Lessons Learned

Here we are again at that time of the year when I duck out of the DW.

At the New Year I was feeling quite pleased with myself having put in the greater part of 900 miles of paddling and feeling as though my schedule was coming together ready for one last push up to Easter. It soon became apparent that it wasn't to be. Having reached and well surpassed the 500 mile target I'd set myself it felt like an anti-climax and a sense of deflation set in soon afterwards. A couple of short, lack-lustre paddles set the mood, not helped any by watching the other club members forge into top gear, getting in long paddles, Watersides and whatnot, and a nagging pain in the left shoulder muscle. 

As January drifted into February I just wasn't feeling the impetus to get going again and it was becoming almost painful to get out of the door to go for a paddle. I had a club trip on the tideway down to Westminster booked at the end of February, so at mid February I thought it was time to pull it together to see if I was fit enough for it. I dredged up enough enthusiasm to get out for another twenty miler from Godalming to home and set off on a damp, cold February day in a fast flowing stream from the bridge in the town back to Weybridge.

I knew I was in trouble as soon as I got in the water, paddling erratically and breathing hard in the first mile. At the first lock I couldn't lever myself out of the boat. Somehow there just didn't seem to be enough strength in my arms to get me up and out and onto the bank. After several minutes looking at the bank, which had now become insurmountable, I did summon enough of something to scramble out, but it couldn't have been a pretty sight. Getting back in on the other side of the lock wasn't much better, and I progressed through the next few locks in much the same manner, just about getting out without falling in. Somewhere the shoulder figured in all this. It wasn't that it was painful, I just didn't have any confidence in it to not let me down.

Progressing along like this it took more than an hour longer than usual to get to about half way, which is at Trigg's lock. This lock is always difficult on the downstream side having a drop down a steeply inclined grass bank that overhangs the water, and into a turbulent confluence of weir stream and river. This time the river was running fast and I didn't trust myself to get in without a mishap. I took the easy way out and carried the boat about a quarter mile downstream to find a section of broken down bank to effect the get in.

By the twelve mile mark the old problem of keeping upright in the boat was playing havoc with the paddling style and by fifteen miles was non existent. Weirdly at no time during the paddle did I get the wet but warm feeling that usually works up under the Cag. All the time it was clammy and cold. I was lucky in that a substantial flow on the river and a wind that was behind me were both pushing me along. Without those factors going for me I would probably have had a long walk to retrieve the car. The end of the story came at eighteen miles when I finally gave up short of the target. So that was it. A couple of days later with a shoulder muscle tied up in a stiff knot and painful to touch, I withdrew from the tideway trip and dropped any further thoughts of getting back on track for the DW.

Really I lost the plot when it came down to getting in the long paddles on the K&A and the river.  I've covered from Marlow to Isleworth with others on club paddles but above Marlow and back to Reading is still a bit of a mystery. I've also been to quite a few of the K&A locks but it's not the same experience as paddling the lengths. I feel disappointed that having given it what I consider to be my best shot I haven't even made it to the start line. I'm also feeling frustrated and angry that I didn't get a look into the club's party as I'm pretty sure that with the added encouragement that would have brought, I would have stood a better chance. I'm also sure that  I couldn't do it by myself.

So that's about it from me...