the break out and signalled for me to walk. We met Ben at the bottom who had done the drop and had got stuck in an undercut not a nice place to be upside down. It gave us a bit of a wake up call. This was ‘head banger’ which is paddleable in higher water.
We arrived back to the house had breakfast and then every one decided to paddle the Awe which is a dam released river so and a good warm up river about grade 3. Good paddle had by all, an excellent play wave at the start and some good manoeuvres done by Chris in his play boat. Everyone had a good play on the way down and some of us paddled the river twice. Then it was back to the house and pasta for tea.
Next day were struggling to find water so we went to the Garry, another Dam released river which was meant to be releasing on Thursday but there was always a chance. It was low but we could paddle it. The river had some excellent pop out points. Conor became cameraman, Chris showed us lots of Rodeo moves and Richard was training to become a Rodeo paddler. I got some good popouts in the pinball and some excellent back loops. No effort to do back loops in the bottom wave. Most people went to the pub. Me, Jenny, Mike and Ben went down again then joined everyone in the pub, this was the start of a good drinking session.
Back at the house Ben, Mike and Jenny cooked an excellent Mexican meal with lots of wine. We watched the days videoing and analysed our technique. Then the games began, we decided to try and pick up an empty cereal box with our teeth and each time every one had completed one round a bit more was taken off the box. This was going well when Richard joined in but he decided that not only could he pick the box up with his teeth he could do a flip and land with his feet on the table. He preceded to do an excellent flip but what he did not realise is that every one moved the table so that he did not hit it. Richard could not understand why his trick was not working probably something to do with the drink.
Tuesday
Most of the group go for a walk due to lack of water. Rich and Paul decided laying around after drinking is a good idea and they went and did the Arkaig later. Jenny, Me, Mike and Ben went off to the Upper Roy this was low but a nice paddle, excellently warm weather, only one incident.
Jenny went over a small drop where the water piled onto the rock face it flipped her and she swam. I was next, as I went over I realised my line was crap this was reinforced by Ben who shouted ‘Crap line Lisa’ as I capsized. I rolled but seemed to be stuck against a rock and moving backwards, in I went again, rolled halfway up then went under again, out I came.
Went to the Pub at the end of the Roy. Two pints later feeling rather tipsy, we went back to the house where Rich and Paul we waiting for people to arrive back. The walkers still had not come back so we went for a walk to the lake to see sunset over Ben Nevis. On the way back Jenny and Ben disappeared. Was this the start of another canoe club romance? You will have to find out but they certainly spent a lot of time together.
Wednesday
We all decided that the Findhorn would be worth a try there might be some water there. The Findhorn had loads of water, too much to paddle the gorge so we did the middle section, more play waves and an enjoyable paddle.
Thursday
The early morning Spean trip crawled out of bed. Jenny, Rich, Ben, Mike and me set of to do the river again but we were walking around the Headbanger this time. Weather very good again no sign of rain an enjoyable paddle with no major events but good seal launches by Rich, Ben and Mike. We then went back to the house and joined the others and decided to paddle the Garry which would be releasing by 4 o’clock in the afternoon, so every one went their own ways then met up later at the river. There were a few other groups on and the most water that we had seen all week. Some very good playing going on in the first stopper by Chris and Rich. I went in the stopper here for the first time ever. Its got to do with this Pin Ball – it’s meant for playing, so in I went a good 360 then ‘What am I doing here look lets get out quick’. Well that went OK so in again but it must have been luck more than judgement as this time I last all of a couple of seconds and over I went, eventually rolling up further down stream. We carried on to the first drop and Ben went down first then the others followed. Clive had an upside down experience at the bottom and joined the fish swimming. Pete used a good support stroke and stayed upright. The pop out place was now very boily and quite hard to get to but Chris managed some good manoeuvres in this.
The drop before the bridge where we were getting out. Ben went first, broke out in a small eddy half way down and signalled Rich to follow. Rich also broke out at the play wave halfway down the fall, but the river troll grabbed him and he joined the fish swimming. Mike and me saw what happened and chased after Rich and picked up the pieces. Next came some of the others then Clive who also joined the fish. I took my boat up to the top of the drop and redid it at a slower pace. Chris played in the now bigger stopper at the bottom of this drop. Then we all went to the pub for a few drinks and Melissa gained lots of friends as she said she would drive somebodies car for them.
Friday
We all decided to paddle the Roy – it was slightly higher as it had rained over night. Clive decided he would like to walk and Conor drove the car. We started off well and enjoyed the small drops on the first section. Then we came to the first named drop ‘Wish you were here.’ Mike, Jenny and me went over and the others watched the line. Ben stayed at the top and gave directions as the others came over the drop all uneventfully except for Pete who did the first part fine but got turned in the eddy and did the next bit backwards and he ended up talking to the fish. We carried on and did the rest of the trip with no rolls or swims – boring. Long walk out at the end due to the middle section being a bit low.
As it had been raining Men and Bike decided that they would like to paddle the Nevis. I decided I would not change and I’d see whether I felt like it when I got there. Jenny decided to drive for us. On arrival there were some other groups paddling the river. We watched as one of the paddlers came over a drop and proceeded to be jammed by the front of the boat. He could breathe but the water was coming over his head.
Ben grabbed a throw line and climbed down the rocks to him. The paddler had climbed out of his boat and managed to grab a rock next to him. Ben pulled him out then clipped the throw line onto the boat and pulled the boat out. I had decided not to paddle, so with Jenny we were bank support for Ben and Mike. They arrived at the first major grade 5 drop and Ben went first, Mike followed, playing in the stopper looking very good but I do not think he was meant to be there. The next drop Mike came over fine but Ben capsized and ended up against the rock face going back into the stopper. He swam out and managed to pull himself and the boat out. The next drop was the was the 25 foot drop (or 50 depending who’s talking and how many months have gone by or beers have been drunk). Excellent photos of both Mike and Ben doing this drop.
On this river Jenny and I bumped into Mark Rainsley who we paddled with on the Dart. He was in training for his trip around the world canoeing and we still forgot to get his autograph but we did not look up to him quite the same when he stood changing talking to us and waving his underpants in front of our face at the same time.
Then back to the house and down to the pub or a meal and to talk about the weeks escapades. Excellent time had by all and some very good water-colours done by Andy during the week.
Lisa Gunton