Hare & Hounds, August

The final Hare & Hounds of the season took place on Saturday 18th August. For one reason and another I had missed six of them through the year so was keen to get this last one in as it would make my sixth event of the year and the final one to score. Although there is no running total published, I had an idea that the previous five results had put me into a good position to win the series if I could pull off a good placing on this last one.

From last month’s result my handicap had been increased by some four minutes putting at least two other contenders who had been on the last H&H on the start line before me. So as I lined up for my start four other crews had already departed at staggered intervals. I could just see in the distance the last one disappearing under the bridge about a quarter mile away. I have been practicing a fast start, with varying degrees of success. This one went off well by using short stabbing strokes to get moving from stationary, then increasing the depth of the paddle so that I was almost up to speed within the first ten strokes. 

I settled down to a faster pace than I was going to be able to maintain all the way, but by the first mile I had overtaken the paddler just in front of me and was wash hanging the next one. Just past the mile mark is a narrow bridge which I passed through just ahead making him have to slow up as he entered the span with my wash rebounding off the walls. That effectively gave me an extra ten yards and I was well on the way to the third target.

The three still ahead were still out of sight and I didn’t see them until they started coming back at me from the turn. I also had a good turn and made up a few seconds on that. Taking a slightly slower pace after the turn as I was running out of steam somewhat, I was still able to make ground on them until I passed number three while crossing Great Bottom Flash. The penultimate paddler was just a hundred yards or so further on and was taken just after the one-mile bridge.

I was now having to shorten the pace to rest a bit while keeping ahead. It was not until I came through the last but one bridge that I could see the leaders ahead of me by about a hundred yards. They were the Canadian pair crew that I had beaten last month, but this time they were paddling with a much more purposeful air about them. They had had a 15 minute start on me and we had passed by each other before the turn. My arithmetic had told me they had about five minutes of their start left at that point so it was likely that I could catch them. 

I eased off the pace a bit to rest then paced behind them until the canal began to take a long, slow curve to the right right up to the last bridge. I got the advantage of the bend and was able to take them on the inside and passing under the bridge in front of them, then giving it everything remaining up to the finish line and finishing 45 seconds ahead.

I felt that the whole race went well for me, including the couple of tactical moves I’d had to make. It ‘felt’ as if I’d gone a lot faster but it turned out that my time was somewhat slower than last month by 40 seconds, which was disappointing but I was pleased with the win which gives me another 10 points and a score of 51 points for the six events. Unfortunately I’ll have to wait to see if anyone else has scored higher to see if I get the trophy… or not.