Part two of the kayaking course occurred today. Back to the river at 10 am with the prospect of a ‘long’ paddle ahead, putting into practice what we learned last week. I wasn‘t particularly looking forward to this given the poor performance I put up last week. But, I have been putting a bit of time working on the trunk muscles, so it was at least worth a go. One of our number, one of the involuntary swimmers from last week, had however decided to give it best and didn’t appear. So, we were down to five.
Contrary to common belief there has been some rain on Surrey this year . By my rain gauge it’s been about 1.7 inches this month, most of it this week. In practical terms this has resulted in an improved flow down the Thames since the almost turgid water of the Easter period when contestants in the DW race received almost no help from the flow. There are no prizes for guessing which way our merry little band were headed at 10.30. That’s right, upstream.
And so it was that we headed off en-masse against the tide, initially crossing the river to get to the short curve on the other side. It soon became apparent that there was nothing comfortable about my paddling position again. Although I had checked the seat settings as being the same as last week, with a bit of consideration through the week I fealt that I had too much of a stretch to reach the footboard. This gave a definite insecurity and wobble as I tried to move the rudder bar. I called a time-out and adjusted the seat to about three notches shorter. This did seem to make a difference and for the first half of the session things proceeded relatively well we me retaining a relatively upright torso.
The main trouble is getting the bloody thing to go where I wanted it to. Pushing the rudder initially changed direction, but it still carries on turning unless it’s returned to neutral, which almost always resulted in an over-correction. Personally I think it should self centralise, but I’m assured that that is normal and I’ll get used to it. Some hope, but everyone else seems to manage OK. We pursued this course up-river to Sunbury lock, with me tracking a serpentine course at the rear. At Sunbury, after inventing an entirely new method of exiting the boat, I carried out my first ‘Portage’ over the rollers. We eventually ended up at a waterside pup where we had a passable lunch, even though I didn’t really feel much like eating.
Back in the water we carried on upstream to the white-water side of Walton weir to experience just what the river is capable of. I can remember back in 2010 when the DW provided one of ‘those’ moments when I was following it first hand. Being at (I think) Marsh lock at about 3am with a raging torrent passing through the weir a few yards away on the right hand and a guy lying with a broken leg on the left, waiting for an ambulance concentrates the mind that this sport has it's moments. Clearly these are places not to be messed with. We circled around gently just outside the turbulent water and headed back home.
By this time I was again tired and again having difficulty staying upright. But at least both tide and wind were with us going back. We experienced a variety of weather patterns. The morning had been sunny and warm, but after lunch we had rain, wind and sleet. Even just holding the paddle up produced a sail effect and had us progressing quickly. It didn’t last long, and we had another swimmer.
I wasn’t pleased with my performance. I found myself lagging behind the group most of the time and being shepherded and encouraged along by one of the instructors. But I suppose that it must have been some sort of an improvement as we covered about six miles today, as opposed to two last week. Nevertheless, it didn’t feel very much like an improvement. Afterwards I received the BCU ‘One Star Certificate’. The fact of the matter is that I don’t feel like I earned it.
6 Miles
No comments:
Post a Comment