A wet weekend
Saturday - Despite heavy rain I feel the urge for a paddle so off i go to Carsington water. Now, ever thought that the worlds against you (conspiracy theory)? First i get lost on the way there, 1 hour run takes nearly double, the lake is massive but you are only permitted to paddle in one small corner and United lost against Wednesday ( I couldn't face it on telly).
The the final cue de gar, had to walk down a small bank to the lake. I slipped holding the canoe, i hit the floor, the canoe bounced in the air , and then hit me around the head, and guess what, i had people watching.
So onto the water and what has been worrying me for months is the lack of distance practice , i spend a lot of time allegedly improving my skills but not much on strength, so today we address that.
After 20 minutes i thought 35 miles a day will kill me or my arms will fall off(which evers the worst), however, i discovered that i wanted to paddle like i was in a race and by slowing down my rate i could keep going. The trick i feel is like when i ride a bike, not to free-wheel, so to keep paddling at a slower rate. I managed a good hour and half before darkness reclaimed the day.
I still have issues with my back rest, it was killing my back, however the thigh braces i fitted do the task , stops me moving around the boat.
So onto Sunday
Went to the club waters on the Don and after a inspection the club official declares "It's a wash out, the club can take no responsibility, if you wish to paddle its on your own shoulder".
So I and some people who know what they are doing venture up the bank to assess our route down.
We are given some rescue training , which will come in very handy.
We inspect the water and its like a roaring dragon, and its the first time I have thought about the power of water from the point of view that in 5 minutes i got down stream.
Then fellow paddlers (that are normally instructors ) remind me of the risk of the trees in the water which basically strain it but also can trap and kill you.
But plenty of water available to miss it.
So off i launch through two waves, then there it is, the big tree i need to miss right in front of me, frantic paddling left, get the nose(bow) round it but the back catches it, and over and in I go.
It felt like a life time but i managed to get out and off i went on my wild water ride without the boat. It's a bit like going down the steepest slide at a water park but without an end and its cold, the waves push your head in the water.
I follow what i have been told and a rescue canoe guides me safely down the channels before the rescue lines fly in i catch hold, then I am pulled to safety.
Water running out my sleeves and every other opening, the only thing missing was the fish in my mouth.
So after that did i go home?. No i went back for more and this time i beat the water(more like a goal-less draw) and did the full trip without coming out.
So did i leave it there? Err no! I went for another go. This time I got past the tree fine, but trying to break out of the fast flow i went in. I thought let's try a roll, and it worked, up i came.
However after a few seconds of me grinning from ear to ear i went over again, this time i got out and got rescued again.
Some one said I was still smiling when i went over again, yes i was well impressed with my first white water roll.
The the final cue de gar, had to walk down a small bank to the lake. I slipped holding the canoe, i hit the floor, the canoe bounced in the air , and then hit me around the head, and guess what, i had people watching.
So onto the water and what has been worrying me for months is the lack of distance practice , i spend a lot of time allegedly improving my skills but not much on strength, so today we address that.
After 20 minutes i thought 35 miles a day will kill me or my arms will fall off(which evers the worst), however, i discovered that i wanted to paddle like i was in a race and by slowing down my rate i could keep going. The trick i feel is like when i ride a bike, not to free-wheel, so to keep paddling at a slower rate. I managed a good hour and half before darkness reclaimed the day.
I still have issues with my back rest, it was killing my back, however the thigh braces i fitted do the task , stops me moving around the boat.
So onto Sunday
Went to the club waters on the Don and after a inspection the club official declares "It's a wash out, the club can take no responsibility, if you wish to paddle its on your own shoulder".
So I and some people who know what they are doing venture up the bank to assess our route down.
We are given some rescue training , which will come in very handy.
We inspect the water and its like a roaring dragon, and its the first time I have thought about the power of water from the point of view that in 5 minutes i got down stream.
Then fellow paddlers (that are normally instructors ) remind me of the risk of the trees in the water which basically strain it but also can trap and kill you.
But plenty of water available to miss it.
So off i launch through two waves, then there it is, the big tree i need to miss right in front of me, frantic paddling left, get the nose(bow) round it but the back catches it, and over and in I go.
It felt like a life time but i managed to get out and off i went on my wild water ride without the boat. It's a bit like going down the steepest slide at a water park but without an end and its cold, the waves push your head in the water.
I follow what i have been told and a rescue canoe guides me safely down the channels before the rescue lines fly in i catch hold, then I am pulled to safety.
Water running out my sleeves and every other opening, the only thing missing was the fish in my mouth.
So after that did i go home?. No i went back for more and this time i beat the water(more like a goal-less draw) and did the full trip without coming out.
So did i leave it there? Err no! I went for another go. This time I got past the tree fine, but trying to break out of the fast flow i went in. I thought let's try a roll, and it worked, up i came.
However after a few seconds of me grinning from ear to ear i went over again, this time i got out and got rescued again.
Some one said I was still smiling when i went over again, yes i was well impressed with my first white water roll.
This entry was posted
on Monday 21 January 2008 at 07:16.
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