Going Out on the Tide

The Humble river excursion was a hard push and I left any further trips for over a week before venturing out again. Actually real life circumstances rather got in the way so it the following week before I got back on the Wey to do an easy 5 miles. At the end of it I really rather wish I hadn't bothered. I started off well enough but soon deteriorated to a random paddle stroke and by the last mile was again trying to ease the cramp in my hips as I rested at the back of the cockpit.

It didn't help that a series of houseboats got in the way and I was forced to follow them for more than a mile like a car behind a couple of caravans with not enough room or steam to overtake them. My time at the end was 1 : 19, a good five minutes slower than my best time. I dropped the ball again by leaving my next trip out for a further week and on this one, another five miles, put in the abysmal time of 1 : 21. This time I didn't even have the excuse of other river traffic getting in the way as it was almost completely deserted.

It just seems that any gains I make go completely out of the window if I don't keep the momentum going. But, on the other hand, the five mile trip has now become the 'standard' distance instead of two miles. This particular outing was pretty bloody though. Hips and legs hurt like hell. I'd had to make the effort though as two days later I was booked into a club instruction day on 'handling' and the day after that on a club trip from Hampton to Isleworth on the Thames tideway.

'Handling' was a reprise of the two star manoeuvering that I'd failed on before. And for two hours, along with five others, I turned the boat on a sixpence, both ways, backed it up and down and generally manoeuvered with the best of them. The trouble was that my exertions took me swimming, not once but twice. The second time was through sheer stupidity as I threw myself into the water while trying to throw a coil of rope to one of the other paddlers. No one else swam during the session, but most of them were pussyfooting around trying to stay upright. At the end of the session I finished off by circling around a small island on the far side of the river, backwards... twice!

The following day I'd booked into a club excursion. This was the Monday, which is something of a new departure for the club which suited me to a T to be out on a weekday. Only three of us, including the leader took up the option and set off at around 10 am to catch the high tide at Teddington at 11 : 45 and carry on with the outgoing tide down to the 'London Apprentice' pub at Isleworth for lunch. The plan was then to shuttle the boats back by car as the whole 10 mile trip was one-way only.

We got away on time and passed through Molesey lock. Once more, one of the others took their time getting their boat out of the way and I got into trouble while standing off waiting for him to get clear as the wind gently pushed me towards the lock gates. Eventually I had to manage a 360 degree turn, which came easily courtesy of the night before, and got back to the landing before things got out of hand.

We pushed on through Kingston and took a short detour behind Taggs Island before taking on the rollers at Teddington. On the other side the tidal water was like a millpond and we carried on serenely, although we didn't seem to be getting much assistance from the flow. By this time I was getting tired as the wind was increasing and having to take longer and longer breaks in the paddling. This slowed all of us down and we just made the Richmond gates before they closed.

The wind was now coming at us from directly ahead. As at the Hamble it was pushing up wavelets making progress slow and at one point catching the upturned end of my paddle pulling it upwards. That was something new which I didn't expect and it came as yet another surprise that induced a few unwelcome wobbles. We eventually made our destination at Isleworth and landed on a mud and shingle beach. I congratulated myself that I'd reached the end without capsizing and followed the example of our leader to exit the boat by putting a foot out each side and standing up. That was my downfall as I lost balance in the couple of inches of water, staggered backwards and fell over sideways into the drink.

Luckily I'd brought a change of clothes and was able to present myself in a more or less dry condition to get a welcome lunch of bangers and mash before driving back.